is being sold to recruits as a reason not come here. The competition is reminding the recruits of that game. It was the 3rd coldest game in history.

I kind of laughed.

Our season is over at home in November, not January.

"Junior college transfer Garrison Wright, an expected starter at guard, could move to tackle opposite Jonah Pirsig, depending how tackle competition shakes out, Claeys said. But Claeys did note how well redshirt freshman tackle Nick Connelly has looked in offseason workouts."

Thought you might be interested.

Illinois 201
Michigan 194
Nebraska 163
Maryland 138
Indiana 131
Penn St 108
Rutgers 107
Ohio St 105
Wisconsin 99
MSU 83
Iowa 72
NW 48
Purdue 46
Minn 28
Note: Michigan has offered 28 Offensive Tackles alone!

Does this picture disturb anyone else?
Is this part of the reason we usually rank among the bottom 4 in the Big Ten in recruiting and most years struggle to fill out (and have to rely on plan B and C players)
Comments appreciated

Did AZJ and co. play it smart by going in bunker mode until we stopped complaining about it? Wait for a few days to go by and next thing you know we're back to arguing about Pitino as a coach, who starts at OL next year, and boom the lemmings move on! Good PR move or bad? Since there was no apology(MJH doesn't count) with free stuff included, did they save money or will it be a long-term hit to the books?. Were there a bunch of hallow threats at the time or has the number of us on this site dropped?

What's your business take on it? I'm so fascinated with the hoops storyline, RJ's amount of engagement in the discussions, along with the Opie 5 year plan, that I'm locked into the site so I was one of the loud complainers that did nothing about it.

Just came across a couple of Gopher football games on youtube. They are against Washington State from 1965 and 1971. The 71 game is in color and both games were played at Memorial Stadium. WSU is digitizing their football library I wish the main U would do theirs.

Joel Maturi had two winners among his final candidates.

http://www.si.com/college-football/2016/02/22/charlie-strong-louisville-divorce-case-texas

Now with Cowboys and just suspended by NFL for four games for substance abuse. Cost himself big money when he tested positive for marijuana at the Combine and then fell in the draft. Fourth NFL violation triggers four game suspension. Admits he failed two tests at Lincoln.

I thought he was pulling out all the stops to recruit and make waves. He should climb a tree like Harbaugh. Seriously. Get a camera on it too; it would make SportsCenter. He should hold a week of practice in Alabama. He should vow to lose 10 pounds for every (insert item here). And he should film himself huffing and puffing and doing it because the team accomplished a goal. This would make national news, show charisma, and show toughness/leadership/motivation.

I hate the low-key approach. That works for Belicheck....but it won't work for Claeys and MN.

They hit the glass hard and dove for loose balls the entire night. I heard Judd and some horrid radio guy named Manny go on and on how MARY. gave no effort or had any interest in the game.

Tonight at Northrup, can't wait!

gophers trail 24-14 early. Does one team wear pink for every women's game? And is black the official road uniform for the gophers?

The site locations and matchups for the NWCA National Duals were announced today, and with this new format, the top 8 ranked B1G teams all became the home sites for the matchups. Unlike other years when the Natty Duals was a mini dual meet tournament that led to a single champion, this year as #1 ranked PSU is the top ranked B1G team, they will be wrestling the top non-B1G team #3 OK State for the Championship. There were 6 non-B1G automatic qualifiers as conference champions, and two wild card teams were also chosen. The wild cards were NC State (which lost the ACC title in a dual last week to VA Tech 19-14) and Iowa State (which had beaten VA Tech 16-14 on Jan. 9th)

Gopher Wrestling already had an upcoming match set with Iowa State University at Williams Arena (not the Sports Pavilion) on Fri. Feb. 19th at 7:30 pm. So it worked out perfectly that this Friday match would be our match in the National Duals.

All of the dual meet matches will be televised on BTN Plus. These are a lot of great wrestling matches...so come on down to the Barn to watch our Gophers, and tune in to BTN + to watch the other matches!!

Here is the announcement article from the NWCA:


NWCA National Duals sites, matchups announced

By Gary R. Blockus
Feb 15, 2016

Manheim, Pa. – No. 1 Penn State, which finished the dual meet season 15-0 and 9-0 in the Big Ten to share the conference title with No. 2 Iowa, will host the championship match in the 2016 NWCA Division I National Championship Duals Series presented by the United States Marine Corps and Titan Mercury Wrestling Club.

