Gopher coach Tim Brewster’s goal is to have a “top 20” college football recruiting class for 2008.  Brewster and his assistant coaches have devoted extraordinary time and energy the last several months to making their first recruiting group one of the best in school history.

“We will be very, very disappointed if we don’t have a top 20 recruiting class in the country,” Brewster told Sports Headliners.  “…Obviously, if we’re in the top 20 in the country, then…we’ll be in the upper end of the Big Ten (Conference) which is where we need to be, which is where we should be.”

Beyond 2008?  Brewster expects to set the goal at top 15 or better in recruiting rankings.  “Each and every year I think we’ll take steps of re-establishing ourselves as one of the elite programs in college football,” he said.  “Without question that’s going to be accomplished. … 

“I couldn’t be any more excited about how the (recruiting) process is evolving to this point.  We’ve made tremendous inroads in the state of Minnesota and in the country in areas in which we targeted. … California, Texas, Florida where we’re going to go get dynamic football players that can help us win a championship.   

“And then obviously it’s got to translate on the field.  We’ve gotta win.  More than anything that’s what’s going to help us in recruiting, when kids see our style of play.  When they see a brand new on-campus football stadium it’s going to be huge in allowing us to return to greatness.” 

Brewster won’t know the complete recruiting results until signing day in February but the bar has been set high and is going higher.  A verbal commitment in the fall from one or more high school superstars will add further evidence of Gopher progress.  No potential commitment looms larger than that of Cretin-Derham Hall wide receiver Michael Floyd, considered one of the elite school boy players in the country.  Another barometer will be Brewster’s son Nolan, a consensus choice as a top safety, who currently is committed to Texas.

The Sporting News ranks the Vikings’ group of wide receivers last among the 16 NFC teams.  The Cardinals’ wide receivers rank No. 1 and Minneapolis native Larry Fitzgerald, Jr. is rated the fifth best receiver in the conference.

Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano, out for the season following surgery last November on his left elbow, was 9-3 with a 1.99 ERA at this date last season, according to stats on espn.com. Those numbers look imposing on a 2007 pitching staff that only has one pitcher, Johan Santana, with more than six wins.

Santana, Torii Hunter, Joe Mauer, Albert Pujolz, Derek Jeter and David Ortiz are players Twins president Dave St. Peter would pay to see play. He said, “I don’t think there‘s been a better pitcher in baseball” than Santana and he praised Ortiz, a former Twin now with the Red Sox.  “He’s proven himself as an incredible clutch hitter…and he’s also just a wonderful guy, a great human being,” St. Peter said. 

The ACC didn’t lessen its reputation as America’s premier college basketball league in last week’s NBA draft.  The ACC led all conferences with six first round picks.  The Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-10 each had four.  Ohio State provided three of the four Big Ten picks, with Alando Tucker of Wisconsin going late in the first round to Phoenix.  There were only two Big Ten players chosen in the second round, Carl Landry of Purdue and Adam Haluska of Iowa.  Former Minneapolis North and Wisconsin guard Kammron Taylor wasn’t drafted.

Approximately 150 Twin Cities-area families will open their homes to over 300 international players during this year’s Schwan’s USA Cup, presented by Puma.  The tournament, July 13-21 at the National Sports Center in Blaine, is the largest gathering of youth soccer teams in the hemisphere.  Last year’s tournament featured 898 teams from 28 states and 17 countries, and it is expected that this year’s tournament will draw similar numbers.  Daily attendance may average 25,000.

Perhaps honeymooning Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is sitting near the Great Wall in China today applauding vice president Kevin McHale for making two significant additions to the roster and praying that more improvements are coming.   The billionaire from Mankato left for China earlier this week with new bride Becky and hopes that his basketball team is in the midst of multiple off-season moves to end a three year slide that has seen the Timberwolves miss the playoffs and lose money. 

The trade on June 14 that brought Juwan Howard to the Timberwolves and last night’s choice of Corey Brewer as the team’s No. 1 pick in the NBA draft are good beginnings for a team that had a 32-50 record in 2006-2007 and was not pleasant to watch the last month of the season.  Howard, a 34-year-old 13 season veteran, brings a reputation for scoring and locker room leadership.  Yup, need that.  Brewer, a 21-year-old from the University of Florida, is a high character and versatile 6-foot-9 athlete who can play shooting guard and small forward. He makes plays for teammates, scores and can defend point guards, shooting guards and small forwards.  Lord, we need that, too.  

But we need to ask the Almighty, not to mention McHale and the other Wolves’ personnel guys, for more help, too.  The transition from loser to winner will take more than Howard, Brewer and a guy named Kevin Garnett.   

Are the Wolves after a star player from another team as they look to make additional moves?  “We’re after the five players who can play the best together that we can get,” Timberwolves president Chris Wright told Sports Headliners last night. 

The Wolves are going to make additional changes, right?  “I would not expect this franchise to look the way that it is today at the beginning of next season,” Wright answered.  “It’s obvious that we have to consider doing something.  The question is when you take a look at all the opportunities that are out there, what is the best opportunity for us? …”  

Wright praised McHale for doing an “incredible job over the last four weeks” in his management of the potential Garnett trade, noting that the Timberwolves didn’t initiate transaction rumors but decided to listen to offers. “He (McHale) has set the bar for if we were to consider something, what it would be,” Wright said.  “Kevin Garnett is the face of this franchise. He’s the consummate professional.  He’s done everything that he can possibly do for this franchise here.  We are not going to do anything that…harms our ability to be able to compete on that basketball court with him or without him. What Kevin McHale will do is analyze every opportunity and he will only do what he believes is in the best interest of making this team more competitive. …”