Sorry that we have had so little content this week. But here are some Friday links...
Gophersports.com had an article on how well the football team is doing academically. Here are some of the high points.
- 23 of the 26 seniors on the football team either have graduated or are on pace to graduate.
- Over the last three years 89% of athletes who reached their senior year of eligibility graduated.
- Last season, 22 Gophers were on the Big Ten All-Academic Team, ranking No. 3 in the league.
And of course we all know about the APR, which actually caused the Gophers to lose a couple scholarships last year.
Another indicator of academic success and progress is the Academic Progress Rate, widely known as the APR. While APR numbers won't be official until the NCAA announces it later this year, the score for this year is expected to be the best ever for a single year in the Gopher football program.
"I couldn't be more pleased with our graduation rates," Brewster said. "I'm also extremely proud of the progress we've made with our APR over the last year."
This is a step in the right direction after several years of being last or next to last in Big Ten graduation rates.
- Shooter had this nugget the other day about Tubby's buyout disappearing as of today. If Tubby left for another institution, he would not have to pay the U a dime. Interesting to note, but especially at this point in the offseason when most coaching vacancies are filled, I don't think it is anything to worry about. I also have a feeling that a contract extension may not be too far behind for Tubby as Maturi may want to have some security next spring when Tubby is the rumored candidate for several more open jobs.
- STrib article on balancing the athletic budget.
- Gopher baseball has yet another key series as they head to Iowa this weekend. The Gophers are one of seven teams within a game of first place and they are heading south to face an Iowa team that is near the bottom of the standings but only a game behind the Gophers. A sweep would be huge this weekend.
- This is totally unrelated to Gopher sports. But a few SBN bloggers over in the NFL network got the opportunity to sit down with Roger Goodell. It is interesting how Goodell appreciates the different voice bloggers bring to the sports landscape.