AL.com: Harvesting Alabama recruits How MN overcomes weather and geography to recruit

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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Interesting read, per AL.com:

Even with the odds seemingly stacked against him, Jerry Kill hasn't stopped aggressively recruiting Alabama. Minnesota, to the surprise of some, signed two players out of Alabama last recruiting cycle, and is actively involved with multiple recruits in the class of 2015.

Kill, entering his fourth year as head coach at Minnesota, and defensive backs coach Jay Sawvel have been recruiting the state for years. Kill started recruiting Alabama while at Southern Illinois in the early 2000s in need of as many talented players as he could get his hands on in the middle of a rebuild. Kill and Sawvel were able to build relationships in the state, especially in the Mobile area, and have had success landing underrated recruits.

The biggest success to date was signing Jimmie Ward out of Davidson High School in Mobile while Kill was at Northern Illinois. Ward was a little-regarded, barely ranked prospect when Kill offered him a scholarship. Just a few years later, Ward was taken by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2014/07/harvesting_alabama_recruits_ho.html

Go Gophers!!
 

Love that we're getting coverage like this in an Alabama paper.
 


You guys nailed it. Getting our name out there in a recruiting hotbed like Alabama is good stuff.
 

Yeah, we wont be pulling any 4 or 5 star kids from Alabama...the money train keeps those kids at home. But we can get on late bloomers and kids playing out of position. The hardest thing is getting proper in person evaluation...hopefully some we can get to camps in the summer and others they get to watch during spring ball (something I wish MN had).
 


GopherinPhilly said:
Yeah, we wont be pulling any 4 or 5 star kids from Alabama...the money train keeps those kids at home. But we can get on late bloomers and kids playing out of position. The hardest thing is getting proper in person evaluation...hopefully some we can get to camps in the summer and others they get to watch during spring ball (something I wish MN had).
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Yeah, must be money. Can't possibly be playing in the best conference, close to home, with top notch facilities, where you're treated as a god and have a chance to play for a national championship. Must be those dollars that's putting us at a disadvantage with the 4*/5* kids. Anything that can help us to avoid confronting the truth.
 

maroonedinCA said:
Yeah, must be money. Can't possibly be playing in the best conference, close to home, with top notch facilities, where you're treated as a god and have a chance to play for a national championship. Must be those dollars that's putting us at a disadvantage with the 4*/5* kids. Anything that can help us to avoid confronting the truth.
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Its both. Plenty of articles out there about the payments made to get the top kids to play in the SEC (or many other places) plus the prestige involved being there. We won't be pulling top kids from anywhere until we get to that level (which may never happen). There is always the weather considerations although the NFL has plenty of cold weather cities, so its not a bad thing for kids to get used to. The most talent is in the south and if you want to compete you'll need those kids to join your program.
 

Sparlimb said:
Its both. Plenty of articles out there about the payments made to get the top kids to play in the SEC (or many other places) plus the prestige involved being there. We won't be pulling top kids from anywhere until we get to that level (which may never happen). There is always the weather considerations although the NFL has plenty of cold weather cities, so its not a bad thing for kids to get used to. The most talent is in the south and if you want to compete you'll need those kids to join your program.
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Plenty of articles speculating about payments being made and those haven't only been in the SEC (as you acknowledge). I think it's foolish to assume that it's the payments that are keeping them down there as GopherinPhilly did. It some how finds a more complex rationale for this phenomenon by oversimplifying the entire landscape.
 

All I know is the last time we played Alabama we thumped 'em
 





I know for a fact that one of this years Alabama's recruits got a pretty penny under their pillow at a hotel to go there. And obviously kept it. Won't say who for that players safety.
 

xoxoemilyanne said:
I know for a fact that one of this years Alabama's recruits got a pretty penny under their pillow at a hotel to go there. And obviously kept it. Won't say who for that players safety.
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I'm sure he and his family are thankful for your discretion and confidence.
 



xoxoemilyanne said:
I know for a fact that one of this years Alabama's recruits got a pretty penny under their pillow at a hotel to go there. And obviously kept it. Won't say who for that players safety.
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What are you trying to say here? I have no clue the message you are trying to convey other than someone either from Alabama or that is going to the University of Alabama got some money under a pillow. The apostrophe and overall grammar has thrown me for a loop. I'm not trying to be a jerk, I just honestly can't tell what you're trying to saying.
 

nm inappropriate conjecture on my part
 

Great read, Bleed. Thanks for all the stuff you dig up for us.
 

xoxoemilyanne said:
I know for a fact that one of this years Alabama's recruits got a pretty penny under their pillow at a hotel to go there. And obviously kept it. Won't say who for that players safety.
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Is there are particular reason we should believe you actually know this?
 

RodentRampage said:
Is there are particular reason we should believe you actually know this?
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Actually yes. Jeff Jones used this account to post here previously and knows the user of this account. Or maybe it is Jeff that is posting right now. He may be the reason why she knows. The user also knows many gopher players as well.
 

die hard gopher said:
Actually yes. Jeff Jones used this account to post here previously and knows the user of this account. Or maybe it is Jeff that is posting right now. He may be the reason why she knows. The user also knows many gopher players as well.
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And the plot just thickened...Please...Keep going if you don't mind.
 

OMG, now this thread will go to at least a 1000 posts just because it has JJ mention. Before 4 years are over, this kid will get more mentions, product endorsements, talk show appearances, memes, links, speaking tours...
 

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