The top-ranked Nittany Lions, with four wrestlers ranked No. 1 in the country, will host Big 12 champion and No. 3 Oklahoma State on Sunday, Feb. 21 to highlight eight bowl-style dual meets in a new national duals format that features eight Big Ten teams as the hosts for six conference winners plus two wild card teams.

The pairings were announced live on Flo Wrestling’s website on Monday.

No. 2 Iowa will host ACC runner-up and No. 4 North Carolina State at 7 p.m. CST, on Monday, Feb 22.

The bowl series format kicks off 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19 when Minnesota hosts Iowa State at Williams Arena.

It continues 8 p.m. Saturday with Rutgers hosting EIWA champion Lehigh at the RAC.

No. 3 Oklahoma State visits No. 1 Penn State 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21 at Rec Hall in the championship match featuring the highest ranked Big Ten team against the highest ranked non-Big Ten team.

Appalachian State, which picked up the Southern Conference’s national championship bid from a three-way tie with Chattanooga and Gardner-Webb based on head-to-head results, visits Indiana 1 p.m. Sunday.

Virginia Tech, the ACC champion, visits Michigan’s Cliff Keen Arena 2 p.m. Sunday, and Missouri travels to Nebraska’s Bob Devaney Sports Center at 2 p.m. CST Sunday to renew what had been a rivalry in the old Big 12.

Edinboro, the EWL champion, heads to Ohio State for a 7 p.m. EST match at St. John Arena on Monday, Feb. 22, and No. 4 North Carolina State visits No. 1 Iowa at Carver-Hawkeye Arena 7 p.m., CST the same evening.

The NWCA’s initial plan called for a one-day, eight dual format at the eight sites, but site availability and other factors forces the host teams to juggle the dates.

The Pac-12 champion was originally slated to appear, but the conference tournament is a week earlier than other conference’s tournaments. The timetable did not work, so the conference withdrew, opening the door for a second highly-ranked wild card team, which turned out to be Iowa State thanks to a win over Virginia Tech. The tournament committee also sought to avoid rematches while trying to incorporate regional opportunities for the fan bases of the participating teams.

Friday – February 19

Iowa State at Minnesota – 7:30 p.m. Williams Arena

Saturday – February 20

Lehigh at Rutgers – 8 p.m. EST – RAC

Sunday – February 21

Oklahoma State at Penn State – 5 p.m. – Rec Hall

Virginia Tech at Michigan – 2 p.m. – Cliff Keen Arena

Appalachian State at Indiana – 1 p.m. EST – University Gym

Missouri at Nebraska – 2 p.m. CST – Bob Devaney Sports Center

Monday – February 22

Edinboro at Ohio State – 7 p.m. – St. John Arena

North Carolina State at Iowa – 7 p.m. CST – Carver Hawkeye Arena

THE HOSTS

RUTGERS (15-5, 5-4)

Head coach: Scott Goodale

The much-improved Scarlet Knights finished the regular season on Sunday with a 24-15 win over No. 23 Purdue.

Rutgers is led by No. 5 Anthony Ashnault (141), who finished eighth at the NCAA championships last season, and No. 8 Anthony Perrotti (165).

“To finish 5-4 in the conference, it was important to us,” Goodale said. “We went from 2-7 [in 2014-15] to 5-4 and I still think we let two slip away. It was a good conference run and we’ll be ready for the Big Ten Tournament.”

Sunday, Feb. 21:

No. 1 PENN STATE (15-0, 9-0)

Head coach: Cael Sanderson

The Nittany Lions finished the season as the top-ranked team in the country (15-0, 9-0 Big Ten) and shared the Big Ten title with the also unbeaten Iowa Hawkeyes (16-0, 9-0).

Penn State’s lineup features a powerhouse lineup that includes four No. 1 wrestlers: Zain Retherford (149), Jason Nolf (157), Bo Nickal (174) and Morgan McIntosh (197), along with No. 4 Nico Megaludis (125), No. 5 Jordan Conaway (133) and No. 6 Matt McCutcheon.

INDIANA (6-6, 3-6)

Head coach: Duane Goldman

This marks the Hoosiers’ first-ever selection into the National Duals. Indiana’s lineup includes 11th-ranked Nate Jackson (174) and 19th-ranked Elijah Oliver (125).

“It's nice that we got selected to take part in this series,” Goldman said. “I hope that we can get out there and compete a littler harder, regardless of what happens, and get back to what got us here in the first place. For us, that was being feisty and competitive, and we just need to get back on track.”

