Brief MN mentions in "Inside WI Recruiting" from The Athletic

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laazrakit said:
The article does mention that... also mentions his having coached at NDSU... those WI coaches all seemed to love them some Tim Polasek!
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He might end up being a good OC. Probably miscast as an OL coach at Iowa. His lines were pretty average.
 

DocWrestling said:
It is well known that Chryst, Ferentz, and Fitzgerald are close and have a lot of mutual respect for each other. I think it is fair to say none of them like Fleck. Fitzgerald had some comments about this earlier this year in a press conference before their game with Iowa or Wisconsin. It will be interesting if Bielema is brought into that close group. He has long connections with all three coaches and Bielema has always been well liked by other coaches.
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Not Penn State or Minnesota coaches...
 

Methinks Coach #2 polishes his 1977 Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am every weekend.
 

EG#9 said:
Not sure how to feel about this. To date, Fleck hasn't recruited Minnesota very well...so is it a surprise that he allegedly hasn't recruited Wisconsin well either? I would guess that the struggles are related in that if Fleck is not seeing results in Minnesota, he would be unlikely to invest a lot of time in the most similar state to Minnesota that is home to a more successful football program. Up until this year, Fleck has done a nice job in Illinois. I hope we see a return to getting some top kids out of Illinois next year. As for Wisconsin, I think that's a tough ask unless/until we hold the axe for a few consecutive years.
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Not sure I can agree with this statement.

I grabbed the roster from here because it was easier to do the data manipulation. A few of the players are in the transfer portal, but just looking at the 2021 season overall
:
www.cbssports.com

2024 Minnesota Golden Gophers Roster - College Football Players

Full Minnesota Golden Gophers roster for the 2024 season including position, height, weight, birthdate, years of experience, and college. Find out the latest on your favorite NCAAF players on CBSSports.com.
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com

1639067838909.png

And here is Wisconsin:
1639067877764.png

I would say Minnesota is a little more diversified recruiting from more states (and countries) overall.

Has less to do with the state they are from and more of the fit for what they need. If that kid is in Wherever, USA and is a better fit than Minneapolis, MN, you take the Wherever USA kid.
 

laazrakit said:
Coach 1: Illinois is cracking. They are cracking in this state. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a school pump in like that before. They’re dominating right now. I think they’re really good. Iowa used to be really good and when Tim Polasek left, I haven’t heard a single word from Iowa. I think Minnesota is terrible. I’ll be honest with you. I think they’re terrible at recruiting in the state of Wisconsin. Maybe they’re afraid of it. But I just don’t understand why some of these closer schools don’t go deeper into it. They can steal some of these kids if they just establish relationships. Minnesota must be establishing some relationships in small little pockets. But I would think Minnesota would have their grips on this place, but I don’t feel like they do.
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Bolded:

this quite obviously to me feels like a coach from Western Wisconsin, who is very bitter and jaded that he hasn't seen more of his players recruited by the Gophers staff, that he felt were Big Ten material.

Could be a River Falls or maybe even Hudson guy? Wild guessing
 


MplsGopher said:
Bolded:

this quite obviously to me feels like a coach from Western Wisconsin, who is very bitter and jaded that he hasn't seen more of his players recruited by the Gophers staff, that he felt were Big Ten material.

Could be a River Falls or maybe even Hudson guy? Wild guessing
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The majority of the Wisconsin kids MN has recruited come from the Greater Milwaukee area. Only a few are from western Wisconsin (St. Croix Falls, Eau Claire). My guess is you are onto something here.

Often times it is a matter of fitting in visits and travel schedule/dollars. There is only so much time and money. You could travel to a school here and a school there in Wisconsin, or you can concentrate where the bigger schools and thus greater talent "typically" will be found - a major city like Milwaukee.

Smaller, more rural schools are going to have to send out beacons to FBS level programs if they think they have a player worthy of consideration and want to be paid a visit. I played at a high school in MN that is 2A (Class B back in the day). I don't think we ever had someone go D1 at the FBS level. A few FCS (then Div II, now Div 1), but that is about it. We didn't have recruiters kicking our doors down. They might have even been pulled over by the local cop for "not being from around here". :)
 

MplsGopher said:
Bolded:

this quite obviously to me feels like a coach from Western Wisconsin, who is very bitter and jaded that he hasn't seen more of his players recruited by the Gophers staff, that he felt were Big Ten material.

