Official 2021 Gophers Football Recruiting Updates Thread: Links, Tweets, Videos etc

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MplsGopher said:
Maybe it's because it's still early ..... but, Tennessee???

You wanna talk about the Nebraska of the south. That describes Tennessee football, to a T.
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If I had to guess...

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MGGopher said:
If I had to guess...

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Or their awesome game day environment might have something to do with it. I give PJ credit for being able to sell a game day environment that lags behind many other P5 programs.

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www.si.com

Walk-On Specialist Blake Wilcox No Longer with Wisconsin Football Program

The 2019 signee did not play last season as a first-year player.
www.si.com www.si.com

I didn’t think it deserved a new thread and technically probably should be in 2020 recruiting but Wisconsin just cut one of their kickers. A walk on yes but was a five-star kicker (No. 5 in the nation) and punter (No. 4) by Kohl's Kicking for the class of 2019. He also claimed honors as a 2019 Under Armour All-American Game selection.

No reason for the roster move was given. As long as this wasn’t a major off field issue that got him in trouble giving a highly touted specialist A look is never a bad thing. Especially a walk on.
 


paulser21 said:
www.si.com

Walk-On Specialist Blake Wilcox No Longer with Wisconsin Football Program

The 2019 signee did not play last season as a first-year player.
www.si.com www.si.com

I didn’t think it deserved a new thread and technically probably should be in 2020 recruiting but Wisconsin just cut one of their kickers. A walk on yes but was a five-star kicker (No. 5 in the nation) and punter (No. 4) by Kohl's Kicking for the class of 2019. He also claimed honors as a 2019 Under Armour All-American Game selection.

No reason for the roster move was given. As long as this wasn’t a major off field issue that got him in trouble giving a highly touted specialist A look is never a bad thing. Especially a walk on.
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Doesn't make sense. Obviously something going on.
 

GopherGod said:
Or their awesome game day environment might have something to do with it. I give PJ credit for being able to sell a game day environment that lags behind many other P5 programs.

Neyland_aerial_view_of_checkerboard.jpg
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Obviously gameday environment is important but a player that spends a full 5 years at a school will be around a maximum of 60 games or so with at least half of those being on the road. So while the gameday experience is important it would be foolish to pick a school just based on that.

And specifically in regards to Minnesota, our gameday experience lags behind some of the elite but is very comparable to the majority of places. Came across this video the other day which really sums up how there is so much more to it than just the games. Coach Fleck is out there selling the whole program, gamedays are just a small portion of what he is selling to recruits.

I know this is a high school kid talking but I still think it applies, especially around the 1:40 mark of the video.

 

GopherGod said:
Or their awesome game day environment might have something to do with it. I give PJ credit for being able to sell a game day environment that lags behind many other P5 programs.

Neyland_aerial_view_of_checkerboard.jpg
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Like I said, Nebraska of the south.

That many delusional assholes, in one place, every Saturday. They actually think their team can ever win a national championship again! LOL!!!!
 

MplsGopher said:
Like I said, Nebraska of the south.

That many delusional assholes, in one place, every Saturday. They actually think their team can ever win a national championship again! LOL!!!!
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Well, they have a HC who has a good pedigree, winning 5 national championships with the Alabama staff and was widely considered to be one of the best defensive coordinators before becoming a HC. He is going into his 3rd season after going 5-7 and 7-5 with a bowl win in his second season (after starting out poorly and winning like 5 in a row to get to bowl eligibility). I think we could all appreciate the trajectory they’re on (looks familiar right?), except they’re well ahead of where the Gophers were in the recruiting aspect. Their 2019 recruiting class was ranked #13 and for 2020 currently have the #2 ranked class. Wouldn’t be so quick to discount their trajectory towards improvement
 



A nonymous said:
Well, they have a HC who has a good pedigree, winning 5 national championships with the Alabama staff and was widely considered to be one of the best defensive coordinators before becoming a HC. He is going into his 3rd season after going 5-7 and 7-5 with a bowl win in his second season (after starting out poorly and winning like 5 in a row to get to bowl eligibility). I think we could all appreciate the trajectory they’re on (looks familiar right?), except they’re well ahead of where the Gophers were in the recruiting aspect. Their 2019 recruiting class was ranked #13 and for 2020 currently have the #2 ranked class. Wouldn’t be so quick to discount their trajectory towards improvement
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This is a big year for them, same as Nebraska, to see what will happen.

They went 8-5 last year, with a win over Indiana in a mid-tier bowl game, and wins against the soft SEC East unranked teams.

