Luke Rasmussen, a 6-foot-7, 265-pound offensive tackle from Brookfield (WI) Central, has received 13 offers to date. He attended the Minnesota football camp last month as well as a regular season and spring game.
Gopher Hole caught up with Rasmussen to learn the latest on his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: What is the latest on your recruitment? The last I saw you had 13 scholarship offers. Does that sounds about right.
Luke Rasmussen: That sounds about right.
Gopher Hole: What camps did you get a chance to go to this summer?
Luke Rasmussen: I went to a Minnesota camp, the Northwestern Showcase, a Michigan State camp, a Wisconsin camp and a Vanderbilt camp.
Gopher Hole: Are you done with camps or are you going to anything else this month?
Luke Rasmussen: No more camps for me. I’m all done.
Gopher Hole: Do you feel that when you go to these camps that you are able to pick some things that help you to become a better player?
Luke Rasmussen: Yes, definitely. The coaches are all really good and they know a lot about what they are coaching, so they all helped me with technique work and getting my foot work right.
Gopher Hole: Have you had a chance to go to many colleges besides the camps this summer?
Luke Rasmussen: I have taken one or two non-camp college visits here. Ball State was one of them and we are really going to try to go up to Western Michigan, too.
Gopher Hole: Have you even thought about when you might try to decide on a school or have you even thought that far yet?
Luke Rasmussen: No, not yet. Probably after the football season.
Gopher Hole: You have some good looks for some of the “mid-majors.” What do you have to show some of the bigger schools that you can play at that level?
Luke Rasmussen: I guess a lot of it is getting bigger and stronger.
Gopher Hole: Is that the knock on you since you are 6-foot-7, but you weighed just 240 pounds last year and are 265 now, while most college tackles are 280, 290 or 300 pounds? Has it been hard to put on the weight?
Luke Rasmussen: Not really. I am putting it on pretty healthily, pretty steadily. Last year, it was a big thing, but I think that I have gotten over the weight issue at this point.
Gopher Hole: What are the expectations for Brookfield Central this upcoming season?
Luke Rasmussen: I think that we are going to have a good team again. We lost a little bit on defense, but our offense, we’ll be really good. We have a running back, DeMario Harris, who is coming off two really good seasons for us, so I am sure that he will be a big-time player and our running game will be stellar.
Gopher Hole: The Wisconsin coach who is recruiting you, Ben Strickland, went to Brookfield Central grad. Is that something you like having someone from your area recruiting you?
Luke Rasmussen: Yes. One of the benefits was that I had talked to him before he was a coach there, so I am a little more comfortable with him, I guess you could say.
Gopher Hole: What are you hearing from Minnesota?
Luke Rasmussen: Last time, I talked to one of the coaches, they were just saying that they want me to get down to a camp and after the camp, they said that I did really well and they look forward to me in the future. I get their letters in the mail.
Gopher Hole: Had you been to Minnesota before like a Junior Day or college football game?
Luke Rasmussen: I went up to a game in the fall and their spring game.
Gopher Hole: What has been your impressions of Minnesota?
Luke Rasmussen: I really like it up there. I got a tour the day after the camp and saw a lot of the buildings and the dorms and the union are really nice up there. Obvious, all their football stuff is pretty nice, too.
Gopher Hole: Are you hearing from any other Big Ten schools besides Minnesota and Wisconsin?
Luke Rasmussen: Mostly those two. Occasionally, I’ll get a letter from Nebraska, Michigan State Michigan
Gopher Hole: You obviously have some nice offers, but what would it mean to get an offer from one of those two Big Ten schools?
Luke Rasmussen: It would be really nice it would be nice. I really don’t know until I get it, but it would be nice to get a Big Ten offer because a lot of Midwest kids’ dreams to play in the Big Ten Conference.
Gopher Hole: Have you been to many Wisconsin games over the years?
Luke Rasmussen: Yes. I think that when I was younger, I went to one a year. It is not like I have seen them all, like some guys I know.
Gopher Hole: You can take up to five official visits. Have you thought about what school you will visit or are you still working on that list?
Luke Rasmussen: No, not really. I’m not really worried about the whole official visits yet.
Gopher Hole: Have you thought about making some plans to catch some college games during your high school season?
Luke Rasmussen: I am planning to go to a few games. Illinois has invited me for a visit down there The coach has talked to me on Facebook about having me down for a game, so I’ll try to make one down there. I’ll probably try to make it to a Minnesota game again and maybe a Wisconsin game.
Gopher Hole: Are you going to try to visit any colleges before your high school season starts?
Luke Rasmussen: I am going to visit Air Force and Wyoming. Maybe, even Harvard and Yale out East.
Gopher Hole: Obviously, if you are getting looks from some of the Ivy League schools, you must be a good student. Have you thought about a possible college major?
Luke Rasmussen: I am looking for something Pre-Med or kinesiology or anatomy.
Gopher Hole: Have you taken the ACT or SAT?
Luke Rasmussen: I got a 33.
Gopher Hole: What is your GPA?
Luke Rasmussen: Just over a 4.1.
Gopher Hole: What is going to be the main thing that is going to make you pick School A over School B or C?
Luke Rasmussen: I think a lot of it would be how comfortable I am with the campus and the coaches and everything.