Could be a River Falls or maybe even Hudson guy? Wild guessing
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It doesn't happen over night. Wisconsin kid to Wisconsin is hard to recruit against. Beat them again next year and more doors will open. We have more WI kids than they have MN kids and how many are on scholarship either way?
 

MaxyJR1 said:
It doesn't happen over night. Wisconsin kid to Wisconsin is hard to recruit against. Beat them again next year and more doors will open.
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Right.

It wasn't the same coach, but others were talking big about Tim Polasek, who was formerly the OL coach at Iowa.

He is also from Wisconsin and played college football (lower level) in Wisc. He knows it through and through.


Another talking about ILL showing up big. Obviously Bert knows Wisc well.


Wisconsin is a cult. It just is. Not saying that's a bad thing, but it is what it is.
 

Boomtime said:
There was a poster on the Iowa board a few weeks ago that stated that the top Center in the country, Hinzman, was leaning Minnesota. In a State known for OLinemen, that would be big.
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Everything on the internet machine shows Hinzman deciding between the badgers and OSU.

Maybe something's changed? Maybe it's been a smokescreen all along and he's been a "silent commit" to Fleck all along?

We'll know soon.
 




watertown 1987 guy n said:
Actually nothing we haven’t heard before - is Flecks energy and style authentic? Some people like it and some people it rubs the wrong way and they don’t trust it. And there will always be the Badger homers that will weigh in w “negativity” of there own.
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Considering that they were born with whisky plates, Gopher hatred is in their DNA. PJ Fleck is a running cult leader to them that poison young innocent Badger minds. It is hard to change perceptions until you start winning titles.
 
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laazrakit said:
The article does mention that... also mentions his having coached at NDSU... those WI coaches all seemed to love them some Tim Polasek!
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The article also shares a story where Polesek is the least trusted coach. So, clearly, a wide range of opinions on a lot of guys.

Which coaches do you trust the least?​

Coach 1: Tim Polasek, hands down. To me, he’s just a clown. And he’s gone now. He’s out in Wyoming, so he’s not really recruiting our guys. But when he was at Iowa and when he was at North Dakota State, he was probably one that I trusted the least. He’s kind of a jerk. And he’s a jerk to coaches, too. Only because I care about our kids getting to play, I’ll answer his calls and I’ll talk to him. But I’m taking this guy with a grain of salt. I’m not going to get all excited because a Division I coach is coming when it’s him.

He recruited one of my quarterbacks once. This is when he was at North Dakota State. The coach asked him, “Where are you thinking?” The kid told him, “I’d like to go to maybe Wisconsin.” Regular North Dakota had been recruiting him and South Dakota State was in his top group as well. So he told him the schools. (Polasek) pulled out his championship ring, put it in his face and said, “You’ll never fucking get one of these.” And he left. I was like, “Are you kidding me?” Those were some of my first D-I experiences, so I was just like, “Well, maybe this is just how it is.” And then obviously I experienced a lot more and learned like, “No, this guy is a butthole. I don’t want him around our kids.”
 

DocWrestling said:
It is well known that Chryst, Ferentz, and Fitzgerald are close and have a lot of mutual respect for each other. I think it is fair to say none of them like Fleck. Fitzgerald had some comments about this earlier this year in a press conference before their game with Iowa or Wisconsin. It will be interesting if Bielema is brought into that close group. He has long connections with all three coaches and Bielema has always been well liked by other coaches.
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Can you link those comments? I missed them and would be interested in reading them. PJ and Fitz go back a ways and seem to like each other. PJ really likes Fitz.

I also do not believe Ferentz and Fitz are real close. I think respectful, but not tight.
 

tjgopher said:
Can you link those comments? I missed them and would be interested in reading them. PJ and Fitz go back a ways and seem to like each other. PJ really likes Fitz.

I also do not believe Ferentz and Fitz are real close. I think respectful, but not tight.
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I can't say whether this is true or not, but a lot of people, especially Iowa fans, believe Fitz hates Iowa more than any other team. I think they're the ones who injured him back in his playing days. Again, no idea if it's true or just conspiracy, but it's widely believed that Fitz doesn't care for Iowa.
 

tjgopher said:
The article also shares a story where Polesek is the least trusted coach. So, clearly, a wide range of opinions on a lot of guys.

