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Even in Spring College Football Magazine Brings Excitement

Posted on June 8, 2025June 8, 2025 by David Shama

 

At the Walgreen’s checkout line on Friday, I was surprised to see a college football magazine for sale.  I almost gagged at the price of $14.99 but simultaneously fell into a state of ecstasy.

Everyone should have something that takes them back to their favorite childhood endeavor.  At the top of my list is and was searching the magazine shelves at a pharmacy or bookstore for the first college football publication of the year.

I couldn’t resist buying Athlon’s magazine, even at a ridiculous cost of $16.27 including tax.  Don’t tell Athlon but $22 is probably my ceiling.

Years ago, it was usually Street & Smith’s that was out first. It was a comprehensive national preview, and you didn’t need a small loan to buy it.

Steet & Smith’s magazine hit newsstands in August.  Decades ago, the college football season didn’t start until mid-September or later in the month.  Now the preview publications will be out in June, partially because the season starts in late August.

As a youth, I was waiting for the Gophers’ return to Big Ten glory and national championships.  That’s what my elders talked about, the great legacy of Minnesota football.  I rushed to the store with anticipation that a Gopher player might be a magazine cover boy.  Couldn’t wait in the 1950s and 1960s to see if Minnesota was forecast among the nation’s elite.

Nowadays, I still get excited about buying and reading the magazines, but with tempered expectations, of course.  Yes, I am ready for whatever fortunes are forecast for the Maroon and Gold, but I am also curious to see what the Big Ten and national landscape is supposed to be.

Know that Athlon lists Minnesota No. 42 in its 2025 rankings of 136 college football teams.  Matthew McConnaughey’s Texas Longhorns are No. 1, and the Golden Flashes of Kent State are No. 136.

Athlon predicts Minnesota will finish 11th in the 18 team Big Ten Conference.  That’s not a lofty forecast but the magazine thinks the Gophers can have a winning season and forecasts a postseason appearance against the Big 12’s Baylor Bears at the Rate Bowl in Phoenix.

Bears beware!  The Gophers have won eight consecutive bowl games, including six straight under head coach P.J. Fleck.

Koi Perich photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

I do have something else Gopher fans can strut about. Sophomore safety and wunderkind Koi Perich is an Athlon third-team defense All-American and first team All-Big Ten.  As the magazines come out and national award candidates are announced, the preseason recognition will mount for the Esko, Minnesota native who figures to impact games this fall as a defender, special teams player and even offensive threat.

Fleck will be in his ninth season leading the Gophers program.  His best season was in 2019 when the Gophers finished 11-2 and ranked No. 10 in the final AP poll.

The notion from some skeptics endures that Fleck will use the Gopher job as a stepping stone.  Athlon reinforced that with a quote from an opposing Big Ten assistant coach.

“…It’s no secret Fleck wants to be at a high-end, title contending program,” he said anonymously.  “This doesn’t look like a ’19 season on paper, but if they win nine games or so, he’ll be on the hunt to move.”

I am going to sign off now and get back to devouring Athlon’s pages.  Doesn’t everyone want to know what awaits not only the power conference teams but also the likes of Kennesaw State, Old Dominion and Liberty (not the insurance company).

If you see an older guy with a stack of magazines at Barnes & Noble any time soon be sure to lend a hand.  Or maybe a couple of bucks.  This stuff is expensive!

Comments Welcome

Will Glen Taylor Surprise as New Minnesota Twins Owner?

Posted on June 4, 2025June 4, 2025 by David Shama

 

The field of potential buyers of the Twins franchise is unknown to the public.  Could Glen Taylor be among the interested?

Taylor, 84, might seem unlikely given his age and apparent exit from sports as majority owner of the Timberwolves and Lynx.  The sale of those franchises to the Marc Lore-Alex Rodriguez group is expected to be finalized soon by the NBA.

Taylor is a lifelong civic-minded Minnesotan and sports fan.  It was Taylor who stepped up in 1994 to buy a distressed Wolves franchise that could have been headed to New Orleans.  Taylor started the Lynx franchise in 1999 partially because he wanted to be supportive of women’s basketball. For many years he operated both the Lynx and Wolves when they lost money.

Glen Taylor

The Mankato-based billionaire obviously wants to make money on his various business endeavors, but he’s demonstrated his interest in benefitting the community including paying for expensive upgrades to Target Center, the city-owned home of the Wolves and Lynx.  More than 20 years ago he told the Rochester Post-Bulletin he had interest in buying the Twins and Vikings.

Could Taylor head a group of Minnesotans willing to buy the baseball franchise under terms they consider favorable?  Might that group include the Davis family best known to many Minnesotans for its Cambria ownership?  Twins hall of famer Joe Mauer, potentially as a minor investor, would add “curb appeal” to a new group.

