Golden Nugz 12.17.09

Marcus Fuller, over at the Pioneer Press, had a good article on one of the newest Gopher football commits, James Green.  If you read any of this, you'll remember that Green was a four-star WR last year who committed to Tennessee. But academic issues, similar to those of current Gophers Gray and Reeves, derailed those plans and Green hasn't played football in a year.

While sitting out this season, Green has been working out with his uncle, former Florida State linebacker Lamont Green, who was the No. 1 high school player in the nation in 1994.

Green said Gray offered him some encouragement about being able to make a successful transition to Division I football after a long time away from the field.

"When the situation happened, I had my head down for a week; but at the same time, I knew I was a great football player and would be playing somewhere," he said. "I just worked out every single day on getting better. I worked on my routes. I worked on everything I would have if I had been in school. I was just hoping time went by fast. It did. I'm going to be in school soon."

On paper Green is as highly rated as anyone that Brewster has brought into the Gopher program.  He should be an exciting addition to the team in 2010.

• We have an update on the Royce White situation.  It isn't really good or bad, but it is movement.  The U of Minn campus security have handed over their results to the Minneapolis city attorney.  They will decide if charges will be filed.  White is ademant that he is innocent and feels as though he is now being punished unfairly.
• Gopher basketball projects as a 6 seed in Lunardi's newest bracketology.
• With talk of Big Ten expansion, the next logical question is how will they align the two divisions?  There are a number of suggestions but the biggest quagmire seems to hinge on where to place Michigan and Ohio State.  Do you put them in the same division to make scheduling their annual match-up easier?  Or do you place them in opposite divisions, make sure they play each other ever year and then potentially get a rematch in the conference championship?  If they were placed in opposite divisions they would not have played as much as you might think, according to Doug Lesmerises' Buckeye Blog.
• Bog Sansevere talks about three things with Ralph Sampson III.