Victor Viramontes News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/victor-viramontes/ Minnesota sports, but different Tue, 16 Apr 2024 08:57:17 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=32,height=32,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cropped-cropped-MSF-favicon-1.jpg Victor Viramontes News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/victor-viramontes/ 32 32 BREAKING: Vic Viramontes to Transfer Out of Minnesota and Switch Positions https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/breaking-vic-viramontes-to-transfer-out-of-minnesota-and-switch-positions/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/breaking-vic-viramontes-to-transfer-out-of-minnesota-and-switch-positions/#respond Sat, 02 Jun 2018 15:18:32 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=9971

Wow, this isn’t what I was expecting to do this morning but sometimes plans change, right?

They have for Vic Viramontes. The 6-2 230 lb. dual-threat quarterback, according to Ryan Burns of GopherIllustrated.com, Vic Viramontes is transferring from the University of Minnesota. He will be heading back to Riverside Community College, where he played quarterback last season.

However, he will not be playing quarterback in 2018. Viramontes will be playing linebacker for the California Community College, before looking to transfer back to a D1 program in January. He will then have 2 seasons to prove himself as a linebacker capable of playing high-level division 1 football. Vic has also expressed an urge to be closer to home. (All of this came from Ryan Burns and GopherIllustrated.com between both his report and the message boards. It’s the best subscription for Minnesota news that I pay every month. You can subscribe here.

Now that we have all the details so far, how do we feel about this?

via GIPHY

Early on, it looks like this is something we should be positive about. There doesn’t seem to be any reports of Viramontes disliking Fleck or his culture. It looks a lot more likely that Viramontes didn’t see himself beating out either Tanner Morgan or Zack Annexstad, both of whom were higher than he was on the depth chart for the spring game. Both kids are Freshman (Morgan a RS). I wrote about how good Annexstad looked after that spring game. And, others wrote about how much they liked Tanner Morgan.

Nonetheless, the depth at quarterback now for the Gophers is quite concerning. The two Freshman mentioned earlier are now the only two quarterbacks on the roster after Demry Croft transferred last year and Seth Green moved to WR/TE. Burns also confirmed that Minnesota is NOT allowed to use Viramontes’ now-open scholarship to find another quarterback until January, per NCAA rules. That means any quarterback they do find will have to be a walk-on. Speaking of walk-on, Zack Annexstad also agreed to come on as a walk-on (although he had other D1 scholarship offers), and will not be able to pick up that dead scholarship either.

So, does Fleck really go into the season with two quarterbacks with failed QB project/turned pass-catcher, in Seth Green, as the third option? Getting a viable grad-transfer that’s willing to walk-on will be tough. It’ll be interesting to see where Fleck and the Gophers goes from here at the most important position on the field.

Before you go blaming PJ Fleck, just remember that the last regime (Kill/Claeys) spent 5 years shunning the QB position to make sure this guy felt comfortable in his starting role…

Eric Strack
MinnesotaSportsFan.com (@RealMNSportsFan)

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/breaking-vic-viramontes-to-transfer-out-of-minnesota-and-switch-positions/feed/ 0 Tue, 16 Apr 2024 03:56:14 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Gopher Football Spring Game: (FR) Minnesotan Zack Annexstad is My QB1 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/gopher-football-spring-game-fr-minnesotan-zack-annexstad-is-my-qb1/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/gopher-football-spring-game-fr-minnesotan-zack-annexstad-is-my-qb1/#respond Sat, 14 Apr 2018 14:14:46 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=9232 Wow, I knew Zack Annexstad was looking good in practice because PJ Fleck has been raving about him, and is adamant that those who ask about the QB situation, keep Zack included in the questioning. But, I didn’t think he would stick out bigger than the best sore thumb you’ve ever wanted to see (not everyone is with me on Zack sticking out more than his other QB competitors — more on that later). First, he sticks out physically, coming in at 6’3″ 215 lbs. He looks like a big time Big Ten quarterback. But, it wasn’t just his physical build that jumped off of my screen. This Minnesotan can sling the pigskin. That’s right, he’s one of us.

His release looks reasonably polished and heavily worked on, which would make sense being he left the beautiful state of Minnesota to join one of the elite high school football programs in the country, in IMG Academy (Florida).

