Ryan Burns: Aime surprised by Minnesota visit

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I don't know if anyone had seen this story published on Scout about Walvenski Aime.

A visit with the Gophers with his mom opened up their eyes about Minnesota.

With JoJo Garcia's not playing HS football and needing to get academics improved as stated in earlier posts here, we certainly need a couple of good DT commitments in this class.

We certainly can use this kid.

Ryan Burns, Publisher, Scout
Aug 04, 2015

This story was originally published on GopherDigest.com.

Minnesota hosted Fort Scott (Kan.) C.C. defensive tackle Walvenski Aime on an official visit this past weekend and he walked away very surprised on what he saw. GopherDigest has the latest.

"I had a chance to tour the school and city of Minneapolis," Walvenski Aime said to GopherDigest.com. "We also went to the Mall of America and saw the stadium. That place is beautiful. We also ate a ton of food everyday. I didn't go home hungry, I promise you that. I was very surprised on how clean the city was and how nice campus was. My Mom came with and she was just as surprised as I was about how nice Minnesota is. Neither of us were expecting to like the visit as much as we did, but it's a good surprise."

Aime's perception of Minnesota has definitely changed now, plus he really got along with his host.

"Again, I was really surprised by everything at Minnesota," Aime explained. "I thought Minnesota was a cold, barren place coming into the visit and it turns out it a lively, clean city that's warm. I really enjoyed the atmosphere there and the people. My host for the visit was Gaelin Elmore and he told me a lot of good things. He was honest with me and was telling me how he chose the Gophers over a lot of other big-time schools. He said that he could have gone other places, but Minnesota was the place that he felt at home. That was really interesting for me to hear though as I would of thought coming into the visit that they weren't every ones first choice, but I can see what they would be now."

Talking with the Gophers coaches was another highlight for the Kansas defensive tackle.

"I talked a lot with Coach Phelps and Coach Kill," Aime told GopherDigest.com. "Coach Phelps was telling me how the opportunity will be there for me to play right away when I get here, but that the opportunity isn't given, but it's earned. That's exactly how I want it though. They think I can be a three-technique in their defense. Coach Kill kept it real man. I really respect him the most as he was honest with me about everything. He told me they really want me to be a Gopher, but that he's not going to pressure me to do so. He wants me to make that decision on my own."

Aime is going to take a step back with the recruiting process.

"My next step here is that I'm going to focus on the season at hand," Aime said. "I want to focus on winning the Jayhawk conference and leading my team to the championship. I have no timetable for a decision. I really enjoyed my Minnesota visit and I came away very surprised by what I saw this weekend. They definitely moved up for me."

http://www.scout.com/college/minnesota/story/1570081-aime-surprised-by-minnesota-visit?s=143
 

We're excited for you to come to Minnesota to visit as well!
 

Good to hear. Thanks for the link.

Sounds like he was surprised our lakes weren't covered with ice.
 

Great article. It does deal with the reality of the uphill battle our coaches face with very real perceptions by kids/young men that we are recruiting anywhere south of here. Obviously, the good news is once we get a visit, we have an easy hurdle to clear to beat those low expectations.
 






One of the keys with Aime is that he would still have 3 years of eligibility.
 



I get why 20 years ago people thought Minnesota (and the Twin Cities area more specifically) was a barren wasteland. You wouldn't have known otherwise without visiting.

But I just am surprised how many people still have the perception considering, social media, the internet in general, TV, etc. I'm not saying it's a New York or Paris, but it's a fantastic area to be in.
 

Rodney's Open said:
I get why 20 years ago people thought Minnesota (and the Twin Cities area more specifically) was a barren wasteland. You wouldn't have known otherwise without visiting.

But I just am surprised how many people still have the perception considering, social media, the internet in general, TV, etc. I'm not saying it's a New York or Paris, but it's a fantastic area to be in.
Click to expand...

With the coming of El Nino we will soon be know as the Paris of the North!
 

John Galt said:
One of the keys with Aime is that he would still have 3 years of eligibility.
Click to expand...

He will not as he redshirted, then spent last year and will spend next year at FSCC. He will be a two for two guy. He did get injured and only played 4 games last year but he will still only have two years.
 

Rodney's Open said:
I get why 20 years ago people thought Minnesota (and the Twin Cities area more specifically) was a barren wasteland. You wouldn't have known otherwise without visiting.

But I just am surprised how many people still have the perception considering, social media, the internet in general, TV, etc. I'm not saying it's a New York or Paris, but it's a fantastic area to be in.
Click to expand...

