DanielHouse
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The Gophers have received a commitment from JUCO safety Gervarrius Owens. He chose Minnesota over offers from Texas Tech and Louisville, among others. He took a visit to Louisville on Feb. 1 after spending time at the University of Minnesota on Jan. 26.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound safety originally committed to Kansas State and played there in 2017. He decided to transfer from the Wildcats to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, the same school Minnesota assistant Clay Patterson was the head coach at from 2016-17. The relationship these two had probably was beneficial when the Gophers were recruiting him. In 2018, Owens posted 92 tackles, three pass breakups and three interceptions. He was named SWJCFC First Team All-Conference last year and played a big role in Northeastern Oklahoma A&M's defense. Based upon his path, it looks like Owens should have three years of eligibility remaining.
His experience will be a valuable asset to a secondary searching for defensive back depth, team speed and playmakers. Owens is an excellent athlete and has shown some physicality when moving downhill in run support. His tackling skills really jump off the charts on tape. His ability to break on the ball and make plays allows him to be disruptive in the backend. He's played the deep half of the field consistently and I could see him having some position flexibility to move between all the cornerback spots and safety. He fits the mold of a player the Gophers needed to add in the 2019 cycle. This offseason, it was necessary to find a versatile, explosive player in the backend that can move all over the field. It's especially the case as Antoine Winfield Jr. works his way back from injury. If the duo does play together, they are rather interchangeable and each have the coverage skills to man the back half. I could see Winfield Jr. being used in the box more with Owens playing single-high safety. However, they could both shift between roles, too. Overall, the opportunities are plentiful and this addition certainly provides some flexibility for the coaching staff.
Minnesota needs to be more opportunistic defensively and Owens is the type of player that can help with scheme flexibility and creativity.
Owens is now the fourth defensive back Minnesota has added in the 2019 recruiting cycle. You can check out his film here:
<iframe src='//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/10665025/5beb40a05ca9a208c079704b' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe>
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound safety originally committed to Kansas State and played there in 2017. He decided to transfer from the Wildcats to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, the same school Minnesota assistant Clay Patterson was the head coach at from 2016-17. The relationship these two had probably was beneficial when the Gophers were recruiting him. In 2018, Owens posted 92 tackles, three pass breakups and three interceptions. He was named SWJCFC First Team All-Conference last year and played a big role in Northeastern Oklahoma A&M's defense. Based upon his path, it looks like Owens should have three years of eligibility remaining.
His experience will be a valuable asset to a secondary searching for defensive back depth, team speed and playmakers. Owens is an excellent athlete and has shown some physicality when moving downhill in run support. His tackling skills really jump off the charts on tape. His ability to break on the ball and make plays allows him to be disruptive in the backend. He's played the deep half of the field consistently and I could see him having some position flexibility to move between all the cornerback spots and safety. He fits the mold of a player the Gophers needed to add in the 2019 cycle. This offseason, it was necessary to find a versatile, explosive player in the backend that can move all over the field. It's especially the case as Antoine Winfield Jr. works his way back from injury. If the duo does play together, they are rather interchangeable and each have the coverage skills to man the back half. I could see Winfield Jr. being used in the box more with Owens playing single-high safety. However, they could both shift between roles, too. Overall, the opportunities are plentiful and this addition certainly provides some flexibility for the coaching staff.
Minnesota needs to be more opportunistic defensively and Owens is the type of player that can help with scheme flexibility and creativity.
Owens is now the fourth defensive back Minnesota has added in the 2019 recruiting cycle. You can check out his film here:
<iframe src='//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/10665025/5beb40a05ca9a208c079704b' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe>
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