PREVIEW: GOPHERS VS. MIAMI



Nov. 28, 2017

Big Ten/ACC Challenge - #12/12 Minnesota (7-0) vs. #10/13 Miami (5-0) [GOLD OUT]
Date / Time Wednesday, Nov. 29 | 8:15 p.m.
Location Williams Arena - Directions
Tickets MyGopherSports.com
Travel Local Weather | Parking | Preferred Hotels
TV ESPN2
Live Video WatchESPN
Radio KFAN 100.3 FM
Live Stats Gametracker
Game Notes Minnesota | Miami
Official Sites Minnesota | Miami
Social Media Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Time: 8:15 p.m. CT
Location: Minneapolis, Minn.
Arena: Williams Arena (14,625)
TV/Live Video: ESPN2 - Clay Matvick (Play-by-Play); Fran Fraschilla (Analyst)
Radio: Learfield/KFAN 100.3 FM - Mike Grimm (Play-by-Play); Spencer Tollackson (Analyst)

SERIES INFORMATION
Series: Third Meeting (1-1)
Series (Home): First Meeting
Current Streak: W-1
Richard Pitino vs. Miami: First Meeting
Minnesota vs. ACC: 38-21*
Richard Pitino vs. ACC: 4-3
* - excludes vacated games

STARTING FIVE
• The 12th-ranked Minnesota men's basketball team faces its second-straight nationally ranked opponent on Wednesday in #10/13 Miami for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
• For the third straight week, Jordan Murphy was named the Big Ten's Player of the Week. Murphy is leading the team and the Big Ten Conference averaging 22 points and 12.3 rebounds per game through the first seven games. Murphy has posted double-doubles in every game thus far this season, and he became the first Gopher to win the award in back-to-back weeks. Murphy is also just the second Gopher to win it three times in the same season.
• The Gophers are ranked 12th nationally in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Poll. It marks the first time that Minnesota has begun the season as a ranked squad since 2009, when the Gophers were 25th in the AP poll. The Gophers have not been this highly ranked since 2012-13, when they were as high as eighth. The Gophers received votes in each of the preseason polls from 2011-13 and 2015. Wednesday's game is the first game with both Minnesota and its opponent in the top-15 since Jan. 17, 2013 (#5 Michigan 83, #9 Minnesota 75).
• Head coach Richard Pitino won his 100th career game on Saturday against Alabama. Pitino is one of five active Division I head coaches who have reached the 100 career victory mark in their sixth season or sooner.
• Miami is the highest-ranked non-conference opponent to come to the Barn in 19 years, when then-No. 4 Cincinnati defeated the 17th-ranked Gophers on Dec. 16, 1998. The result of that game was later vacated. Officially, Miami is the highest-ranked non-conference team to play at Williams Arena since 1977, a win by No. 4 Marquette on Dec. 6, 1977.

SCOUTING THE HURRICANES
• Miami has won all five of its games this season and has been ranked in the top-15 since the season's outset.
• Dewan Huell leads the Hurricane offense with 13.4 points per game, one of two Miami scorers in double figures.
• Miami is playing its first true road game of the season, with its only trip away from Coral Gables thus far a 57-46 neutral-site win over La Salle in Reading, Pa.

GOPHERS VS. THE ACC
• The Gophers have amassed a record of 33-40 against the current membership of the Atlantic Coast Conference, excluding vacated games.
• Series records vs. ACC teams are as follows: 2-1 vs. Clemson, 1-2 vs. Duke, 6-5 vs. Florida State, 2-1 vs. Georgia Tech, 3-2 vs. Louisville, 1-1 vs. Miami, 2-2 vs. UNC, 0-2 vs. N.C. State, 8-14 vs. Notre Dame, 1-2 vs. Pittsburgh, 1-1 vs. Syracuse, 2-4 vs. Virginia, 1-0 vs. Virginia Tech, 4-3 vs. Wake Forest.
• Minnesota has faced all but one of the 15 ACC schools at least one time, with Boston College the outlier.

