December 8 2017 - Official Visitors / Walk-Ons List

[Pete smith]

If Kelly was wanting to go after a QB to fit his style, Vic V is the one I'd be more worried about switching.

As much as I hate to admit it, it looks like Iowa will be challenging Becky, and other leading Big Ten schools with the 2017 recruiting classes. Their recent commitments seemed to be all 4 star and even possibly one 5 star. Sad

 

[Johnnyboy18]

As much as I hate to admit it, it looks like Iowa will be challenging Becky, and other leading Big Ten schools with the 2017 recruiting classes. Their recent commitments seemed to be all 4 star and even possibly one 5 star. Sad

Huh? They have one 4 star and zero 5 stars in their class. For 2017 they had 1 five star and 2 four stars.

 

[Livingat45north]

As much as I hate to admit it, it looks like Iowa will be challenging Becky, and other leading Big Ten schools with the 2017 recruiting classes. Their recent commitments seemed to be all 4 star and even possibly one 5 star. Sad

Must be in some alternate universe. In the last three months they've only had two recruits commit, one with a 0.8355 (low three star) and the other was Waggoner (a low four star). We'll see how they close out the year, but as of now I certainly wouldn't trade our class for theirs.

 

[hungan1]

Today is the Big eLITe18Palooza Day!

The Notorious B1G Recruiting Podcast - Dec. 7 with Alan Trieu and Steve Wilfong: Minnesota Recruiting at 35:12. Minnesota focuses on bolstering the offensive line, and to solidify all committed recruits. Other teams are in hot pursuit after some MN recruits hoping to flip them.

Dunlop a very strong Minnesota lean with seven latest Crystal Ball predictions. Faalele (3 predictions) forecasted by Wilfong to MN. Alan Treiu hearing from IMG coaches that Faalele indicated he still wants to stick around SEC country. So, this is a huge battle in all sense of the word. Jason Dickson I am unsure of. Hopefully, PJ Fleck can do his magic. It would be nice to get all three. If not, MN is also looking at Randon Haynes on Dec. 15.

https://247sports.com/college/minnesota/Article/Notorious-B1G-Recruiting-Podcast-Nebraska-and-Scott-Frost-hit-the-ground-running-111903828

Daniel Faalele Latest Crystall Ball as of Dec. 7 (3 predicting MN) - https://247sports.com/PlayerInstitution/Daniel-Faalele-at-IMG-Academy-187540/CurrentExpertPredictions

Curtis Dunlop Latest Crystal Ball as of Dec. 5 (7 predicting MN) - https://247sports.com/PlayerInstitution/Curtis-Dunlap-at-IMG-Academy-148302/CurrentExpertPredictions

You can listen to other previous B1G Recruiting Podcasts with Alan Treiu and Steve Wilfong for free linked in iTUNES:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/notorious-b1g-recruiting-podcast-allen-trieu-steve/id1263529940?mt=2

 

[goldenboy]

Tours of the athlete's village have got to be impressive by now.

 

[Gopherphile]

Must be in some alternate universe. In the last three months they've only had two recruits commit, one with a 0.8355 (low three star) and the other was Waggoner (a low four star). We'll see how they close out the year, but as of now I certainly wouldn't trade our class for theirs.

I’m hoping to get an alternate universe 247 subscription for Christmas but I’m struggling to find an alternate universe Santa’s lap to sit on in order to request it.

Remember: somewhere in the multiverse the Gophers are winning the national title.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dbaldrich1]

People keep telling me that Claeys' inability to recruit is part of the reason that he was fired, and that Fleck's ability to recruit is going to make us better, but by that metric, Brewster was the best coach we've ever had.

Brewster is a very good example of why recruiting rankings aren't the ONLY important element when trying build a solid football program. Brew was touted as a good recruiter when he was hired, and his first two classes at MN support that rep. However, by year 3 it was pretty obvious that he was not ready to be a head coach, and the staff struggled to develop players. Also, the assistant coaching carousel meant that there was no continuity to the offensive or defensive identity of the team.

By contrast, Kill recruited relatively low-ranked classes and still fielded a team that was competitive. It's been well documented on GH that Kill's staff failed to recruit & develop talent and depth at both QB and WR, which likely cost the team at least a few wins during the Kill/Claeys tenure.

