Fleck says MN is putting much greater emphasis on recruiting and developing high school athletes than through Portal

[BleedGopher]

Per Tanick:

Fleck deemed the success of Indiana University, college football’s all-time most losing dormant, as an undefeated national championship this year “the greatest turnaround of an athletic team of all time” and “the greatest sports achievement in our lifetime.”

While the Gophers are “striving” to reach similar heights, Fleck said he is “striving to make it happen in a different way,” referring to a much greater emphasis on recruiting and developing high school athletes, who comprise about 80% of the roster, compared to 20% of players coming through the portal. Fleck de-emphasized the importance of the portal to the team’s fortunes, differentiating the heavy reliance on that device by Indiana whose mature players this season had an average age of 23.5 years old due to periodic portal transfers, a few years older than most other college teams.

‘U’ Officials Discuss Hot Topics With Minnesotans in Sunny Florida | Minneapolis Times

minneapolistimes.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0]

That's going to be a tall task imo.

 

[gopherphil]

I think PJ Fleck is doing this ass backwards but who am I!

 

[50PoundHead]

For this to work, they have to really be good at the evaluation of high school recruits and then keep the best ones in the system, but that may take a lot of cash to do. It works if you can keep a core of players (especially O- and D-linemen) in the system for continuity and then sprinkle in guys through the portal to fill in open spots. But he's really going to have to keep his top-tier of high school recruits in town for their entire eligibility. If he doesn't do that, we'll basically be a farm team.