GOPHERS IN THE ACC/B1G CHALLENGE
• The Gophers are 9-9 all-time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
• This is the third meeting between the Gophers and the Hurricanes in the Challenge, but the first time they have met in Minneapolis. The two teams split the previous games in Coral Gables.
• Until last year's loss at Florida State, Minnesota had won five straight B1G/ACC Challenge games, its longest win streak in the series. The Gophers have a 3-1 mark under head coach Richard Pitino in the Challenge.
• The Gophers' full Challenge history is below.

1999 vs. Virginia (W, 74-62)
2000 at Florida State (W, 76-71)
2001 at Wake Forest (L, 79-85)
2002 vs. Georgia Tech (W, 64-63)
2003 at Virginia (L, 78-86)
2004 vs. Florida State (L, 69-70)
2005 at Maryland (L, 66-83)
2006 vs. Clemson (L, 68-90)
2007 at Florida State (L, 61-75)
2008 vs. Virginia (W, 66-56)
2009 at Miami (L, 58-63)
2010 vs. Virginia (L, 79-87)
2011 vs. Virginia Tech (W, 58-55)
2012 at Florida State (W, 77-68)
2013 vs. Florida State (W, 71-61)
2014 at Wake Forest (W, 84-69)
2015 vs. Clemson (W, 89-83)
2016 at Florida State (L, 67-75)

The Last Meeting
Minnesota 78
Miami 60
March 19, 2012
Coral Gables, Fla.

Box Score | Photo Gallery

3-5. All 3 wins against bad small schools. Losses (all by 6 to 9 points) to Portland State, Eastern Washington, and Ohio State. Blowout losses to North Carolina and Florida.

Reid Travis is playing well though. 21.4 points and 7.2 rebounds. 73% FT's. Is he still on schedule to be eligible as a grad-transfer after this year?

Obviously not 2-11 for 43 yards and 2 picks with no tds..... I am fascinated with the subject in light of the type of receivers we have recruited both last year and what type of player is coming in next year at WR. We have a lot of guys that are more slight built like Mark Williams, Douglas, Bell, Manns, Van Dyne etc..I realize they will all gain weight and muscle but I dont expect them to be just blockers at that size, either. You dont bring in receivers like that without trying to make them playmakers so I am assuming that PJ has recruited them with the idea of throwing the ball more... I heard a lot about Bateman and it doesnt sound like he is built as slight as the others. I can tell you Erik Gibson, the kid from Detroit, is definitely not slightly built so if he arrives and learns technique, that kid has the capability to put on weight and be a bigger receiver. Still, I am sure PJ wants to have the confidence to throw the ball more successfully than recent times. So I thought to myself "what is a reasonable expectation for a winning program that predominately runs the ball??"

We have gone over, ad nauseum, that our present receivers cant get open nor catch it and the QB is not accurate in throwing it for the last half dozen seasons or more.. We have had a one-receiver show many times with either KJ Maye or Drew Wolitarsky with Mitch Leidner when we did have some success. TE play was present when the offense succeeded and way too non-existent this year, IMO...So what did we do when Leidner was at least semi-successful though we complained??

SPECIFICS: Leidner threw just over 300 times in his senior season in 13 games, I think....If we would throw the ball that much again, we can average a bit over 8.5 yards per attempt, that puts us at about 2600 yards for the season... In a 13 game season, that is about 200 yards a game... Some games a lot more, some a lot less depending on the defense and our ability to run the ball. With 300 attempts, 60-65% completion rate would be very good(we would probably be floored) but that means roughly 180-195 completions in a year. IDEALISTIC but a goal that is reasonable to accomplish. 14-15 completions a game if you include a bowl game. Maybe a QB from the past from the Vikings to come in and talk to the QBs to give some pointers

PRACTICE: Receivers in that offense may have one big gun who catches 50 balls, which is fine.. The other targets should have 1-2 guys in that 30 catch a year range. Whether that is outside guys or TEs. Then a lot more players including RBs with 10-15 catches a year or less. That downfield target should be able to average 15-16 yards a catch or more. A possession receiver should be in that 10-12 yard per catch average. Learn the nuances of WR play.. Heck we got 2 good ones that are from Minnesota in Eric Decker and Adam Thielen that could come in to tutor the guys a bit. I wouldnt think that it wold take that much time out of their schedules to help our guys out.

