keelon brookins first to commit to gophers in 2013

Donate To GopherHole
G

Go4

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 12, 2009
Messages
4,190
Reaction score
916
Points
113
welcome aboard!!
 

Saw him at Tartan this past year. Good coverage and speed. Welcome aboard!
 

Great pickup. Will probably be at worst the #3 player in the state and a high 3-star. Welcome aboard Keelon!
 

Keelon, keeloff. Wax on, wax off. Can't wait till the spring game.
 



Speed Kills. Kill's speed. Welcome Keelon... and bring some more quick friends too!
 

Lock Down the Borders

Awesome start! Yes, we need big time players from all over the country to be dominate nationally, but securing the best Minnesota kids is the foundation to Gopher football success.
 





Great get! He has legitimate speed. It's really nice to see him commit early.
 


upnorthkid said:
Hopefully now we can see him pull a Nelson and recruit for us as well.
Click to expand...

Yep, that'd be ideal. Even if he isn't as outgoing as Nelson, just the fact that a guy like him commits this early sets the tone for the rest of this class. There does seem to be a mindset being created that the Gophers really are Minnesota's team. So even if we miss on JO or Will Johnson, hopefully those kinds of players are merely aberrations.
 

With 4.36 and 4.39 sprints in the 40-yard, he does add some legit speed indeed. Great addition from the state and for the Gophers.
 



Bob_Loblaw said:
Yep, that'd be ideal. Even if he isn't as outgoing as Nelson, just the fact that a guy like him commits this early sets the tone for the rest of this class. There does seem to be a mindset being created that the Gophers really are Minnesota's team. So even if we miss on JO or Will Johnson, hopefully those kinds of players are merely aberrations.
Click to expand...

What do I know? Given the shortage of available tenders this coming year, I'd think the Minnesota high school recruits that receive an offer from coach Kill may want to snap up the tender and commit sooner than later. The wait and see scenario of years past may not be the easy or correct option this year, especially if they're thinking at all that they want to play before family and friends. As I said in the opening, what do I know? Maybe the reduced number of available scholarships won't come in to play; however, I think it could very well be a season of early commitments from the Minnesota contingent.

Go Gophers!!
 

Keelon - Gophers got a thing going on here. The buzz is happening and you are a part of it now. Good things are coming and you are in the front row. JK won't let you down and the environment is right for the making of legends. Can't wait to see you in Maroon and Gold.
 

Fantastic news. Welcome aboard, Keelon!
 



Welcome, Keelon! Coach Kill continues to build a strong foundation of MN kids.
 

Tartan's Keelon Brookins Becomes First to Commit to Gophers Class of 2013
By Chris Monter

http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/136071?referrer_id=331171

Keelon Brookins, a 5-foot-11, 175-pound athlete from Tartan (MN) High, became the first player from the Class of 2013 to commit to Minnesota.

GopherHole.com caught up with Tartan head coach Tim Murtha to learn more about his standout’s decision to become a Golden Gopher.

Gopher Hole: Were you surprised at all that he committed so early to the Gophers?

Tim Murtha: No. I knew that it was something that he had been considering. I did not know that they had been this far into the conversation with him, but I am not surprised that he took the opportunity when it availed itself.

Gopher Hole: Do you know when they offer him?

Tim Murtha: When I spoke to him today, it sounded like they offered it to him last night.

Gopher Hole: What type of player are the Gophers getting?

Tim Murtha: They are getting a player that works extremely hard, both in the classroom and the weight room and on the practice field. He is a very energetic player who loves the game of football and is also a kid with great character. He is a kid who has been a leader for us, both in the classroom and in the building as well as on the field.

Gopher Hole: I know that he missed most of the season with a knee injury. What are the expectations for him going into his senior year?

Tim Murtha: Going into his senior year, we expected him to be a player who leads through example. We expected him to be a playmaker for us. He is an extremely explosive player who has some great natural instincts that we hope to take advantage of.

Gopher Hole: I know that he plays all over the field for you, but what position do you expect him to play in college?

Tim Murtha: Most schools that were looking at him were looking at him as a safety.

Gopher Hole: What position is he going to play for you this season?

Tim Murtha: He is going to play a little of everything.

Gopher Hole: What are some of the things that, like any kid his age, that he needs to continue to improve on to play at that level.