Started the year off with losses to Georgia State (ouch!) and BYU. Lost to the ranked SEC teams they played (Florida, Georgia, Bama).

Tough for me to see them getting past the upper teams in the SEC East. But I could see 8-5 with mid-tier bowl games being a normal thing for them. That's more than I can say for Nebraska!
 

MNVCGUY said:
Obviously gameday environment is important but a player that spends a full 5 years at a school will be around a maximum of 60 games or so with at least half of those being on the road. So while the gameday experience is important it would be foolish to pick a school just based on that.

And specifically in regards to Minnesota, our gameday experience lags behind some of the elite but is very comparable to the majority of places. Came across this video the other day which really sums up how there is so much more to it than just the games. Coach Fleck is out there selling the whole program, gamedays are just a small portion of what he is selling to recruits.

I know this is a high school kid talking but I still think it applies, especially around the 1:40 mark of the video.

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Tough to watch the losing side of sports. Both guys showed tremendous character. Those are the people I hope to lead the next generation. Honorable and very respectful.
 

MplsGopher said:
Like I said, Nebraska of the south.

That many delusional assholes, in one place, every Saturday. They actually think their team can ever win a national championship again! LOL!!!!
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That's not delusional, but why are we talking about Tennessee in the recruiting thread?
 




MplsGopher said:
Like I said, Nebraska of the south.

That many delusional assholes, in one place, every Saturday. They actually think their team can ever win a national championship again! LOL!!!!
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It is easy to be a fan when your team wins all the time or when a bad season is called four losses. That is why my real respect for fans falls on those fans, like 10,000 of ours, who have always supported the team by attending the games every year, thin, thick or more thin.
 

Veritas said:
It is easy to be a fan when your team wins all the time or when a bad season is called four losses. That is why my real respect for fans falls on those fans, like 10,000 of ours, who have always supported the team by attending the games every year, thin, thick or more thin.
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10,000? Apparently only season ticket holders are true supporters. Those that bleed maroon and gold that aren't, for whatever reason, Geography, family, etc... are not real supporters of the program. Your narcissism never ceases to amaze me "truth"
 

Jordekorn said:
10,000? Apparently only season ticket holders are true supporters. Those that bleed maroon and gold that aren't, for whatever reason, Geography, family, etc... are not real supporters of the program. Your narcissism never ceases to amaze me "truth"
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Oh brother, what a twisting of a simple notion that the 10,000 fans who go to every game they reasonably can go to even when the team does not win all the time is some sort of attack upon you and your fan behavior is totally silly. I lived more than a thousand miles from TCF for 40 years and could not go to even one game some years. Yet, overall, I have had season tickets when I could for 20 years. How is that "narcissism"? Explain.
 

Well so much for this being a thread about the 2021 recruiting class.
 


Where are we at, as a class? Are we gettin full? Will we shut it off and take a full class of 4 stars 2022? Or will we still see more studs dropping in and signing and maybe even some action on 2022 recruits. I know in the past Fleck has signed some good players ending the recruiting cycle and also snared a few decommits that switched to him. Wow! This is what we are building. Go Gophers
 

I wonder if there’s any shot we flip a 5 star for 2021. Not that I trust too heavily in the star rankings system, but it would be cool to say we’ve hit that point
 

mjfelton15 said:
I wonder if there’s any shot we flip a 5 star for 2021. Not that I trust too heavily in the star rankings system, but it would be cool to say we’ve hit that point
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That would be awesome. Any specific names in mind, or just general?
 

BTChamp said:
That would be awesome. Any specific names in mind, or just general?
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JC Latham, OT from IMG Academy (says cool on us, so wouldn’t be a flip as of now)

Damon Payne, DT from Belleville, MI (Cool on us, not flip as of now)

Derrick Davis, S from Monroeville, PA (crystal ball has him 66% going to PSU). he’s not a 5 star, just a high 4 star. Second best Safety in the class, would be an awesome replacement for Winfield Jr.

Nolan Rucci, OT from Lititz, PA. One of the highest rated guys in the 2021 class, 4th highest OT. Crystal ball has him 50% PSU and 38% Sconnie.

A really solid 2020 season could make some of these guys reconsider playing for teams like PSU and Sconnie. I say Latham because of our ties to IMG, I have to imagine we’ve talked to the guy a lot. He’s warm to OSU and a couple other schools. I say Payne from MI because he’s in our region of the country, it says he’s warm for OSU and three other schools. a win over Michigan at home, and a big ten championship appearance against OSU could make us a serious consideration for a two of these 4 players.
 

mjfelton15 said:
JC Latham, OT from IMG Academy (says cool on us, so wouldn’t be a flip as of now)

Damon Payne, DT from Belleville, MI (Cool on us, not flip as of now)

Derrick Davis, S from Monroeville, PA (crystal ball has him 66% going to PSU). he’s not a 5 star, just a high 4 star. Second best Safety in the class, would be an awesome replacement for Winfield Jr.

