JOTTINGS

• As recruiting picks up for 2021, Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck described how he decides when to offer a player: "Every case is handled differently, but you do not know [if a player will succeed]. We've offered [high school] freshmen before, and then there has been guys we have had to wait all the way through their senior year to offer. I don't know if there is a time to say, 'That's the right time.' "

• Vikings coach Mike Zimmer talked about the importance of character on his roster and how he finds the right players. "I ask [equipment manager] Dennis Ryan all the time and I ask [head trainer] Eric Sugarman how is the locker room, and how are the guys in the cafeteria; I ask the cooks all the time how are the players treating you. I don't ever get any bad responses, but if I do, I kind of hit it on the head."

• New Vikings wideout Jordan Taylor is familiar with Gary Kubiak's system, as he played under Kubiak in Denver. Taylor could get a real shot on this team. In two years with the Broncos, he had 29 catches for 351 yards and two touchdowns.

• Vikings sixth-round pick Marcus Epps is a name to watch in the secondary as he has already impressed Zimmer. A safety, Epps had 63 tackles during his senior season at Wyoming.

• The Timberwolves might be up against the salary cap with a payroll of $110 million for 2019-20, but they still will have at least $22 million to spend before they hit the luxury tax threshold.

• Gophers men's hockey coach Bob Motzko got a big commitment when Noah Weber switched his from Air Force. Weber played at Shattuck-St. Mary's and this past season played for Madison in the USHL.

• Texas Christian 6-6 lefthander Brandon Williamson, a Martin County West product from Welcome, Minn., was selected in the second round (No. 59 overall) by the Seattle Mariners in this past week's MLB draft. He stands to sign for around $1.2 million.