Analysis: Gophers receive a commitment from Illinois tight end Jameson Geers

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The Gophers have received a commitment from Illinois tight end Jameson Geers. He chose Minnesota over offers from Iowa, Northwestern, Wisconsin, Illinois, Louisville, Purdue and others. The 6-foot-5, 223-pound tight end ranks No. 19 nationally among tight ends in the 2021 class, according to 24/7 Sports Rankings.

At the Opening Regional, Geers posted a 4.98 40-yard dash, 4.53-second shuttle and 30.6-inch vertical jump. Geers played both tight end and defensive end on the gridiron. He also participated in basketball and track and field (100-meter, shot put, discus and triple jump).

He is a very physical player and picked up extra yardage when facing contact. In the clips below, Geers looked solid as an in-line blocker. There were several reps where he locked up with defenders and finished blocks. With his versatility and intermediate receiving skills, the Gophers added a tight end that fits their system well. New co-offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr.’s Utah State roster featured tight ends with similar measurements and playing styles. While investigating Sanford’s past games, I noticed how tight ends were used out of multiple different alignments, including detached. If past trends align, one can expect tight ends to be utilized more in Minnesota's offense. Geers will fit in the system well because of his versatility and physical skills.

Here's his film:

 
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Great frame to hang some bulk on...how well does he block?
 





Will be a great addition who will work hard and buy in to what we're doing here.
 

I ran a 5.7 50yds back long ago--before 40 yds became the standard-- and did it on a blown out knee. And I wasn't nearly the fastest guy in my little school. So 40 yds in 4.98?
 




Rescooter said:
I'm guessing when you ran it, they used a sun-dial, so we can't rely on it.
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Ha ha, that is funny--a "sundial". It was an unofficial stopwatch timing by the football coach. He might well have been off a little, as a 5.7 50 would seem to equate to at least a 4.7 40 and I couldn't have been that fast with torn ligaments and cartilage in my right knee.
 


4.98 is actually kinda slow for a 6’-5” guy. The stride on a guy that tall should makehim considerably faster. I remember the 6-5 guys on the football team at St Johns would run 4.8 using laser timing. Still, this guy has a pretty bodacious offer list so there is something about him. Its just that this particular metric doesnt look that impressive. Welcome, Jameson! Looking forward to you and Gopher greatness!
 

Interesting that he runs a fairly pedestrian 4.98 40 and competes in the 100 meter dash! Those two don't go together at all. He may have a very high end speed and struggle with the start. This could help him get open on fly routes but makes me worry about his speed out of cuts.

I ran a 4.4 in high school which translated to a 10.8 100 meter time as I absolutely sucked at getting out of the blocks! That's why I stuck with the 400 (49.2 sec)!
 



Running a 40 yard dash is partially a skill. If he runs the 100 meter dash I'm gonna assume he has at least okay speed, especially if he adds more weight and plays primarily an in-line player.
 

His PR is 12.64 in the 100 meters, 39’ 3” triple jump, 44’ .75” shot put, 126’ 9” discus.

The reported 40 time is probably reasonably accurate. I’ve been skeptical of these ever since I saw Lamar Jackson’s 4.79 on his 247 page.

www.athletic.net

Jameson Geers

Jameson Geers - IL Track and Field results and photos on Athletic.net
www.athletic.net www.athletic.net
 


He broke his wrist in the 3rd game of the season, and played with a cast the rest of the way. I’m guessing he didn’t catch many passes after that, since he couldn’t use his fingers. He had surgery, and hopes to be back ready to play basketball by February 20th.

247sports.com

Illinois TE Jameson Geers breaks down his Minnesota commitment

Illinois TE Jameson Geers breaks down his Minnesota commitment with GopherIllustrated
247sports.com 247sports.com
 

OldBob53 said:
I ran a 5.7 50yds back long ago--before 40 yds became the standard-- and did it on a blown out knee. And I wasn't nearly the fastest guy in my little school. So 40 yds in 4.98?
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Wind aided? :)
 

Sanford TE usage over the last 3 years.

2019 - Utah State - 53 receptions/561 yards/4 TDs. TEs accounted for 17% of team’s receptions.

2018 - W Kentucky - 83/856/9 - 33% of team’s receptions.

2017 - W. Kentucky - 71/927/8 - 19% of team’s receptions.
 

PitinoFan said:
Sanford TE usage over the last 3 years.

2019 - Utah State - 53 receptions/561 yards/4 TDs. TEs accounted for 17% of team’s receptions.

2018 - W Kentucky - 83/856/9 - 33% of team’s receptions.

2017 - W. Kentucky - 71/927/8 - 19% of team’s receptions.
Click to expand...

For reference, in 2019 our tight ends combined for 10/88/2 over 13 games...
 



PitinoFan said:
BSF, Paulson, Keift and Witham must be ecstatic about Sanford coming in.
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Yeah, would say the odds of the TE becoming a bigger part of the passing game seems pretty high. How much remains to be seen but it was very clear that KC did not like using his TE as receivers and that was unlikely to ever change.

Didn't bother me as much as it did some others but won't be shocked on bit to see the TE role in the passing game expand with the new OC.
 

Otis said:
Interesting that he runs a fairly pedestrian 4.98 40 and competes in the 100 meter dash! Those two don't go together at all. He may have a very high end speed and struggle with the start. This could help him get open on fly routes but makes me worry about his speed out of cuts.

I ran a 4.4 in high school which translated to a 10.8 100 meter time as I absolutely sucked at getting out of the blocks! That's why I stuck with the 400 (49.2 sec)!
Click to expand...
Holy Cow! You were fast.
 

OldBob53 said:
Ha ha, that is funny--a "sundial". It was an unofficial stopwatch timing by the football coach. He might well have been off a little, as a 5.7 50 would seem to equate to at least a 4.7 40 and I couldn't have been that fast with torn ligaments and cartilage in my right knee.
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It would actually equate to about a 4.56 40.
 

I will trust the coaches on this kid. Seems to have really nice hands. I guess I'm not really sure what kind of speed most tight ends have, anyone?
 

HoustonTXGopher said:
I will trust the coaches on this kid. Seems to have really nice hands. I guess I'm not really sure what kind of speed most tight ends have, anyone?
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Would assume upper 4s in terms of speed but don't really care either way. Kid holds an offer from most of the Big Ten West, I would say that means there is a better than average chance Geers is going to be a good player for us.
 

If he is a good receiver who gets out of the blocks a tad slow but picks up good to top end speed as he rolls (Tyler Johnson), and he is also a good blocker who can be used in max protect, his versatility will make him valuable all around. Tight ends often rely on meaningful size advantage over smallish CBs, or on releasing into an area vacated by LBs, rather than on separation by pure speed.
 
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Otis said:
Interesting that he runs a fairly pedestrian 4.98 40 and competes in the 100 meter dash! Those two don't go together at all. He may have a very high end speed and struggle with the start. This could help him get open on fly routes but makes me worry about his speed out of cuts.

I ran a 4.4 in high school which translated to a 10.8 100 meter time as I absolutely sucked at getting out of the blocks! That's why I stuck with the 400 (49.2 sec)!
Click to expand...

Who cares about 40 times if he can block and has quick first move to elude blockers, good route running skills, or good game speed.
 


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