Gophers coach Tim Brewster held his spring practice kickoff news conference Tuesday in anticipation for Thursday’s first start. Here are some of the highlights:

– Brewster said it sounds like incoming running back recruit Kevin Whaley will be OK after being shot in the leg outside a nightclub in Virginia Beach, Va. I wrote about this today as the lead to my notebook. Brewster talked to Whaley earlier this week and he said he was in good spirits.

– Brewster spent a lot of time talking about his defense and his goals for that side. He said the defense, under new coordinator Ted Roof, will tackle as much as the NCAA allows in spring ball. Brewster also gave a number of stats from last year that underlined the team’s need to force more turnovers and get more pressure on the QB. That unit has a lot of areas to correct.

– Brewster acknowledged that his team likely will look significantly different this fall after the incoming recruits get to campus, especially on defense. I still think you will see an entirely new secondary this fall and perhaps one or two new starters at linebacker.

– Adam Weber said he is bigger, stronger and more comfortable with the offense this spring. Brewster praised Weber but said that position has the best competition. To me, I think the real race will be for the No. 2 spot between senior Tony Mortensen, juco transfer David Pittman and redshirt freshman Clint Brewster.

I have to believe that incoming freshman MarQueis Gray will redshirt this season. Brewster admitted that this offense is very difficult for quarterbacks to learn.

– I’m interested to see how the offensive line comes together. To me, this area is a huge question mark.

Dom Alford will start at left tackle and D.J. Burris at left guard. Jeff Tow-Arnett and Trey Davis will compete for the center job. Brewster listed Otis Hudson ahead of Ned Tavale at right guard. Brewster said it’s time for Hudson to step forward and establish himself as a player. Jason Meinke and Chris Bunders are competing at right tackle. Brewster is high on Bunders, a redshirt freshman from Osseo, and I would not be surprised to see him win that job.

– TE Jack Simmons won’t do much this spring after having foot surgery this winter. Simmons told me that this is the best he’s felt in two years.

– LB Deon Hightower said he played the entire season with a torn labrum in his left shoulder. He had surgery after the season. He said his shoulder feels good but he will not do much hitting this spring.

– Brewster is excited about the development of defensive tackle Barrett Moen. He praised his work in the weight room this offseason.

– DT Eric Small has gone from about 265 pounds to about 298 this winter. I ran into Small at the pro day a few weeks ago and he is definitely bigger.

– The Gophers are extremely thin at running back and secondary this spring.

– Brewster likes what mid-year juco transfer Tramaine Brock, a safety, has brought to the program. He said he’s already emerged as a leader.

I’m in Connecticut covering the Gophers women’s basketball team in the NCAA Tournament but wanted to catch up some news and notes.

I had several messages after I got off a plane last night saying that running back recruit Kevin Whaley had been shot in the leg outside a nightclub. The family reportedly did not want details of his condition released. We’ll see if Gophers coach Tim Brewster has any update at his Tuesday press conference kicking off spring practice.

I ran into senior quarterback Tony Mortensen at Williams Arena the other day. Tony is studying to become an athletic department administrator (hopefully an AD) and helps out with building services as part of an internship and is on track to graduate this May. 

Anyway, Tony said he is working on long snapping. The Gophers need to find a new long snapper with four-year starter Robert McGarry gone. Brewster mentioned that Eden Prairie recruit Ryan Grant also is a long snapper.

Tony said it was a little awkward at first but he’s getting better at it.

Not sure if I will be back for the press conference. If the Gophers win Sunday, they play Tuesday so I’ll definitely miss it. Either way, we’ll have someone there to get Brewster’s thoughts on the spring, any injury updates and position switches. I’ll be back for the first practice Thursday.

I’ll check back then. Happy Easter.Â

I talked to the father of former Cretin-Derham Hall standout safety Kim Royston this morning and he said his son would like to enroll at Minnesota.

Kim has asked for his release from Wisconsin and his dad, Chris, said the Gophers are his top choice. Chris said Wisconsin Bret Bielema will not release Kim to Minnesota. Chris said his son has been granted a release to a handful of schools, including Notre Dame, Nebraska, Iowa State, Central Florida, Boston College and Washington.

Kim, a true junior, would have to sit out one year but could get a scholarship from any of those above schools. Per Big Ten rules, he can not get a scholarship from Minnesota though. Athletes are not allowed to be on scholarship if they transfer within the conference in the Big Ten.

Chris said having to pay tuition at Minnesota would not be an issue for the family but he has encouraged Kim to look around to find the best fit.

It’s not unusual for coaches to put restrictions on where athletes can transfer, especially within their own conference.