Going into this season, the scandal meant the team lost a number of defensive starters and some depth players before the season began. Injuries to DB's, on the OL, and at WR exposed a lack of quality depth ready to play. So, it's not unreasonable to think that this year's team would have struggled whether Claeys or Fleck was the coach.

With all that said, the energy surrounding the program under Fleck (so far) is much more positive than it was at the end of Claeys' final season, even though the team won 9 games. I am not necessarily placing all of the blame for that on Claeys, but the program needed a shot in the arm.

Fleck is doing all he can to promote his vision for the program and bring in higher rated recruits, and it's hard to envision Claeys bringing the same level of energy. Whether you like Fleck's approach/personality or not, he has injected energy into the program and looks to poised to sign a strong recruiting class despite a 5-win season with two shutout losses to end the year. Of course, the combination of on the field play and subsequent recruiting classes in the 2018 and 2019 seasons will show whether Fleck can make his vision a reality.

 

[hungan1]

Brewster is a very good example of why recruiting rankings aren't the ONLY important element when trying build a solid football program. Brew was touted as a good recruiter when he was hired, and his first two classes at MN support that rep. However, by year 3 it was pretty obvious that he was not ready to be a head coach, and the staff struggled to develop players. Also, the assistant coaching carousel meant that there was no continuity to the offensive or defensive identity of the team.

By contrast, Kill recruited relatively low-ranked classes and still fielded a team that was competitive. It's been well documented on GH that Kill's staff failed to recruit & develop talent and depth at both QB and WR, which likely cost the team at least a few wins during the Kill/Claeys tenure.

Going into this season, the scandal meant the team lost a number of defensive starters and some depth players before the season began. Injuries to DB's, on the OL, and at WR exposed a lack of quality depth ready to play. So, it's not unreasonable to think that this year's team would have struggled whether Claeys or Fleck was the coach.

With all that said, the energy surrounding the program under Fleck (so far) is much more positive than it was at the end of Claeys' final season, even though the team won 9 games. I am not necessarily placing all of the blame for that on Claeys, but the program needed a shot in the arm.

Fleck is doing all he can to promote his vision for the program and bring in higher rated recruits, and it's hard to envision Claeys bringing the same level of energy. Whether you like Fleck's approach/personality or not, he has injected energy into the program and looks to poised to sign a strong recruiting class despite a 5-win season with two shutout losses to end the year. Of course, the combination of on the field play and subsequent recruiting classes in the 2018 and 2019 seasons will show whether Fleck can make his vision a reality.

+1 Spot on.

 

[gophers141]

Any word on if Craig Williams is on campus today/tonight?

Any word on who the other mystery visitors are?

 

[e.bigelow]

Brewster is a very good example of why recruiting rankings aren't the ONLY important element when trying build a solid football program. Brew was touted as a good recruiter when he was hired, and his first two classes at MN support that rep. However, by year 3 it was pretty obvious that he was not ready to be a head coach, and the staff struggled to develop players. Also, the assistant coaching carousel meant that there was no continuity to the offensive or defensive identity of the team.

By contrast, Kill recruited relatively low-ranked classes and still fielded a team that was competitive. It's been well documented on GH that Kill's staff failed to recruit & develop talent and depth at both QB and WR, which likely cost the team at least a few wins during the Kill/Claeys tenure.

Going into this season, the scandal meant the team lost a number of defensive starters and some depth players before the season began. Injuries to DB's, on the OL, and at WR exposed a lack of quality depth ready to play. So, it's not unreasonable to think that this year's team would have struggled whether Claeys or Fleck was the coach.

With all that said, the energy surrounding the program under Fleck (so far) is much more positive than it was at the end of Claeys' final season, even though the team won 9 games. I am not necessarily placing all of the blame for that on Claeys, but the program needed a shot in the arm.

Fleck is doing all he can to promote his vision for the program and bring in higher rated recruits, and it's hard to envision Claeys bringing the same level of energy. Whether you like Fleck's approach/personality or not, he has injected energy into the program and looks to poised to sign a strong recruiting class despite a 5-win season with two shutout losses to end the year. Of course, the combination of on the field play and subsequent recruiting classes in the 2018 and 2019 seasons will show whether Fleck can make his vision a reality.

Great post. All very fair and well said. Nicely done!

 

[50PoundHead]

Brewster is a very good example of why recruiting rankings aren't the ONLY important element when trying build a solid football program. Brew was touted as a good recruiter when he was hired, and his first two classes at MN support that rep. However, by year 3 it was pretty obvious that he was not ready to be a head coach, and the staff struggled to develop players. Also, the assistant coaching carousel meant that there was no continuity to the offensive or defensive identity of the team.

