Brew gets first 2010 recruit from Bielema's backyard

Donate To GopherHole
calminnfan said:
Some Wisky fans have been over on the scout board offering congrats. Kinda interesting on what they are saying!
Click to expand...

Some think that BB will be able to get him when he proves to them he can play again after the ACL. I am not sure he will ever be a Badger even if he looks elsewhere. A poster named BrewCrewGo4 had this quote in their signature from Konrad on the Gopher's Scout Board:

Konrad Zagzebski, "to be honest I really never saw myself playing at Wisconsin. Minnesota is where it is at right now and it doesn't take long to recognize that they are a program on the rise."

All I can say is Welcome to Minnesota Konrad!!
 

I tell you one thing, he sure has the last name of a linebacker. Welcome aboard Zag!
 

I recall a couple of OL from DC Everest, the last one being John Jakel in 2003.
 

In regards to what Badger fans are saying, it's a mixed bag of "meh" and complaining about BB (what else is new?). I'm in the middle... On one hand, IMO, he's too slow to be a linebacker. Again, just my opinion, I don't think he's suited to be a linebacker. Minnesota is the only school recruiting him as a LB, so that's obviously where he wants to play. On the other hand, I love keeping players in-state. I have no clue how his senior year is gonna end up. If he plays up to his potential, he'll get an offer from UW, IMO. He might stick with Minny though, but who really knows? Congrats on the pick up, just don't take any more from us! ;)
 

[censored] said:
There's a lot of premier LB talent to be had in the state of Texas with the 2010 class.
Click to expand...

The Metroplex is loaded with talent so I expect us to try to pick up 3-5 from that area. Hopefully we can make another strong pull out of Skyline.
 


blockedpunt said:
In regards to what Badger fans are saying, it's a mixed bag of "meh" and complaining about BB (what else is new?). I'm in the middle... On one hand, IMO, he's too slow to be a linebacker. Again, just my opinion, I don't think he's suited to be a linebacker. Minnesota is the only school recruiting him as a LB, so that's obviously where he wants to play. On the other hand, I love keeping players in-state. I have no clue how his senior year is gonna end up. If he plays up to his potential, he'll get an offer from UW, IMO. He might stick with Minny though, but who really knows? Congrats on the pick up, just don't take any more from us! ;)
Click to expand...

I think we'll go hard after the lineman from La Crosse too. It's a border city so hopefully he's an easier pull than some of the others.

From what I've seen Zagzebski ran a 4.7 40 yard dash. That's slow for an OLB but it is fine for a MLB. In fact, it's actually the same 40 time that Lauranitis had coming out of High School. That doesn't take in to account his 10 yd or 20 yd time which are more important because if a MLB is too slow to get a RB off tackle but can catch him 40 yds down field your defense is in trouble. Obviously he has the knee injury so nobody knows how he will recover and how fast/quick he will be when he is back. I'm sure the Gophers will give him the chance to play LB. If he isn't fast enough to break the depth chart I am sure he will be asking to make the move to DE before the coaches even suggest it. The Gophers have similar depth at LB & DE so position isn't incredibly important. The most important thing is to get athletes to wear your jersey and then positions have a way of figuring themselves out.
 

DC Everest

1st time poster, long time lurker.

As a DC Everest Grad (originally from Northfield), I can vouch for any player that plays as a freshman there. DCE is a Wisconsin powerhouse in football, I still follow them and have never heard of a freshman starter. Their Coach used to coach at White Bear Lake in the 70's and that might explain the steering to the U.

John Bobinski (QB) and Mike Dorski (DE) were two more players that went to the U from back in the 80's (my time). Unfortunately they were not very successful there. Matt Nohelty was a walk on at Minny a few years back but has concentrated on baseball and has been very successful.

I read through the Badger Scout thread and they said Konrad ran the 1st leg of the 4x100 relay team that had one of the best times in WI, so he can't be that slow.

Go Gophers!
 

Talked to a friend from Wiscanny who knows Konrad. Says he is growing rapidly and is still maturing. has gotten a ton of upper body strength during his recovery is what I'm told. Also was informed that the 4.7 forty time was at the beginning of his sophomore season and was faster pre-acl injury. Was told by my friend, a huge UW fan, that this could wind up being a huge get for the gophs, as quoted: "this kid is an absolute beast on the field and we all hated playing against him." Looks good to me, DE or LB i could care less!
 

