Fargo Forum: Johannesson can’t resist Big Ten's Gophers

[BleedGopher]

per the Fargo Forum:

In the eyes of North Dakota State football fans, James Johannesson is the one who got away. And with four straight national championships to brag about, NDSU coaches do not lose too many recruits these days.

But Johannesson is so good, so powerful and so fast, it was hard for University of Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill to not notice. That’s unlike his predecessor, Tim Brewster, who lost a game to the Bison, who had players Brewster probably should have recruited.

For Johannesson, the 6-foot-1, 221-pound running back who amassed an amazing 6,198 yards rushing during his high school career at Fargo South, the lure of playing for a Big Ten program in front of 50,000 fans was too hard to pass up.

But he said picking between Minnesota and NDSU was still a tough decision. Last August when he verbally committed to the Gophers, he had a hard time breaking the news to Bison running backs coach Tyler Roehl and head coach Chris Klieman.

“I didn’t even want to tell them … I almost couldn’t do it,” Johannesson said Wednesday morning, moments after he signed his national letter of intent during a ceremony in the South gymnasium. “I felt like I was breaking up with my girlfriend or something.”

http://www.inforum.com/sports/high-...nepf-johannesson-cant-resist-big-tens-gophers

Go Gophers

 

[Dr.Don]

North Dakota may have some plowboys, but the plowboys are tough boys.

Good luck as a Gopher.

 

[1983]

Please...yes we had a terrible teams that played the Bison, but who passes up the prime time to play slower division? The kid made the right choice.

 

[supadupafly]

What is a Fargo Forum?

 

[Dr.Don]

What is a Fargo Forum?

Three guys and 4 gals pissing in an alley behind the Old Broadway.

 

[alchemy2u]

So the Bison aren't used to losing many recruits? Hard to believe. NDSU has made a living out of MN late bloomers and in betweeners. This is changing with the improved PWO efforts at the U. The U is taking those players away using them to fill out our roster.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[West Fargo Gopher Fan]

So the Bison aren't used to losing many recruits? Hard to believe. NDSU has made a living out of MN late bloomers and in betweeners. This is changing with the improved PWO efforts at the U. The U is taking those players away using them to fill out our roster.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not used to losing recruits from other FCS schools perhaps. NDSU gets recruits over some lower FBS schools like Wyoming every year. This year Ben Ellefson chose NDSU over an offer from Purdue. This is the first time I can remember the Bison winning a recruit over a Big Ten school.

 

[West Fargo Gopher Fan]

I actually know the Ellefson family. They go to my church. I wasn't surprised he chose NDSU over Purdue. Very close family and they love this area. This way they can go to all his games. Would be hard to turn down other Big Ten schools I bet.

 

[supadupafly]

Alright. I already don't give a flying F about this thread any longer. Take this boring ass north dakota fighting buffaloes talk someplace else rubes.

 

[WanderingGopher]

I actually know the Ellefson family. They go to my church. I wasn't surprised he chose NDSU over Purdue. Very close family and they love this area. This way they can go to all his games. Would be hard to turn down other Big Ten schools I bet.

He's a guy that seemed like an ideal walk on candidate here, could have eventually earned a scholarship. Didn't seem like it ever got close, though. Were grades an issue or something?

 

[AO54]

He's a guy that seemed like an ideal walk on candidate here, could have eventually earned a scholarship. Didn't seem like it ever got close, though. Were grades an issue or something?

When's the last time we got a walk on who had a D1 full scholarship offer?

 

[e.bigelow]

When's the last time we got a walk on who had a D1 full scholarship offer?

Where was his other D-1 offer? He had FCS offers?

 

[AO54]

Where was his other D-1 offer? He had FCS offers?

Air Force, Fordham, New Mexico, Purdue, South Dakota St and Wyoming. Hardly a typical "walk on" candidate.

 

[die hard gopher]

When's the last time we got a walk on who had a D1 full scholarship offer?