By contrast, Kill recruited relatively low-ranked classes and still fielded a team that was competitive. It's been well documented on GH that Kill's staff failed to recruit & develop talent and depth at both QB and WR, which likely cost the team at least a few wins during the Kill/Claeys tenure.

Going into this season, the scandal meant the team lost a number of defensive starters and some depth players before the season began. Injuries to DB's, on the OL, and at WR exposed a lack of quality depth ready to play. So, it's not unreasonable to think that this year's team would have struggled whether Claeys or Fleck was the coach.

With all that said, the energy surrounding the program under Fleck (so far) is much more positive than it was at the end of Claeys' final season, even though the team won 9 games. I am not necessarily placing all of the blame for that on Claeys, but the program needed a shot in the arm.

Fleck is doing all he can to promote his vision for the program and bring in higher rated recruits, and it's hard to envision Claeys bringing the same level of energy. Whether you like Fleck's approach/personality or not, he has injected energy into the program and looks to poised to sign a strong recruiting class despite a 5-win season with two shutout losses to end the year. Of course, the combination of on the field play and subsequent recruiting classes in the 2018 and 2019 seasons will show whether Fleck can make his vision a reality.

Well said, but far too logical (and not snarky enough).

 

[diehard]

Trying to justify this last season doesn't express the faith you have in Fleck very well. In fact, it smells of insecurity. How about looking forward guys? This is going to be a really good class for putting it together in less than a year. Recruiting is a longer process than that. Be prepared to have 1 or 2 poached. No problem. We have until February to replace them if it happens. Look forward, not backward.

 

[Mulligan]

Brewster is a very good example of why recruiting rankings aren't the ONLY important element when trying build a solid football program. Brew was touted as a good recruiter when he was hired, and his first two classes at MN support that rep. However, by year 3 it was pretty obvious that he was not ready to be a head coach, and the staff struggled to develop players. Also, the assistant coaching carousel meant that there was no continuity to the offensive or defensive identity of the team.

By contrast, Kill recruited relatively low-ranked classes and still fielded a team that was competitive. It's been well documented on GH that Kill's staff failed to recruit & develop talent and depth at both QB and WR, which likely cost the team at least a few wins during the Kill/Claeys tenure.

Going into this season, the scandal meant the team lost a number of defensive starters and some depth players before the season began. Injuries to DB's, on the OL, and at WR exposed a lack of quality depth ready to play. So, it's not unreasonable to think that this year's team would have struggled whether Claeys or Fleck was the coach.

With all that said, the energy surrounding the program under Fleck (so far) is much more positive than it was at the end of Claeys' final season, even though the team won 9 games. I am not necessarily placing all of the blame for that on Claeys, but the program needed a shot in the arm.

Fleck is doing all he can to promote his vision for the program and bring in higher rated recruits, and it's hard to envision Claeys bringing the same level of energy. Whether you like Fleck's approach/personality or not, he has injected energy into the program and looks to poised to sign a strong recruiting class despite a 5-win season with two shutout losses to end the year. Of course, the combination of on the field play and subsequent recruiting classes in the 2018 and 2019 seasons will show whether Fleck can make his vision a reality.

Post more often. +1

 

[grumps]

nm

 

[grumps]

Brewster is a very good example of why recruiting rankings aren't the ONLY important element when trying build a solid football program. Brew was touted as a good recruiter when he was hired, and his first two classes at MN support that rep. However, by year 3 it was pretty obvious that he was not ready to be a head coach, and the staff struggled to develop players. Also, the assistant coaching carousel meant that there was no continuity to the offensive or defensive identity of the team.

By contrast, Kill recruited relatively low-ranked classes and still fielded a team that was competitive. It's been well documented on GH that Kill's staff failed to recruit & develop talent and depth at both QB and WR, which likely cost the team at least a few wins during the Kill/Claeys tenure.

Going into this season, the scandal meant the team lost a number of defensive starters and some depth players before the season began. Injuries to DB's, on the OL, and at WR exposed a lack of quality depth ready to play. So, it's not unreasonable to think that this year's team would have struggled whether Claeys or Fleck was the coach.

