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Joe Christensen covered Major League Baseball for 15 years, including three seasons at the Baltimore Sun and eight at the Star Tribune, before switching to the college football beat. He’s a Faribault, Minn., native who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1996. He covered Jim Wacker’s Gophers for the Minnesota Daily and also wrote about USC, UCLA and the Rose Bowl for the Riverside Press-Enterprise before getting this chance to cover football again.
Email Joe to talk about the Gophers.
Posts about Gophers player capsules
Gophers player capsule: DE Michael Amaefula
Posted by: Joe Christensen Updated: March 1, 2013 - 9:22 AM
Let's continue studying the Gophers roster today with a look at another key returnee on the defensive line:
MICHAEL AMAEFULA
Number: 98
Position: Defensive end
Eligibility: Junior
Height/Weight: 6-2/245
High School: Arlington (Texas) Bowie
Recruiting flashback: Part of Jerry Kill’s first recruiting class at Minnesota, Amaefula was listed as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, with offers from Iowa, Iowa State and Kansas State.
Early college: As a true freshman in 2011, he played all 12 games and started four, recording 17 tackles, with 1 1/2 sacks and two fumble recoveries.
2012 rewind: Amaefula started all 13 games and finished with 19 tackles, 2 1/2 sacks and two fumble recoveries. He was one of the team’s 31 Academic All-Big Ten selections.
2013 outlook: Amaefula is one of three returning starters on the defensive line, along with DT's Ra’Shede Hageman and Cameron Botticelli. The Gophers will look for Amaefula to take another step forward from his DE spot.
Gophers player capsule: LB James Manuel
Posted by: Joe Christensen Updated: February 27, 2013 - 10:49 AMIn honor of the basketball upset over top-ranked Indiana, let’s take a closer look today at a Gophers football player from the Hoosier State:
JAMES MANUEL
Number: 9
Position: Linebacker
Eligibility: Senior
Height/Weight: 6-2/210
High School: Indianapolis Warren
Recruiting flashback: Tim Brewster’s staff recruited him as a safety after he helped lead Warren High School to Indiana’s 5A state championship in 2009. Rivals.com listed Manuel as a three-star recruit, who also had offers to Iowa and Michigan State.
Early college: As a true freshman in 2010, he played all 12 games at safety and started three, making 29 tackles and forcing two turnovers. Jerry Kill’s staff took over for 2011, and Manuel again played all 12 games but finished with fewer tackles (11).
2012 rewind: The Gophers moved Manuel to linebacker last year for spring practice. At the time, Kill said: “He’s an in-between guy. ... We felt like moving him down [closer to the line] gave him a chance to play in the box, not be in as much space, and use his abilities better.” Manuel finished seventh on the team with 50 tackles. He played in all 13 games and started one.
2013 outlook: At linebacker, Aaron Hill is back, but the Gophers need to replace two starters, in Mike Rallis and Keanon Cooper. With 37 games of experience under his belt, including a full year at linebacker, Manuel will be among those looking to fill the void.
Gophers player capsule: DB Derrick Wells
Posted by: Joe Christensen Updated: February 26, 2013 - 12:18 PMIt’s almost time for spring football -- at Northwestern, at least. The Wildcats open spring practice Wednesday.
The Gophers don’t start until March 26, with the annual spring game on April 27, which gives us plenty of time to study the roster. Let’s keep the player capsule series going today with a look at another one of the key returnees on defense:
DERRICK WELLS
Number: 13
Position: Defensive back
Eligibility: Junior
Height/Weight: 6-0/198
High School: Lehigh (Fla.)
Recruiting flashback: Minnesota was one of two Division I programs to offer Wells a scholarship. The other was Ball State. Wells was listed as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com, and committed to Minnesota a week before signing day in 2011. Coach Jerry Kill’s staff can use him as a prime example of how they can take unheralded players and turn them into standouts.
Early college: Wells played 11 games at cornerback as a true freshman in 2011 and finished with eight tackles.
