Inside The Vikings

Vikings notes: LB added to practice squad, Kleinsasser goes into CFB HOF

Jim Kleinsasser was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday.
Will Ragatz|
Dec 23, 2007; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA: Minnesota Vikings tight end (40) Jim Kleinsasser scores a touchdown against the Washington Redskins at the Metrodome. Redskins win 32-21.
Dec 23, 2007; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA: Minnesota Vikings tight end (40) Jim Kleinsasser scores a touchdown against the Washington Redskins at the Metrodome. Redskins win 32-21. | Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Vikings

We've got a couple Vikings news items to bring you on this Wednesday.

Kleinsasser inducted into CFB Hall of Fame

Former Vikings fullback Jim Kleinsasser was inducted into the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday.

Kleinsasser, now 48, played for the University of North Dakota from 1995 to 1998. He was a two-time first team All-American at the D-II level and a first team all-conference selection three times. During his time in Grand Forks, North Dakota went 32-10 and made two appearances in the D-II playoffs. He's just the second UND player to ever go into the CFB Hall of Fame.

The Vikings selected Kleinsasser 44th overall in the 1999 NFL draft, which remains the highest a UND player has ever been picked. He spent his entire 13-year career with the Vikings as a fullback and tight end, playing in 188 games across the regular season and playoffs. Kleinsasser scored seven touchdowns in his career but was more known for his blocking over the course of the 2000s. He blocked for some of Adrian Peterson's huge seasons early in the star running back's career.

Almost 15 years after his retirement, Kleinsasser remains a fan favorite in Vikings land.

Vikings add former Michigan LB to practice squad

The Vikings announced on Wednesday that they've signed linebacker Josh Ross to their practice squad. He's one of four players who tried out at TCO Performance Center on Tuesday.

Ross, 26, played at Michigan from 2017-21. He had 106 tackles, nine of them for losses, as a fifth-year senior. He then went undrafted and wound up with the Ravens, where the spent the first few years of his career. In October 2024, the Seahawks claimed Ross off waivers, reuniting him with Mike MacDonald.

Ross has appeared in 22 playoff games and two postseason contests over three seasons, exclusively playing on special teams. He's logged 452 career snaps on special teams and 0 on defense. 313 of those snaps came last season, which he split between Baltimore and Seattle.

Adding Ross gives the Vikings some extra special teams depth in the final month of this season, with the possibility that he could impress and stick around into the offseason via a futures deal.

The Vikings still have one open spot on their practice squad. Here's who is currently on it:

  • LB Josh Ross
  • LB Sione Takitaki
  • OLB Gabriel Murphy
  • S Kahlef Hailassie
  • CB Dwight McGlothern
  • CB Zemaiah Vaughn
  • CB Tyrek Funderburk
  • DL Taki Taimani
  • DL Jonathan Harris
  • G Henry Byrd
  • G Vershon Lee
  • TE Bryson Nesbit
  • WR Jeshaun Jones
  • WR Dontae Fleming
  • WR Joaquin Davis

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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