Curseislifted33 said:
Talked to a friend from Wiscanny who knows Konrad. Says he is growing rapidly and is still maturing. has gotten a ton of upper body strength during his recovery is what I'm told. Also was informed that the 4.7 forty time was at the beginning of his sophomore season and was faster pre-acl injury. Was told by my friend, a huge UW fan, that this could wind up being a huge get for the gophs, as quoted: "this kid is an absolute beast on the field and we all hated playing against him." Looks good to me, DE or LB i could care less!
Click to expand...


Would he fit in as a tight end or fullback in the new power running game????
 



No room at tight end

We don't have room at tight end with Gray coming and Adam Weber moving to tight end lol
 

This is great that we got this verbal commit.... But, the big flag to me is that we're his ONLY offer according to Rivals. Seeing that he grew up in Wisconsin, could we have another Brad Nortman situation here? Nortman also verballed before he got a Wisky offer and said he was totally solid, but then when Bret came through with the offer he jumped ship.

So, I hope he's a Gopher, but I'd feel a lot better if it were Jan 2010 in the same position and he'd shown no signs of wavering. Such is the nature of the recruiting game, I guess.
 


one good sign is a quote of his in an article "I've never seen myself playing at Wisconsin".... (or something like that). Plus, I think BB doesn't have the luster he once did (or Wisco with Alvarez for that matter) for Wisco kids. They probably have seen all his c@ck sucker moves and get turned off (vs Brew, vs Bowden, etc).

Also, how early do teams start offering??? Its really early for 10' commits, so that probably why. Maybe he was a big 10' target so he is one of a select few for us that got an early offer?? Not sure.
 




wow...think i'd much rather be assassinated than assinated. Assinated just sounds awful! :D
 


MDGopherFan said:
wow...think i'd much rather be assassinated than assinated. Assinated just sounds awful! :D
Click to expand...

I guess I probably wouldn't opt for that procedure either.

It doesn't sound like a good thing, but perhaps it still might be preferrable to assassination. At least there is likely the potential for recovery.
 

I'm not an expert on the recruiting scene by any stretch, but I'm thinking that with his knee problems, teams were probably waiting to offer. It's a gamble by Brew, but it seems like the question is health, not talent.
 

Basically the word is that he didnt seem happy with the interest that UW was showing, especially with the fact that at best they saw him as a DE.
 

By all means, welcome to Gopher Nation, Mr. Zagzebski. I hope you stay firmly committed from now to Feb 2010. I think this is a good move by Brew and a coup.

All that said, it's a long time from now til then - regardless of how happy/unhappy this guy was with the "love" UW was showing him and even whatever he said about "not seeing" himself at UW, we are all fickle creatures. If Zag comes back and shows his injury was nothing to him now, and Bret comes up with an offer, well, things might change. I hope not, but I'm just saying.
 

Brew has grabbed all the top talent in Minnesota sans Bryce, he may as well move on to the border states.
 

Golden Elephant said:
By all means, welcome to Gopher Nation, Mr. Zagzebski. I hope you stay firmly committed from now to Feb 2010. I think this is a good move by Brew and a coup.

All that said, it's a long time from now til then - regardless of how happy/unhappy this guy was with the "love" UW was showing him and even whatever he said about "not seeing" himself at UW, we are all fickle creatures. If Zag comes back and shows his injury was nothing to him now, and Bret comes up with an offer, well, things might change. I hope not, but I'm just saying.
Click to expand...

You really think the conseeded, snub Bret would really offer him after what he has said about UW?! BB will be his normal self and say FU and prob never talk to Konrad ever again. Which I hope is true until he is in maroon and gold!
 

Golden Elephant said:
This is great that we got this verbal commit.... But, the big flag to me is that we're his ONLY offer according to Rivals. Seeing that he grew up in Wisconsin, could we have another Brad Nortman situation here? Nortman also verballed before he got a Wisky offer and said he was totally solid, but then when Bret came through with the offer he jumped ship.

So, I hope he's a Gopher, but I'd feel a lot better if it were Jan 2010 in the same position and he'd shown no signs of wavering. Such is the nature of the recruiting game, I guess.
Click to expand...

