Chris Wipson Commits

[Sumtimegophs]

I consider Waysata linebacker U, so to speak, in the metro area, so from that standpoint I think this is a good verbal. Did anyone seen AJ Tarpley play when he was at Waysata? I saw AJ in the Fiesta Bowl and it was easy to see why he led the Cards in tackles last year. Just wondering if anyone could compare Wipson and Tarpley.

 

[diehard]

I never doubt a camp offer. Even more with Kill.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

In my experience, the way a kid plays relative to the other guys on the field is a good indicator of future ability. The fact is that Wipson stands out for a number of different reasons. If you go to a Wayzata game next year, he will just plain look like the best player on the field. That is not always where the analysis ends, but that is certainly where it starts.

My guess is that Kill waited until camp to give the offer because he wanted to see if that trait was only there on film, or if it carried over to when the kid was playing against other motivated competitors at the camp. I'm guessing he played the same way at camp, thus earning the offer.

Yep, this is exactly what I was getting at. If you watch Wayzata play a game in person, this kid will do more than simply stand out. He was the best player on the best defense (maybe second best to EP) in the state. In a team full of talent, he really stood out.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

I consider Waysata linebacker U, so to speak, in the metro area, so from that standpoint I think this is a good verbal. Did anyone seen AJ Tarpley play when he was at Waysata? I saw AJ in the Fiesta Bowl and it was easy to see why he led the Cards in tackles last year. Just wondering if anyone could compare Wipson and Tarpley.

This is a tough comparison because they played a bit differently, even in HS. Tarpley was/is obviously a really talented player. Wipson was one of those players who is more like Clay Mathews in style. He is all over the place, rushing the QB, chasing guys down from behind, and he is more of the LB type that wreaks havoc. Tarpley was a bit different in HS. I only saw Tarpley play once and I've seen Wipson play twice. But in that limited sample, Tarpley was more like the LB that always did everything right. He was always in the right place, he seemed to play more of a true LB type of role. In the game that I attended, he blitzed less than Wipson. Tarpley does a really nice job in passing situations in college and I wasn't able to see Wipson or Tarpley do much in terms of pass coverage, so that's hard to say.

In my opinion, Wipson was a more impressive HS LB (he still has his SR season too). It's close and a lot of Tarpley's strengths didn't pop out like Wipson's to a novice like myself. But first impression of both athletes, I liked Wipson more.

 

[btowngopher]

+1. Excellent post.

+2

 

[GopherGod]

In my experience, the way a kid plays relative to the other guys on the field is a good indicator of future ability. The fact is that Wipson stands out for a number of different reasons. If you go to a Wayzata game next year, he will just plain look like the best player on the field. That is not always where the analysis ends, but that is certainly where it starts.

My guess is that Kill waited until camp to give the offer because he wanted to see if that trait was only there on film, or if it carried over to when the kid was playing against other motivated competitors at the camp. I'm guessing he played the same way at camp, thus earning the offer.

He may turn out to be a great player but does he look good because he is mostly playing against poor competition. Minnesota HS football isn't that good and doesn't have that much depth in regards to producing D1 talent, especially for the population.

 

[Sumtimegophs]

This is a tough comparison because they played a bit differently, even in HS. Tarpley was/is obviously a really talented player. Wipson was one of those players who is more like Clay Mathews in style. He is all over the place, rushing the QB, chasing guys down from behind, and he is more of the LB type that wreaks havoc. Tarpley was a bit different in HS. I only saw Tarpley play once and I've seen Wipson play twice. But in that limited sample, Tarpley was more like the LB that always did everything right. He was always in the right place, he seemed to play more of a true LB type of role. In the game that I attended, he blitzed less than Wipson. Tarpley does a really nice job in passing situations in college and I wasn't able to see Wipson or Tarpley do much in terms of pass coverage, so that's hard to say.

In my opinion, Wipson was a more impressive HS LB (he still has his SR season too). It's close and a lot of Tarpley's strengths didn't pop out like Wipson's to a novice like myself. But first impression of both athletes, I liked Wipson more.

That's great, and I understand what you are saying. Your description of Tarpley is EXACTLY how he played in the Fiesta Bowl. A very controlled game, rarely out of position, excellent in pass coverage. He didn't stand out but was solid and was second on the team (as I recall) in tackles for the game.

Thanks.

 

[Gopherprof]

He may turn out to be a great player but does he look good because he is mostly playing against poor competition. Minnesota HS football isn't that good and doesn't have that much depth in regards to producing D1 talent, especially for the population.