Chris said his son is unhappy with the uncertainty of his role and looking for a fresh start. He will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

I had an item today about sophomore safety Curtis Thomas asking for his release and desire to transfer. I had a brief conversation with Thomas yesterday and he basically said he’s not happy for a lot of reasons.

Thomas was forced to play as a true freshman because of problems in the secondary and he endured his share of struggles. Thomas said he is not sure where he will transfer.

The Tampa Tribune’s Brett McMurphy had a piece today about how coaches — including an unnamed Gophers assistant — are picking the brain of South Florida defensive coordinator Wally Burnham, who has had success slowing down the spread offense of new Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez.

The Tribune reports that Rodriguez was 22-4 at West Virginia the past two seasons, with two of those losses coming against South Florida. The Bulls held West Virginia to an average of 16 points and 160 rushing yards in those games. The Mountaineers averaged 41.2 points and 311.5 rushing yards in the other games.

The story said assistants from Minnesota, Ohio State and Colorado have visited Burnham recently to get some insight into how to defend Rodriguez’s spread and personnel.

“There are a few subtle things I keep to myself,” Burnham told the Tribune. “We don’t give away all our secrets.”

Spring attendance note: Sid wrote recently that the school hopes to break an attendance record at the spring game. I wasn’t there but everyone always talks about the Lou Holtz spring game crowds as the record.

Joel Rippel from our office dug through the archives and found the stories for me. The Gophers sold 43,060 tickets ($2 per ticket) for the 1984 spring game. The actual attendance was 25,171. They had 24,075 at the 1985 game.

The Gophers will begin spring practice on Thursday, March 27, and will conclude it with the spring game Friday, April 25 at the Metrodome. We will have our kickoff press conference on Tuesday, March 25.

Unlike last year, the practices are closed to media and public. To me, these are a few of the top story lines going into spring ball:

1. New DC. The arrival of Ted Roof as the new defensive coordinator means players will have to learn another new scheme and new terminology. Roof will be the third DC for some of the players.

2. Adam Weber’s development. Weber had a solid freshman season. Most quarterbacks make sizable improvement in their second year as starter. It will be interesting to see how much more comfortable he is with the offense.

3. O-line. The offensive line is losing its two best performers in Tony Brinkhaus and Steve Shidell. The Gophers need to identify their starting center and develop some chemistry with this unit.

4. Newcomers. Juco transfers David Pittman, Tramaine Brock and Rex Sharpe are already on campus and will take part this spring. Tim Brewster has made it clear he isn’t bringing in jucos to sit on the bench. He expects all of them to either be starters or become key backups.

5. Injuries. The Gophers will be without RB Jay Thomas, TE Jack Simmons, LB Deon Hightower and WR Eric Decker, who is playing baseball. Their absences opens the door for others to show themselves. But I think the team will look completely different this fall when you consider many of the incoming recruits — especially on defense — are expected to take over as starters. Â

I just got back from the Gophers pro day. About a dozen or so coaches and/or scouts were on hand. Gophers who took part included Ernie Wheelwright, Dom Barber, Amir Pinnix, Justin Valentine, Mike Sherels, Jamal Harris, Desi Steib.

A few notes:

Scouts timed Wheelwright in the 40 anywhere from 4.48 to low 4.5s. That was a good time for Ernie.

Ernie also had a vertical jump of 36 inches.

Ernie was disappointed that he only weighed in at 219 points. He has been training in Arizona and was 226 when he left a few days ago but he said he lost the weight because of nerves and not eating right.

Even so, he had a nice showing today. It will be interesting to see if Wheelwright gets drafted. His size and physique are obviously appealing, but his focus (i.e. dropped passes) have always been questioned.

Barber ran a 4.58 in the 40, which he said was nearly identical to his best time at the combine. Barber has been working out in Miami. He thinks his ability to play all special teams will help him.

Ami Pinnix ran a 4.59 and said he weighs 210 pounds. He is completely healthy from the turf toe injury. Pinnix and fullback Justin Valentine are working together in New Jersey.

Marion Barber III was on hand to watch his brother.

The Gophers officially announced today that former Duke head coach Ted Roof has become their new defensive coordinator. Roof replaces Everett Withers, who took a similar post at North Carolina.

The Gophers will hold their pro day at the football complex tomorrow. I heard from the agents of Amir Pinnix, Justin Valentine and Ernie Wheelwright today. Pinnix and Valentine have been training for the pro day in New Jersey while Wheelwright has been working out in Arizona.

Dom Barber and Mike Sherels will also work out for pro scouts.

Hi, everyone. I wanted to shake out the notebook of items I’ve heard the past week or so.

– The Spring game originally was scheduled for April 26, but has been moved up to Friday night, April 25 because of a schedule conflict with the Dome.