I would think that each receiver should set goals in the off season.. Good technique with quick cuts to get open Maybe bring in one of the former Gopher corners now in the NFL to say to our receivers "OK guys, we are going to press cover you as receivers.. Its your job to demonstrate the technique you learned from Decker and Thielen(as an example) to get open. We are going to rough you up at the line, jam you, and you are going to have to hand fight and use technique to get open for the QB to hit you with a pass". Then run drills until the guys can get separation.

With the QBs, practice the 7 on 7 stuff with a couple of receivers that have gone through the tutelage of the NFL players like Decker and Thielen. Staff and NFL players should get our current QBs to look off the PRO DBs( I am thinking Eric Murray, Marcus Sherels, Trumaine Brock, Brien Boddy Calhoun,etc) in the back as well as LBs. Put a stopwatch on the Qbs so that they either have to make a play within a couple seconds or move out of the pocket. Tell them that a sack will happen if they cant make that read... Make the defenses more complex as the practices go so that the QB has to make those vertical reads quickly and force the decisions with the execution quicker.

Guys, I just made outlandish suggestions but there is no reason we cant hit some of these goals as a team... They are reasonable... When people suggest Spielman from Nebraska should have signed with Minnesota, I kinda shake my head... Why would he go to a school like Minnesota if he has aspirations at playing a higher level of football than college?? At his size, would he have been effective being primarily a blocker as a receiver?? His Dad is a GM for the Vikings... If he is counseling his son to go to a school that could better his opportunity to reach his dream of the NFL. it wouldn't be as a 160 pound receiver where blocking is his primary responsibility.. That is just fact.

We now have a chance to change all that as the slate is clean with our receivers and a new QB for next season.. It wont happen off the bat, but it can surely look up... It cant be much worse.. Blocking is key here as well and all the timing has to be there... It is going to be a big process as blocking in the interior line is good.. We have 2 of the best coaches in the nation as o-line coaches and they showed they can teach discipline in a hurry as we didnt have near the penalties as in the past... Its attainable now we just need to go out and achieve it.

Went and saw Justice League tonight. Here are my takeaways:

The Good

• Wonder Woman, Cyborg, The Flash, Aquaman

The Bad

• The casting of Batman and Alfred
• Stupid vampire insect things
• Steppenwolf

Early in the movie, I thought the dialogue and story was a bit clunky. In the latter half of the movie, it got much better and closed out pretty well. There are two post credit scenes, so make sure you stick around for those. Overall I give it a 6 out of 10.

Mike Grant was on Sid's show yesterday morning and was talking about his center, and says he has tried to get PJ interested to take a look at him, but say Fleck says he to short. And Grant said he's 6'3" I don't know how tall you need to play center. I don't know the kids name. Is he going to be a walk on candidate?
You would think of all the players EP has they would have some Div 1 prospects.
Mason was also on the show earlier in the day and said a lot of good things about PJ. When Mason was coach his OL wasn't very tall if I remember but they did a great job of blocking. So if true, I don't know why 6'3" wouldn't be tall enough for a center.

SEASON OF GIVING: GOPHERS RAISE MORE THAN $120K FOR CHARITY



Nov. 27, 2017

Green Bay Game Photo Gallery

On the final Sunday before the official start of the 2017-18 season, the Minnesota men's basketball team turned its attention to giving back in a variety of ways. The Gophers hosted a charity exhibition against Green Bay at Maturi Pavilion early in the afternoon, and then donned their best business attire for the third annual Coaches vs. Cancer Tipoff Dinner at Interlachen Country Club in Edina.

The Nov. 5 game saw the Gophers easily defeat Green Bay, 115-86, in front of a crowd of 2,381. All of the proceeds from ticket sales were donated to the American Red Cross as it continues to assist in the relief and rebuilding efforts from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Head Coach Richard Pitino also pledged to add one dollar to the donation for every ticket sold.

Additionally, Goldy's Locker Room donated 50 percent of its gross merchandise sales in venue, while 25 percent of Aramark's concessions sales were added to the donation as well.