Tim Murtha: I would say that he needs to improve on his technique, just physically on the field. We know that he is a tremendous athlete. We know that he is good in the classroom, but there are always things that you can do to challenge yourself to get better technique-wise, because when you get to, that next level, there are lots of players who are very athletic and very good in the classroom. What is going to have to separate him is how he develops his technique at his position.

Gopher Hole: H torn his ACL last year. How is his health right now.

Tim Murtha: He has worked really hard. He came back early from that, because he worked so hard on the rehab and he is fine health right now.

Gopher Hole: I know in my dealings with him that he seems like a competitive kid. How hard was it for him to sit out?

Tim Murtha: It was very frustrating for him. He is a kid who wants to be out there every single night.

Gopher Hole: He participated in the U.S. Army Combine. What did he gain from that experience?

Tim Murtha: I think what the combine gives you is the opportunity to test yourself against other quality talent and to get some exposure.
 



4.36 & 4.39 times?

not trying to start a 40 time war again, but where did these numbers come from? is this the times he ran at the gopher camp recently? are these times he ran after his injury or before his injury.
 

Re: 40 Time

SDGopherFan said:
not trying to start a 40 time war again, but where did these numbers come from? is this the times he ran at the gopher camp recently? are these times he ran after his injury or before his injury.
Click to expand...

Private timing attended only by his dad.

Wasn't the fastest combine time 4.41 by RG3?
 

SDGopherFan said:
not trying to start a 40 time war again, but where did these numbers come from? is this the times he ran at the gopher camp recently? are these times he ran after his injury or before his injury.
Click to expand...

No idea where those times are from. He participated in the Nike SPARQ combine and the US Army Combine, and at those events he came in around 4.55-4.6. the caveat you should throw in there is that those times are before his ACL injury. But if Kill is confident he regained his speed it's a nonissue.

Welcome Keelon! So glad we're kicking 2013 recruiting off fast...
 

SDGopherFan said:
not trying to start a 40 time war again, but where did these numbers come from? is this the times he ran at the gopher camp recently? are these times he ran after his injury or before his injury.
Click to expand...

It allegedly came from the 2011 NUC (National Underclassmen) combine:

http://www.nationalunderclassmen.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=23100&ATCLID=205156738

Looking at the other times, it was either a user error or transcription error. I thought it may have been hand-timed (which would translate to 4.6 or so electronc), but none of the other times are crazy fast like that, with the possible exception of the 4.5 listed. Given the times he's posted elsewhere, it may have been a 4.56 and somehow was written as 4.36. But then again, he also allegedly ran a 4.39 at the same event, so who knows. One thing is for certain - whatever the circumstances, those times are not accurate.
 


I am starting to believe that these players are getting faster by the year, checked out the NFL scouting combine and not only is a 4.4 time common among WR but now a 4.4 time doesn't even get on the leader board for a WR. and these are electronic timed which is supposed to be much slower times than hand held. what does a 4.30 electronic time translate to hand timed a 4.1?
 


SDGopherFan said:
I am starting to believe that these players are getting faster by the year, checked out the NFL scouting combine and not only is a 4.4 time common among WR but now a 4.4 time doesn't even get on the leader board for a WR. and these are electronic timed which is supposed to be much slower times than hand held. what does a 4.30 electronic time translate to hand timed a 4.1?
Click to expand...

There is definitely some truth to that, and the baseline is progressively getting lower and lower each year, but the important thing to remember is that these are the very best amateur football players in the world. There are ~300 players there each year, and there are tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of amateur organized football players participating each year. It's the 1% of the 1%, or perhaps even smaller than that. It is also important to remember that these players are all 21-24 years old, and HS players who are 16-18 like to pretend that we're stupid enough to think they can be just as fast without the benefits of 3-5 years of natural growth and development combined with weight, nutrition, and speed training from highly trained, highly skilled, and highly compensated professional experts. Keelon Brookins was 15 or 16 when he recorded these alleged times, and there is likely not, nor likely never has been, a 15/16 year old who can run a 4.36 electronic 40. The rule of thumb for hand times is to add .24 to get the electronic time, so a 4.36 hand-timed would be ~4.60 electronic. That (a 4.6) is still insanely fast for a HS sophomore, so I don't see the reason to insult anyone's intelligence by claiming a ridiculous time.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom