Nobody should question J.J. McCarthy’s arm strength.

Not anymore.

Though it seemed to be a knock on him coming out of college — perhaps because the University Michigan boasted such a potent running attack — McCarthy has consistently shown the ability to let it rip since being drafted by the Vikings.

In fact, McCarthy actually might throw it too hard at times, which is something head coach Kevin O’Connell has been working on with him during the early stages of training camp. The next step in McCarthy’s progression is mastering the layered throws to different areas of the field.

“There might be a defender in front and a defender behind,” O’Connell said. “We’ve got to find a way to get that ball completed.”

As a way to work on some of those layered throws with McCarthy in real time, O’Connell opted to conduct more of a walkthrough earlier this week. The slower pace offered a chance to work on some of the fundamentals.

“I thought J.J. threw the ball really well,” O’Connell said. “He’s working on different trajectories. You’re still seeing the revolutions on the ball. Just not that heavy finish.”

Here are more takeaways from Day 4 of training camp:

How does J.J. McCarthy look?

Fittingly, McCarthy flashed his ability with layered throws early in practice on Saturday afternoon at TCO Performance Center. There was a well-placed ball to Jalen Nailor on the sideline, for example, as well as a pinpoint pass to T.J. Hockenson over the middle.

It got even better for McCarthy during some work in the red zone, as he fired a bullet to Nailor on a crossing route for a touchdown, followed by a laser to Hockenson in the back of the end zone for a touchdown.

On a free play midway through practice after the defense jumped offside, McCarthy got to showcase his arm strength, launching a majestic deep ball downfield that narrowly escaped the grasp of Nailor.

That incomplete pass stood as arguably the most impressive play of the practice until McCarthy connected with Jordan Addison for a 60-yard touchdown pass that send the fans in attendance into a frenzy.

Who else stood out?

As practice wound to a close, Will Reichard got to kick some field goals for the first time in training camp.

In total, Reichard went 5 of 6 on field-goal attempts, connecting from 54 yards away at his peak.

The operation looked smooth, as expected, with Andrew DePaola snapping, Ryan Wright holding, and Reichard kicking. That should be the battery this season barring unforeseen circumstances.

Elsewhere in practice, Lucky Jackson got a good amount of reps with the starters, which would suggest he’s being given a chance to separate himself from some of the other receivers on the roster.

The best quote of the day

At one point last year I counted, and in one game he lined up in seven different spots. His role is wildly dynamic.”

— Head coach Kevin O’Connell, on the versatility of safety Josh Metellus shortly after he agreed to a contract extension

The injury report

Never mind that Justin Jefferson is being held out of practice for the time being while he nurses a mild hamstring strain. He was still spotted alongside his teammates and seemed to be in good spirits. The plan is to have Jefferson re-evaluated next week to chart the best path forward.

Aside from that, Metellus sat out once again with a minor ankle injury, Harrison Smith did not participate, and Isaiah Rodgers stood on the sidelines for most of practice.

The good news for the Vikings is it sounds like Metellus is in the final stages of his recovery, and thus, he should be back at practice next week.

What’s coming up next?

There will be nothing on Sunday as players get some time to recover. The first practice with pads will come on Monday.

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On the injured list with a left hip impingement, Bailey Ober has made two sharp starts in a rehab assignment with Class AAA St. Paul.

Was it enough to get him ready for the majors again?

“I’m assuming probably, maybe, my next outing,” Ober said from Target Field, where the first 10,000 fans received Bailey Ober Series Connect jerseys. “I don’t know. I threw five innings yesterday. So, obviously it’s right around the corner.”

Bothered by pain in his left hip for several starts this season, Ober was finally sidelined on June 29. He said he took only a few days off before beginning his rehab, which might have concluded on Friday with five innings of two-hit, one-run baseball against the Boston Red Sox’s Triple-A team at CHS Field.

In all, Ober allowed one run in two starts that lasted a combined nine innings. He was struggling, for the first time, in the majors, going 4-6 with a 5.28 earned-run average. He has surrendered 108 hits in 92 major league innings, 21 of them home runs.

Friday’s start, Ober said, was the first time he had felt healthy “in a while. That’s always a positive sign. Step in the right direction.

Ober talked briefly with Twins manager Rocco Baldelli before Saturday night’s game against the Washington Nationals at Target Field, but no decision on his return was made.

