Connelly will take his official visit to Minnesota this weekend.
Nick Connelly, a senior lineman from Red Wing (MN) High, committed to Minnesota in June. Connelly helped lead the Wingers to a 3-7 mark this season, losing to Stewartville 69-29 in the second round of the Section 1AAAA playoffs.
Gopher Hole caught up with Connelly to learn the latest on his senior season and his college decision.
Gopher Hole: You were at the Minnesota-Wisconsin game. What was the experience like being in Madison watching the Gophers-Badgers game?
Nick Connelly: It was really cool. The stadium was packed. I think that there was 80,000 people there. It was surprising. There were a lot of Gopher fans. It was a good game. We got up early and we did pretty good. We ended up losing it, but I think if we played them again, we would end up beating them.
Gopher Hole: Does that get you excited about that rivalry for when you are there next year?
Nick Connelly: I am more than excited for it. I am so pumped to get up there and start playing with them. It is going to be a good time.
Gopher Hole: How about your season? You didn’t win any games as a junior and this year, you won three games and made some strides. How pleased were you with how things went this year?
Nick Connelly: I was very pleased with it. I won more games this year than the three years that I started varsity. It was a good year. Rickey Foggie came in as the new head coach and I really like him and he is going to do good for the program. I think in the next few years, he’ll really get it going and we will really start doing better. It was our senior year and you can’t go wrong with your senior year. It was the funniest year yet and I had a great time. We won three games and that is pretty good for us.
Gopher Hole: How about your own individual play?
Nick Connelly: I thought I played very good. I got a little banged up in the middle of the season. I couldn’t really go 100%. I play both ways, usually, but I played just offense when I got banged up. That was only for a couple of games, but for the most part, I was pretty pleased with how I played.
Gopher Hole: I know that you made the KARE 11 All-Metro team and the AP All-State team. How pleased were you with some of the honors that you received?
Nick Connelly: I am really happy with it. It is cool being from small town, Red Wing. Getting all this stuff and going big. It is cool. It is kind of a dream come true.
Gopher Hole: Do you think that it is a little bit hard to get recognized as much as you would like since the team doesn’t have the high profile that other schools have?
Nick Connelly: Definitely. Red Wing is kind of known for being bad in football, so we are not really getting looked at. I really had to go out and get myself around the coaches, because no one is going to come watch Red Wing. I really had to go out and expose myself, but whatever. You can’t go wrong with Red Wing. I am happy that I played there and I am happy with the experience.
Gopher Hole: You went to several home Gopher games and traveled to Madison for the season finale. How pleased are you with how well that they have done this year?
Nick Connelly: Great. Since Coach Kill got here, it has been getting better and better and if we go win this bowl game, we’ll be like 9 and 4. That is pretty good. That’s not bad at all, so I think that I am joining at the right time and I think this team is headed in the right direction.
Gopher Hole: Does that make you even more excited about joining the team next summer?
Nick Connelly: Yes. I am super excited for it. We are starting to become a powerhouse in the Big Ten and we’ll be competing for a Big Ten championship the next couple of years, so it will be good.
Gopher Hole: Have they talked to you much about what role you might have as a freshman? I know that a lot of linemen will redshirt to get bigger and stronger.
Nick Connelly: Their plan right now is to redshirt me. Plans can always change, but the plan is to redshirt me and just see what goes from there. They said that I’ll be playing tackle, offensive right tackle, mostly. They said that I am too tall for guard, so I’ll be a tackle.
Gopher Hole: Is that something that you will enjoy playing that position? I know that you played a lot of positions in high school.
Nick Connelly: Definitely. In high school, I played both ways and that was great. I got to play some defense and offense, but it will be nice to focus on one thing in college and if that is offense, it’s offense. I’ll play wherever they put me and I am excited to play wherever.
Gopher Hole: What things are you going to be working on to get ready for college?
Nick Connelly: Just really putting a lot of weight on. Playing both ways, I have to be in really good shape. This season, I ended up losing a little bit of weight, actually, to stay in shape and be able to last the whole game, so during this offseason, I am going to put on a lot of good weight, so I can get up to the “U” and they can really shape me into what they want me to be.
Gopher Hole: What are you up to height and weight-wise right now?
Nick Connelly: I’m 6-7 and a little over 270 pounds right now.
Gopher Hole: What would you like to get up to before your freshman year?
Nick Connelly: If I could get up to 290, I’d be happy with that. I’d be very happy with that.
Gopher Hole: You are going on your official visit December 12th. What are you hoping to gain from that experience?
Nick Connelly: I am just hoping to enjoy it, honestly. I love this place. It is not going to change my mind. It is not going to make my mind. I am already set here. It is not going to do anything like that. I am just excited to see what the campus is like. Staying here for a few days. Seeing the player’s schedules and enjoy being a Gopher for a few days.
Gopher Hole: I know that fellow commit Bronson Dovich is also visiting that same weekend. Have you gotten to know him at all? I know that you used to play in the same conference. Do you know him very well?
Nick Connelly: Yes. I have gotten to know him just a little bit playing against him. Since I started coming to the Gopher games with him, we have gotten to know each other pretty well. I have talked to him a few times and I think that him and a couple of other commits will be official visiting that weekend¸ so it will be good to get to know him even more through those three days, so when I get up here for real, I’ll have some friends.
Gopher Hole: You are at the Vikings game versus Carolina. What is it like watching them since you have been up here several times watching the Gophers in TCF Stadium?
Nick Connelly: It is fun. I like college football better. You can’t go wrong with college football, but I love the NFL, too. Football is football, so I am here to watch football. That is what I do.
Gopher Hole: Are you doing any other sports this year at Red Wing?
Nick Connelly: I’ll do track in the spring. Shot put and discus.
Gopher Hole: How much do you think that helps you for football in terms of foot work and strength training?
Nick Connelly: I think it helps me a lot. Our track coach, actually, threw at the “U,” so he had five years of Division I training, so he has really helped me develop a good program to get more explosive through the offseason and put on a lot of mass and muscle. Given that connection through track has really helped me in football. He is helping me on more explosive work and weight training and I think that is really going to help me when I get up here.