Big change on today's sports Huddle: Mike Max was filling in for Dave Mona and Defensive Coordinator Tracy Claeys filled in for Jerry Kill. Coach Kill was on a plane returning from a Nike Coaches Conference.
Not surprising, much of the program focused on the recent recruiting class:
1) Claeys said they did a good job of addressing team needs in this year's recruiting class.
2) Defensive backs: Claeys said recruiting secondary players was a priority, especially given the number of players that graduated. Recruited players mentiond: Jeremy Baltazar - corner that runs well and is very strong. (The acquisition of Baltazar will allow them to move Derrick Wells to Safety. Wells has gotten bigger and stronger, which will be helpful in the move.) Martez Shabazz is extremely fast and Brien Brody "Has improved in the three weeks he's been here."
3) Defensive line: "We didn't lose a lot up front . . . tried to get more athletic players (a necessity because of the spread offenses)." Scott Epke and Roland Johnson have good feet for their size . . . they can run. Claeys then talked about the development of Ra'Shede Hageman, needs to have a tremendous off season. (They're looking for good things from Hageman - still learning.)
4) Linebackers: Lost one player through graduation, Gary Tinsley. One spot left in this year's class and they might go there for another recruit. He briefly mentioned recruit Jack Lynn, however, there was nothing specific said. Claey did say, "We feel good about the linebacker position." Next year the Gophers will recruit 4 or 5 linebackers. There are a lot of senior linebackers in the upcoming season.
5) Duke Anyanwu (athlete): Watched him play in a couple basketball games following the football season. He said Anyanwu weighs about 220 pounds and hasn't lost any of his athleticism. He compared him to a similar player (didn't get the name) that they recruited to NIU that was a rush end. Claeys said position coaches will fight for a kid like that (Anyanwu). Doesn't know where he'll end up. You could detect excitement when he talked about Anyanwu's athletic potential.
6) Redshirts: Claey said they wished they could have redshirted a couple more players: Grayson Levine and Cedric Thompson. They were light in numbers in the secondary so they didn't redshirt as they wished. With the arrival of this year's jucos in the secondary, they hope to redshirt the freshman (he mentioned Eric Murray). Because of the size of last year's recruited class and special needs, there weren't a lot of redshirts on the defensive side of the ball. (However, he did mention Quinn Bauducco and I believe Thieren Cochran as defensive players that redshirted this past year.)
7) Spring practice will commence on March 23 or 24, when they return from spring break.
8) Sid asked what they look for in a recruit or what they need to know about the recruit: Claey said 1) Nothing beats live evaluation during practices and games (try to determine the player's attitude toward the game; 2) Academics: every school has a different culture when it comes to academics. Want to recruit players that can succceed in the classroom (again, attitude is important); 3) Coach Kill reading people. He spoke highly of Kill's ability to read people and their environment (looks to the discipline and structure in the home). Will they be a good fit for the team? Those are the three elements that they use in their recruiting. They recruit the players to the U. The real successful schools don't recruit, they select.
9) Once again said six of the 10 fastest players on the team were brought in at the start of the semester (credited and attributed the stat given to strength and conditioning coach Eric Klein). No names given as to the six fast players. He stressed the importance of team speed; speed can cover up mistakes.
10) Stoudermire: Will allow them to redshirt some recruits and move kids to safety for depth. They're expecting good things from Stoudermire. (Sounded excited that Stoudermire got another year of eligiblity.)
11) Recruiting: One open spot available. Won't burn the schollie. Traditionally, they like to sign one or two players after National Signing Day. They're looking for a player that can contribute immediately; again, stressed they wouldn't burn a schollie.
12) Walkons: Looking to sign 4 or 5 more walkons.
Go Gophers!!
Not surprising, much of the program focused on the recent recruiting class:
1) Claeys said they did a good job of addressing team needs in this year's recruiting class.
2) Defensive backs: Claeys said recruiting secondary players was a priority, especially given the number of players that graduated. Recruited players mentiond: Jeremy Baltazar - corner that runs well and is very strong. (The acquisition of Baltazar will allow them to move Derrick Wells to Safety. Wells has gotten bigger and stronger, which will be helpful in the move.) Martez Shabazz is extremely fast and Brien Brody "Has improved in the three weeks he's been here."
3) Defensive line: "We didn't lose a lot up front . . . tried to get more athletic players (a necessity because of the spread offenses)." Scott Epke and Roland Johnson have good feet for their size . . . they can run. Claeys then talked about the development of Ra'Shede Hageman, needs to have a tremendous off season. (They're looking for good things from Hageman - still learning.)
4) Linebackers: Lost one player through graduation, Gary Tinsley. One spot left in this year's class and they might go there for another recruit. He briefly mentioned recruit Jack Lynn, however, there was nothing specific said. Claey did say, "We feel good about the linebacker position." Next year the Gophers will recruit 4 or 5 linebackers. There are a lot of senior linebackers in the upcoming season.
5) Duke Anyanwu (athlete): Watched him play in a couple basketball games following the football season. He said Anyanwu weighs about 220 pounds and hasn't lost any of his athleticism. He compared him to a similar player (didn't get the name) that they recruited to NIU that was a rush end. Claeys said position coaches will fight for a kid like that (Anyanwu). Doesn't know where he'll end up. You could detect excitement when he talked about Anyanwu's athletic potential.
6) Redshirts: Claey said they wished they could have redshirted a couple more players: Grayson Levine and Cedric Thompson. They were light in numbers in the secondary so they didn't redshirt as they wished. With the arrival of this year's jucos in the secondary, they hope to redshirt the freshman (he mentioned Eric Murray). Because of the size of last year's recruited class and special needs, there weren't a lot of redshirts on the defensive side of the ball. (However, he did mention Quinn Bauducco and I believe Thieren Cochran as defensive players that redshirted this past year.)
7) Spring practice will commence on March 23 or 24, when they return from spring break.
8) Sid asked what they look for in a recruit or what they need to know about the recruit: Claey said 1) Nothing beats live evaluation during practices and games (try to determine the player's attitude toward the game; 2) Academics: every school has a different culture when it comes to academics. Want to recruit players that can succceed in the classroom (again, attitude is important); 3) Coach Kill reading people. He spoke highly of Kill's ability to read people and their environment (looks to the discipline and structure in the home). Will they be a good fit for the team? Those are the three elements that they use in their recruiting. They recruit the players to the U. The real successful schools don't recruit, they select.
9) Once again said six of the 10 fastest players on the team were brought in at the start of the semester (credited and attributed the stat given to strength and conditioning coach Eric Klein). No names given as to the six fast players. He stressed the importance of team speed; speed can cover up mistakes.
10) Stoudermire: Will allow them to redshirt some recruits and move kids to safety for depth. They're expecting good things from Stoudermire. (Sounded excited that Stoudermire got another year of eligiblity.)
11) Recruiting: One open spot available. Won't burn the schollie. Traditionally, they like to sign one or two players after National Signing Day. They're looking for a player that can contribute immediately; again, stressed they wouldn't burn a schollie.
12) Walkons: Looking to sign 4 or 5 more walkons.
Go Gophers!!
