Gophers 2026 class remains in the top 20 nationally, will it stay there?

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MNVCGUY said:
12 of the 18 teams in the conference have an average recruit ranking between 86-88. If you want to pretend like there is a massive difference in player quality among those classes feel free but trying to frame the talent we are bringing in as 16th in the conference is a joke, especially when you consider the teams results which are clearly far better then 16th in the conference on the field.

We go through this every year with the team recruiting rankings which are in my opinion one of the most flawed rankings out there. There are the handful of teams that are clearly bringing in elite talent, then there is a massive jumble of teams all bringing in various levels of talent on paper that are all really comparable to each other.

No recruiting class should truly be evaluated until the guys have been in college for 2-3 years and you find out who actually can play and who can't. Add in this transfer portal era where guys are moving all over the place and it lessens the value of recruiting rankings even more because a big chunk of the players you bring in will never play for your team anyway.

In the end it looks like this class is going to be very comparable to most of the classes Fleck has brought in. Won't compare with the classes of teams like Ohio State, USC, Penn State but will be right in line with what the bulk of the conference is bringing in on paper.
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Agreed. I also tend to feel better about the way/timeframe the classes are filled, in comparison both to past MN coaches and other comparable teams. PJ has consistently filled the class by May/June--- they are going out and getting the guys they want, many of whom we've seen get increased ratings and interest later on. This is a lot different than getting commitments in the following fall/winter/spring. Even if they aren't rated super high, the coaches are getting their targets, rather than making do with what's left over.
 

GopherGold01 said:
Agreed. I also tend to feel better about the way/timeframe the classes are filled, in comparison both to past MN coaches and other comparable teams. PJ has consistently filled the class by May/June--- they are going out and getting the guys they want, many of whom we've seen get increased ratings and interest later on. This is a lot different than getting commitments in the following fall/winter/spring. Even if they aren't rated super high, the coaches are getting their targets, rather than making do with what's left over.
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Yeah, can remember under previous staffs when there would be threads with concerns about when we are going to get our first commitment. That hasn't really been an issue under Fleck. He identifies players he wants and they go out and get them committed. Leads to more decommitments and things like that but we typically are one of the earlier teams to fill their recruiting classes each year.

Fleck clearly likes to go this route in order to get a jump on building the next class whereas schools like Iowa often wait until much later in the process to fill their class for the current season.
 

GopherGold01 said:
Agreed. I also tend to feel better about the way/timeframe the classes are filled, in comparison both to past MN coaches and other comparable teams. PJ has consistently filled the class by May/June--- they are going out and getting the guys they want, many of whom we've seen get increased ratings and interest later on. This is a lot different than getting commitments in the following fall/winter/spring. Even if they aren't rated super high, the coaches are getting their targets, rather than making do with what's left over.
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The flip side is they have plenty of time to decommit, which has happened with Fleck, sometimes very late.
 

PMWinSTP said:
The flip side is they have plenty of time to decommit, which has happened with Fleck, sometimes very late.
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Decommits don't really bug me. I mean sure, it sucks when it happens but those guys were probably unlikely to stick around anyway so better to have them decide to go elsewhere before the staff wastes any time trying to develop them.
 



GopherGold01 said:
Agreed. I also tend to feel better about the way/timeframe the classes are filled, in comparison both to past MN coaches and other comparable teams. PJ has consistently filled the class by May/June--- they are going out and getting the guys they want, many of whom we've seen get increased ratings and interest later on. This is a lot different than getting commitments in the following fall/winter/spring. Even if they aren't rated super high, the coaches are getting their targets, rather than making do with what's left over.
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The stories of finding the kid who started playing football half way through his senior year on the outskirts of Death Valley in a 9 man league who’s dad was buddies with Jerry Kill’s brother in law’s best friend were always interesting, but this definitely has a different feel to it.
 

MNVCGUY said:
12 of the 18 teams in the conference have an average recruit ranking between 86-88. If you want to pretend like there is a massive difference in player quality among those classes feel free but trying to frame the talent we are bringing in as 16th in the conference is a joke, especially when you consider the teams results which are clearly far better then 16th in the conference on the field.

We go through this every year with the team recruiting rankings which are in my opinion one of the most flawed rankings out there. There are the handful of teams that are clearly bringing in elite talent, then there is a massive jumble of teams all bringing in various levels of talent on paper that are all really comparable to each other.

No recruiting class should truly be evaluated until the guys have been in college for 2-3 years and you find out who actually can play and who can't. Add in this transfer portal era where guys are moving all over the place and it lessens the value of recruiting rankings even more because a big chunk of the players you bring in will never play for your team anyway.