In total, the Gophers charity exhibition game resulted in a donation of nearly $16,000 to the American Red Cross.

Later in the afternoon, the Gophers traded their home whites for their business suits, taking part in the annual dinner to raise money for the Richard M. Schulze Family American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Minneapolis. The night featured a social hour and dinner where guests could get to know and take photos with the Gophers, along with a program that included remarks from emcee Mike Grimm and Pitino as well as Margaret Vos, a cancer survivor.

The highly-anticipated live auction featured unique prizes such as travel with the team, a custom-tailored clothing experience, VIP experiences at Gopher home games, and more.

All told, the Coaches vs. Cancer Tipoff Dinner grossed more than $105,000 to the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge.

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Gophers offer 2019 JUCO OT (California) Corey Luciano. He has offers from Minnesota, Fresno State, Marshall, and Syracuse. He was originally a 2017 2* recruit out of high school.

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@Matt Jessen-Howard @Connor Stevens

PITINO PICKS UP 100TH CAREER VICTORY



Nov. 27, 2017

With Saturday’s victory over Alabama in the Barclays Center Classic, Minnesota head coach Richard Pitinoearned his 100th career victory. Pitino, who earned all but 18 of those wins with the Gophers after arriving in 2013, has accomplished the feat in just over five seasons as a college head coach.

At 35, Pitino is the second-youngest Power Five head basketball coach, and has a career record of 100-75, translating to a winning percentage of .571. His Gopher record stands at 82-61, a mark of .573. Only five head coaches in the history of the program have a higher win-loss percentage at Minnesota.

Pitino is one of five active Division I head coaches who have reached the 100 career victory mark in their sixth season or sooner, joining Kevin Ollie (UConn), Brad Underwood (Stephen F. Austin/Oklahoma State/Illinois), Dan Muller (Illinois State) and Pat Kelsey (Winthrop).

Hear from Coach Pitino after Saturday’s win.

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Pitino and the 12th-ranked Gophers return to action on Wednesday at home, hosting No. 10 Miami in a battle of top-15 teams in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. on ESPN2.

Link: Behind Enemy Lines: Miami

Miami's No. 10 and coming to the Barn on Wednesday. Should be fun.

The Canes are a good basketball program and when searching for pictures of their coach on AP Images, there are six pictures of him at Miami in his seven years at the school. There are probably 400 of Richard Pitino at Minnesota if that tells you anything about how much more basketball matters here than in the south.

The Gophers average margin of victory/defeat was 13 points worse in 2017 than in 2016 among common Big 10 opponents. For instance, in 2016, the Gophers beat Maryland by 23, but lost to Maryland by 7, which means there was a negative 30 point swing. For Iowa, the Gophers lost by 7 both years, so there is no change in margin. For Nebraska, the Gophers lost by 13 in 2016, but won 33 in 2017, making it a 46 point positive swing. Performing almost 2 touchdowns worse signals that there was more than just deterioration in the quality of the roster in play this last season. Hopefully, both the remaining players and the staff learned a lot from this year.

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Not sure, maybe this is old news but he just posted about his departure today.

MN had its two best years, winning eight games each season, under Jerry Kill in 2013 and 2014. Those years were followed by recruiting classes of 22 players in 2014 and 23 players in 2015. As of today, 20 of those 43 players ended up leaving the program early for one reason or another:
Those who left the class of 2014--Jeff Jones, Isaiah Gentry, D. McKinzy, C. Mayes, J. Kafo, C. Elmore, C. Krizancic, L. Rassmussen, R. Croney and D. Gant.
Those who left the class of 2015--Dior Johnson, J. Johannesson, K. Hardin, Mose Hall, N. Connelly, R. Bufford, Ted Stieber, T. Moore, D. Croft and R. Still.
Those of any stature left from class of 2014: R. Smith, Wyler, Gibson, Moore.
Those of any stature left from class of 2015: Brooks, Huff twins, Shenault, Femi-Cole, Dovich, Oseland, Beebe, Witham, Register, Devers, Dlttbdr (DE), Register and Waters.
I may have missed a name or two (and I didn't include JUCOs recruited later) from those left on the team out of these two classes but you should be able to see the big picture from those listed as having left early versus those who stayed.