Taylor and partners reportedly will receive $1.5 billion for the sale of the Wolves-Lynx.  The Twins Pohlad family ownership group might be asking a similar price for their franchise.

That appears to be a higher figure than realistic.  Forbes does value the team at $1.5 billion but a recent report from Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press said the franchise has more than $400 million debt and is borrowing to pay bills.

That is a big negotiating point to any potential buyer.  So, too, is the belief that the Twins are in the bottom third in valuation among the 30 MLB franchises.

Forbes ranks the franchise at No. 23.  The Orioles, who sold last year at a reported $1.7 billion, are ranked No. 18 and valued at $1.9 billion.

The Twins are averaging 19,595 fans a game this season, per ESPN.com.  That ranks No. 25 in baseball.  The Twins per game attendance, though, will rise in the summer months with better weather and if the Twins continue to win as they have done of late.

The club has long had a bandwagon fan base.  There is no fierce groundswell of loyalty to the Twins as there is for the Vikings, or baseball’s Cubs and Red Sox.

Attendance is significantly impacted by on field success and while usually having a competitive team in the AL Central Division, the franchise is hardly poised for a World Series run.  It doesn’t help either that much of the fanbase is anti-Pohlad, believing that for too long ownership has been unwilling to invest enough in payroll.

Selling season tickets has been a challenge in recent years.  When the club moved into Target Field in 2010 the season tickets total was reportedly about 24,000.  That figure more than doubled the franchise record, per my reporting in 2010. Now the season tickets base might be in the 10,000 range, or even less.

In addition to on field performance, attendance is impacted by inclement weather.  April and May often bring troublesome weather that discourages ticket buyers.  Those two months represent roughly one-third of the schedule.

Playing in a facility without a retractable roof is a liability for the franchise which might have been interested in that amenity except for the added cost.  A covered facility assures ticket buyers, including groups, that a game will be played regardless of the weather.

The neighboring Brewers have such a facility and are valued at $1.7 billion and ranked No. 20 in the Forbes evaluations.  Yet Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin don’t have the geographic drawing power that the Twins benefit from being able to attract fans from the Dakotas, Iowa and Canada.  American Family Field gives the Brewers an edge at the box office.

The Twins have also been hit with reported declining local TV revenue.  The once lucrative regional sports model has been replaced by Twins TV.  Going back to the 2024 offseason it was apparent the club’s stance on player payroll was impacted on a projection of less money from local television.

Perhaps the Twins would be willing to structure a sale for something like $1.2 billion with the caveat that if certain revenue marks are achieved in coming years, the Pohlads will receive a percentage of the success.  That could be a negotiating item in a sale that has plenty of challenges including the potential of a MLB players’ work stoppage after the collective bargaining agreement between their union and the owners ends after the 2026 season.

Maybe Taylor is intrigued by it all.  Perhaps he sees a reinvigoration of himself on a warm, sunny day at Target Field.

Worth Noting

When the Twins selected Royce Lewis at No. 1 overall in the 2017 MLB Draft, they passed on Hunter Greene.  While Lewis is in an inexplicable slump and hitting .133, Greene is arguably one of MLB’s 10 best starting pitchers.  The Reds ace was 9-5 with a 2.75 ERA last season and in 2025 is off to a 4-3 record with a 2.72 ERA.

New Vikings backup quarterback Sam Howell has a Korean heritage.  His grandmother was Korean and he has worn a South Korean flag decal on his helmet in the past.

Brian Cosgriff, the Minnesota high school girls basketball coaching legend who won eight state titles before retiring this spring, turned down the opportunity to pursue the head coaching job at the prestigious Montverde Academy (near Orlando).  Cosgriff, 64, had an initial interest in becoming a serious candidate for the national powerhouse program but decided to remain in Minneapolis where next school year he will have a physical education position at DeLaSalle High School.

Mark Lundgren

The upcoming season will be Mark Lundgren’s 30th as a member of the University of Minnesota football chain gang.  The season will be the 25th for him as the gang’s crew chief.  Lundgren, who has never missed a game, was recently given a 30-year commemorative jacket by some crew members.

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U Football Commits Include 4 O-Tackles in National Top 50

Posted on June 2, 2025June 2, 2025 by David Shama

 

The Golden Gophers picked up five more verbal commitments over the weekend for their 2026 football recruiting class, per various media.  Notably, two of those players are offensive tackles, giving Minnesota four verbal commits at that position in their 15-player class so far that eventually is expected to total at least in the low 20s.