My wife and her family are not from Minnesota (from a MUCH warmer place) and every one of her friends and family that visits are always surprised what we have here (clean, friendly, things to do, scenic, how many companies are headquartered here, etc.).
 



die hard gopher said:
He will not as he redshirted, then spent last year and will spend next year at FSCC. He will be a two for two guy. He did get injured and only played 4 games last year but he will still only have two years.
Click to expand...

Word is he may get a medical redshirt and have 3 years left...
 


Rodney's Open said:
But I just am surprised how many people still have the perception considering, social media, the internet in general, TV, etc. I'm not saying it's a New York or Paris, but it's a fantastic area to be in.
Click to expand...

The guy's from Kansas and he's surprised by what he finds here? Been through the South several times and most everyone I talk to has "the perception" if they've never been here. I don't give a damn that Madison, Ann Arbor, Chicago, etc, have weather statistics not dissimilar from Minneapolis. That's not what people know supposedly and it does make the uphill fight a little steeper for Gopher coaches. I blame those damn battery commercials shot in International Falls and Rocky and Bullwinkle.
 


Mulligan said:
The guy's from Kansas and he's surprised by what he finds here? Been through the South several times and most everyone I talk to has "the perception" if they've never been here. I don't give a damn that Madison, Ann Arbor, Chicago, etc, have weather statistics not dissimilar from Minneapolis. That's not what people know supposedly and it does make the uphill fight a little steeper for Gopher coaches. I blame those damn battery commercials shot in International Falls and Rocky and Bullwinkle.
Click to expand...

He's from Boca Raton Florida, not Kansas.
 

His highlights from last year are private but these are from his senior year of HS when he was 6-3 and about 230. I have a hard time seeing Stelter, Richardson, Moore etc. moving that well and looking that athletic if they were only 230. As a 6-5, 300+ guy now, he carries his weight extremely well and doesn't look 300. He would be one of if not my favorite commit and he and Webber would add tremendous depth plus size and or athleticism to the D-line.

<iframe src='//www.hudl.com/embed/athlete/1870226/highlights/25463381' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe>

Scout's Analysis:

Aime's body is that of a picture-perfect one-tech defensive lineman. He has the size and physique of a traditional space-eating, run-stuffing defensive tackle, which are hard to find. He's a load to handle because of how massive he is at 6-foot-5 and approaching 300 pounds. Another positive aspect of Aime's game is that he can be a three-down player if needed.
Strengths

Size
Strength
Areas to Improve

Hand Quickness
Injury History
 


Word said:
My wife and her family are not from Minnesota (from a MUCH warmer place) and every one of her friends and family that visits are always surprised what we have here (clean, friendly, things to do, scenic, how many companies are headquartered here, etc.).
Click to expand...

Area Fortune 500 companies have said, it's hard to recruit people to come to Mpls/St. Paul. On the other hand, they have said, once the former recruits are here it's hard for them to leave Mpls/St. Paul. Many of them who do leave end up moving back.
 

4four4 said:
Area Fortune 500 companies have said, it's hard to recruit people to come to Mpls/St. Paul. On the other hand, they have said, once the former recruits are here it's hard for them to leave Mpls/St. Paul. Many of them who do leave end up moving back.
Click to expand...

Everyone seems upset about this. But, I want to further the perception that this place is awful. It keeps the idiots away (or prevents more of them, anyway). I don't want any more people (than there already are) encroaching on my quiet suburb, or my pristine little piece of heaven up north.

Besides, if you are so hysterically stupid that you haven't discovered that Minneapolis is on the same general latitude, and has the same general weather patterns, as numerous other large cities in America, you should be turned away at the border and never afforded the chance to visit God's country. I'm sorry, but that's just embarassing. Not only for those individuals, but this nation's mothers, fathers, and educational system.

The comical part of it: Aime has been going to school in Kansas (going to school is obviously an overstatement, going off that interview). There may not be a place on earth, outside of Pakistan, that I would like to live less than Kansas.
 

TheBulldog said:
Everyone seems upset about this. But, I want to further the perception that this place is awful. It keeps the idiots away (or prevents more of them, anyway). I don't want any more people (than there already are) encroaching on my quiet suburb, or my pristine little piece of heaven up north.

Besides, if you are so hysterically stupid that you haven't discovered that Minneapolis is on the same general latitude, and has the same general weather patterns, as numerous other large cities in America, you should be turned away at the border and never afforded the chance to visit God's country. I'm sorry, but that's just embarassing. Not only for those individuals, but this nation's mothers, fathers, and educational system.

The comical part of it: Aime has been going to school in Kansas (going to school is obviously an overstatement, going off that interview). There may not be a place on earth, outside of Pakistan, that I would like to live less than Kansas.
Click to expand...

Sorry to rain on your parade here but the only example I can find in your criteria is Green Bay. Not sure that's the best example to compare to. Maybe your latitude range is broader than mine.
 





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