IMG Academy is a High School powerhouse that has hosted superstars to the likes of Jimmy Butler, Cam Newton, Serena Williams, Russel Wilson…. and the list goes on and on. Playing for a school like that, this stud must have picked the Gophers over some pretty nice schools, right?

Wrong. Look, Zack had offers from some good schools, including Pitt, Cincinnati, and Illinois. However, he didn’t even get a scholarship offer from Minnesota (not for long). That’s right, Zack Annexstad is a Preferred Walk-On and is PAYING to play football here.

But, he doesn’t give a shit. Why? Because he obviously believes in himself. And, he believes in Minnesota and especially in Coach Fleck (247 Sports):

“I went to Minnesota’s practice last week on Thursday, and I talked with coach Fleck after and he was the one that told me that I had an opportunity to play at Minnesota,” IMG Academy quarterback Zack Annexstad said to GopherIllustrated. “This (Minnesota) is where i want to be so I jumped on it right away. I went home to talk with my parents and family and I called coach Fleck the next day, and he was excited. He asked me if I was 100% committed and I said absolutely. What put Minnesota’s PWO over the top of scholarship offers elsewhere is just that Minnesota is where I want to be. I love what coach Fleck is building here. We are going to do things at Minnesota that have not been done in a long time. This is also a really good time to be coming into Minnesota as a quarterback

Last year, in his senior year at IMG, Zach went into the season as the backup to Artur Sitkowski, who is now in the Big Ten East with Rutgers. Zack’s backup role didn’t last long. Apparently, Annexstad took over the job during a game where things weren’t going well. According to his coaches, he never relinquished the job after that (Star Tribune)

“We were struggling one game, and Zack came in. We felt like he gave us a little bit of an advantage,” IMG coach Kevin Wright said. “He never relinquished the job from that point on. … He’s a very underrated player. He’ll make an impact as well [at Minnesota] over the next few years.”

Part of what made Annexstad look so good was the lack of what was shown from the other QB’s. Redshirt Sophomore, Tanner Morgan played pretty well and the stat sheet looks pretty good (18/28, 272 yards, and 2 TD’s) but he had Tyler Johnson playing with him and Tyler makes everyone look good. Seriously. Look at this kid…

Now, I’m definitely in the minority on Annexstad being the guy, after Thursday’s scrimmage. EVERYONE ELSE is on Tanner Morgan’s $*%k (Star Tribune) (GopherIllustrated – subscription) (Pioneer Press). It’s clear PJ has Tanner starting right now (he was throwing to the top receivers including Tyler Johnson and not sharing reps with Vic Viramontes like Annexstad was) and that’s fine, but this looks like a classic case of a “this guy’s been here longer than 6 months” bias. And, like we’ve seen all over the football landscape in the past, that type of bias can linger into the season. But, once the games start, the true talent starts to emerge.

Watching Morgan, he just looks like a guy who will flash in spurts, because he will take chances and can run around a bit, which causes a lot of chaos in college football. However, it’s hard to watch him and think ‘bona fide Big Ten QB’. Again, he had a lot of yards and threw for two touchdowns but both of them were to Tyler Johnson. One TD ball wouldn’t be caught by 99% of college wideouts and the 2nd was a bad pass to an open target (1:05 mark on full highlight video on bottom of post). But… he had Tyler Johnson… so it didn’t matter and nobody is talking about it. Move those two throws to incompletions and he goes 16/28 for 210 yards on 0 TD’s and two fumbles. Not so hot.

Annexstad on the other hand, looked calm, cool, and collected without Tyler Johnson. And his throws are crisp and with purpose. Here is just one.

Vic Viramontes definitely doesn’t have issues looking the part of a D-1 Football Player, after spending his Freshman Season at Riverside Community College before enrolling at the U of M this season as a JUCO transfer. However, once the game started, he struggled. Especially holding onto the football, which DEFINITELY doesn’t fit into PJ’s culture. Fleck talked about that post-game saying “The ball was on the ground way too much for me,” adding; “He’s just got to learn how to value that football, which he will. He’ll get there.”

