Kill and recruiting

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Weisbrod

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I think Jerry Kill is going to continually rise the ranks when it comes to recruiting. I give him a pass this year because he took over so late, but I expect several 4/5 star recruits to join each class from here on out. He may preach development, but he's no dummy...it's going to take blue chip recruits to consistently compete in the Big Ten. I know he can bring these guys in. He seems like a knowledgeable and charismatic guy.
 


We didn't get any 4/5 star recruits this year, but I am not at all disappointed with this class. It's still better as a whole than anything Mason brought in.
 

Wow, the two ends of the spectrum in just three posts. One guy will always be disappointed and the other guy seems that he would be happy if we just dressed the Eden Prairie football team in maroon and gold and said "Go get'em boys"
 

dpodoll68 said:
Prepare yourself to be disappointed.
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Ditto. "Several" 4/5 star recruits? That's a pretty tall order considering we've basically brought in "several" 4/5 star recruits in the last 10 years combined. Not gonna put a cap on Kill, but to say you expect him to do this seems unfair to him as far as expectations go.
 



exiledinduluth said:
DPDOLL- why be such a "Nattering nabob of negativism"? or is Weisbrod trying to set Kill up for failure?
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If you've ever read any of my thousands of posts on this site, you will know that I'm not negative. I prefer to deal in reality. The reality is that, in the Rivals era (10 recruiting cycles), the Gophers have signed 16 4-stars, or an average of 1.6 4-stars per year. For comparison's sake, Ohio St. signed 2 5-stars and 15 4-stars in one year (2009). Nearly half of those Minnesota 4-stars come in one year (7 in 2008). Take away that enormous abberation, and the average is 1.0 4-star per year. Keep in mind that also includes 2 years (2009 and 2010) of a recruiter performing far above the on-field performance of the team. I think it goes without saying that we have never signed a Rivals 5-star. And now, coming off a 3-9 season, with a brand new head coach with zero prior BCS experience of any kind, we're supposed to "expect" him to sign "several" 4-5 stars per year? Where do these people come from? I don't understand why people can't be reasonable and temper their expectations to an achievable level, and then be happy when they're met or exceeded. Instead, they'd rather have delusional expectations and then get pissed off when they're unsurprisingly not met. As you alluded to, all they're doing is setting up unreasonable expectations, and when they are not achieved, 2 years from now people will be foaming at the mouth because Kill isn't bringing in a top-25 recruiting class every year (which is where we would be with "several 4/5 star recruits").
 

Very few teams get "several" 4/5 star recruits (depending on your definition of several), but I think he can get one or two per class. I think everyone should be encouraged by this first class, but time will tell.
 

McDonald just got put on the ESPN150 list and was on the initial Rivals250 so it would appear we'll have 1 right off the bat. I'm guessing we'll get a couple a year to start and if the staff shows they can compete in the BT we'll probably get a handful 4-5 each year.
 



For Minnesota, getting "several four and five star recruits" means getting at least two from out of state, several meaning "three or more", and Minnesota normally producing one. That is a lot easier when you are winning and going to some kind of bowl game. Iowa and Wisconsin get better players now than they did before they were starting their turn arounds. It is not as simple as you can recruit or you can't. Programs build credibility or they don't depending on whether their play improves on the field, and whether they have a stable coaching staff high school coaches can legitimately recommend. Illinois has to some extent since Zook has been there, a Rose Bowl does that, we have not since Brewster got here. We did not get better or keep staff.
tOSU can get 10 four stars without leaving the state, in fact they can two or three every year from Glenville where the coach basically steers the good players to OSU or some other helmet school if OSU does not offer. If that is your expectation you better switch sides, Iowa and Wisconsin still don't meet your expectations every year, but they win which meets mine.
 

From a star standpoint I will be happy if our classes average +3.0 stars. Classes full of three star guys that fit what the coach is trying to do, with the occasional 4 star or 2 star mixed in is enough to win BT championships.
 

ruralgopher said:
From a star standpoint I will be happy if our classes average +3.0 stars. Classes full of three star guys that fit what the coach is trying to do, with the occasional 4 star or 2 star mixed in is enough to win BT championships.
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Ditto. If we can keep our best kids home and augment that with a playmaker here and there, I think we'll be alright.
 

Let's just say first of all that the quality of coaching/team will not be a reason for quality recruits to say no, regardless how good they are. Also, if Brewster, with his optimism can win over a few recruits, how much more with someone who knows how to coach?

My expectation is for Coach Kill to try and get the best recruits he and his staff can get, and in that effort, I do expect him to start landing some of the better (star) players out there. I expect them to, within 2 years, develop a solid program which will appeal to players, both in state and out and cause them to desire to be a part of it.

The reason some instate players in Mason's time did not consider the U is because Mason surrendered them to the "helmet" schools without bothering to even make a phone call. Brewster got a few 4 star recruits even if he did not know how to head coach. Now the Gophers have someone who does know how to coach, even both offense and defense, a new stadium and and opportunity to develop something at a BCS school.

There is no way anyone can absolutely guarantee a top 20 recruiting class on a regular basis outside of the helmet schools, but it can be done. Mich and OS show that the midwest in not a hindrance to that and Nebraska as well. A solid program which develops a winning rep will get it done. I do not believe it is out of the question that if Kill was coaching the Gophers when Floyd was being recruited, they might have had a better chance at getting him.
 



http://www.startribune.com/sports/preps/114852074.html

If there is a golden rule to recruiting, Kill said, it's this: Fit the players to your team, and not the other way around. "I don't care how many stars you have behind your name," Kill said, "if you're going in a different direction than everyone else, it's not going to work."
 


gopher7 said:
http://www.startribune.com/sports/preps/114852074.html

If there is a golden rule to recruiting, Kill said, it's this: Fit the players to your team, and not the other way around. "I don't care how many stars you have behind your name," Kill said, "if you're going in a different direction than everyone else, it's not going to work."
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Team first!!!!!!!!!!!!

The guy knows what he is doing.
 

Having nearly all 3-stars this year is an excellent achievement for Kill, given his short time working on it. If he improves the team's record, he will maintain that level and gradually add a sprinkling of 4-stars. And that, combined with the good coaching and teaching he has demonstrated in the past, in my opinion should be sufficient to seriously improve results on the field, over time.
 

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