Chad Fhanning had multiple FBS offers from MAC teams. Herbers this year had a MAC offer from Buffalo. Mike Rallis had offers from Wyoming and UNLV off the top of my head, Perra had an FCS offer.

 

[AO54]

Chad Fhanning had multiple FBS offers from MAC teams. Herbers this year had a MAC offer from Buffalo. Mike Rallis had offers from Wyoming and UNLV off the top of my head, Perra had an FCS offer.

Has any walk on had an offer equivalent to Purdue?

 

[e.bigelow]

Air Force, Fordham, New Mexico, Purdue, South Dakota St and Wyoming. Hardly a typical "walk on" candidate.

Sorry, thought you were referring to Johanneson.

 

[Governor Sibley]

What is a Fargo Forum?

Hey, watch it. I delivered that thing for years.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

They lose their coach when he takes his dream job at blue blood college football dynasty Wyoming, and they are surprised that players would take a Big Ten scholarship offer over going to NDSU?

 

[AO54]

They lose their coach when he takes his dream job at blue blood college football dynasty Wyoming, and they are surprised that players would take a Big Ten scholarship offer over going to NDSU?

It would have made more sense if the recruits switched. Johanneson the Fargo kid whose teammate and friend went to NDSU takes the B1G offer and the Minnesota kid Ellefson from Minnesota commits to NDSU despite the B1G offer (obviously a Minnesota offer might have been more enticing than Purdue).

 

[WanderingGopher]

When's the last time we got a walk on who had a D1 full scholarship offer?

I believe it happens all the time, especially if you are including FCS as "D1." Those are precisely the type of players I would expect us to get us PWOs.

 

[AO54]

I believe it happens all the time, especially if you are including FCS as "D1." Those are precisely the type of players I would expect us to get us PWOs.

out of the 20 or so walk ons, it sounds like we average about 1 of those players having had a full scholarship offer. You can understand their frustration when one of those 20 guys starts to play regularly and still doesn't get paid. Not saying that you should ask your Mom's friend to talk to the coach about the situation, but there's a lot of money on the line for those guys.

 

[sonnygarcia]

I'm guessing that Ellefson kid got an "offer" from Purdue, but highly doubt it was commitable. Even just based on academics, who in their right mind turns down a school like Purdue to get a community college degree from NDSU.

Also, had to check out his film. Nice athlete, not fast enough to warrant BIG scholly out of HS. Maybe the speed comes around, but for his size he wasn't very quick or fast.

 

[Herd]

L

I'm guessing that Ellefson kid got an "offer" from Purdue, but highly doubt it was commitable. Even just based on academics, who in their right mind turns down a school like Purdue to get a community college degree from NDSU.

Also, had to check out his film. Nice athlete, not fast enough to warrant BIG scholly out of HS. Maybe the speed comes around, but for his size he wasn't very quick or fast.

Listen to you . . . What offer is not commitable? All he had to do is say yes and he's a boiler. Maybe he wanted to experience winning and a positive football culture. What a bunch of bs.

 

[West Fargo Gopher Fan]

L

Listen to you . . . What offer is not commitable? All he had to do is say yes and he's a boiler. Maybe he wanted to experience winning and a positive football culture.

+1

I can understand wanting to play for NDSU over Purdue. Any other Big Ten school it would be tough to say no.

 

[#1nHkyCfbBsbDncSolarDebat]

NDSU regularly ends up near or in the Top 25 of the Sagarin Football ratings.

How does NDSU rate when it comes to sending players to the NFL combine or to the NFL draft, and into the NFL, etc., compared to the bottom half of Div 1A teams, teams like most MAC schools and like Purdue?

 

[West Fargo Gopher Fan]

NDSU regularly ends up near or in the Top 25 of the Sagarin Football ratings.

How does NDSU rate when it comes to sending players to the NFL combine or to the NFL draft, and into the NFL, etc., compared to the bottom half of Div 1A teams, teams like most MAC schools and like Purdue?

I think Purdue sends many more players to the combine and draft then NDSU. Ben Ellefson is from Hawley, MN which is 22 miles from downtown Fargo. This is a kid who decided to stay home and go to school.