KUEHN'S REALLY BIG SIGNS



Nov. 27, 2017

Noah Kuehn was hard to miss on the home sidelines this past season.

“I’m the one who holds up those big, annoying signs,” Kuehn said with a laugh.

Kuehn didn’t have as much to laugh about a year ago. At that time, he wasn’t sure he was still going to be a part of Gopher football.

As a freshman he was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease. Kuehn said it is common not to get a diagnosis until turning 18 or 19 and he knew he had a chance of having it since his dad has the disease.

“It ended up being a situation where the trainers said they really needed to know,” Kuehn said. “I figured out I had it, but team doctor’s and specific kidney doctors said it was fine to play football. We just needed to take a couple of extra precautions and I didn’t really have any issues for a whole year.”

Kuehn redshirted that first season and made it through without a hitch.

“Then spring ball came and it happened. I had a cyst burst and I woke up with pain in my kidney and I was bleeding so I knew what happened,” Kuehn said. “I’ve seen my dad go through it so it wasn’t alarming.”

Kuehn had to sit for six weeks. Not just from football but lifting and conditioning was off the table as well. Kuehn attempted to come back but at the end of camp had another cyst burst, and was out another six weeks. He tried coming back one more time before having a cyst burst just two weeks later.

“Most people won’t even have a cyst burst in their whole lifetime,” Kuehn said.

Yet he had dealt with three bursts in a just a few months.

“The doctor’s and I sat down and they told me it wasn’t working,” he said. “It was one of those things where I wanted to keep playing, but I knew I couldn’t keep playing.”

Kuehn had been playing football since he was six or seven and wasn’t ready for it to be out of his life. He wanted to stay around the program but there was one glaring problem.

“Right when I was told that I couldn’t play anymore was right when the coaching change happened,” Kuehn explained. “It was a very stressful time because I knew they didn’t know me and I didn’t know them.”

Kuehn sat down with offensive line coach Ed Warinner and discussed the possibility of staying on and helping. Weeks later he met with head coach P.J. Fleck and was told he could stay around the team and help out with the offensive line.

“It was a big relief. Football has always been something that I was around and something that I did,” Kuehn said. “It’s hard enough to lose being able to play, but if I would have been completely out of contact with football in general, I think that would have been much harder.”

The whole experience has the mechanical engineering major pondering his future career path. He never saw himself becoming a football coach but now sees it as a possibility.

“I love to see people get better,” Kuehn said. “When you are a player you are more focused on your own development. Now I’ve been able to focus on how other people are doing and that’s cool to see.”

While Kuehn’s playing career ended early, he has fallen in love with his new role and plans to be back on the sideline holding up those really big signs again next season.

“The ball’s always taken away eventually,” Kuehn said. “So it’s a way for me to still compete and I just love it.”

At least things are out-in-the-open now. We all openly admit the news is fake now. And Democrats are finally admitting that as long as you're advancing left-wing politics, they couldn't give a rat's backside about your treatment of women.

@Alex Carlson and @Mark Schofield are the elite football minds, not me, but I thought I'd post my thoughts on his film anyway. Alex will gives his thoughts on Vic on the board shortly, and Mark will write something up probably later this week. I'm looking forward to reading their work.

• He ran an electronic 4.71 in high school. That's fast for a quarterback. At the NFL Combine, Deshaun Watson ran a 4.66, DeShone Kizer ran a 4.83, and Mitch Leidner ran a 4.93.
• He's elusive and sidesteps defenders really well. Tacklers have a hard time really getting a body on him. He has good instincts running the ball and makes cuts at the right time. You know how Demry Croft would sometimes look awkward running the ball even though he's a decent athlete? That's not Viramontes. He's a natural running the ball.
• He sometimes doesn't run with the ball high and tight, so I'm not surprised he had six fumbles this year.
• Seems to have good touch with how much arc he puts on his throws.
• Throws well on the run.
• Feels pressure well and can extend plays with his feet.
• Sometimes might be a bit too quick to run instead of going through more reads.
• Has a tendency to throw off his back foot under pressure.
• I'd be interested in seeing his interceptions. He places the ball really well but I could see him being too aggressive trying to split zones or throwing a pick because he stares a receiver down.

