Adam Rittenberg says he wonders if Kill's recruiting will take the step needed

[BleedGopher]

per the ESPN Blog Mailbag:

Jerry Fan from Minneapolis writes: What's your prediction for the Gopher FB program looking out 3-5 years? Do you see Minny ever being competitive or do you see more 6-6 seasons at best?

Adam Rittenberg: It'll be very interesting, Jerry Fan. I think Jerry Kill is an excellent coach with a good staff and a good plan. But I wonder whether Minnesota's recruiting efforts will take the step they need to compete better in Big Ten play. Minnesota seems to benefit from being in the West division, but the Gophers likely need programs like Wisconsin and Northwestern to take steps back in order to move into the upper half of the division/league. It might take a few more 6- or 7-win seasons to reach that next level, but I like Kill's track record in turning around programs and developing players. Minnesota's new facilities plan also should position the program well for the future. Minnesota is fighting a lack of recent tradition and a tough location for recruiting, but I think we'll see improvement in the coming years.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/79942/big-ten-friday-mailblog-147

Go Gophers!!

 

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

I see it happening VERY incrementally over the next several years. Almost at an unnoticeable pace, and probably not "fast" enough to make some happy, but it will slowly trend up.

Win 6 games last year, bring in a slightly better class; win 6-8 in 2013, bring in a slightly better class; win 8-9 in 2014, bring in a slightly better class, etc.

With that progression, I think two other things have to happen in the next couple years for the program to really move forward also;

> Land a handful of somewhat blue-chippers (like Connor Mayes?) that were perhaps somewhat unexpected
> Bring in a couple of unheralded recruits, even walk-ons perhaps, that are All-BT material by the time they are Seniors (i.e. Decker)

At any rate, I've always seen 2014 as the key. 2014 will see a veteran QB (Nelson or someone else that takes control this year), an EXTREMELY veteran O-Line, and a defense loaded with guys that have been playing for 3-4 years. If 2014 doesn't see 9-10 wins, I may start to have some doubts about where things are heading.