Brewster relieved recruit is OK following shooting

Gophers football coach Tim Brewster breathed a public sigh of relief Tuesday as he updated the condition of incoming recruit Kevin Whaley, who was shot in the leg outside a nightclub Friday in Virginia Beach, Va.

"We're very fortunate that he's alive today," Brewster said during his spring practice kickoff news conference. "We've said our prayers the last couple of days. We'll have Kevin with us in the fall. Whether or not Kevin did anything wrong, I wouldn't say that at all."

Whaley, a 5-9, 180-pound running back and three-star recruit, reportedly was leaving a club around 2 a.m. when someone in a car shot him.

"Kevin Whaley is a great kid," Brewster said. "People say, 'Well, what is he doing out at that time of night?' He was on spring break."

Brewster said he still doesn't know all the details about the incident or Whaley's condition.

"His [high school] coach seems to think that he's going to be fine," Brewster said. "I don't know 100 percent the exact seriousness of it."

Brewster said he talked to Whaley on Monday and he was in good spirits.

"He was very upbeat, very positive," Brewster said. "He said, 'Coach Brew, I didn't run the 40 but I was out walking in the hallway.' You think about that situation and how you could have lost a kid."

Brewster said Whaley's high school coach believes the running back was targeted by someone who is jealous that he is doing something positive with his life.

"They think it was a directed act of violence," Brewster said.

Back to drawing board

Brewster spent much of his 45-minute news conference talking about his defense and how he expects to fix it. The Gophers, who finished last nationally in total defense in 2007, open spring practice Thursday with a new defensive coordinator -- former Duke head coach Ted Roof -- and many problems to address.

"On the defensive side of the ball we've got to do more with less," Brewster said. "We've got to take what we got and make them better."

Brewster also acknowledged that his team likely will look significantly different in fall camp because a large number of the incoming class are expected to take over as starters or key backups, especially on defense.

"We're in a position where we need for them to help us, particularly on the defensive side of the ball," Brewster said. "The makeup of our team will certainly change defensively in the fall."

O-line shuffle

The Gophers coaching staff shuffled the offensive line some as it searches for the best combination after losing center Tony Brinkhaus and left tackle Steve Shidell to graduation.

Sophomore Dominic Alford is a virtual lock to start at left tackle, and D.J. Burris is No. 1 at left guard.

Jeff Tow-Arnett, Trey Davis and Ryan Wynn are competing at center. Otis Hudson is listed No. 1 at right guard. Chris Meinke and redshirt freshman Chris Bunders are competing at right tackle.

Etc.

• Brewster said eight of the 11 Big Ten teams run some variation of the spread offense, which makes improving their speed on defense even more important.

• Senior linebacker Deon Hightower said he played the entire 2007 season despite having a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

"I will never make an excuse," Hightower said. "If you're hurt and you decide to play, there is no room for excuses. I feel good now. I won't be tentative in hitting, I hit when I needed surgery so I'm definitely going to hit now that I had it." However, Hightower won't do much hitting this spring as he recovers from surgery.