Nolan Rucci, OT from Lititz, PA. One of the highest rated guys in the 2021 class, 4th highest OT. Crystal ball has him 50% PSU and 38% Sconnie.

A really solid 2020 season could make some of these guys reconsider playing for teams like PSU and Sconnie. I say Latham because of our ties to IMG, I have to imagine we’ve talked to the guy a lot. He’s warm to OSU and a couple other schools. I say Payne from MI because he’s in our region of the country, it says he’s warm for OSU and three other schools. a win over Michigan at home, and a big ten championship appearance against OSU could make us a serious consideration for a two of these 4 players.
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I've heard JC Latham interest a few months ago (of course I wouldn't be able to find the source in a million years of trying), but nothing since. Would be nice to poach any one on that list. Also Trieu just put in a crystal ball for Austin Booker. Looks pretty solid he's coming here. I didn't realize Washington and Oregon were after him too. Another nice pickup with other solid offers if it happens.
 

WriterGoph said:
Mods, can we please delete all this nonsense? This is probably the most read thread on GH right now with all the recruiting news going on. Now it's impossible to get anything worthy in here.
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Not sorry, in the slightest. It was a good mini side conversation. I was pleased and satisfied to have it, in this thread. Wasn't the first off-topic post in this thread, and won't be the last. You know all these things, of course.

That said, carrying on with the recruiting discussion.
 

Deusen said:
Where are we at, as a class? Are we gettin full? Will we shut it off and take a full class of 4 stars 2022? Or will we still see more studs dropping in and signing and maybe even some action on 2022 recruits. I know in the past Fleck has signed some good players ending the recruiting cycle and also snared a few decommits that switched to him. Wow! This is what we are building. Go Gophers
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https://247sports.com/college/minnesota/Season/2021-Football/Commits/

17, with Regis decommit, and six 4* (James is a 3* composite, but 247 gives him a 4*).

I'm very hopeful we'll get a full 25 in this class. If Fleck needs help identifying a handful of guys in the 2017 and 2018 classes who can be "encouraged to look elsewhere", feel free to send me an email. I've done the roster analysis.
 

MplsGopher said:
https://247sports.com/college/minnesota/Season/2021-Football/Commits/

17, with Regis decommit, and six 4* (James is a 3* composite, but 247 gives him a 4*).

I'm very hopeful we'll get a full 25 in this class. If Fleck needs help identifying a handful of guys in the 2017 and 2018 classes who can be "encouraged to look elsewhere", feel free to send me an email. I've done the roster analysis.
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So we've got 17 right now. I feel good about making that 19 at some point with Booker and Townley. It's pretty wide open after that. The next tier probably includes Murphy and Alt. Do we know anything more about Murphy if there's a real shot there?
At this point, to me Ratzlaff is gonna be a hockey player and he's gotta be leaning that way if professional is what he's shooting for.
Then you've got the Green brothers / Rod Orr that are warm on us (247) but I don't think there's real traction there.
I know PJ and staff have done a good job into the fall/winter and it will be fun when recruiting picks up again to see what we can reel in at that time.
I feel really good about those 17 (19) that we've got right now.
 

MplsGopher said:
https://247sports.com/college/minnesota/Season/2021-Football/Commits/

17, with Regis decommit, and six 4* (James is a 3* composite, but 247 gives him a 4*).

I'm very hopeful we'll get a full 25 in this class. If Fleck needs help identifying a handful of guys in the 2017 and 2018 classes who can be "encouraged to look elsewhere", feel free to send me an email. I've done the roster analysis.
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I doubt they take 25 and force a bunch of guys out like you want. That is not a sustainable strategy. It would kill the teams APR and Fleck's reputation.
 

btowngopher said:
I doubt they take 25 and force a bunch of guys out like you want. That is not a sustainable strategy. It would kill the teams APR and Fleck's reputation.
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Did I say force? I said encourage, as in take a voluntary action.
 

247sports.com

Jaquez Smith, Indiana Hoosiers, Wide Receiver

2019: Helped Westlake to a 6-5 record and Georgia 7A first-round playoff appearance as a junior.
247sports.com 247sports.com

I'm not sure what the deal is with this kid but he had us in his top 5 at one point. Sounds like that's completely re-open but maybe a shot here.
 


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