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From ESPN, also a video attached to the article.
Minnesota is in second place in the Big Ten Legends division, on a four-game win streak and riding a wave of momentum. The Golden Gophers still have a few big games left, but the positives from the season thus far are noticeable from all angles, including recruiting.
Because of the winning, the coaching staff has already noticed an increase in interest from prospects.
Andrew Stelter
Defensive end
2014
Committed: Minnesota
Pos Rk Stars Grade Hometown
78
76 Owatonna, MN
“We’ve seen kids really noticing us and reaching out to us more than in the past,” recruiting coordinator Billy Glasscock said. “I think what it’s done is it’s confirmed all the things we’ve been telling recruits the last three years.”
The coaches have been spreading the word that they have been together for years and have been here before. They have resurrected programs and know how to win.
Nothing brought that point home more than when head coach Jerry Kill was required to take a leave of absence after suffering multiple seizures.
The first concern from recruits was obviously Kill's health. Naturally, though, there were questions that arose. Would Kill’s health would eventually sideline him from coaching permanently, and how that would impact a prospect’s decision to attend Minnesota?
How the coaching staff handled that issue, and the product on the field, seems to have put those concerns at bay.
“It’s not a concern for me at all. I’ve had faith in the staff the whole time and knew they could handle a situation like that,” defensive line commit Andrew Stelter said. “How they handled the situation earlier this season just reinforced that. Talking to other recruits, none of them have been worried or are worried about his condition either.”
That lack of concern, as Stelter mentioned, partially comes from the staff’s ability to win without their leader.
Frank Ragnow
Tom Hauck for Student Sports
Minnesota's performance this season has in-state offensive line prospect Frank Ragnow seriously considering the Gophers.
The coaches didn’t miss a beat and continued coaching as if Kill was still there. His health is the first priority, but the coaches have made a positive out of what initially seemed like a negative.
“It hasn’t been a negative thing. If anything people look at it and say these are real guys,” Glasscock said. “It’s been positive, it shows our strength and how Coach Kill cares about our players and they care about him. People are really seeing a difference.”
Winning games will always reassure a prospect that what the coaches are saying isn’t just a sales pitch.
That’s a good thing for Minnesota, as it has some built in disadvantages from the start. The state isn’t a hot bed of recruits compared to other Midwest states such as Ohio or Illinois. The amount of prospects the state produces each year is typically smaller, which makes each one that much more important.
The staff has always put a premium on keeping the local kids home and with this season they might have a chance to keep more than usual.
Stelter is one of three in-state commits who has been excited by the Gophers' performance. His commitment has always been solid, but seeing his future team have success has only strengthened his bond to Minnesota.
The excitement around the program gets people talking, and Stelter believes that will pay off in the future, potentially with four-star target Frank Ragnow (Victoria, Minn./Chanhassen).
The four-star in-state offensive lineman has narrowed his list to Arkansas, Florida State, Miami, Minnesota, Ohio State and Wisconsin, and says the Gophers are firmly on that list.
Part of the reason the Gophers have made his top group is because of their play this season. In fact, Ragnow said the play on the field was a big factor early on.
“It’s huge because coming into the football season, the one thing Minnesota was lacking was winning. I would’ve ruled them out if they weren’t winning,” he said. “They always talked about winning and now to actually see it happening is huge. That puts the proof in the pudding that they’re a good coaching staff and it’s very promising.”
Ragnow has also been impressed by the fact the staff has won so far without landing top-ranked prospects. He noticed what Kill and his staff were able to do at Northern Illinois as well, bringing that program to prominence under his tutelage.
That’s a point of emphasis for the coaching staff as well. While the staff believes winning will help it land more prospects, Glasscock says it won’t change much in terms of their philosophy.
He points out that Minnesota has gotten to an 8-2 record this season with the players they have recruited so far. That 13 of their 22 starters are young players, still growing in the system, shows they are getting the right guys.
“We’re going to recruit the way we’ve always recruited. The same way we recruited our first year,” Glasscock said. “We’ll always recruit kids off of evaluating football players. We’ve got good recruits, that’s why we’re 8-2.”
Brick by brick has been the motto for this team. Building the right foundation with the right guys is the formula, and this staff is well on its way to resurrecting yet another team to prominence.