He has apparently closed his recruitment. That can change in the future but he openly said he never saw himself at Wisconsin. Only time will tell whether those words ring hollow but it's good to hear. From my own observations, the Wassau area of Wisconsin is less pro-Badgers than the rest of the state. There is a very strong pipeline to Minnesota from that area of the state.

I'm sure the Gophers earned bonus points by offering a scholarship even though he tore his ACL and has not completed rehab. That is showing faith in a recruit.
 

My two cents:

1. After seeing Konrad Z. play, he is a real good pick up by the gophers. Better type of player against running types of offenses, as opposed to spread teams.

2. Someone mentioned Zac Epping (Kenosha Tremper) and Matt Eggen (LaCrosse Logan) as two other possible prospects from WI to be offered by MN. There's another linman from WI that's on MN's radar that is right up there with those two or possibly even a hair ahead. Sam Cunningham, 6'5, 310, from Hudson. A couple things I keep in mind when considering ranking the next crop of prospects is who had a coach push them to get all-state, etc. and who didn't.

a. Epping at 6'3, 275, is a nice player that will either play offensive or defensive line at the next level. My guess is his size indicates he'll likely be a d-lineman. He attended the Army combine in San Antonio. I know an invite to this combine was also extended to Eggen and Cunningham; however, they were unable to attend. W/the Gophers moving away from the spread, my guess is they'll need a bit more size on the o-line than what Epping brings to the table, although he's reportedly a pretty strong kid.

b. Eggen at 6'5, 290, is also a nice player, and a basketball player-which is normally an indicator of athleticism. He was all-state as a Jr., but keep in mind: He didn't play on a senior dominated team or Sr dominated O-line. LAX Logan doesn't play against schools w/very large enrollments. His coach is willing to push a JR for end of the season accolades, whereas other coaches with different beliefs feel loyalty toward seniors and push them to reward their years in the program. Not taking anything away from him, as he's good, but getting pushed for and geting all-state is naturally going to help your stock when it comes to pre-pre-lists of the next year's prospects. Would he have been all-state if he had been a Jr. for Eden Prairie playing in the Lake Conference in MN?

c. Cunningham, 6'5, 310, is also a nice player. Real young for his class and still growing. On Rivals' (WI preps) initial list for 2010, he's listed as the No. seven overall prospect. Hudson ran both mid-line option and spread, he did very well in both. Hudson, playing DI football, consistently got their yards behind Sam, who was the only JR starting on the o-line. Watch for his Jr. video once it's out on Rivals or Scout...he's a big kid that really gets off the ball and has really good feet. If the Gophers want to get back to running the football more, then they need to get back to bringing in some horses.

If the Gophers can pull either Eggen or Cunningham, especially if they do so pretty soon to capitalize on getting Zagzebski verbal, I think media outlets would start humming about luring Wisconsinites away from the Badgers. It used to be the other way around.
 

danimal said:
My two cents:

1. After seeing Konrad Z. play, he is a real good pick up by the gophers. Better type of player against running types of offenses, as opposed to spread teams.

2. Someone mentioned Zac Epping (Kenosha Tremper) and Matt Eggen (LaCrosse Logan) as two other possible prospects from WI to be offered by MN. There's another linman from WI that's on MN's radar that is right up there with those two or possibly even a hair ahead. Sam Cunningham, 6'5, 310, from Hudson. A couple things I keep in mind when considering ranking the next crop of prospects is who had a coach push them to get all-state, etc. and who didn't.

a. Epping at 6'3, 275, is a nice player that will either will play offensive or defensive line at the next level. My guess is his size indicates he likely projects more as a d-lineman. He attended the Army combine in San Antonio. I know an invite to this combine was extended to each of these three players, but Eggen and Cunningham must've had reasons why they couldn't attend. W/the Gophers moving away from the spread, my concern is you're going to need a bit more size on the o-line. He's a strong kid, though.