I'd love to hear all of your guys' thoughts on his film too.

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Probably about time or overdue for a war room. Here we go:

Right now the plan is to take three more: a QB, lineman, and then the best available. At this point, everything is fluid. With only a few spots left, official visit season approaching, and all teams going through their first early signing period, things can and probably will change. When more coaches start to get fired across the country, I’d expect Minnesota to be aggressive poaching as well.

There’s one commit right now who likely won’t be an academic qualifier but Minnesota has known about that for a long time and has had plenty of time to take action accordingly.

Next week and the following week, things will start to heat up since the coaches will be on the road recruiting. And remember, the big recruiting weekend is the weekend of December 8. Minnesota believes that it will be the biggest official weekend in NCAA history from a visitors standpoint. Fleck likes to have all the recruits at one time visit and bond together.

At QB, the Gophers are taking their time in some ways because they want to nail the right guy. It’s possible that Minnesota takes a JUCO as well as a high school QB. Names we’ve mentioned before include include Riverside CC’s Vic Viramontes, Boise State commit Zachary Wilson, three-star Colorado State commit Matthew Baldwin, three-star East Carolina commit Holton Ahlers, four-star Princeton commit Brevin White, and Arkansas three-star Gerry Bohanon.

Vic Viramontes: Michigan and Cal commit coming out of high school that enrolled at Cal briefly then opted to go the JUCO route after Sonny Dykes left. He has offers right now Coastal Carolina, Eastern Kentucky, Kansas, New Mexico, and UNLV. He’s planning to take an official to Kansas in three weeks and nothing is set yet with Minnesota but I’d expect him to visit. This year for Riverside, he’s completed 74 of 112 passes (66.1%) for 1116 yards, 16 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He’s also the team’s leading rusher by far with 112 carries for 999 yards (8.9 ypc) and 13 touchdowns.

Zachary Wilson: Wilson a 5.5 three-star quarterback from Utah committed to Boise State. The Gophers have talked to him quite a bit and he’s reciprocated interest. He’s a December grad and early enrollee.

Matthew Baldwin: Baldwin is a 5.7 three-star from Texas committed to Colorado State. He’s received offers from Minnesota, Kentucky, and Ohio State recently. I’m told that Ohio State will get him if they want him but he’s not a take at the moment for the Buckeyes. His situation with OSU depends on them being able to keep Emory Jones and some of their other QB targets are enrolling early so Baldwin would probably take an official visit to Columbus late in the recruiting game. With Emory Jones’ status unknown, we’re still a few weeks away from knowing Baldwin’s status with OSU. Nick Krueger recently posted here that Baldwin’s a big fan of Fleck and that it will be tough for CSU to keep his commitment, which we at TGR agree with.

Holton Ahlers: Ahlers is a 5.7 three-star from North Carolina committed to East Carolina. Due to his family connections and long-time fandom, Ahlers could be tough to pull away from the Pirates. He has said that ECU is his dream school and it is important to him that he is playing only six miles away from his home. I still wouldn’t count Minnesota out, though. With playing time potentially available, the start of a new culture under the hot new coach, and lots of young receivers, I think the Gophers will have success with QBs that visit.

Brevin White: White is a 5.8-rated four-star who committed to Princeton over offers from a handful of Power 5 programs. He has yet to get a Gopher offer but there’s certainly interest. Minnesota would have to convince him why going Power 5 is a better option than Princeton, which is something that Arizona State, Oregon State, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Washington State couldn’t do. He’s a little bit smaller, has an accurate arm, and has a good feel/understanding of the game which in some ways makes him more college ready than most high school prospects, although I don’t think he has elite arm strength or athleticism. White may be sticking with Princeton due to an injury to his brother that makes him want to focus on his career after football.