In the end it looks like this class is going to be very comparable to most of the classes Fleck has brought in. Won't compare with the classes of teams like Ohio State, USC, Penn State but will be right in line with what the bulk of the conference is bringing in on paper.
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While it won’t compare with the blue bloods, I still think this class has the potential to rank among Fleck’s best per recruiting sites. With several guys being borderline four stars and a couple four stars still yet to decide the potential is there. Ratings aside I personally like the look of this class quite a bit. They seem to have taken less developmental type guys from instate this year.
 


I like everything that Fleck is doing right now. He is the best coach for a program like Minnesota. He is a great fit for Minnesota. I truly believe the next 5 years will be the best 5 year stretch that Gopher Football has had in my 50 years as a Gopher fan. He is able to get the players that fit his culture and program. I am excited to see what Drake Lindsey and the team can do this season. The future looks very promising. Go Gophers!
 



MNVCGUY said:
12 of the 18 teams in the conference have an average recruit ranking between 86-88. If you want to pretend like there is a massive difference in player quality among those classes feel free but trying to frame the talent we are bringing in as 16th in the conference is a joke, especially when you consider the teams results which are clearly far better then 16th in the conference on the field.

We go through this every year with the team recruiting rankings which are in my opinion one of the most flawed rankings out there. There are the handful of teams that are clearly bringing in elite talent, then there is a massive jumble of teams all bringing in various levels of talent on paper that are all really comparable to each other.

No recruiting class should truly be evaluated until the guys have been in college for 2-3 years and you find out who actually can play and who can't. Add in this transfer portal era where guys are moving all over the place and it lessens the value of recruiting rankings even more because a big chunk of the players you bring in will never play for your team anyway.

In the end it looks like this class is going to be very comparable to most of the classes Fleck has brought in. Won't compare with the classes of teams like Ohio State, USC, Penn State but will be right in line with what the bulk of the conference is bringing in on paper.
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So we end up with recruiting classes in the bottom quarter of the conference but infield results are middling. I guess it's better than finishing in line with recruiting rankings but as for me, I'd prefer high recruiting rankings and higher finishes.
 

Lifeleadership said:
I like everything that Fleck is doing right now. He is the best coach for a program like Minnesota. He is a great fit for Minnesota. I truly believe the next 5 years will be the best 5 year stretch that Gopher Football has had in my 50 years as a Gopher fan. He is able to get the players that fit his culture and program. I am excited to see what Drake Lindsey and the team can do this season. The future looks very promising. Go Gophers!
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I wish I had your glasses. I don't see anything to suggest that our teams will be anything other than mid conference finish at best, beating a diminished Wisconsin team regularly and losing to a mediocre Iowa team regularly.
 


Word said:
Probably should just give up, huh?
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Exactly. He needs to find a new source of joy in his life, since Gopher football just ain't doing it for him.

Me, I'm having a lot of fun as a Gopher fan. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see 'mediocrity' everywhere I look. I see an enthusiastic, likable team that plays really hard. I can't wait for this upcoming season.
 



swede2 said:
I wish I had your glasses. I don't see anything to suggest that our teams will be anything other than mid conference finish at best, beating a diminished Wisconsin team regularly and losing to a mediocre Iowa team regularly.
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Your glasses are just as fogged by your perceptions and attitudes. We all wear "glasses" but I prefer optismistic outlooks. Granted, you may be right about mid conference finishes. But that is no fun to contemplate. There is hope for more. It can happen. Go Gophers!
 

RememberMurray said:
Exactly. He needs to find a new source of joy in his life, since Gopher football just ain't doing it for him.

Me, I'm having a lot of fun as a Gopher fan. Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't see 'mediocrity' everywhere I look. I see an enthusiastic, likable team that plays really hard. I can't wait for this upcoming season.
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I've been following the Gophers since the early 80s. This is the best era of Gopher football in my lifetime (Kill and Mason not too far behind). Yes there have been a couple frustrating games we've lost, but big-picture it's going well.
 

I have a good feeling about this year. I'm still saying 9 - 3 with losses to TOSU, Oregon and either Iowa or Nebraska.
 

swede2 said:
So we end up with recruiting classes in the bottom quarter of the conference but infield results are middling. I guess it's better than finishing in line with recruiting rankings but as for me, I'd prefer high recruiting rankings and higher finishes.
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We would all love to be in a position like Ohio State or the other schools that are able to attract the best of the best talent on a yearly basis but that isn't realistic and highly unlikely to change.

But I disagree that we are bringing in bottom portion of the conference talent and getting middling results with those players.

Fleck has the program in a very healthy place. If you can't enjoy that then you are probably wasting your time following this program.
 

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