b. Eggen at 6'5, 290, is also a nice player, and a basketball player-which is normally an indicator of athleticism. He was all-state as a Jr., but keep in mind: He didn't play on a senior dominated team or offensive line. LAX Logan doesn't play against schools w/very large enrollments. His coach is willing to push a JR for end of the season accolades, whereas other coaches with different beliefs fee they should make a harder push to reward seniors who have been in the program. Not taking anything away from him, as he's good, but getting pushed for all-state is naturally going to help your stock when it comes to pre-pre-lists of prospects. Would he have been all-state if he had played in the Lake Conference in MN?

c. Cunningham, 6'5, 310, is also a nice player. On Rivals' WI first list for 2010, he's listed as the No. seven overall prospect. Although I'm his uncle, I used to coach HS and DIII football, so I have a decent understanding of players and potential . Hudson ran both mid-line option and spread, he did very well in both. Hudson, playing DI football, consistently got their yards behind Sam, who was the only JR starting on the o-line. If the Gophers want to get back to running the football, then they need to get back to bringing in some horses.

If the Gophers can pull either Eggen or Cunningham, especially if they do so pretty quickly and capitalize on having Zagzebski verbal, then I think coach Brew would make some serious noise about his recruiting prowess and having serious inroads into WI.
Click to expand...


Please feel free to help in any way possible!
 

mggoph said:
Please feel free to help in any way possible!
Click to expand...

I edited thinking readers may feel I'm too biased. Sam's excited about the possiblity of becoming a Gopher. His dad played college FB, o'line, and both mom and dad work in St. Paul. As I edited above, Sam's young-could've been a 2011 recruit. He's at the age when dad grew a couple inches...Sam's not quite as tall but he's already a better player. Set to take his ACT/SAT in the next couple months.
 

Great to hear he's interested in us! I hope we get him and a few more horses for the trenches, the place most of us old-timers feel the games are really won/lost!
 

danimal said:
I edited thinking readers may feel I'm too biased. Sam's excited about the possiblity of becoming a Gopher. His dad played college FB, o'line, and both mom and dad work in St. Paul. As I edited above, Sam's young-could've been a 2011 recruit. He's at the age when dad grew a couple inches...Sam's not quite as tall but he's already a better player. Set to take his ACT/SAT in the next couple months.
Click to expand...

Danimal--First, welcome to the board. It's always fun to have new posters. Also, thanks for the contribution. That is helpful and with your background I'd love to read more from you.

Eggen had a newspaper article written about him recently and he showed Minnesota interest which is why I mentioned him as another Wisconsin target for the Gophers. After posting that I read the Rivals top 10 preseason prospects from Wisconsin and I came across your nephew, who also showed Gopher interest, so I thought he was very intriguing. I would think the Gophers seem like the local school rather than Wisconsin for a prospect from Hudson.

As fans we really haven't seen any of the recruits that aren't in Minnesota and on O-line most of us just look at height & weight to see if they pass the eyeball test. For lack of anything better, we use the ratings that they receive from Rivals/Scout as an indication of potential because I don't think most people on this board are capable of rating lineman. We appreciate the insight that you provided.

Do you have any indication of where Sam is leaning or how interested he is in Minnesota and other schools?
 

danimal said:
I edited thinking readers may feel I'm too biased. Sam's excited about the possiblity of becoming a Gopher. His dad played college FB, o'line, and both mom and dad work in St. Paul. As I edited above, Sam's young-could've been a 2011 recruit. He's at the age when dad grew a couple inches...Sam's not quite as tall but he's already a better player. Set to take his ACT/SAT in the next couple months.
Click to expand...

danimal, give us some insight here, how is the perception of Bret Belima (?) starting to change in the HS football ranks in Wisco??? Will kids start to consider MN more because BB is such a jack@ss?? Or is that just a feeling others outside of Wisco really have for him right now (although, there are a ton of sconis that are pissed he got an extension)?
 

<img src="http://vmedia.rivals.com/images/smilies/lurk.gif" alt="lurk" border="0">
sonnygarcia said:
danimal, give us some insight here, how is the perception of Bret Belima (?) starting to change in the HS football ranks in Wisco??? Will kids start to consider MN more because BB is such a jack@ss?? Or is that just a feeling others outside of Wisco really have for him right now (although, there are a ton of sconis that are pissed he got an extension)?
Click to expand...
<img src="http://vmedia.rivals.com/images/smilies/roll.gif" alt="roll" border="0">
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom