ESPN director of scouting Tom Luginbill talks gopher recruiting on ESPNU's podcast

[die hard gopher]

http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=9898582

 

[Gopher07]

(Brief) recap of Luginbill on Minnesota:

- Gophers having a great year, but recruiting is status quo.

- Everyone figuring negative recruiting tactics (with respect to Kill's health) will come out of the woodwork, it has and will happen. Coaches hit it head on and answer questions about it.

- Gopher coaches say, "Is that the kind of leadership you want your son to be under over the next 4-5 years?" when they run into recruits and families who have been talked to negatively about it.

- They are "weathering the storm well," and the more they win the easier it will become. The coaches have dealt with it before and will continue to deal with it, having worked together for such a long time.

- "Where is Minnesota going for recruits?" - Not going to fill it up in the state or bordering states, spend a lot of time in Illinois, Georgia & the south in general. A lot of prospects, especially those down south, have asked to take officials during December or January to get a feel for how cold it is (the opposite of Barry Alvarez's approach, which was to have no non-midwesterners during bad weather months).

For those listening, Luginbill joins at about the 8 minute mark. Rittenberg also talks Gophers on the podcast (around the 20 minute mark):

- Seems like the least likely time for a historic win (with Kill out), but players coming through. Vereen feels like players don't panic, feel like they have the players to compete in games.

- For Minnesota, the exciting thing is that they're bowl eligible, can maybe sneak back into Legends division race.

- Who knows, Minnesota vs Michigan State could be an important division game.

- Maisel "thrilled" about the Gophers, because he's a history buff ("I don't think people understand how dominant the Gophers were before WW2 and in the 50s and 60s - that legacy has been laying there waiting for someone to bring it back to life.")

- Rittenberg's big curiosity is if Kill can get this program to a Big Ten Championship; interested to see if they can keep upgrading the talent level and get it to a point where they're competing for championships in the West division; they have as good a chance as anyone to get to Indianapolis.

 

[e.bigelow]

(Brief) recap of Luginbill on Minnesota:

- Gophers having a great year, but recruiting is status quo.

- Everyone figuring negative recruiting tactics (with respect to Kill's health) will come out of the woodwork, it has and will happen. Coaches hit it head on and answer questions about it.

- Gopher coaches say, "Is that the kind of leadership you want your son to be under over the next 4-5 years?" when they run into recruits and families who have been talked to negatively about it.

- They are "weathering the storm well," and the more they win the easier it will become. The coaches have dealt with it before and will continue to deal with it, having worked together for such a long time.

- "Where is Minnesota going for recruits?" - Not going to fill it up in the state or bordering states, spend a lot of time in Illinois, Georgia & the south in general. A lot of prospects, especially those down south, have asked to take officials during December or January to get a feel for how cold it is (the opposite of Barry Alvarez's approach, which was to have no non-midwesterners during bad weather months).

For those listening, Luginbill joins at about the 8 minute mark. Rittenberg also talks Gophers on the podcast (around the 20 minute mark):

- Seems like the least likely time for a historic win (with Kill out), but players coming through. Vereen feels like players don't panic, feel like they have the players to compete in games.

- For Minnesota, the exciting thing is that they're bowl eligible, can maybe sneak back into Legends division race.

- Who knows, Minnesota vs Michigan State could be an important division game.

- Maisel "thrilled" about the Gophers, because he's a history buff ("I don't think people understand how dominant the Gophers were before WW2 and in the 50s and 60s - that legacy has been laying there waiting for someone to bring it back to life.")

- Rittenberg's big curiosity is if Kill can get this program to a Big Ten Championship; interested to see if they can keep upgrading the talent level and get it to a point where they're competing for championships in the West division; they have as good a chance as anyone to get to Indianapolis.

Thanks for summarizing Gopher07! Much appreciated!

 

[GopherFanatic19]

I love the history of the Gophers! I really hope Kill can revive the program and we can hopefully be that dominant again someday! We have all the facilities and we have upgrades coming. Now we just need to perform and make it happen!

 

[station19]

Thanks for summarizing Gopher07! Much appreciated!

Same here.