MICHIGAN (13-2, 8-1)

Head coach: Joe McFarland

Michigan closed out the season on Feb. 12 with a big win over Purdue. The Wolverine lineup includes No. 2 Dominic Abounader (184), No. 4 Adam Coon (285), and a pair of sixth-ranked wrestlers in Alec Pantaleo (149) and Max Huntley (197).

Michigan has won three straight, including victories over ranked opponents in Rutgers and Purdue, since a tough loss to Big Ten co-champion Penn State

NEBRASKA (10-5, 5-4)

Head coach: Mark Manning

The Cornhuskers also boast a strong lineup with nine of their wrestlers ranked in the Top 20, led by No. 9 T.J. Dudley (184) and No. 10 Tim Lambert (125).

Nebraska last four of its last six matches against killer competition. The Cornhuskers bounced back from losing three straight matches to powerhouses in Penn State, Ohio State and Iowa before putting up a win over No. 12 Illinois on Feb. 5. Following a loss to North Carolina State, Nebraska closed out the regular season with a 29-6 win over Northwestern.

MONDAY, FEB. 22

No. 2 IOWA (16-0, 9-0)

Head coach: Tom Brands

The Hawkeyes, like Penn State, finished the regular season and the Big Ten undefeated, but under the new “bowl” type format of the national duals with the Big Ten acting as host schools, will not wrestle off against the Nittany Lions.

Iowa is an opponent’s nightmare with the team putting up 50 points four times this season. The Hawkeyes are led by a pair of No. 2s in Thomas Gilman (125) and Brandon Sorensen (149), a pair of No. 3s in Cory Clark (133) and Nathan Burak (197), and a pair of No. 7s in Sammy Brooks (184) and Sam Stoll (285).

OHIO STATE (10-3, 7-2)

Head coach: Tom Ryan

The Buckeyes proved to be a solid Top 10 team this season. They are led by No. 2 Bo Jordan (165), who suffered his only loss of the season on Friday to his cousin, Isaac Jordan of Wisconsin. Ohio State also features No. 2 Kyle Snyder (285), No. 4 Micah Jordan (Bo’s younger brother at 141), No. 10 Johnni DiJulius (133) and the always dangerous Hunter Stieber, a two-time All-American.

MINNESOTA (9-8, 5-4)

Head coach: J Robinson

Minnesota finished a disappointing Big Ten season on Feb. 12 with a loss to Illinois, but still had one match remaining at Iowa State on Feb. 19 before hosting its national duals meet.

The Golden Gophers top wrestlers include No. 3 Brett Pfarr (197), No. 6 Tommy Thorn (141) and No. 9 Michael Kroells (285).

THE CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS:

OKLAHOMA STATE (11-2, Big 12, 8-0)

Head coach: John Smith

The Cowboys’ only losses came at the hands of No. 2 Iowa in the season opener, and No. 3 North Carolina State on Dec. 6.

Oklahoma State is led by returning NCAA champion and No. 1 Alex Dieringer (165), as well as All-Americans in No. 1 Dean Heil (141), No. 5 Austin Marsden (285) and No. 6 Eddie Klimara (125).

MISSOURI (13-2, 8-0 Mid American Conference)

Head coach: Brian Smith

Missouri chalked up a baker’s dozen wins with the Tigers only losses coming at the hands of Oklahoma State and North Carolina State, with the latter rebounding from its first loss of the season on Feb 12 for a single-point win on Feb. 14.

Missouri is 6-2 against the Top 25 this season and led by No. 2 J’den Cox (197), No. 3 Lavion Mayes (149), No. 4 Daniel Lewis (165), No. 5 Blaise Butler (174), and No. 6 Matt Manley (141).

LEHIGH (13-2, 8-0 Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association).

Head coach: Pat Santoro

The Mountain Hawks went undefeated in the EIWA, including a win over nine-time conference champion Cornell, to claim their spot in the national duals.

The Mountain Hawks feature returning All-Americans in Darian Cruz (125), Mason Beckman (133), Mitch Minotti (157), and runner-up Nathaniel Brown (184).

EDINORO (8-9, 6-0 Eastern Wrestling League)

Head coach: Tim Flynn

The Fighting Scots finished unbeaten in a competitive EWL. Edinboro is led by senior Vic Avery (2015 third NCAA at 184), senior Casey Fuller (165), sophomore Austin Matthews (157) and freshman Patricio Lugo (149).

Edinboro ended the regular season going 3-3 in its last six matches, and 0-3 in the last three with losses to Virginia Tech, Central Michigan and Kent State.

