I reached out to Kurt Warner for Sunday's story on Gophers offensive coordinator Jay Johnson, and the two-time NFL most valuable player got right back to me. It was clear how much respect Warner has for the QB who spent three years in front of him on the Northern Iowa depth chart.

Warner said he and Johnson have kept in touch here and there over the years. They actually spoke fairly recently, as Warner had reached out to Johnson, seeking some advice for his son, Kade Warner, who's looking to play college football.

Kade Warner, a 6-2, 190-pound senior wide receiver for Scottsdale (Ariz.) Desert Mountain, is listed as a two-star recruit by both 247Sports.com and Scout.com. Back in March, his famous father tweeted:

"Minnesota has shown a little bit of interest," Kurt Warner told me. "I got a chance to reach out to Jay and talk to him about the college process, as my son goes through it -- what to look for, what to do.

"It was nice to reconnect. I'm excited for [Johnson] to be in the position that he's in, to be in the Big Ten, and have a chance back in the Minnesota area, have a chance to be able to lead a BCS team as their offensive coordinator is pretty exciting."