With all that said, the energy surrounding the program under Fleck (so far) is much more positive than it was at the end of Claeys' final season, even though the team won 9 games. I am not necessarily placing all of the blame for that on Claeys, but the program needed a shot in the arm.

Fleck is doing all he can to promote his vision for the program and bring in higher rated recruits, and it's hard to envision Claeys bringing the same level of energy. Whether you like Fleck's approach/personality or not, he has injected energy into the program and looks to poised to sign a strong recruiting class despite a 5-win season with two shutout losses to end the year. Of course, the combination of on the field play and subsequent recruiting classes in the 2018 and 2019 seasons will show whether Fleck can make his vision a reality.

I assume this was copied from someplace other than Gopherhole.

Far too reasonable and accurate to be original content posted here.

 

[Spoofin]

Since when is being logical appreciated in GH? When you agree?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hungan1]

This recruiting class that is here visiting today seems to address the offense and setup a continuity for improvements into the next recruiting classes.

However, I don't think it is lost in PJ Fleck's mind that they also must address the defense with equal vigor. They had to pick and chose seeing so many attrition/team deficits. They deemed offensive improvements as being more critical. IMHO, it is the right choice.

Dbaldrich1 made a good observation: It would not make a hill of beans difference who would be coaching after last season with the state of the the Gophers' roster. Claeys would have also struggled.

I look forward to the defense being addressed in this coming cycles.

IMHO, the average player rating must be 0.86 or higher, and the team points in the rankings must consistently get up to the 200 points level give or take a few points. The Gophers talent-wise have to be about or above the rest of the B1G West to become serious contenders on a more regular basis (getting out of the average 5th place finish in B1G West). Looking at this year's recruiting listing (attached), one can see why we'd want to be in the 0.86 to 0.90 average player rating. This is assuming we have competent stable coaching with a system in place.



Suppositions/Conjectures:
Good coaching, talent, and player development will help win a few more games than you normally would.
Good coaching, good talent, and team depth will get you to the next plateau.
Good coaching, exceptional talent, and team depth will get you to new heights.

Average recruiting talent level and total team points to content for B1G West - 0.86 to 0.90

To content regularly for B1G West, B1G Title, and occasional national championship run - 0.90 to 0.99

Just take a look at where the top ten teams are in recruiting rankings as of 12/8/2017.

https://247sports.com/Season/2018-Football/CompositeTeamRankings

 

[grumps]

This recruiting class that is here visiting today seems to address the offense and setup a continuity for improvements into the next recruiting classes.

However, I don't think it is lost in PJ Fleck's mind that they also must address the defense with equal vigor. They had to pick and chose seeing so many attrition/team deficits. They deemed offensive improvements as being more critical. IMHO, it is the right choice.

The previous poster made a good observation: It would not make a hill of beans difference who would be coaching after last season with the state of the the Gophers' roster. Claeys would have also struggled.

I look forward to the defense being addressed in this coming cycles.

IMHO, the average player rating must be 0.86 or higher, and the team points in the rankings must consistently get up to the 200 points level give or take a few points. The Gophers talent-wise have to be about or above the rest of the B1G West to become serious contenders on a more regular basis (getting out of the average 5th place finish in B1G West). Looking at this year's recruiting listing (attached), one can see why we'want to be in the 0.86 to 0.90 average player rating. This is assuming we have competent stable coaching with a system in place.

View attachment 5270

Suppositions/Conjectures:
Good coaching, talent, and player development will help win a few more games than you normally would.
Good coaching, good talent, and team depth will get you to the next plateau.
Good coaching, exceptional talent, and team depth will get you to new heights.

Average recruiting talent level and total team points to content for B1G West - 0.86 to 0.90

To content regularly for B1G West, B1G Title, and occasional national championship run - 0.90 to 0.99

Just take a look at where the top ten teams are in recruiting rankings as of 12/8/2017.

https://247sports.com/Season/2018-Football/CompositeTeamRankings

Now this is where someone needs to look at the top 10 schools. Pick the one outlier (Maybe Texas again) and point out how Texas was bad and recruiting rankings don't mean everything. Meanwhile, the other 9 were all in CFP discussions at various parts of the year.

 

[hungan1]

Now this is where someone needs to look at the top 10 schools. Pick the one outlier (Maybe Texas again) and point out how Texas was bad and recruiting rankings don't mean everything. Meanwhile, the other 9 were all in CFP discussions at various parts of the year.

