Isaiah Buehler, a 6-foot-3, 225-pounder from Apopka (FL) High.
Isaiah Buehler, a 6-foot-3, 225-pounder from Apopka (FL) High, is one of the top receivers in the Sunshine State. However, he has Midwest ties and is receiving interest from Minnesota along with a list of eight offers to date.
Buehler talked to GopherHole.com about the latest on his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: What camps did you get a chance to attend this summer?
Isaiah Buehler: Due to my shoulder surgery, I could only attend one and I went to the University of Miami camp on the 22nd.
Gopher Hole: What camps were you hoping to attend?
Isaiah Buehler: I got invited to some camps, but I didn’t get cleared until the 20nd of June, so all the other camps were prior to that and I was unable to make any of those like the Indiana and Rutgers camp. Wisconsin and some other schools.
Gopher Hole: Was that a little bit frustrating because I know that you want to be seen by as many schools as you can?
Isaiah Buehler: Yes. It was frustrating, especially since I had to miss all of spring, so that is another knock on college recruitment. I had coaches come down and look at me and I was just standing there on the sideline and I talked to them, but seeing me play is different. You have to be able to see me play before they will try anything and start recruiting me heavily.
Gopher Hole: You have eight offers to date from Colgate, Delaware, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Georgia Southern, Mercer, North Dakota State and Presbyterian. Is that right?
Isaiah Buehler: Yes.
Gopher Hole: What do you see as your strengths as a football player?
Isaiah Buehler: I would say that I am a smart football player because I watch film with whatever free time I get. I am constantly watching. I am nitpicky on a lot of things that I do. I analyze a lot and I am able to read a lot of plays and help with the guys on the line and tell them things that are coming.
Gopher Hole: What things are you working on to continue to improve yourself as a player?
Isaiah Buehler: Footwork. Footwork is a big thing. Last year, I missed close to ten sacks, because of my foot work. I would be there to make the play, but my feet were just so bad that I would completely whiff.
Gopher Hole: What position are most teams looking at you playing in college? Defensive end or linebacker?
Isaiah Buehler: Most of them are end. The bigger schools, I have talked to Louisville and some other schools and they are calling me a “hybrid” outside weakside linebacker.
Gopher Hole: You come from a school that is known for producing a lot of talented football players like Warren Sapp. Are those players some of the names that you and your teammates have looked up to?
Isaiah Buehler: We look up to those guys. The thing with Warren Sapp and guys like that is that we are always trying to create a legacy for ourselves. It sounds bad, but we are always trying to one-up them, so that we can be better and so that we can leave a name for ourselves. We look up to guys who have great character who are great athletes as well, so they are a total package.
Gopher Hole: What are the expectations for your high school team this year?
Isaiah Buehler: State. Every year. It is always going to be state, especially since we won state last year. That is the number one thing.
Gopher Hole: Do you feel that you get everyone’s best game since they want to be the team that knocks you off? Is that something you like knowing you are getting their best effort?
Isaiah Buehler: Yes. Last year, we had a strong schedule, but we also had a part of our schedule that was pretty weak, so it is nice knowing that we are going to have to work for what we get, so that the outcome ,which is hopefully a state championship and know that we worked that much harder to receive it than any other team.
Gopher Hole: Have you thought about visiting some colleges before your high school season starts?
Isaiah Buehler: I am going up to Georgia next week. I am leaving Monday night to visit Mercer, Georgia Southern, Georgia State and the University of Georgia.
Gopher Hole: Besides the schools that have offered you, what other schools are you hearing from?
Isaiah Buehler: Miami, Rutgers, Marshall, Old Dominion, Ball State, Memphis, Middle Tennessee, Indiana, USC and Minnesota.
Gopher Hole: When did you first start hearing from Minnesota?
Isaiah Buehler: I first started hearing from Minnesota on Facebook about a month or two after the season ended and then it just went from there. I talked to a recruiting coordinator on Facebook and I started talking to their D-line coach.
Gopher Hole: Who have you been hearing from the most on the Gopher staff? Is it Coach Reeves?
Isaiah Buehler: Yes, sir.
Gopher Hole: Do you know much about Minnesota at all?
Isaiah Buehler: Yes. I actually took a tour up there last year. It was a school tour. It wasn’t like an athletic kind of thing. I went with my aunt and my cousin and saw the whole school as it was in an academic setting. It is a great place to be. Great environment. Great people. I loved the University of Minnesota. I would love to go up there. My family is in Wisconsin, so it would be pretty close to them.
Gopher Hole: Where is your family at in Wisconsin?
Isaiah Buehler: Wausau, Wisconsin. 30 minutes away from Stevens Point and Green Bay.
Gopher Hole: Did you check out some other schools on that trip or just Minnesota?
Isaiah Buehler: I checked out Minnesota, because I was actually up for a Wisconsin camp that I went to.
Gopher Hole: I know that you are a little bit behind recruiting-wise because of the injury and you haven’t heard from as many schools due to that. Have you even thought about when you might try to decide on a college?
Isaiah Buehler: I am committing when the season is over because it will give me time to focus on the season and the current team that I am on. It will also give me to look over my recruitment. Hopefully, more offers will come in. If not, I am planning on signing on Signing Day. That is my deadline. No days before or after.
Gopher Hole: What is going to be the main thing that makes you pick School A over School B or C?
Isaiah Buehler: My dad installed in my mind, one thing that I need to look for is a coaching staff that loves me and is there for me. A loving community and somewhere out of the state of Florida is what he has been telling me.
Gopher Hole: Do you come from an athletic family?
Isaiah Buehler: My dad (Henry Kremnitzer) went to Mankato State and played football there. My mom played softball in high school. One of my uncles went to the NBA.
Gopher Hole: Do you play any other sports now or are you strictly football?
Isaiah Buehler: I play volleyball, too.
Gopher Hole: Do you think that playing volleyball helps you with football in terms of explosiveness and leaping ability?
Isaiah Buehler: It helps you analyze a lot things because you are constantly moving around, but you are also trying to see where guys can hit the ball. It helps with explosiveness and getting power and driving through. It helps you with your hand-eye coordination.
Gopher Hole: Have you even thought about a possible college major?
Isaiah Buehler: I have been jumping back and forth between things. I still haven’t been able to pick anything. All the things that I thought of are so completely opposite of each other that I really have no idea.
Gopher Hole: Do you think that you might come up to Minnesota for a visit?
Isaiah Buehler: Yes, sir. I would like to come up to Minnesota for a visit. I would love to go up there. It is a great place. Truly a great place. The thing with that is the money and the travel and all of that because my parents do a budgeting thing and sometimes it is hard to do certain things.
Gopher Hole: Do you get up to Wisconsin to visit your relatives or is that tough based on being clear down in Florida?
Isaiah Buehler: My mom and my sister have been up there. Since my freshman year, I haven’t really had a chance other than last year. We are only allowed to miss a certain number of workouts for our football team, so it is pretty hard.