Some are calling it a 2-man race but I’d lean more toward a 3-man race for the long haul. Zack and Tanner are clearly neck and neck while Vic should start to emerge as he gets more comfortable. And honestly, I expect Zack to win. It might not be game-1, although that’s where I’d be leaning after Thursday, but I certainly expect him to be the guy by the end of the season. Viramontes needs to prove he can throw a little and he can hang onto the “program” when he runs (which he will do just as much as he throws).

Other notes:

– Rodney Smith looked REALLY good and both caught and ran for touchdowns.

– Also sticking out, especially while Rodney was in, was the offensive line and the MASSIVE holes they were opening. It’s early, but it was hard not to get aroused a little watching that. And even more aroused watching this (btw, without Zack Annexstad, there is no Daniele Faalele in MN):

– Remember Tai-yon Devers? You might remember his speed rush splashing onto the scene with Claeys & Co. as he racked up 3 sacks and 3 forced fumbles his Freshman year. Well, he disappeared with Fleck & Co. takin last year and I honestly thought he might have been someone who transferred out, because of how far he’d fallen off the map. Not the case. He was EVERYWHERE on the map Thursday night.

– Nobody should be surprised but Fleck’s spring game was lit. It was much more competitive than other spring games I’ve seen from both the Gophers and other teams in the past, and it came down to the wire. WTF doesn’t like spring football? Especially when starters play most of the game and the kids CARE about the results. It was very clear that the kids cared. It was fun to watch. That’s right. Spring football games. Fun to watch.

I love PJ Fleck.

FULL BTN HIGHLIGHT VIDEO (@MinnesotaOnBTN)

Eric Strack (Founder/Instagram Graphic Designer/I Make Up These Titles as I Go)
MinnesotaSportsFan.com @RealMNSportsFan

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/gopher-football-spring-game-fr-minnesotan-zack-annexstad-is-my-qb1/feed/ 0 Tue, 06 Jul 2021 21:21:44 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Fleck Finalizes Highest Recorded Recruiting Class in Gopher Football History https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/fleck-finalizes-highest-recorded-recruiting-class-gopher-football-history/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/fleck-finalizes-highest-recorded-recruiting-class-gopher-football-history/#respond Thu, 21 Dec 2017 04:41:57 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=5551 .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }

 

I don’t think a bigger boat will suffice. We’re probably going to need a fleet of yachts. The oars will look weird as hell, but who cares.

The above information was from the eve of National Signing Day. According to GopherHole.com, Minnesota ended up closing Wednesday with the twenty-seventh best class in country.

P.J. Fleck and staff now OFFICIALLY have the highest recruiting class in the history of Gopher football (recruiting rankings started during Internet era). On Wednesday, twenty-six young men signed their letters to play pigskin for the Maroon and Gold. Here are the individuals that comprise the #eLITe18 class:

Offense:

Defense:

Prior to this year, either the 2008 or 2016 class were considered the best rated in the program’s history. With 2018’s National Signing day in the books, both of those can take a back seat.

According to 247Sports.com, the 2008 group finished with an average player rating of .8553. As for 2016, they closed with .8391. P.J. Flecks inaugural recruiting class set the new standard with .8609.

Top 5 Rated Signees:

  1. Curtis Dunlap Jr. (.9220 rating) – OL
  2. Rashod Bateman (.8921 rating) – WR
  3. Daniel Faalele (.8858 rating) – OL
  4. Victor Viramontes (.8851 rating) – QB
  5. Alex Reigelsperger (.8810 rating) – DL

Including the handful above, the 2018’s signees contain 17 players rated higher than a .8500. For comparison purposes, the 2016 class only had 6. Also, a friendly reminder that 2019 version is expected to be even better.

If he wasn’t on such a heater, I’d advise coach to set the coffee down. Screw that. Toss another espresso shot in there.

In the event football doesn’t work out (which it will) for P.J. Fleck, he’d put all inspirational speakers out of business. Highland Park Senior, Josh Aune, is one of the twenty-six Gophers that signed on Wednesday. He seems to get plenty of motivation from his new coach. Aune talked about how every time Coach Fleck talks he wants “to run through a brick wall.“

Same here, Josh, Same here.

If you were a professional boxer, what would be your walk-out music?

Crank up the volume and listen to Victor Viramontes’ anthem:

If you didn’t like the song, that’s fair. He’s here to play QB, not be a DJ at dance parties.