VIRGINIA TECH (15-2, 5-0 Atlantic Coast Conference).

Head coach: Kevin Dresser

The Hokies captured the won the ACC with a stunning 19-14 win over North Carolina State in Raleigh on Feb. 12 that knocked the Wolfpack from the ranks of the unbeaten.

Virginia Tech is led by No. 3 Joey Dance (125), No. 7 Solomon Chishko (141), No. 4 Nick Brascetta (157), No 11 David McFadden (165), No. 6 Zack Zavatsky, No. 7 Jared Haught (197) and No. 3 Ty Walz (285).

APPALACHIAN STATE (11-4, 6-1 Southern Conference)

Head Coach: JohnMark Bentley

The Mountaineers clinched a share of the SoCon title with Chattanooga and Gardner-Webb but advanced to the national duals series by virtue of most votes in the USA Today/NWCA Coaches Poll.

“Obviously, I am tickled to death that we won a Southern Conference Championship,” Bentley said. “It’s a big deal for our program and our school, so we are very proud of that. Hopefully, we can keep building and finish this year strong.”

The Mountaineers are led by No. 5 Denzel Dejournette (285), a 24-2 junior, junior Vito Pasone (125), sophomore Nick Kee (174) and sophomore Forrest Przybysz.

WILD CARDS

NORTH CAROLINA STATE (22-1, 4-1 ACC)

Head coach: Pat Popolizio

North Carolina State went 21-0 before losing its first match of the season on Feb. 12 in a 19-14 defeat at the hands of ACC foe Virginia Tech to finish second in the conference, but rallied on Feb. 14 for an 18-17 win over Missouri in the final bout of the match when two-time NCAA heavyweight champion Nick Gwiazdowski earned a technical fall over James Romero.

The Wolfpack are led by the unbeaten and top-ranked Gwiazdowski (285), along with No. 3 Kevin Jack (141), No. 4 Tommy Gantt (157), No. 6 Max Rohskopf (165), No. 17 Pete Renda (184) and No. 15 Mike Boykin.

IOWA STATE (10-5, 2-2)

Head coach: Kevin Jackson

Iowa State ended the season with three straight dual meet wins to earn the second wild card berth in qualifying for the national duals series. The Cyclone lineup includes three ranked wrestlers in senior Earl Hall (133), senior Tanner Weatherman (165) and junior Lelund Weatherman at 174.


2016 NWCA Division I National Championship Duals Series
Presented by United States Marine Corps and Titan Mercury Wrestling Club

Friday – February 19

Iowa State at Minnesota – 7:30 p.m. Williams Arena

Saturday – February 20

Lehigh at Rutgers – 8 p.m. EST – RAC

Sunday – February 21

Oklahoma State at Penn State – 5 p.m. – Rec Hall

Virginia Tech at Michigan – 2 p.m. – Cliff Keen Arena

Appalachian State at Indiana – 1 p.m. EST – University Gym

Missouri at Nebraska – 2 p.m. CST – Devaney Center

Monday – February 22

Edinboro at Ohio State – 7 p.m. – St. John Arena

North Carolina State at Iowa – 7 p.m. CST – Carver Hawkeye Arena

Wow.

Link: Panasiuk talks upcoming Minnesota visit

Michigan State is the heavy favorite here, but Jacub is giving the Gophers the time of day and is willing to consider what Minnesota has to offer. This upcoming visit is huge.

Here's your 411 on Gophers baseball. They start their season tomorrow.

Press release:

The University of Minnesota baseball team begins its 2016 slate with a road trip to Surprise, Ariz. for four neutral site games, Feb. 19-21. The Gophers take on Utah (twice), Utah Valley and Oregon State over a three-day span.

All-Time Series
Minnesota is 4-4 versus the likes of Oregon State and Utah all-time and will face Utah Valley for the first time. The Gophers won three of the first four meetings with the Beavers, dating back to 1990, but last time Minnesota took on the Oregon State was in 2001 when the team was swept on the road. The Gophers and Utes have only dueled one time in the past, with Minnesota winning 4-1 at the Dairy Queen Classic in 2013. Although the Gophers and Wolverines have not played, Minnesota is 27-7 all-time against teams from the WAC.

About the Utes
Utah wrapped up a 16-36-1 season last year. The lone tie came against Oregon State in a 15-inning battle in Corvallis, Ore. The Utes are led at the plate by outfielder Wyler Smith, who hit .329 with six doubles, a triple and 14 RBI in 2015. Starting pitcher Jason Rose returns after tossing 84.0 innings with a 3.54 ERA and 68 strikeouts.