Minnesota is in second place in the Big Ten Legends division, on a four-game win streak and riding a wave of momentum. The Golden Gophers still have a few big games left, but the positives from the season thus far are noticeable from all angles, including recruiting.
Because of the winning, the coaching staff has already noticed an increase in interest from prospects.
Andrew Stelter
Defensive end
2014
Committed: Minnesota
Pos Rk Stars Grade Hometown
78
76 Owatonna, MN
“We’ve seen kids really noticing us and reaching out to us more than in the past,” recruiting coordinator Billy Glasscock said. “I think what it’s done is it’s confirmed all the things we’ve been telling recruits the last three years.”
The coaches have been spreading the word that they have been together for years and have been here before. They have resurrected programs and know how to win.
Nothing brought that point home more than when head coach Jerry Kill was required to take a leave of absence after suffering multiple seizures.
The first concern from recruits was obviously Kill's health. Naturally, though, there were questions that arose. Would Kill’s health would eventually sideline him from coaching permanently, and how that would impact a prospect’s decision to attend Minnesota?
How the coaching staff handled that issue, and the product on the field, seems to have put those concerns at bay.
“It’s not a concern for me at all. I’ve had faith in the staff the whole time and knew they could handle a situation like that,” defensive line commit Andrew Stelter said. “How they handled the situation earlier this season just reinforced that. Talking to other recruits, none of them have been worried or are worried about his condition either.”
That lack of concern, as Stelter mentioned, partially comes from the staff’s ability to win without their leader.
Frank Ragnow
Tom Hauck for Student Sports
Minnesota's performance this season has in-state offensive line prospect Frank Ragnow seriously considering the Gophers.
The coaches didn’t miss a beat and continued coaching as if Kill was still there. His health is the first priority, but the coaches have made a positive out of what initially seemed like a negative.
“It hasn’t been a negative thing. If anything people look at it and say these are real guys,” Glasscock said. “It’s been positive, it shows our strength and how Coach Kill cares about our players and they care about him. People are really seeing a difference.”
Winning games will always reassure a prospect that what the coaches are saying isn’t just a sales pitch.
That’s a good thing for Minnesota, as it has some built in disadvantages from the start. The state isn’t a hot bed of recruits compared to other Midwest states such as Ohio or Illinois. The amount of prospects the state produces each year is typically smaller, which makes each one that much more important.
The staff has always put a premium on keeping the local kids home and with this season they might have a chance to keep more than usual.
Stelter is one of three in-state commits who has been excited by the Gophers' performance. His commitment has always been solid, but seeing his future team have success has only strengthened his bond to Minnesota.
The excitement around the program gets people talking, and Stelter believes that will pay off in the future, potentially with four-star target Frank Ragnow (Victoria, Minn./Chanhassen).
The four-star in-state offensive lineman has narrowed his list to Arkansas, Florida State, Miami, Minnesota, Ohio State and Wisconsin, and says the Gophers are firmly on that list.
Part of the reason the Gophers have made his top group is because of their play this season. In fact, Ragnow said the play on the field was a big factor early on.
“It’s huge because coming into the football season, the one thing Minnesota was lacking was winning. I would’ve ruled them out if they weren’t winning,” he said. “They always talked about winning and now to actually see it happening is huge. That puts the proof in the pudding that they’re a good coaching staff and it’s very promising.”
Ragnow has also been impressed by the fact the staff has won so far without landing top-ranked prospects. He noticed what Kill and his staff were able to do at Northern Illinois as well, bringing that program to prominence under his tutelage.
That’s a point of emphasis for the coaching staff as well. While the staff believes winning will help it land more prospects, Glasscock says it won’t change much in terms of their philosophy.
He points out that Minnesota has gotten to an 8-2 record this season with the players they have recruited so far. That 13 of their 22 starters are young players, still growing in the system, shows they are getting the right guys.
“We’re going to recruit the way we’ve always recruited. The same way we recruited our first year,” Glasscock said. “We’ll always recruit kids off of evaluating football players. We’ve got good recruits, that’s why we’re 8-2.”
Brick by brick has been the motto for this team. Building the right foundation with the right guys is the formula, and this staff is well on its way to resurrecting yet another team to prominence.