– As of Tuesday, the school still hadn’t officially announced Ted Roof as the defensive coordinator. A Louisville official said Roof resignedas linebackers coach last Friday so it might just take a few days.

– Tim Brewster expressed interest last year after taking the job about having a Minnesota high school on his staff and it looks like he might go that direction in replacing Randy Taylor as director of football operations. One guy who immediately came to my mind is Cretin-Derham Hall assistant head coach Andy Bischoff. Bischoff would be a solid candidate who knows the landscape around the state, could handle the organizational demands of the job and obviously has strong ties to one of the premier programs.

–I hear running back Jay Thomas is making great progress from ACL surgery,the secondof his career.Thomas is doing so well that he could take part in some individual work in spring ball. Heprobably won’t do anything like 7-on-7 or any contact stuff, buthis progress is good news for theteam. I suspect he will be able to open up and run full speed this summer.

–I also hear that tight end Jack Simmons (foot) and linebacker Deon Hightower (shoulder) are makinggood progress but neitheris expected todo much in spring ball.

– The Gophers are holding their pro day next Tuesday.Dom Barber, Mike Sherels, Amir Pinnix and Ernie Wheelwright, among others,are expected to work out for NFL coaches and scouts.

– Former Gophers offensive line coach Gordy Shaw is expected to be named offensive coordinator at South Dakota.

– I talked to Gopher baseball coaches who just rave about Eric Decker’s talent. They love his speed and instincts and say his timing at the plate continues to get better by the day.

There was a lot going on at the football complex today with signing day. Here are some highlights (sorry for unusually long post):

Gophers get all 31recruits on their list and end up with a Top 20 class. I focused on the defense for my main story tomorrow. Of the 31 signees, I think 20 will have a chance to play defense.

Brewster said defense was the top priority and it showed in this class. Brewster agreed that the defense could have as many as 8 new starters.

– Four-star receiver Vince Hill has asked to play cornerback.

– Brewster became emotional as he talked about Champlin Park linebacker Sam Maresh, who he described as the No. 1 guy in his class. “I think thesky is the limit for him,” Brewster said. “To me, he’s Brian Urlacher. He’s that kind of guy. I think he’s going to be a great player.”

– Brewster said it’s way too early to tell if four-star QB MarQueis Gray will redshirt but he insisted he won’t be rushed.

– AD Joel Maturi talked about priority seating in the new stadium based on a points system. Points will be awarded based on a number of criteria, including years as a season ticket holder, donations to stadium and/or university, whether you are a graduate, letter winner or member of alumni association. The school is sending information outling the point system in a few weeks.

– The virtual tour of the stadium was well done. Hopefully a link is now on our website.

– Uniform update: Brewster was coy about the new uniforms. “They are very Oregon like,” he joked. “When the uniforms are ready we’ll have a press conference and have a dress rehearsal. I’m not a crazy uniform guy so for those Minnesotans who are worried about it beingradical, that’s not the case.”

– Brewster has allowed wide receiver Eric Decker to play baseball. Decker will go through spring football.

– Brewster talked about his son, Nolan, and how his dream was to play for Texas. “For me to take his dream away from him, that’s not what dads do,” he said.

– Brewster said he talked to defensive end Willie VanDeSteeg about his arrest on fifth-degree assault charges in late December and said it has been handled internally and the matter is closed.

–The Gophers did not sign an offensive lineman this season and Brewster said that position will be a priority next year.

– Brewster said the spring game is tentatively scheduled for April 19 but there is a conflict with the Metrodome so that might change.

– The scoreboard in the stadium cost $9 million (including a second one, too) and will be the second-largest in college football, behind Texas.

Barring any unexpected major changes, it looks like Tim Brewster will unveil a Top 25 recruiting class, which is a significant development when you consider he’s been on the job for one year and is coming off a 1-11 season.

National recruiting analyst Tom Lemming is obviously a big Brewster supporter but he told me Tuesday that Minnesota’s recruiting is his top national recruiting story.

Lemming said he has been tracking recruiting since 1978 and this is the best Minnesota class in his opinion.

“Recruiting is all about perception, and nobody does it better than Tim,” Lemming said. “He is really knocking the thing out of the park.”

I don’t get obsessed by the star system and rankings as much as others, but I do think it isa measuring stick to some degree. I went back through the Rivals rankings, and the Gophers signed only four four-star recruits the previous six years (2002-07). They have six four-star recruits in this class. That says a lot.

Signing day press conference is at 3 p.m. followed by the virtual tour of the new stadium. We’ll have a full wrap-up of Brewster’s thoughts on the class on Thursday, and then I’m taking the three kids to Disney World on Thursday morning.