Gerry Bohanon: Bohanon is a 5.7 three-star who has listed Arkansas, Baylor, Louisville, and Mississippi as his top schools and has recent strong interest from LSU, where he recently visited. Minnesota would be playing from behind a little bit but has made some calls. Bohanon will be an early enrollee and is a big, strong, mobile quarterback. I wouldn’t necessarily expect a ton to happen with he and Minnesota moving forward.

On the offensive line, four-star Florida commit and IMG four-star guard Curtis Dunlap, Tyler J.C. tackle Randon Haynes, Arizona Western CC tackle Jahmir Johnson, and Ventura CC tackle Trevor Elbert.

Dunlap is currently committed to Florida, and the Gators of course just fired McElwain. Dunlap will be visiting Minnesota on the big recruiting weekend of December 8. He attends IMG Academy where his roommate is PWO commit Zack Annexstad. ICYMI, Zack has started the last five or so games for IMG’s top team. Dunlap is willing to hear Minnesota out and of course would be a really big get.

Haynes was committed to UL-Lafayette out of high school and went the JUCO route. He has a handful of FBS offers right now but his only one from a Power 5 school is Minnesota. The Gophers are in a good spot.

Johnson holds a dozen Power 5 offers, including one from Minnesota. He’s from Philadelphia started his college career at Rhode Island before leaving for Arizona Western. Arkansas has been after him a long time and he visited Fayetteville this weekend. USC is also in the hunt. He plans on making a decision in January and signs in February. Minnesota’s in a competitive spot.

Elbert is a former Army All-American that went to Texas A&M in their 2015 class. Kevin Sumlin announced that he had a career ending injury as a sophomore, but now he’s obviously in a junior college and playing again. He’s a Texas native and his only offer is from SMU. Ed Warinner’s known him since high school, since Warinner recruited him when he was at Ohio State.

Jason Dickson is a 5.6 three-star JUCO lineman at Diablo Valley CC in the Bay Area. He’s a recent UCLA decommit and holds 12 other Power 5 offers.

Cardavian Myers is a three-star cornerback from Alabama with no offer but is a name to know. He’s been talking to Mo Linguist for about a month and Myers says the two have talked about a potential visit.

Craig Williams is committed to Baylor, but the Gophers are still involved. The Gophers like him as an athlete and scatback and he’s been a long-time target. Baylor is currently 1-10. I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes a late visit.

Kyle Wright is a three-star running back that’s recently heard from Minnesota and could fill a similar role as Williams. He holds offers from Colorado, Purdue, and lots of Group of 5 schools.

All in all, there's a lot to like. Minnesota has plenty of options at QB and OL that they're both very much in the mix for, as well as several options for a third. There may be some more names that pop up once the coaches are on the road next week. With only a few spots left, things are fluid and Minnesota can be selective.

Credit @Connor Stevens for much of this information.

In the Star Tribune front page today:

It's been proven that one of Roy Moore's accusers was lying. So the Strib reports it as her being a media-discrediter....her attacking the media like those filthy Republicans. She lied to the media....so she's a media-hater like those dastardly Republicans.

Elizabeth Warren, Democrat Senator, lied. She listed herself as a Native American, and she put herself in the Association Of Minority Lawyers....even though she is 100% Caucasion. While in her state, honoring Native Americans....Trump made a joke, calling Warren "Pocahontas". And the Strib headline and story is all about Trump being a racist.

To summarize....there is no such thing as news anymore. It's all lies and propaganda.

Up two spots to 12th in the new poll released this morning.

Right to start.

A lot of comments about who coach Fleck has promised will start next year, and obviously he wii have his depth chart, but to promise any QB they are the one who will be starting is not likely. More likely he will tell them they really want them, but it is a privelege they need to earn, not an entitlement or a potentially dishonest statement

non-con opponent next two years...Former Cal coach Jeff Tedford has turned team around in his first year from 1-11 last year (3-9 in 2015, 6-8 in 2014) to 8-3 with nice win over Wyoming yesterday...he had non-con losses to Bama and Washington, both top 6 teams. Offensive coordinator is Milbank, SD native Kalen DeBoer, who had a nice run as coach at University of Sioux Falls. Hope they look less impressive vs Boise State or in Bowl game.