The Gophers’ four commits are all ranked in the top 50 nationally among offensive tackles by 247Sports.  Andrew Trout, a four-star recruit from Cold Spring, Minnesota, is ranked No. 23; Daniel McMorris, from Norman, Oklahoma, is No. 29; Gavin Meier, Janesville, Wisconsin, No. 44; and Mataalii Benjamin, Lehi, Utah, No 45.

Two years ago, Minnesota received commitments from and later signed two prize high school offensive tackles.  Nathan Roy, from Mukwonago, Wisconsin and Brett Carroll, from Olathe, Kansas, were ranked No. 11 and 21 respectively among the best prep tackles by 247Sports.

Both project as second teamers going into fall camp for the Gophers, with Roy at tackle and Carroll playing center.

P.J. Fleck

Offensive tackle is a key position in college football.  The Gophers have recruiting success at the position because of their coaching staff including offensive line coach Brian Callahan who has a quality reputation and has been with head coach P.J. Fleck since he came to Minnesota in 2017.  Callahan’s standouts include former NFL draft choices Daniel Faalele and John Michael Schmitz.

The Gophers will have an exceptional offensive tackle roster in the class of 2026 if all of the players keep their commitments. Ironically, Benjamin, a under the radar commit, could end up having the best college career of the Gopher four-some.

Over the recruiting weekend, the Gophers also received verbal commitments from two edge rushers in Aayen Aytch, edge rusher from Lafayette, Indiana; and Anthony Charles, from McDonald, Pennsylvania; along with linebacker Angel Luciano of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, per 247Sports.

Historically, June is a busy month for the Gophers and other college programs to pick up verbal commitments.  Minnesota’s 2026 class is currently ranked No. 18 in the team recruiting rankings by 247Sports.

The class is led by two four-star recruits, Trout and defensive lineman Howie Johnson from Forest Lake.  They are the state of Minnesota’s No. 3 and No. 2 ranked players by 247Sports which has Jackson’s Roman Voss at No. 1.

Voss, projecting as a tight end in college, reportedly attended last weekend’s Gopher Summer Splash recruiting event but remains uncommitted.  GopherIllustrated and 247Sports recruiting authority Ryan Burns told Sports Headliners recently that Voss is expected to commit to the Gophers or Alabama.

Dodge Center athlete Pierce Petersohn, who could be a college linebacker, is a possibility for the Gophers and is ranked as the No. 4 prospect in the state.  Offensive tackle Owen Linder from Chanhassen is No. 5 and verbally committed to Iowa.  “Minnesota chose not to go on him at any point,” Burns said.

Jayden Moore, a wide receiver from Hopkins, is ranked No. 6 among state prospects.  “…I am going to guess he’s going to play basketball in college so this is going to be a moot point (regarding a college football destination),” Burns said.

Chanhassen tight end Kade Bush and Minnetonka running back Caleb Francois, are No. 7 and 8 respectively.  Bush has verbally committed to Arkansas and Francois to Iowa State.  Burns said the Gophers didn’t pursue either of them.

Fleck and the Gophers have landed the top high school recruit in Minnesota in three of the four previous years: Eden Prairie defensive lineman Trey Bixby (2022), Esko athlete Koi Perich (2024), and Robbinsdale Cooper linebacker Emmanuel Karmo (2025).

Worth Noting

ESPN pro football analyst Bill Barnwell is impressed with the Vikings offseason personnel additions on the offensive and defensive lines.  After evaluating NFC teams, he wrote recently of the Vikings: “Most likely to flex on the line of scrimmage.”

Aaron Judge of the Yankees is hitting a gaudy .391.  Former Twin Luis Arraez was hitting over .400 in June two years ago for the Marlins before finishing at .354.  Ted Williams, who played minor league baseball in Minneapolis, was the last MLB .400 hitter.  The Red Sox immortal had a .406 average in 1941.

Royce Lewis, who looked like the Twins best hitter for the next five years 12 months ago, is hitting an unfathomable .127.

New Golden Gophers men’s basketball coach Niko Medved makes his first appearance in front of the Twin Cities Dunkers on June 18.

Medved announced this morning former North Carolina guard-forward Cade Tyson is joining his program. The 6-7 Tyson played at Belmont earlier in his college career. At Belmont he was second team All-Missouri Valley Conference in 2024 and ranked second nationally in three point percentage at 46.5 percent.

“Cade is a versatile player that will immediately impact our team,” Medved said in a statement. “He’s a dynamic scorer, a true playmaker and a great rebounder. Cade is a terrific addition to our program and we can’t wait for him to be a Gopher.”

At North Carolina last season he played in 31 games, averaging eight minutes and 2.6 points.  Tyson will presumably have one season of eligibility at Minnesota.

Happy birthday to hockey icon Lou Nanne who celebrates his 84th birthday today.

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