Anywho, the official Gophers Football Twitter account did those videos for each signee. In the grand scheme of things, it’s a small gesture. However, those small gestures add up. Little differences could ultimately be the deciding factor between a player choosing another program over Minnesota.

Speaking of another program, Wednesday was another “L” for Wisconsin. Earlier in the week the Packers were eliminated from Playoff contention and now the Gophers out recruited Bucky. To be more precise, Minnesota out recruited the entire Big Ten West.

I’m not sure about you guys/gals, but I’m awake. This program has got me feeling more bright-eyed and bushy-tailed than ever.

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/fleck-finalizes-highest-recorded-recruiting-class-gopher-football-history/feed/ 0 Tue, 16 Apr 2024 03:57:17 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Demry Croft Blames U of M Departure and “Uncomfortable Environment” on Kicked Door… https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/demry-croft-blames-u-m-departure-uncomfortable-environment-kicked-door/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/demry-croft-blames-u-m-departure-uncomfortable-environment-kicked-door/#respond Tue, 28 Nov 2017 13:10:06 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=4542 As #RowTheBoat Nation knows, P.J. Fleck now has his QB of the future (for 2018 at least… don’t sleep on who he finds for 2019..). On Monday, Victor Viramontes made his commitment to the Gophers official. This news came a day after it was announced our 2017 QB, Demry Croft, will be leaving the program. Croft released a VERY interesting statement regarding his departure:

Alright, so let’s catch you up quickly. Demry was suspended earlier this year and we didn’t know why. We just knew he wasn’t rowing properly. Now, Demry is claiming the suspension was due to him allegedly damaging a door…

 

Wait, what? Not poor grades? Not attendance issues? Not drinking? No pot smoking? Nope. A DAMN DOOR! Croft’s Tweet reads that the incident “created a very uncomfortable environment.” An environment in which he and his family have decided to “depart” from.

Wow… that’s a lot to digest. Before addressing all of that, let’s take a quick look at the football side of things.

The Rockford, IL native ends his Golden Gopher career with a  2-4 Big Ten record. Leading an offense that got shut out in their last two games was an appropriate end to his disappointing season. A lot of the blame can be put on dropped passes and poor offensive line play. However, Croft made his FAIR SHARE of mistakes. The 6’0″ 200 pound dual-threat QB’s 42.0 completion percentage over the year speaks for itself. Freshman Tanner Morgan was behind Croft and Conor Rhoda on the depth chart at season’s end. With Demry jumping ship (pun intended) and Conor graduating, it is anticipated Morgan or Seth Green will start 2018 as Viramontes’ backup.

First of all, best of luck to Demry Croft moving forward. Let’s hope that the 20 year-old can find a spot where he is happy. With that said, I call bullshit. He did SOMETHING wrong. Maybe that something was related to the door, maybe it wasn’t. If it is was ONLY THE DOOR and video CLEARLY showed Croft had NOTHING to do with its damage, we wouldn’t be talking about this right now.

I’m no lawyer, but I used to binge Law and Order episodes. If you have video evidence, then let’s see that shit. Video evidence can clear the most heinous of accusations. That’s across the board. It covers heinous criminal acts, breaking doors on college campuses, and everything in between. If Steven Avery had footage of an alibi, Making A Murderer is never produced. Croft is spin-zoning the hell out of this to put himself in the best light possible.

In conclusion, I need to get something off of my chest. In 7th grade, I lost in Madden and punched my bedroom door. Unlike the Croft saga, I’m DEFINITELY the person who broke that door. Can you really blame me, though? My opponent ran Goal-line all game. After his JaMarcus Russell QB sneak for the win, I went full psycho. Amazingly, my response of punching wood didn’t make me feel any better.

That game rattles me 100x more than Demry leaving. If it’s broke, fix it. Our offense was broke this season. Between P.J., Victor Viramontes, and what will be a plethora of others, this will be one fun healing process.