There is a lot to think about the significance of this weekend. This is off topic. So moderator(s), if you want to move this discussion as a separate thread on its own, please do so.

With the B1G, Nebraska was the outlier for a while. This will change with Frost.

This is the reality of D1 college football. You have the haves and the have nots. It is not going to change by drastic measures unless something big like a death penalty, severe regime change, changes in admissions standards, recruiting limits, or organizational psychosis like Tennessee.

The beauty is that dynasties do come and go. Furthermore, occasionally if you look at the historical record a new football challenger comes and vie for the national championship that is not part of the normal inner circle of the haves. It can also be very cyclical.

There are 12 teams that dominate the "Inner Circle" of the modern era (1970 to today): Alabama, Ohio State, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Oklahoma, Miami, USC, Clemson, Penn State, Nebraska, and Texas won back to back 1969-1970.

There are also teams that won national titles outside of the dominant teams: Pitt 1976, BYU 1984, Georgia Tech and Colorado 1990, Washington 1991, and Tennessee 1998.

It is quite possible for teams like Minnesota. Never say never. The stars have to be aligned. That is the beauty of watching college football for me. I root for teams that come outside of the usual contenders to win it all.

Things can happen. I was half serious when I was joking about the future effects of the changing severe weather patterns due to greenhouse effects & other calamities and changing demographics trend on the fortunes of college football championships. It is scary that the hurricanes are increasingly becoming more intense and frequent, and the frequency of large flash fires consuming towns west of the Rocky Mountains. What about earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, rising sea levels? We are talking about maybe the next fifty to one hundred years. It is quite possible to see migration of people from coastal areas further inland.

Today, it favors the major population corridors in B1G East, ACC, SEC, and Big 12 country.

http://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/college-football-national-championship-history

 

[MplsGopher]

This will change with Frost.

Nope. It won't.

Scott Frost doesn't have magic potions or spells he can cast. He can't show up to a Florida high school and tell a young man "Hi, I'm Scott Frost. I work in Nebraska, a cold, lowly populated, low diversity, conservative culture, state in the middle of nowhere that is too far to drive to from here. I command you to come back with me and play football to enrich the University of Nebraska, after which you will leave the state and may or may not have a chance to play in the NFL. I command it."


Fat chance, Scotty.


Florida is too far away. California is too far away. His only chance is Texas, frankly. And why is a four star/five star kid in Texas going to step over UT, TA&M, OU, LSU, etc etc etc to go to Nebraska??

He'll have to make due with three star kids from the midwest, just like all the other Big Ten West teams have to do, and hope he can develop them into NFL prospects.


That's the fact of life, just as it is in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

 

[MplsGopher]

Brewster is a very good example of why recruiting rankings aren't the ONLY important element when trying build a solid football program. Brew was touted as a good recruiter when he was hired, and his first two classes at MN support that rep. However, by year 3 it was pretty obvious that he was not ready to be a head coach, and the staff struggled to develop players. Also, the assistant coaching carousel meant that there was no continuity to the offensive or defensive identity of the team.

By contrast, Kill recruited relatively low-ranked classes and still fielded a team that was competitive. It's been well documented on GH that Kill's staff failed to recruit & develop talent and depth at both QB and WR, which likely cost the team at least a few wins during the Kill/Claeys tenure.

Going into this season, the scandal meant the team lost a number of defensive starters and some depth players before the season began. Injuries to DB's, on the OL, and at WR exposed a lack of quality depth ready to play. So, it's not unreasonable to think that this year's team would have struggled whether Claeys or Fleck was the coach.

With all that said, the energy surrounding the program under Fleck (so far) is much more positive than it was at the end of Claeys' final season, even though the team won 9 games. I am not necessarily placing all of the blame for that on Claeys, but the program needed a shot in the arm.

Fleck is doing all he can to promote his vision for the program and bring in higher rated recruits, and it's hard to envision Claeys bringing the same level of energy. Whether you like Fleck's approach/personality or not, he has injected energy into the program and looks to poised to sign a strong recruiting class despite a 5-win season with two shutout losses to end the year. Of course, the combination of on the field play and subsequent recruiting classes in the 2018 and 2019 seasons will show whether Fleck can make his vision a reality.

Great post!


I'd like to extend it, in this way: being a head coach is really all about being the figure head of the program. It's about who you are, where you came from, how you look, how you act, and what you say.