Minnesota HS football isn't that good, but the Lake Conference is a solid conference even by national standards. All five teams are very good football programs. Not to mention the fact that Wayzata made it to the state championship this year.

 

[Stan]

He may turn out to be a great player but does he look good because he is mostly playing against poor competition. Minnesota HS football isn't that good and doesn't have that much depth in regards to producing D1 talent, especially for the population.

MBIII and Dom Barber agree. Attending Wayzata HS, have a modest recruitment at best and signing with the Gophers is no way to prepare for an NFL career.

 

[highwayman]

He may turn out to be a great player but does he look good because he is mostly playing against poor competition. Minnesota HS football isn't that good and doesn't have that much depth in regards to producing D1 talent, especially for the population.

No.

I never doubt a camp offer. Even more with Kill.

Yes.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

He may turn out to be a great player but does he look good because he is mostly playing against poor competition. Minnesota HS football isn't that good and doesn't have that much depth in regards to producing D1 talent, especially for the population.

The state of MN as a whole doesn't produce a ton of Division 1 football players, however, the large schools in MN (the ones that Wipson is playing against) produces a pretty decent amount of talent.

He played against over 20 kids with BCS offers / BCS commits, and countless FCS, Division 2 and Division 4 athletes.

If you were talking about a kid in out-state MN, you might have a point. A kid playing Wayzata's schedule, including beating Mount Carmel last season (one of the best programs in Illinois), it just doesn't make sense.

 

[RoyalGopher]

MV from FBT on why he likes Wipson more than Cottrell:

Things to like about Wipson: 1) he has very good straight-line speed 2) he's an aggressive downhill player 3) looks to play with a bit of an edge 4) is extremely productive in high school.

Things that he'll likely need to work on: 1) strength and bulk, especially in the lower body 2) he has a tendency to lunge 3) plays a bit high. Nothing that can't be corrected with a redshirt year and proper coaching, though rest assured, he's more than likely going to redshirt -- especially if the staff sees him as a middle linebacker.

With that in mind, Wipson provides an interesting case study into what this coaching staff looks for, especially when compared to the other BCS conference linebacker from Minnesota: Eden Prairie's Jack Cottrell. ​The Gopher staff had every opportunity to offer both Cottrell and Wipson if they wanted to, even with limited scholarships available. You'd think Cottrell, with his tall frame and a standout in the classroom, would be the ideal type of player Kill would want to keep from leaving the state's borders.

Yet, despite an early offer from Boston College, no other BCS conference schools offered -- including Minnesota. Like Wipson, Cottrell will have to add bulk and playing strength at the next level. However, Wipson is clearly the faster player of the two and also plays more downhill -- perhaps an indication of a better "fit" within Claeys defense. Also, the staff looking at Mike LB for Wipson is important, since that's likely where they would picture Cottrell as well.

 

[oleboy41]

The state of MN as a whole doesn't produce a ton of Division 1 football players, however, the large schools in MN (the ones that Wipson is playing against) produces a pretty decent amount of talent.

He played against over 20 kids with BCS offers / BCS commits, and countless FCS, Division 2 and Division 4 athletes.

If you were talking about a kid in out-state MN, you might have a point. A kid playing Wayzata's schedule, including beating Mount Carmel last season (one of the best programs in Illinois), it just doesn't make sense.

Not Mount Carmel, but Carmel Catholic. Mount Carmel is in Chicago and is where McNabb went to school. Carmel Catholic is a great program and has won a lot of titles as well but they've done so without much top level talent, kind of like Eden Prarie I guess. A great program but not many D1 type players, they're just militaristic in their program and discipline. When I was trying to break into coaching last year I interviewed and was offered a small spot there. They put kids into positions right away their freshman year and rarely move them to different spots and have over 10 coaches just on the freshman level (like CB coach, S coach, TE, etc)

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

Not Mount Carmel, but Carmel Catholic. Mount Carmel is in Chicago and is where McNabb went to school. Carmel Catholic is a great program and has won a lot of titles as well but they've done so without much top level talent, kind of like Eden Prarie I guess. A great program but not many D1 type players, they're just militaristic in their program and discipline. When I was trying to break into coaching last year I interviewed and was offered a small spot there. They put kids into positions right away their freshman year and rarely move them to different spots and have over 10 coaches just on the freshman level (like CB coach, S coach, TE, etc)

Oh right on, thanks for correcting me.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

MV from FBT on why he likes Wipson more than Cottrell:

Things to like about Wipson: 1) he has very good straight-line speed 2) he's an aggressive downhill player 3) looks to play with a bit of an edge 4) is extremely productive in high school.

Things that he'll likely need to work on: 1) strength and bulk, especially in the lower body 2) he has a tendency to lunge 3) plays a bit high. Nothing that can't be corrected with a redshirt year and proper coaching, though rest assured, he's more than likely going to redshirt -- especially if the staff sees him as a middle linebacker.

With that in mind, Wipson provides an interesting case study into what this coaching staff looks for, especially when compared to the other BCS conference linebacker from Minnesota: Eden Prairie's Jack Cottrell. ​The Gopher staff had every opportunity to offer both Cottrell and Wipson if they wanted to, even with limited scholarships available. You'd think Cottrell, with his tall frame and a standout in the classroom, would be the ideal type of player Kill would want to keep from leaving the state's borders.

Yet, despite an early offer from Boston College, no other BCS conference schools offered -- including Minnesota. Like Wipson, Cottrell will have to add bulk and playing strength at the next level. However, Wipson is clearly the faster player of the two and also plays more downhill -- perhaps an indication of a better "fit" within Claeys defense. Also, the staff looking at Mike LB for Wipson is important, since that's likely where they would picture Cottrell as well.

Yeah, it is interesting when you look at Cottrell and Wipson.

I probably like Cottrell a tiny bit more than Wipson but that is only because of size. I think they will both be good BCS conference caliber LBs. The fact that the staff is starting Wipson out in the middle does make it seem that it was either Wipson or Cottrell. It's hard to really say which of the two the staff preferred. I only say that because I do not think Cottrell attended camp at the U (I could definitely be wrong on this, but I thought I read where he wasn't going to attend any other camps). If Cottrell didn't attend, it's hard to say that the coaches preferred Wipson to Cottrell because Wipson earned his offer at camp. All in all, it doesn't really matter. I have very little doubt that Wipson will be an impact player for the U. It's just an interesting analysis between two similar prospects (same position, same conference, really similar in ability (IMO)).

 

[Johnnyboy18]

Heard he tore his acl on Friday against Champlin Park.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

Heard he tore his acl on Friday against Champlin Park.

I heard the same thing. It's obviously too bad for him.

Hopefully nothing changes (scholarship wise), he can come in and ease into his college career by redshirting.

 

[HopherGole]

He's so impressive to watch. He's one of those guys that plays SO much faster than everyone else around him. His technical skills like always trying to strip, helmet on the ball, and not leaving his feet until the bal is in the air while blitzing are what sets him apart from other LB recruits. He's tenacious, he's physical, he's smart, and heeeeeeee's OURS!

 

[OddStack]

I heard the same thing. It's obviously too bad for him.

Hopefully nothing changes (scholarship wise), he can come in and ease into his college career by redshirting.

I've heard, through some in the Wayzata community, that nothing has/will changed in terms of scholarship through the U.

 

[Gopherprof]

Might make some sense to greyshirt and have him enroll in January. He's likely not going to be practicing in the fall next year anyway if the ACL is fully torn.

 

[Killjoy]

Might make some sense to greyshirt and have him enroll in January. He's likely not going to be practicing in the fall next year anyway if the ACL is fully torn.

I am not sure what you are hoping to accomplish by having him enroll in January. By doing that you are not going to be opening up another scholarship for 2013.

 

[dpodoll68]

I am not sure what you are hoping to accomplish by having him enroll in January.

I'm assuming he meant enroll in January 2014. In that case, he could redshirt in Fall 2014 (could not if he came in Fall 2013 and redshirted then), and thus he wouldn't be a RS Fr until 2015, and have almost 3 full years to heal before he needs to play. He would also have 4 years to play 4 beginning in 2015, rather than 2014.

By doing that you are not going to be opening up another scholarship for 2013.

Sure you are. Again, I'm pretty sure he's advocating for January 2014 enrollment. January 2013 in this context would make no sense, given that I haven't heard anything about him being an early enrollee, and that being an early enrollee would be doubly stupid given the injury situation.

 

[Gopherprof]

^^^ What he said.

We already have a limited number of scholarships in this class, so it would make some sense. I understand that it would likely be a bummer for Chris, having to wait a few extra months to begin college, but from the standpoint of the team it would have some benefit.

 

[Killjoy]

^^^ What he said.

We already have a limited number of scholarships in this class, so it would make some sense. I understand that it would likely be a bummer for Chris, having to wait a few extra months to begin college, but from the standpoint of the team it would have some benefit.

Thanks - That certainly makes sense. I am afraid all the early January admissions lately caused me to have a brain freeze. Hopefully, the coaching staff doesn't have one because your suggestion makes a lot of sense; especially if they need another scholarship for 2013.