The Twins don’t have a starter penciled in for Game 3 of their next series against the Red Sox, or for the first game of a three-game set Friday at Houston.

“We still have some conversations to be had,” Baldelli said.

Festa has shoulder impingement

It would be fortuitous timing for the Twins if Ober can make his next start with the big league club. His replacement, young right-hander David Festa, is on the injured list and learned this week he has a shoulder impingement.

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Festa had a magnetic resonance imaging exam on Monday that revealed inflammation in the front and back of his shoulder, resulting in two cortisone shots received Friday. The imaging found no structural damage, but Festa will be out for a while.

“I love to compete, so I’m pretty bummed right now. But I know I haven’t been 100 percent, even though I’ve been throwing the ball decently,” said Festa, who missed some starts at St. Paul this season because of a similar issue. In 11 starts with the Twins this season, Festa is 3-4 with a 5.40 ERA and has struck out 53 in 53⅓ innings.

“I know there’s still a little bit holding me back,” he said. “So, I knew I had to speak up.”

Briefly

Catcher Ryan Jeffers, expecting a baby with his wife Lexi, was placed on the paternity list. Infielder Mickey Gasper was recalled from St. Paul and was the backup catcher.

It’s difficult to remember six years later, but the finish of the inaugural 3M Open in 2019 was one of the best you’ll see in a golf tournament, with Matthew Wolff, Bryson DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa serving as the stallions racing full tilt down the backstretch toward the finish line.

Morikawa sputtered to start the day, only to birdie six of his final eight holes. That was just enough to catch DeChambeau, who hit a mythical approach shot on No. 18 for a short-range eagle putt that gave him the lead by one with Morikawa and Wolff still to play No. 18.

A playoff felt imminent. But Wolff had other plans, burying a 26-foot eagle putt from the fringe to seize the tournament title by one shot over his two closest competitors.

That’s what’s possible at TPC Twin Cities when the stars align on Sunday. With the potential for birdies or blowups lurking at every hole, things can change at a moment’s notice on the 3M Open leaderboard.

Look no further than Round 3 on Saturday, where Kurt Kitayama – who barely made the cut to even play the weekend – tied the tournament record that Adam Svensson just set Thursday with an 11-under round of 60 to move to 17-under on the tournament, now just one back of the lead and firmly entrenched in the title hunt.

One of the co-leaders, Akshay Bhatia, is in this position because he shot an 8-under round of 63 on Saturday.

That type of score is always out there in Blaine. How far back of co-leaders Bhatia and Thorbjorn Olesen, the 36-hold leader who made an ace on the eighth hole Saturday, is the cutoff line for who could potentially lift the trophy on the 18th green on Sunday?

Nine guys are within two shots of the lead, 15 are within three and 21 are within four.

Sam Burns is seven shots back. Who’s to say he can’t go nuclear on Sunday to win from out of nowhere? Everything is in play at the 3M Open.

Yes, Jhonnatan Vegas won from the front of the pack a year ago. But he held on for dear life to do so. Vegas, Matt Kuchar and Maverick McNealy all were in prime position heading into the final round, but largely stalled out on Sunday.

It was Max Greyserman, who began the final round six shots back, who nearly stole the championship with an 8-under 63 on Sunday, only to be clipped by one after Vegas birdied the final hole.

Sunday is different from every other day of a PGA Tour event. Pressure heightens to unthinkable levels. That’s often reflected in the play of those in contention. Rory McIlroy may have ultimately won The Masters, but after blitzing Augusta National on Friday and Saturday this spring, he was one of four players who finished in the tournament’s top 20 to shoot over par in the final round.

Two of the other three? DeChambeau and Corey Conners, who were second and third on the leaderboard heading into the final round.

Pressure can indeed make diamonds. But it can also reduce even the game’s best to rubble. McIlroy was brilliant for much of the week, but he hit a baffling pitch shot on No. 14 into the creek and, needing just a par to win the tournament, bogey the 18th hole from the middle of the fairway before finally claiming victory in a playoff.

Golf is the ultimate game of mental concentration. Twitch at the wrong moment, and a brilliant iron shot is in the water or a short putt is rolling off the lip of the cup.