Johnny Minnesota @mnsportsnstuff
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/demry-croft-blames-u-m-departure-uncomfortable-environment-kicked-door/feed/ 0 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 14:29:49 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football Former 4-Star Michigan Commit, Vic Viramontes (QB), Will Now ROW for Minnesota https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/former-4-star-michigan-commit-vic-viramontes-qb-will-now-row-minnesota/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/former-4-star-michigan-commit-vic-viramontes-qb-will-now-row-minnesota/#respond Tue, 28 Nov 2017 01:19:21 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=4520

I can’t wait to play for the Golden Golphers! #RTB pic.twitter.com/1yrx9ECl0L

— VIC VIRAMONTES (@VicViramontes10) November 27, 2017

It’s been quite the 24 hours for Gopher Football. Last night we found out Demry Croft was leaving the team. It looks like a surprise to the coaches since he started the blowout loss to Wisconsin this week. Gopher nation was as nervous as it has been under the new Fleck regime.

We weren’t…

So yeah….. all disclaimers out there… we’re definitely rowers…

But, we aren’t the only ones. And, Fleck just got his most important one. Victor Viramontes is a JUCO transfer QB from California and he just committed to the Gophers this evening. He will likely be handed the reins on offense for 2018. No offense to our guy Alex Reigelsperger, who is still our favorite Gopher recruit, but Vic plays the all-important position of quarterback. And, before 4:30 CT today, the gophers were actually WORSE OFF at that position than they were this season. *commence the Demry Croft leaving made us better jokes..

Could Croft have known Vic was coming? It’s certainly possible…

With Croft leaving, the Gophers only had Seth Greene and Tanner Morgan as their most legitimate QB’s for next season. These are two guys we NEVER heard in the conversation this season, when competing with a quarterback room that was below-average at best. If they can’t beat out Demry Croft and Conor Rhoda then what are they going to look like across from Wisconsin?

Enter Vic Viramontes.

He’s had quite the road to Minneapolis and it started with an early commitment to a Big Ten rival back in 2015. And, a big one at that. Vic committed to John Harbough and the Michigan Wolverines in June. He was a 4-star Dual-threat QB prospect at the time, but many projected him to play linebacker or fullback/tight end due to his size.

Well, apparently Viramontes heard that Harbaugh and Co. was looking to do just that. He wasn’t having it. Vic wanted to play quarterback. Although, Harbough denied the rumors of moving him, and maintained his allegiance to Vic at the QB spot, Viramontes was gone as quickly as he committed.

The new offers came pouring in from big schools around the country. He had looks from the likes of Oregon and UCLA. He was offered by most of the other Pac-12 schools quickly, along with others. Schools who Viramontes said offered him included Cal, Arizona, UCF, Indiana, Virginia, Miami, Utah, Hawaii and Georgia Tech.

The same things were being said by every team who watched him:

They remind him of (insert your thick running college QB here – ie: Tebow/Kaepernick) but he surprises most with his accuracy.

After visiting most of the schools who offered him and extended a visit, Vic decided on Cal as the place he wanted to be. He spent his first season as a redshirt before a coaching change started to push him even farther down the depth chart, as he looked at his redshirt Freshman season ahead of him. The Cal QB position was in flux and Viramontes was out of Cal too, after just one redshirt season.

He decided to play his redshirt Freshman season at Riverside Community College in Riverside, CA. He was efficient through the air and DOMINANT on the ground. He was looking at offers from more big schools for the next 3 seasons including Kansas, Ole Miss, New Mexico and UNLV among others. However, he grabbed an oar, and started rowing to Minnesota, in the end… just before the ice is getting thick.

So, now Viramontes’ odd journey brings him to Minnesota where we might need him even more than he needs us. Without a light at QB, Gopher nation was getting nervous. But, Vic cleans that spot up nicely. And, he isn’t just a stop-gap JUCO transfer. He will get 3 years to play 3 and have the chance to cement Fleck’s early legacy with the Gophers.

Fleck is looking to finish 2018 off soon with a couple JUCO offensive lineman before turning focus to 2019. He will be breathing much easier as he turns that his focus, now that he has a legit Big Ten QB for 2018 and beyond. Watch him here. He is a beast. And his arm…. underrated?

Could this be the first time we see good QB play in Minnesota since……….. name your year, I guess.

Eric The Boss Man
Minnesota Sports Fan
MinnesotaSportsFan.com @RealMNSportsFan

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/gophers-football/former-4-star-michigan-commit-vic-viramontes-qb-will-now-row-minnesota/feed/ 0 Thu, 01 Jul 2021 14:29:50 +0000 Minnesota Gophers Football