About the Wolverines
Utah Valley went 19-35 last campaign and finished sixth in the WAC. The Wolverines lost 15 players who saw extensive action, but return their all four of their starting rotation. Senior outfielders Craig Brinkerhoff and Mark Kruger paced the team at plate last year with batting averages of .299 and .290, respectively. Kruger added 32 RBI and a team-high 12 doubles. In the bullpen, right-hander Kyle Valgardson made 25 appearances and notched six saves matched with a 3.32 ERA.

About the Beavers
Oregon State has made the postseason seven straight seasons, including last year’s regional in Dallas, Texas. The Beavers return infielder/catcher KJ Harrison, who hit .309 with 10 home runs and 60 RBI. Oregon State brings back four pitchers who maintained a sub-4.00 ERA and made 10-plus appearances in 2015. Returning starter Drew Rasmussen went 7-4 with a 2.80 ERA and threw two complete-game shutouts last season.

Surprise Stadium
Home to the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers for Spring Training, Surprise Stadium holds field dimensions of 350-379-400-379-350.

Last Campaign
Minnesota went 21-30, marking just the second losing season under head coach John Anderson’s tenure (34 seasons). Following a 20-35 record in 2008, the Gophers completed one of the top turnarounds in the nation, going 40-19 and making the NCAA Regional the following season.

Loaded Schedule
Minnesota plays seven teams who made the NCAA Tournament last year in Oregon State, Missouri State, Iowa, Michigan, Maryland, Illinois and Indiana. The Gophers also play 12 teams who won 30-plus games in 2015.

Program Upgrades
Minnesota is receiving two upgrades this season. Its new state-of-the-art locker room has been ready for use for a few weeks and the new hitting facility will open midway through the season, right next to Siebert Field.

Lead the Way
The Gophers have five senior leaders on the team in Jordan Jess, Ty McDevitt, Dan Motl, Dalton Sawyer and Connor Schaefbauer. Jess and McDevitt figure to be key in back end of the bullpen, while Sawyer returns to the starting rotation for the second season. Both Motl and Schaefbauer should be everyday players at centerfield and second base, respectively.

Lefties Galore
Minnesota boasts 16 left-handed hitters on its roster this season. That number is the highest among Power-5 schools, with Texas (15), Ohio State (14) and Virginia (14) the next closest.

Doing It All
Junior Matt Fiedler returns after a sensational 2015 season in which he was named to the John Olerud Award Watch List - given to the best two-way player in the country. He was recently named a Summer Collegiate All-American by Perfect Game.

Back at the Helm
Head coach John Anderson is back for his 35th season as the lead-man for the Minnesota baseball program. Through the three-plus decades of being in charge, Anderson has amassed 1,172 wins - which is the highest win total in Big Ten and program history. His win total currently sits in the top-30 all-time among collegiate head coaches. Anderson has coached 262 Academic All-Big Ten selections, six All-Americans and 18 players who made the major leagues.

Minnesota Heavy
The 2016 roster is highlighted by 66 percent of the players from inside the boarders of the state of Minnesota. Twenty-one players feature the highest number, with Wisconsin and Illinois close behind with four and three, respectively.

Another Year at Siebert
Siebert Field, which has been Minnesota baseball’s home for the past three seasons after being built in 2013. The Gophers will have two homes beginning in 2017 as the team will use U.S. Bank Stadium for games in the early months of the season.

Ryan what happened to reggies shoulder

Matt, when you get a chance can you update the football position matrix, including the PWOs and other walk ons.

In addition how can I stay abreast of all the offers made of the 2017 class.

Thanks

I have not enjoyed outdoor hockey in the past. Solider field was the worst. But the alumni game at TCF yesterday was really fun. Looking forward to today's game. Anyone else go yeaterday? Why did they announce 38k? Seemed like more than 45k.

Link: LeShaun Minor talks Minnesota offer

Ryan...I know they're only sophomores but who else besides race Thompson and tre jones will be in elite echelon of that class?

Link: Comma adding nearly an offer a day

Bleacher Report ranks Tracy as the 13th best recruiting head coach in the B1G.

Link: Awodiran has good impression of Minnesota

Southeast (Neb.) wide receiver Sterling Smith heard from Minnesota on the first day of contact and was at Junior Day. Husker Online recently visited his school, and Smith said he thought Minnesota was close to offering.

Link: Boyd talks recruiting