No, this isn’t The Masters. No one will complete the career grand slam on Sunday. But, for many, a victory would be a box checked on a lifelong dream. Winning the 3M Open not only nets you north of $1.5 million, but also likely secures your trip to the upcoming FedEx Cup playoffs, gives you a shot to cinch your spot in next year’s elevated events, earns you a trip to next year’s Masters and, perhaps most importantly to some of the names near the top of the leaderboard, secures your spot on the PGA Tour through the 2027 campaign.

Life changing.

It will be difficult for the likes of Pierceson Coody, who’s a Korn Ferry Tour member playing this week on a sponsor’s exemption after he lost his PGA Tour card after his rookie year in 2024, to not think about that as he sits just two shots off the lead.

Because you don’t know how many chances like this you will get. Journeyman Scott Piercy led by five shots in the final round of the 2022 3M Open before imploding over the final 11 holes, lowlighted by a triple bogey on No. 14 in which he found the water on his approach out of a difficult lie from a fairway bunker.

Piercy hasn’t had full-time status on the PGA Tour since 2013.

Sunday matters.

“Yeah, it’s obviously different and it’s a big opportunity,” Olesen said. “I’m not going to lie, there’s going to be a lot of pressure.”

The challenge is to hold up to the stress. To execute every shot in the final round – many of which feature water coming down the homestretch at TPC Twin Cities – to the best of your abilities. Because you cannot play it safe. Not with this crowded of a leaderboard at a place where if you’re not going low, someone else is.

“Yeah, it’s going to be exciting,” Olesen said. “I’m happy to be in this position going into tomorrow. It’s going to take a lot, there’s a lot of guys up there. I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of birdies. It will be difficult for sure.”

You have to hit the ball over large bodies of water on each of the final two closing holes to stuff it close, knowing bogey, or worse, is in play if you take on the risk.

That even reared its head Saturday, as Alex Noren stepped onto the 17th tee in a tie for the lead. He hit his first shot way off line and made double bogey. Coody and Chris Gotterup were among contenders who found the water on 18 in Round 3.

TPC Twin Cities is capable of producing three things in spades – dominance, destruction and drama. That’s all you can ask for in the final round of a golf tournament.

The stage is set for perhaps the best final round in 3M Open history on Sunday – which, given the event’s brief history, is saying something special.

Said Noren: “It will be a fun day.”

Akshay Bhatia of the United States reacts to his putt on the 16th green during the third round of the 3M Open 2025 at TPC Twin Cities on July 26, 2025 in Blaine, Minnesota. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
Kurt Kitayama of the United States reacts with his caddie Daniel Kitayama on the 18th green during the third round of the 3M Open 2025 at TPC Twin Cities on July 26, 2025 in Blaine, Minnesota. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
Tom Kim of South Korea plays his shot from the 18th tee during the third round of the 3M Open 2025 at TPC Twin Cities on July 26, 2025 in Blaine, Minnesota. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
Amateur Michael La Sasso of the United States plays his shot from the 16th tee during the third round of the 3M Open 2025 at TPC Twin Cities on July 26, 2025 in Blaine, Minnesota. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)

The Gophers football team opens training camp on Sunday, and questions abound for head coach P.J. Fleck’s ninth team at Minnesota.

Head coach P.J. Fleck of the Minnesota Golden Gophers is interviewed after the Golden Gophers defeated the Bowling Green Falcons, 30-24, in the Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field on Dec. 26, 2023 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

There are unit-wide queries on how the offense will look different as it navigates a big quarterback transition from sixth-year senior Max Brosmer to redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey. After passing more with Brosmer in 2024, offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh said last spring the run game will be counted on to break in a new signal caller.

On the defensive side, new defensive coordinator Danny Collins will try to carry over his success as safeties coach to an entire side of the ball, while maintaining a standard for taut units that Corey Hetherman and Joe Rossi set before him.

But both sides of the ball, along with special teams, have important position battles to try to live up to College Football Playoff contention, which Fleck stated as the team’s goal during Big Ten football media days in Las Vegas last week.

Here are three crucial competitions to settle before the season opener against Buffalo at Huntington Bank Stadium on Aug. 28:

Cream of the receiving corps

Key departures: Daniel Jackson, Elijah Spencer 

The Gophers brought in three transfers Javon Tracy (Miami of Ohio), Logan Loya (UCLA) and Malachi Coleman (Nebraska) to help replace the lion’s share of the lost production in the WR room.