 

[go4ergold]

L

Listen to you . . . What offer is not commitable? All he had to do is say yes and he's a boiler. Maybe he wanted to experience winning and a positive football culture. What a bunch of bs.

Lol at the little brother syndrome you constantly display on this forum.

 

[GophersInIowa]

L

Listen to you . . . What offer is not commitable? All he had to do is say yes and he's a boiler. Maybe he wanted to experience winning and a positive football culture. What a bunch of bs.

Happens all the time. Recruiting websites list a kid as having an offer from a school even though the offer isn't there anymore. And it wouldn't be be too surprising if there are situations where a kid is a backup in case another recruit commits somewhere else.

I'm not commenting about this case specifically, but just in general.

 

[#1nHkyCfbBsbDncSolarDebat]

I think Purdue sends many more players to the combine and draft then NDSU. Ben Ellefson is from Hawley, MN which is 22 miles from downtown Fargo. This is a kid who decided to stay home and go to school.

Well, maybe they "did" send more, just like Minnesota sent fewer. NDSU has 6 former players playing in the NFL right now, same as Minnesota and 2 of our guys are first year players, so not sure if NDSU had more than us last season or not?

And how many of the Purdue's players are from PU's heyday? They have 17 in the NFL. NDSU is still a fairly recent thing.

And # sent to the NFL doesn't always mean alot, as Indiana has more than Minnesota, 9 to 6, but who out there would rank IU as the better fb school?

And maybe Purdue was a bad example.

Akron has 2 in the nfl. Ball St has 4. NDSU has 6.

Buffalo has SIX(same as Gophers), BUFFALO, same as Gophers. Makes me want to cry, scream, fire some people(too bad I've not been in the position to do so) and many other angry and violent things.

Central Michigan has 9, E Michigan has 4, Houston has 7, Ill St has 4, Kent St has 9.

Connecticut has 19??? How in the hell???

Marshall has 9, Miami of Ohio has 3, N Ill has 6, Ohio U has 8.

Just for comparison, Mount Union has 3.


So many schools have more than NDSU, but alot of Div 1A schools have less than NDSU.

And NDSU has several wins over Div 1A teams in the last 10-15 years.

 

[West Fargo Gopher Fan]

Well, maybe they "did" send more, just like Minnesota sent fewer. NDSU has 6 former players playing in the NFL right now, same as Minnesota and 2 of our guys are first year players, so not sure if NDSU had more than us last season or not?

And how many of the Purdue's players are from PU's heyday? They have 17 in the NFL. NDSU is still a fairly recent thing.

And # sent to the NFL doesn't always mean alot, as Indiana has more than Minnesota, 9 to 6, but who out there would rank IU as the better fb school?

And maybe Purdue was a bad example.

Akron has 2 in the nfl. Ball St has 4. NDSU has 6.

Buffalo has SIX(same as Gophers), BUFFALO, same as Gophers. Makes me want to cry, scream, fire some people(too bad I've not been in the position to do so) and many other angry and violent things.

Central Michigan has 9, E Michigan has 4, Houston has 7, Ill St has 4, Kent St has 9.

Connecticut has 19??? How in the hell???

Marshall has 9, Miami of Ohio has 3, N Ill has 6, Ohio U has 8.

Just for comparison, Mount Union has 3.


So many schools have more than NDSU, but alot of Div 1A schools have less than NDSU.

And NDSU has several wins over Div 1A teams in the last 10-15 years.

I agree with everything just one small thing I would add.

NDSU has 6 players in the NFL right now after winning 4 FCS championships in a row. Think about that. A national champion 4 YEARS IN A ROW with ONLY 6 players in the NFL. In my opinion that sounds like a peak for an FCS school. Yet only 6 players in the NFL. Gophers have 6 players in the NFL because of the lean Tim Brewster years. As of 2015 NFL draft that's gonna change. Can you find any FCS school with more than 6 NFL players right now?