Claeys and Kill ... they were/are essentially football nerds. Great football minds. They may even have a particular eye for overlooked, high potential to be developed talent. That seemed to be their MO. But neither of them really "looked the part" of a major head coach. Especially Claeys. And I'm not trying to be offensive about his weight. He just didn't seem to interact with the media in a way that seemed like a head coach. It was more like a "Why would you ask that stupid question?" or "Hurry up, get to the point ... ok here is the exact informational details you wanted, now go away" type of mentality. And neither of them were particularly great players of the game themselves.

Recruits, at least these days, seem to love attitude and flash. And I think a huge aspect is that they have respect for when a head coach was a former player himself. Both those of those are sorely lacking features in Kill and Claeys. And I think they knew it too. That's why I think their whole recruiting strategy was to simply go after kids who didn't have P5 offers and surprise them. Tell them "hey, stick with me, I think you can be a great player and we'll make you into a major college player, commit to me now over those FBS and FCS offers".


Fleck is on the completely other side of the spectrum. So was Brewster. You highlighted some of the challenges that ultimately caused his ship to sink .... and a huge part of recruiting that can't be bypassed, no matter how good of a salesman you are, is what direction your program is trending. If you can't win, you can't maintain recruiting momentum.

Really hoping Fleck doesn't succumb to the same problems Brewster ran into.

 

[MplsGopher]

And by the way, where is Brewster these days? He ended up doing what he loved to do: recruiting. 2017 was his fourth season as Florida State's TE position coach (the position he played, very well, for Illinois) and recruiting coordinator.

We'll see if Taggart keeps him.

 

[hungan1]

Great post!


I'd like to extend it, in this way: being a head coach is really all about being the figure head of the program. It's about who you are, where you came from, how you look, how you act, and what you say.

Claeys and Kill ... they were/are essentially football nerds. Great football minds. They may even have a particular eye for overlooked, high potential to be developed talent. That seemed to be their MO. But neither of them really "looked the part" of a major head coach. Especially Claeys. And I'm not trying to be offensive about his weight. He just didn't seem to interact with the media in a way that seemed like a head coach. It was more like a "Why would you ask that stupid question?" or "Hurry up, get to the point ... ok here is the exact informational details you wanted, now go away" type of mentality. And neither of them were particularly great players of the game themselves.

Recruits, at least these days, seem to love attitude and flash. And I think a huge aspect is that they have respect for when a head coach was a former player himself. Both those of those are sorely lacking features in Kill and Claeys. And I think they knew it too. That's why I think their whole recruiting strategy was to simply go after kids who didn't have P5 offers and surprise them. Tell them "hey, stick with me, I think you can be a great player and we'll make you into a major college player, commit to me now over those FBS and FCS offers".


Fleck is on the completely other side of the spectrum. So was Brewster. You highlighted some of the challenges that ultimately caused his ship to sink .... and a huge part of recruiting that can't be bypassed, no matter how good of a salesman you are, is what direction your program is trending. If you can't win, you can't maintain recruiting momentum.

Really hoping Fleck doesn't succumb to the same problems Brewster ran into.

Very good discussion threads.

You have sell the program well, but if you don't perform afterwards it will become very obvious.

 

[Winasota Gopher]

This thread was awesome until it turned into a recruiting rankings discussion.

You guys are relentless.

How's that visit going today fellas?

 

[hungan1]

No word on today's activities other than the mention of the recruits visiting Target Field, US Bank Stadium in addition to all the on campus tours.

We hear that Craig Williams is here, but no word on any other mystery visitors.

What I am hoping for is that this eLITe18Palooza can translate into some higher level targets committing. We have formidable competition for Dunlop and Faalele. This is what makes me worried. If they can get Williams or any high level defensive player also, that will be awesome. But, we will soon find out.

What happens between now and the December 20 early signing date is the critical part.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

As a general rule of thumb, higher-rated recruits are preferable to lower-rated recruits.

I know I am way out of the mainstream on these recruiting discussions. But, I just can't get excited - or I don't let myself get excited - in these discussions about whether Recruit A or Recruit B is going to sign with the Gophers.

In general, as I understand the ratings, we are talking about good players here. And you need good players. But are any of these candidates a transformational player?

by transformational, I mean a player who is so bleeping good that he changes the program with his presence - a potential All-American, 1st-round NFL draft choice type of player.

Again, I'm not knocking any of the current recruits. They seem to have potential, but whether that potential is realized remains to be seen.