“We’ve got a bunch of guys who have played a lot of football, but then it might not have been here,” Fleck said. “That doesn’t mean that it’s not valuable football. I think that we’re probably deeper with playmakers then we’ve been at that position for a while.”

The stable of returning players are led by Le’Meke Brockington (18 catches in 2024) and Cristian Driver (7 receptions a year ago), along with the emergence of Jalen Smith, a redshirt freshman from Mankato who debuted in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl win over Virginia Tech.

“This Jalen Smith kid has come on strong,” Fleck said. “I meant he’s got talent that reminds me of certain people really early in their careers.” Fleck said he hates comparisons but in the next breath went on to mention two former wideouts he coached who went to the NFL: Corey Davis and Rashod Bateman.

Prediction: Tracy will be the No. 1 target. He had 79 receptions at Miami and comes from a football family, with his older brother Tyrone playing at Iowa, Purdue and now the New York Giants. Loya will be reliable, while Coleman continues to be a project.

Rebuilding the cornerback room

Key departures: Justin Walley, Ethan Robinson, Jack Henderson

Fleck praised Walley as one of the best players he has ever coached, and now for the first time in four years, the U is forced to play without the Indianapolis Colts’ third-round pick.

Similar to Tre’Von Jones in 2023, the Gophers had huge success in the portal with Ethan Robinson transferring in from Bucknell last fall. The U went back into the portal to bring in the 6-foot-1 Jayden Bowden from North Carolina Central.

After spring practices, the U got another CB into the portal in John Nestor from rival Iowa.

Among returnees, Za’Quan Bryan played more than 250 snaps on defense a year ago, primarily when Walley was hurt, and he had his first career interception in the bowl game. The redshirt sophomore is expected to take on a much larger role this fall. Mike Gerald and Sam Madu are up-and-comers.

Over two years at nickel back, Henderson was rock solid — or a “dawg,” according to teammates. With him getting a shot in the NFL, the U will look to safeties Kerry Brown, second-year Texas Christian transfer Jai’Onte McMillan and oft-injured senior Darius Green to help fill that role. Fellow safety Aidan Gousby is a wildcard at that spot.

Prediction: The one-year rental of Robinson deserves a letter grade of an “A,” and the Jones stint was worth a “B.” Given how inauspicious Bowden was during an albeit small sample size of media members watching spring practices, it’s hard project another “A.”

Trying not to fall off EDGE

Key departures: Jah Joyner, Danny Striggow

Returning defensive end Anthony Smith is the Gophers’ best returning player not named Koi Perich, and the 6-foot-6, 295-pound athletic behemoth will get double-teamed ad naseum unless other players step up to fill the big roles vacated by Joyner and Striggow.

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Smith had a team-high 32 pressures a year ago, but Joyner totaled 31 and Striggow 25. The returning players who put the most heat on an opposing QB last fall: Lucas Finnessy (5) and Jaxon Howard (4). That’s big gap.

In order to bridge the gulf, Minnesota brought in Steven Curtis from Illinois State; the 6-foot-5, 265-pounder had 18 pressures and five sacks at the FCS level a year ago.

“(Curtis is) going to be able to help us on the edge,” Fleck said. “… Lucas Finnessy has had a really strong offseason being able to help us at (end), possibly some of the (rush) position. Jaxon Howard has had a really good off season in terms of the defensive end. I know it’s more of the (rush) position, but he’s got a lot bigger, stronger where he could be able to help us on the other side.”

Prediction: Given the demands of the position, multiple players will need to help fill the void this fall. Curtis is more of a known player but is making a jump to a more demanding level. Howard, a former four-star recruit and the No. 1 prospect in the state of Minnesota in the 2023 class, will need more time to live up to his plaudits.

Other competitions

After Georgia Tech QB Zach Pyron quickly exited Dinkytown after one spring, the U took Boston College/Old Dominion QB Emmett Morehead out of the portal. He will compete with Dylan Wittke and Max Shikenjanski for QB2 behind Lindsey. … The U is counting on offensive line coach Brian Callahan to reconfigure the entire front five, but veterans are plugging in at most spots or switching to new positions. … An incredibly high number of punters — four! — are competing to replace Mark Crawford, including two new transfers. … It looks like true freshman Daniel Jackson from Alexandria and senior Brady Denaburg, a transfer from Syracuse, will compete to be the kicker coming in for Dragan Kesich.