BleedGopher
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A long column per Fowler, some tid-bits:
Prospects for Minnesota to get better
Every program evaluates recruiting vs. perception, so it's natural Teague will consider how recruits perceive Minnesota based on Kill's health.
Recruiting is ruthless enough where other schools can and will use Kill's condition against the Gophers.
Even if Minnesota thinks Kill is a Lombardi-level coach, a good scheme doesn't always offset a challenging recruiting climate. Whether Teague figures Kill faces an uphill battle to attract Big Ten talent is undoubtedly a factor here.
Recruiting rankings are not gospel, but the Gophers could stand to improve on their dead-last ranking among Big Ten teams for the 2014 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.com. The site also ranked Minnesota No. 12 in the conference last year and No. 10 in 2012.
Conversely, the way Minnesota rallies around Kill's condition could help recruiting. With so much exposure in recruiting, high school players can be open-minded and embrace unique challenges. Gophers players seem to care for Kill, and recruits notice that.
Minnesota isn't a recruiting hotbed, but ranking last in a conference that's losing talent to the South because of what Ohio State's Urban Meyer calls an obvious population shift is noteworthy.
Of the top 10 in-state prospects, three have verbally committed to the Gophers and five are undecided. Rutgers and Alabama have landed verbal commits from Minnesota. Keeping local products in Minneapolis is a good start.
Next step
High-level coaching is an impatient business. Coaches no longer get three years to rebuild a program (see: Jon Embree and Ellis Johnson).
If the Gophers want Kill to coach them long-term, they'll need a few marquee wins this season or just buck the impatience trend and wait for a resurgence. Kill is reportedly under contract until 2017 at around $1.2 million per year.
The operative word for athletic directors is improvement. Even if wins aren't immediate, ADs need to see recruiting strengthened, halftime adjustments made, a locker room united.
For Kill to show that progress, he'll need to be around.
It's hard to find someone rooting against Kill, a grassroots coaching success story who has inspired his team with his fight.
His program could be more resilient than given credit for. Kill and Teague are about to find out in the next seven weeks.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...innesota-and-jerry-kill-what-does-future-hold
Go Gophers!!
Prospects for Minnesota to get better
Every program evaluates recruiting vs. perception, so it's natural Teague will consider how recruits perceive Minnesota based on Kill's health.
Recruiting is ruthless enough where other schools can and will use Kill's condition against the Gophers.
Even if Minnesota thinks Kill is a Lombardi-level coach, a good scheme doesn't always offset a challenging recruiting climate. Whether Teague figures Kill faces an uphill battle to attract Big Ten talent is undoubtedly a factor here.
Recruiting rankings are not gospel, but the Gophers could stand to improve on their dead-last ranking among Big Ten teams for the 2014 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.com. The site also ranked Minnesota No. 12 in the conference last year and No. 10 in 2012.
Conversely, the way Minnesota rallies around Kill's condition could help recruiting. With so much exposure in recruiting, high school players can be open-minded and embrace unique challenges. Gophers players seem to care for Kill, and recruits notice that.
Minnesota isn't a recruiting hotbed, but ranking last in a conference that's losing talent to the South because of what Ohio State's Urban Meyer calls an obvious population shift is noteworthy.
Of the top 10 in-state prospects, three have verbally committed to the Gophers and five are undecided. Rutgers and Alabama have landed verbal commits from Minnesota. Keeping local products in Minneapolis is a good start.
Next step
High-level coaching is an impatient business. Coaches no longer get three years to rebuild a program (see: Jon Embree and Ellis Johnson).
If the Gophers want Kill to coach them long-term, they'll need a few marquee wins this season or just buck the impatience trend and wait for a resurgence. Kill is reportedly under contract until 2017 at around $1.2 million per year.
The operative word for athletic directors is improvement. Even if wins aren't immediate, ADs need to see recruiting strengthened, halftime adjustments made, a locker room united.
For Kill to show that progress, he'll need to be around.
It's hard to find someone rooting against Kill, a grassroots coaching success story who has inspired his team with his fight.
His program could be more resilient than given credit for. Kill and Teague are about to find out in the next seven weeks.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...innesota-and-jerry-kill-what-does-future-hold
Go Gophers!!