I just think that the Gophers, to really move the needle and make that jump that people want, need to bring in a transformational player. Not just good, or better than average - a "holy bleep, did you see that" kind of player. A SportsCenter Top 10 plays of the day player.

Granted, the Gophers have not had that type of a player in a long time. They have had a lot of good players - some really good. But it hasn't been enough to really change the status quo.

So - the ultimate question - can Fleck bring in the type of player I'm talking about. Remains to be seen.

 

[RatherBeGolfing]

As a general rule of thumb, higher-rated recruits are preferable to lower-rated recruits.

I know I am way out of the mainstream on these recruiting discussions. But, I just can't get excited - or I don't let myself get excited - in these discussions about whether Recruit A or Recruit B is going to sign with the Gophers.

In general, as I understand the ratings, we are talking about good players here. And you need good players. But are any of these candidates a transformational player?

by transformational, I mean a player who is so bleeping good that he changes the program with his presence - a potential All-American, 1st-round NFL draft choice type of player.

Again, I'm not knocking any of the current recruits. They seem to have potential, but whether that potential is realized remains to be seen.

I just think that the Gophers, to really move the needle and make that jump that people want, need to bring in a transformational player. Not just good, or better than average - a "holy bleep, did you see that" kind of player. A SportsCenter Top 10 plays of the day player.

Granted, the Gophers have not had that type of a player in a long time. They have had a lot of good players - some really good. But it hasn't been enough to really change the status quo.

So - the ultimate question - can Fleck bring in the type of player I'm talking about. Remains to be seen.

So essentially you're saying we can't move forward unless we land the top kid in the country? I'm being a bit sarcastic but not even most 5* kids are transformational, immediate impact, immediately good for a few more wins type good in football.

 

[hungan1]

SON, "Program or Franchise Player" tags are very rare. I would venture to say someone like a Herschel Walker type of player. Furthermore, only the top thirty players in each recruiting class are designated as 5 Stars.

Program changers are very rare even for the powerhouse schools.

Here is how 247SPorts assigns their ranking:

110 - 101 = Franchise Player. One of the best players to come along in years, if not decades. Odds of having a player in this category every year is slim. This prospect has "can’t miss" talent.

100 - 98 = Five-star prospect. One of the top 30 players in the nation. This player has excellent pro-potential and should emerge as one of the best in the country before the end of his career. There will be 32 prospects ranked in this range in every football class to mirror the first round of the NFL Draft.

97 - 90 = Four-star prospect. One of the top 300 players in the nation. This prospect will be an impact-player for his college team. He is an All-American candidate who is projected to play professionally.

89 - 80 = Three-star prospect. One of the top 10% players in the nation. This player will develop into a reliable starter for his college team and is among the best players in his region of the country. Many three-stars have significant pro potential.

79 - below = Two-star prospect. This player makes up the bulk of Division I rosters. He may have little pro-potential, but is likely to become a role player for his respective school.

https://247sports.com/Article/247Rating-Explanation-81574

 

[Spoofin]

NE has the 14th ranked class in the B1G in December. We all assume it wouldn't have got better with Riley, right?


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[short ornery norwegian]

So essentially you're saying we can't move forward unless we land the top kid in the country? I'm being a bit sarcastic but not even most 5* kids are transformational, immediate impact, immediately good for a few more wins type good in football.

it gets back to the old argument about 'taking the next step.' Mason had really good players in Barber and Maroney - he had a 10-win season - but it didn't move the program past WI or IA in the long run.

I'm not saying they have to land the top kid in the country - but something has to happen to change the status quo for this program. I'm just putting out a theory that - if the program is going to make that jump, and accomplish what WI has done, then something dramatic needs to happen. Landing an All-American type of player - a dominant player - might give the program the jumpstart it needs. That puts MN on the national conversation - on the highlight shows - and grabs attention for the program. Attention that could lead to more recruits or better recruits who are at least willing to consider MN on their short list. Talent attracts talent. Talent leads to winning. Winning attracts more talent. And boosters. And Money. And fans in the seats. And everything else we talk about on this board all year round.

Otherwise, I have a feeling that it's going to be more of the same until eternity - a 7-win season here, an 8-win season there, and maybe a 10-win season once in a blue moon. That does not elevate MN into the conversation with the big boys.

Maybe it all starts with one recruit. that's what I'm saying. that one guy who comes in here and changes the perception of the program.