JOTTINGS
• Odds Shark has released its Big Ten football championship odds for 2020 and the Gophers rank seventh at 25-1. Ahead of them are Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State, Nebraska and Iowa. Incredibly the Gophers are once again picked fourth in the Big Ten West after finishing in second place last year and winning 11 games.
• Some updates on Gophers football players in the pros: Safety Eric Murray signed a three-year, $18 million deal with the Texans after a great season with the Browns; linebacker De'Vondre Campbell signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Cardinals; and linebacker Damien Wilson will be on the second year of his two-year, $5.75 million deal with the Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
• Vikings great Everson Griffen remains unsigned, and Pro Football Focus ranked him eighth on its list of remaining available free agents. At No. 28 was former Gophers and Vikings defensive back Tramaine Brock.
• In his freshman season at Duke, Rochester John Marshall product Matthew Hurt averaged 9.7 points and 3.8 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per game. The 6-9 forward, like teammate Tre Jones of Apple Valley, might benefit from a sophomore season at Duke instead of being one-and-done. ESPN has Jones ranked as the 33rd-best prospect in the 2020 NBA draft.
• Gophers assistant men's basketball coach Rob Jeter took the Western Illinois coaching job and former Cretin-Derham Hall standout Jaeden King will be on his roster. King averaged 3.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 16 games his freshman season.
• The Twins will get $4.49 million in bonus money to sign draft picks if MLB goes to a 10-round draft because of a shortened season. That would be the fourth-lowest total in the majors, behind the Astros, Yankees and Braves. There is still a chance the draft will be its usual 40 rounds, but it could also shrink to as few as five.