2012 rewind: Wells switched to safety and made an immediate impact in the season-opener at UNLV, with eight tackles and two interceptions. He finished non-conference play with 32 tackles in four games. But he lacerated his knee in the second Big Ten game, against Northwestern, and remained on the injury report, as the knee needed restitching two times. He wound up playing in all 13 games and started 11, finishing tied for third on the team with 74 tackles. He didn’t have another interception after the UNLV game, but he recovered a fumble against Illinois.
2013 outlook: In Wells, Brock Vereen and Cedric Thompson, the Gophers will return three experienced safeties this year, but they need to replace two starting cornerbacks, in Michael Carter and Troy Stoudermire. So it’s possible Wells could be asked to move back to corner. Either way, he’ll look to build on a breakout season.
Gophers player capsule: T Ed Olson; and other thoughts from the new reporting trail
Posted by: Joe Christensen Updated: February 22, 2013 - 10:11 AMI’ve received some good feedback from readers who’ve stopped by this blog, and it’s much appreciated. As I told one e-mailer today, however, I’ve still got a lonnnnng way to go in the new gig as a football writer.
If anything, I’m like an early enrollee who’s off to a determined start in the offseason conditioning program. We’ll see how I do with spring practice, and especially this fall.
Meantime, I’m getting some fun variety over at the University. I’ve covered Rachel Banham and the women’s basketball team. I’ve met Noora Raty, Amanda Kessell and Megan Bozek -- three stars from the amazing women’s hockey team. I spoke to ace lefthander Tom Windle before he helped knock off No. 2 UCLA in last weekend's baseball season opener.
And this week, I had my first interview with legendary wrestling coach J Robinson. I’m covering the National Duals this weekend, which should be a blast.
For now, let’s keep this Gophers player capsule series going with a look at one of the guys anchoring the offensive line:
ED OLSON
Number: 58
Position: Offensive tackle
2013 class: Fifth-year senior
Height/Weight: 6-7/305
High School: Mahtomedi
Recruiting flashback: Olson was a first-team All-State pick and listed as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com.
Early college: After redshirting in 2009, Olson started eight games at left tackle in 2010 and played in all 12 games the next year, starting 10.
2012: He started the first six games, missed four games with a sprained ankle, and then started the final four games. He was an Academic All-Big Ten selection for the second time.
2013 outlook: Olson and his younger brother, Tommy, are two members of an offensive line that returns everyone this fall. The line was beat up for stretches last year, helping contribute to the team's struggles. But the extra time to recover made a difference for the bowl game, as the Gophers rushed for 222 yards.
Gophers player capsule: RB Donnell Kirkwood
Posted by: Joe Christensen Updated: February 21, 2013 - 9:34 AMI’m moving over to the offense today for the third player in this series. I’ve been focusing on upper classmen so far, and here’s another one:
DONNELL KIRKWOOD
Number: 20
Position: Running back
2013 class: Fourth-year Junior
Height/Weight: 5-10/219
High School: Delray Beach (Fla.) Atlantic
Recruiting flashback: Part of Tim Brewster’s final Gophers recruiting class, Kirkwood was listed as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, with offers from Kansas State, Pittsburgh and Rutgers. He was a first-team all-conference pick as a junior at Atlantic High School, with 1,013 yards, but slipped to second-team all-conference with 491 yards as a senior.
Early college: In 2010, he played in four games and rushed 27 times for 107 yards but injured his leg and was granted a medical redshirt. In 2011, he rushed 63 yards for 229 yards and three touchdowns.
2012 rewind: Kirkwood missed most of spring practice with a hamstring injury but emerged as the team’s go-to tailback early in the fall. He finished the season with 218 carries for 926 yards and six touchdowns, including a 28/152/2 TD performance in the victory over Illinois.
2013 outlook: The Gophers haven't had a 1,000-yard rusher since Amir Pinnix in 2006. After coming 74 yards short of that benchmark last year, Kirkwood could eclipse it this year, especially as the offensive line continues to grow and mature. As a true freshman, Rodrick Williams saw an increasing role in the offense late in the season and had a 12/60/1 TD performance in the bowl game. With those two established, it’ll be interesting to see if the Gophers redshirt incoming recruit Berkley Edwards.
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