Do you want your opinion to be voiced on KFAN?

[josh087]

Certainly. But it's just interesting that you talk about how you're not judging him and yet you judge him in the same post that you talk about not judging him. I think your last point about waiting for judgment is sound. And I share your frustration that we haven't seen a "complete" coach (i.e. recruiting and coaching) in my lifetime (and beyond). But that just highlights the silliness of your "it is frustrating that no better progress seems to be made recruiting-wise under Kill than under Brewster" comparison. It doesn't make sense in light of your other point and its not logical given the circumstances. Which is why I highlighted it and called it out. I should have given more initial credence to the other sections of the post where you mention that waiting makes sense and I apologize for that. But that more sensible point doesn't explain away the silliness of the comparison I highlighted.

That's fair - I should have phrased that differently so it was more clear it was not a final judgment as the way I put it made it seem.

 

[Pewterschmidt]

Reasons for Optimism:
1. Tommy Olson
2. Filled many needs in the defensive backfield with immediate help from Crawford and a nice looking prospect in Montgomery.
3. Certainly stockpiled potential MLBs in Bauducco, Westerhaus, and Matilus
4. Love what's going on on the OL with Campion, the McAvoy Twins, Bush, Bjorklund, and obviously Olson.
5. I think the Ginger at QB (Shortell) is a good prospect

Reasons to worry:
1. DT anyone? The depth and talent on the current roster at that position is glaringly absent and we didn't address it with any obvious signee, unless one of the OL get moved there
2. Really needed more help at DE. That was the weakest position last year and a JUCO could have really helped, not to mention a more seasoned freshman.
3. No true speed outside LBs, unless you consider Cockran one.
4. Outside of Olson and possibly Montgomery, this class really lacks buzz. Coach 'em up but it sure would be nice if more recruits were more well regarded in the industry. I'm afraid we went back to the opposite end of the spectrum with the Kill hire. People know there's a middle ground, right? Someone that can coach AND can recruit, right? The best chef in the world can't make a good meal with rotten ingredients just like a hack in the kitchen can't make a good meal with the freshest of ingredients. Middle ground please. Kill may prove he's good at finding hidden gems or prove that given a full recruiting cycle/year he can get more well thought-of players but considered me underwhelmed right now.

 

[GoAUpher]

That's fair - I should have phrased that differently so it was more clear it was not a final judgment as the way I put it made it seem.

Makes sense and its something I would have caught if I hadn't focused in solely on the comment I highlighted. And BTW you were right, I suck at fishing.

 

[GopherFB]

I think the class is a little better than I expected. I didn't expect much because:

#1- Kill isn't a big name coach that would automatically put the Gophers on the radar of a lot of top recruits.

#2- Transition years like this are pretty much toss away classes, unless you are a big name coach or top tier program.

Still, I think being in the Big Ten probably helped the recruiting class some and the fact that the better recruits know they're likely to get playing time early on.


I think Kill is a very likable guy and really seems to know the X's and O's and gets max value out of each recruit. So, this class may not be rated as high as the Brewster classes, I think the end result will be better with a much better coach.


As for the class itself:

Tommy Olson is a stud in the making, easily a 4 star recruit and may endup being better than that. I like all the "hogs" they picked up on OL, which is an huge area for improvement. I think Campion could turn out to be a diamond in the rough, he was a 2xtime state medal winner(2nd and 5th, I believe) in wrestling and obviously very good on the football side in HS. They picked up some good depth at other positions as well.

Outside of Olson, I don't see any studs in this class but the beauty of College Football is coaching makes up for a lack of talent a lot more than it does in the NFL. Also, plenty of 2-3 star kids end up being a lot better than their recruit rating.