David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Gophers Picking Up 4-Star Momentum

Posted on April 28, 2020April 28, 2020 by David Shama

The football Gophers are trending toward their best recruiting class in more than a decade and this spring are picking up more four-star preps. Minnesota has four four-star players among 13 preps who have made verbal commitments for the class of 2021 that eventually may have about 20 scholarship freshmen.

In the latest rankings by 247Sports for 2021, Minnesota is No. 5 nationally and No. 2 in the Big Ten (behind Ohio State). When national Signing Day comes along in December it seems like this class could be as hyped (or more so) by recruiting authorities as coach Tim Brewster’s group in 2008 that 247Sports ranked No. 26 in America. None of Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck’s previous four recruiting classes have made it into the final 247Sports top 30 rankings.

Ryan Burns, the publisher of GopherIllustrated.com affiliated with 247Sports, believes Fleck and his staff could pick up three or four additional four-star players to go with a load of three-star recruits. “That wouldn’t surprise me one bit,” Burns told Sports Headliners.

The Minneapolis-based recruiting authority sees a possibility that two more four-star targets could commit in the next 30 days. Running back Mar’Keise Irving from Hillcrest High School in Country Club Hills, Illinois and Chicago Simeon offensive lineman Cameron James both have strong interest in Minnesota despite the COVID-19 epidemic preventing them from visiting campus.

Burns said Minnesota also has commitments from players currently ranked with three-stars who could move up to four-star status (next highest from five stars) if a fall high school season is played and they excelled. He mentioned Shakopee defensive end Devin Eastern is on the edge of moving up because of his on the field skills and also his impressive offseason training.

It doesn’t look like Minnesota will land two of the state’s top rated players in the class of 2021, per Burns. Four-stars Justice Sullivan from Eden Prairie and Riley Mahlman of Lakeville South appear headed to Iowa and Wisconsin respectively. Justice is labeled an “athlete” whose college position appears undecided, while Mahlman could add to the Badger legacy of great offensive linemen.

As of today, 247Sports ranks Iowa’s 2021 class No. 6 nationally, with the Hawkeyes having 12 recruits including four four-star players. Wisconsin is No. 13 in the rankings, with 10 commits including three four-star prospects.

The list of Gopher four-star commits so far is comprised of cornerback Avante Dickerson, Omaha; quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, Antioch, Illinois; cornerback Steven Ortiz, Goodyear, Arizona; and “athlete” Sam Jackson, Naperville, Illinois. All but Athan Kaliakmanis verbally committed to Minnesota this spring.

Burns doesn’t foresee any of them dumping Minnesota to attend other schools, although he will remind a listener “18 year olds” are unpredictable.

Dickerson is the highest ranked Gopher recruit since Washburn running back Jeff Jones committed to Minnesota in 2014. “He (Dickerson) is everything athletically you would ever want in a corner,” Burns said.

It’s almost unheard of for the Gophers to receive a pledge from a Nebraska recruit. Not only are the Nebraska Cornhuskers a legendary team in the state, many of college football’s blueblood programs were also in pursuit of the 6-foot, 165-pound Dickerson who many observers think is the best prospect in the state. Burns believes it’s nearly a lock Dickerson comes to Minnesota and doesn’t give in to the pressure of Big Red Nation.

Why?

Because Dickerson highly values his relationships with coaches and the Gophers won him over led by assistant Joe Harasymiak, according to Burns. He said “Nebraska didn’t put in the work that Minnesota did” to land the gifted prep cornerback. While the Husker staff is likely to try “catch up,” Burns believes Minnesota’s investment in time and effort will keep Dickerson committed until he can sign a National Letter of Intent.

“I think his (recruiting) ranking is warranted,” Burns said. “I think the ceiling is incredibly, incredibly high for him.”

Kaliakmanis gave Minnesota a verbal pledge more than a year ago, per 247Sports. Burns said an indication that Kaliakmanis will keep his commitment is the dual-threat quarterback is recruiting others to become Gophers.

Ortiz committed earlier this month and Blair Angulo of 247Sports predicts an 80 percent likelihood he becomes a Gopher. The University of Washington has a 20 percent chance of having the cornerback eventually land in Seattle. Burns said Ortiz intends to enroll at Minnesota in January and could see playing time in 2021 as a nickel coverage man.

Jacknson was offered a scholarship by Notre Dame to become a defensive back, a position he has never played. He was a sophomore wide receiver before switching to quarterback as a junior last year. “All I know is he is truly one of the most dynamic athletes in the Midwest and that’s why he was so highly sought after,” said Burns who expects Jackson to play wide receiver or QB at Minnesota.

Burns believes Jackson’s intentions toward Minnesota are solid. Jackson de-committed from the Gophers awhile back, and Burns said it would be unusual for a recruit to do that twice with the same school.

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Zim Looks for New WR to Play Now

Posted on April 24, 2020April 24, 2020 by David Shama

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer made known his expectations for first round draft choice Justin Jefferson last night on KFAN Radio. “He’ll be able to come in and should be able to play right away.”

The Vikings selected the former LSU wide receiver at No. 22 in last night’s NFL Draft. Zimmer praised Jefferson’s ability to play inside and outside in an offense. He also mentioned Jefferson’s work ethic in practice, competitive nature and intelligence.

Jefferson has a reputation for making difficult catches and the Vikings considered him one of the best wide receivers in the draft. “Quite honestly, we tried to move up and were hoping that he would be there,” Zimmer said.

Minnesota acquired another first rounder in TCU cornerback Jeff Gladney at No. 31. Zimmer told KFAN the 5-foot-10 Gladney needs improvement with his playing technique but expressed enthusiasm about his new defensive player.

“He’s very quick. Good accelerator, has a lot of speed,” Zimmer said. “He’s a little on the shorter side. (But) of some of the other guys (in the draft) he had longer arms and longer wing span. But he’s a very competitive kid… .”

Will Jefferson and Gladney ultimately be judged as productive players for the franchise? General manager Rick Spielman is in his ninth season with the Vikings and led last night’s opening round decisions. Looking at his eight previous drafts, Spielman hit the success button more often than not, but a few misses standout now when the Vikings have needs at cornerback and wide receiver.

Cornerback Trae Waynes and wide receiver Laquon Treadwell were first round selections in 2015 and 2016. Neither is with the team and they didn’t even come close to being impact contributors for Minnesota. Spielman drafted cornerback Mike Hughes No. 1 in 2018 and while opportunity waits in 2020, Hughes has struggled with injuries and has made only five career starts at a position of ongoing need.

Those three players haven’t benefitted Minnesota much, but five others have from earlier drafts. That includes last year when the Vikings made Garrett Bradbury the highest drafted center in franchise history at No. 18 in the first round. He was a starter in his rookie year and while evaluators say he has lots to improve on, he’s a first round success story right now.

The Vikings didn’t have a No. 1 pick in 2017 but let’s count running back Dalvin Cook to Spielman’s credit. At No. 41 in the second round he was the first player chosen by the Vikings that year, and he is the team’s best weapon on offense.

Spielman had two first rounders in 2014, linebacker Anthony Barr and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. At No. 9 in the first round of the draft, Barr was the second highest linebacker the franchise ever drafted and has been a Pro Bowler. Bridgewater was on track to become the club’s starting quarterback for years until a devastating knee injury in 2016 eventually caused the Vikings to move on.

Spielman maneuvered for three first rounders in 2013 in this order: defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, cornerback Xavier Rhodes and receiver-kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson. All three gave the Vikings help, with Rhodes becoming (at times) a shutdown cornerback playing one of the most important positions in the NFL.

The Vikings didn’t hit a homerun with their No. 4 pick in 2012, selecting offensive tackle Matt Kalil, but no one will deny Spielman a gold star for choosing safety Harrison Smith with the No. 29 selection of the first round. Smith is still a starter and has consistently been rated among the NFL’s better defensive players. In 2017 Pro Football Focus ranked him the third best player in the league.

From 2012-2015 Kalil started 64 consecutive games for Minnesota but is no longer with the team, and he never fulfilled the expectations of a No. 4 overall pick.

Worth Noting

With NFL teams done with the draft after Saturday, they will focus even more on college free agents and veteran NFL free agents. It could be a telling week for 32-year-old Everson Griffen who was once an All-Pro defensive end and opted for free agent status last month. Probably a long shot the Vikings will re-sign him.

Former Gopher All-American safety Antoine Winfield Jr. will likely be chosen in the second round of tonight’s continuing NFL Draft. Dan O’Brien, now head football coach at St. Thomas Academy, was a Gophers assistant coach when Minnesota recruited him. Winfield was only a three-star recruit out of high school in Texas but O’Brien said the Gopher coaches knew after the first couple of practices the freshman was going to be an impact player.

“He just had fantastic instincts,” O’Brien said. “It seemed like he would read the quarterback as good as any kid we had, even though he was just a freshman. He was one of those players that just was always in the right spot.”

With 13 verbal commits, including four four-star players, the 2021 Gophers football recruiting class is second in the Big Ten and No. 5 nationally in the latest 247Sports rankings.

Condolences to family and friends of former Gopher and Viking star lineman Milt Sunde from Bloomington, who died this week. Sunde, the Gopher team captain, played his last college game on the surprise date of Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1963. The game against Wisconsin at old Memorial Stadium had been moved from the original playing date of November 24 following the November 22 assassination of President John Kennedy. The Vikings drafted Sunde in the 20th round of the 1964 NFL Draft but he had a surprisingly successful career playing for 11 seasons for his hometown team.

Kerwin Walton, the four-star wing from Hopkins, is expected to announce his college choice Saturday. It’s believed his finalists are Arizona, Creighton, Minnesota and North Carolina. After following Walton’s recruiting, the guess here is Arizona will be the choice because of the Wildcats profile as a college heavyweight and the positive experience Zeke Nnjai, a former Hopkins teammate, had this season with the Pac-12 program.

This week NBAdraft.net projected Nnaji, a power forward, being selected at No. 22 in the first round. Gopher center Daniel Oturu is projected at No. 10, with Apple Valley point guard alum Tre Jones a second round pick at No. 41.

The NCAA has pushed its vote back to June regarding a new policy allowing a one-time immediate eligibility for athletes transferring from one school to another. Even if the policy is approved, it seems likely not to be implemented until the 2021-2022 school year given the late timing and upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Vikings GM Willing to Take Risks

Posted on April 21, 2020April 21, 2020 by David Shama

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman leads the Vikings in the NFL Draft this week, and his past profile tells fans to prepare for surprises.

Minnesota has two first round draft choices and 12 overall in the seven round event that starts Thursday and continues through Saturday. It seems likely Spielman will trade picks during the 2020 draft, perhaps in the first round.

In the last three drafts, Spielman made multiple trades to maneuver for college players he wanted. More of that makes sense given the club’s many needs including at cornerback, wide receiver and in the offensive line.

Spielman, now in his ninth season as Minnesota’s GM and 30th working in the NFL, is in the last year of his contract. The pressure is on him to reshuffle a roster that has both strength and soft spots by coming up with a winning draft list, and making moves to sign free agent veterans in the weeks ahead (or even in the next few days).

Spielman’s history has consistently been that of a leader not afraid to take risks. He hired Mike Zimmer even though the longtime NFL defensive coordinator had never been a head coach. Just before the season started in 2016 he traded for Sam Bradford, a veteran quarterback known as much for his injuries as his skills.

A couple of years ago Spielman set a Vikings and NFL payroll record by giving free agent Kirk Cousins a guaranteed $84 million deal, and then this offseason signing the inconsistent quarterback to a rich contract extension. Last month he also traded star wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Bills for the No. 22 pick in the first round of Thursday night’s draft.

You decide whether to label Spielman “Trader Rick,” but there is no doubt one of the NFL’s most intriguing storylines Thursday night will be what the Vikings do in the first round. Their first round picks at No. 22 and No. 25 might be leveraged to move up in the draft, or one of them could be used to acquire two draft picks in the second round.

A headline maker would have the Vikings dealing to move into the top dozen picks of the first round. There they could acquire one of the draft’s biggest prizes among corners, offensive linemen and wide receivers. A low-risk-high-reward draftee is Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs. If the Vikings could draft Wirfs to play right tackle and sign Washington Redskins free agent left tackle Trent Williams, the moves would provide a lot of security for star running back Dalvin Cook and Cousins, who often falters under pressure in the pocket.

Worth Noting

At Spielman’s pre-draft news conference this afternoon he wouldn’t describe the 2020 draft as the biggest or most important he has led, but did acknowledge the “evolution period of our roster” and the many spots that need to be filled.

Spielman expects a lot of contributions right away from this year’s draft choices, and plans to add to the rookie pool next week with free agent signings. He said the goal of growing the roster from the present 60 total to 90 can also be aided by signing veteran free agents and acquiring players via what he termed “minor trades.”

This is a particularly deep draft for wide receivers. Spielman expressed optimism the Vikings could find quality even in the fourth and fifth rounds.

Spielman expects the Vikings will be playing inexperienced cornerbacks next season. While that is a position of need, the GM said corners the Vikings select need to fit their scheme and have traits liked by the team’s coaches.

Other teams have been calling Spielman in regard to possible draft choice swapping that could have his club moving up or back in the draft.

Former Viking Bob Lurtsema predicted to Sports Headliners last year that Minnesota would use its first round pick to select center Garrett Bradbury. Now what about 2020? “I think they will draft a wide receiver with speed,” Lurtsema said.

The first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday begins at 7 p.m. Minneapolis time. Start times for Friday (rounds 2 & 3) and Saturday (rounds 4 thru 7) are 6 p.m. and 11 a.m. respectively.

Casey O’Brien, the University of Minnesota football player whose triumphs against cancer have been a national story, is on track to be cancer free next month. His father Dan O’Brien said a spot found on Casey’s lung last January was removed surgically earlier this year and the junior holder is finishing up chemo treatments. Casey will have his degree from the Carlson School of Business in December.

With the pandemic going on and no sports being played, WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle” show has been sidelined for more than a month. Dave Mona, co-host of the show since 1981, said the program will resume when Minnesota sports start up again.

The high school sports season in Minnesota is still a possibility, even if it’s a long shot. In the best scenario, spring sports will start in early May and continue through the end of June.

Anyone have a mint condition Fleer 1986 Michael Jordan #57 card? Heritage Auctions online website says it could be worth $30,000 and more.

Todd Woodcroft, who worked with multiple NHL organizations in various positions including the Minnesota Wild, is the new head men’s hockey coach at Vermont.

Joe Mauer, who retired after the 2018 season and turned 37 years old Sunday, still wouldn’t be the oldest player on the Twins roster, with that distinction going to DH Nelson Cruz who will be 40 in July.

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