Daily Nugs 1.5.2010

According to the Star Tribune, it looks as if Ralph Sampson will not be able to play against Purdue:

To make matters more challenging, the Gophers will likely have to play the deep and experienced Boilermakers without starting center Ralph Sampson III. Coach Tubby Smith said Monday that Sampson is still bothered by an ankle injury that kept him out of Saturday's victory at Iowa, meaning the Gophers will be missing a 6-foot-11 presence on the defensive end.

Down With Goldy previews the matchup with Purdue, and predicts a W for the Boilermakers.

Golden Gopher Football Blog makes the case for hiring Mike Leach.  I doubt Leach would pass the litmus test with Minnesota's administration, but the article makes a case for him:

For me, Leach has done enough to clear his name in the court of public opinion, and since we're probably never going to know exactly what happened, that's about all you can ask for. You deal with the negative publicity and then sit back and watch the man do what he does- coach offense and win games. He's certainly proven much more in his time at TT than Brewster has here.

The Rivalry Esq. has a related article on Mike Leach.

Miami fans are excited about a potential visit from Seantrel Henderson.

Football's Second Season lists Seantrel Henderson as the best player in the country for the 2010 high school class:

My top 10 is headed by 6-8, 330-pound offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson of St. Paul, Minn. I first rated Seantrel as the nation's No. 1 player in March of 2008 for Sports Illustrated. Now here it is, almost two years later, and he still ranks as the nation's No. 1 prospect. He has proven to be the best OL prospect to come out of the Midwest since Joe Thomas. He is the most recruited player in the country. He is visiting Iowa, Notre Dame, Minnesota, USC, Florida and Ohio State.