Which coaches do you trust the least?​

Coach 1: Tim Polasek, hands down. To me, he’s just a clown. And he’s gone now. He’s out in Wyoming, so he’s not really recruiting our guys. But when he was at Iowa and when he was at North Dakota State, he was probably one that I trusted the least. He’s kind of a jerk. And he’s a jerk to coaches, too. Only because I care about our kids getting to play, I’ll answer his calls and I’ll talk to him. But I’m taking this guy with a grain of salt. I’m not going to get all excited because a Division I coach is coming when it’s him.

He recruited one of my quarterbacks once. This is when he was at North Dakota State. The coach asked him, “Where are you thinking?” The kid told him, “I’d like to go to maybe Wisconsin.” Regular North Dakota had been recruiting him and South Dakota State was in his top group as well. So he told him the schools. (Polasek) pulled out his championship ring, put it in his face and said, “You’ll never fucking get one of these.” And he left. I was like, “Are you kidding me?” Those were some of my first D-I experiences, so I was just like, “Well, maybe this is just how it is.” And then obviously I experienced a lot more and learned like, “No, this guy is a butthole. I don’t want him around our kids.”
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Wow, yeah that seems like a terrible way to treat a young man, regardless of anything else.

How long has this coach been waiting to tell this story?? I bet he felt really good about himself getting that story off his chest!
 


stocker08 said:
I want to know why The Athletic is giving coaches from Wisconsin....with obvious biases....a free opening to shit on rivals like it is some sort of journalism. And why a site like Saturday Tradition is picking it up as some sort of news.
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TheAthletic has been doing a series on different states & recruiting. It's actually pretty interesting to read & highly recommend reading them if you subscribe to TheAthletic. It just seems that the high school coaches in Wisconsin have a much higher desire to be liked by the flagship university in the state than the Texas/Georgia/etc. HS coaches care.....
 
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FireDaveLee said:
TheAthletic has been doing a series on different states & recruiting. It's actually pretty interesting to read & highly recommend reading them if you subscribe to TheAthletic. It's just seems that the high school coaches in Wisconsin have a much higher desire to be liked by the flagship university in the state than the Texas/Georgia/etc. HS coaches care.....
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Wisconsin is a cult.

You see people fly Packers or Badgers flags outside their homes in the Twin Cities, and you just chuckle and say whatever. (not you you, I'm saying in general)

In Wisc, you fly something other than Packers or Badgers, they'll burn your house down.
 

stocker08 said:
I want to know why The Athletic is giving coaches from Wisconsin....with obvious biases....a free opening to shit on rivals like it is some sort of journalism. And why a site like Saturday Tradition is picking it up as some sort of news.
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This! It shouldn't be happening. The unfortunate reality is even barring access to such websites/ publications will not dissuade these 'publications/ websites'.
 

FireDaveLee said:
TheAthletic has been doing a series on different states & recruiting. It's actually pretty interesting to read & highly recommend reading them if you subscribe to TheAthletic. It just seems that the high school coaches in Wisconsin have a much higher desire to be liked by the flagship university in the state than the Texas/Georgia/etc. HS coaches care.....
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That's fine. It's actually an interesting topic, really. But obviously Badger homers (and I'm sure HS coaches elsewhere) are going to have negative thing to say about the coach of their biggest rivals. Especially a week or two out from losing. Dude didn't have some first hand examples of PJ being a "negative recruiter". Just floating out some BS to make him look bad.

It's just kind of lousy to publish that sort of stuff.
 

FireDaveLee said:
TheAthletic has been doing a series on different states & recruiting. It's actually pretty interesting to read & highly recommend reading them if you subscribe to TheAthletic. It just seems that the high school coaches in Wisconsin have a much higher desire to be liked by the flagship university in the state than the Texas/Georgia/etc. HS coaches care.....
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Apologies, I didn't read the Athletics piece. I did read and link the Saturday Tradition blurb though.
 

EG#9 said:
Not sure how to feel about this. To date, Fleck hasn't recruited Minnesota very well...so is it a surprise that he allegedly hasn't recruited Wisconsin well either? I would guess that the struggles are related in that if Fleck is not seeing results in Minnesota, he would be unlikely to invest a lot of time in the most similar state to Minnesota that is home to a more successful football program. Up until this year, Fleck has done a nice job in Illinois. I hope we see a return to getting some top kids out of Illinois next year. As for Wisconsin, I think that's a tough ask unless/until we hold the axe for a few consecutive years.
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Not to mention that ALL youth are given a reversible Packers/ Badgers jacket at birth...(Relax. It's a joke).
 

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