Kill says he needs 4 recruiting classes to break Gophers' culture

[calminnfan]

shooting in the dark here, but I kinda think Kill may have already subtly got the point across to a few players if they want to transfer after the year is over, he will have the papers signed, sealed and ready to deliver where ever they chose to go...

 

[4four4]

+32

It seems that with each demoralizing loss Kill blames more and more on the players and the previous administration. Each week there is a new excuse as to why the team and program is awful. If everything is so $hi++y why not come out from the start with all this instead of feeding us new excuses every week.

Shut up and coach is right.

Sounds like our President during his last election.

 

[Fuzzy Rumpton]

I do not understand what some of you are saying. My son is a 2012 commit who will graduate early from Miami Central. Only talked to Coach Kill and Coach Miller on the phone. My son has met Coach Miller in person. I have seen the USC, NDSU, and Purdue games. The team lacks discipline and b@ll$. I believe him. When you talk to Kill and Miller, you get nothing but the truth. It looks like some of the previous recruits were signed just to give away scholarships. From what I see in the incoming recruiting class, it's off on the right foot. Just to see who Coach Miller offered at Central shows me what and who the are looking for. They are looking for character first. if a player has character, then he has heart, balls and the will to win. My son is a DT who got offered by MSU, Wake, WVU, W. Michigan, and FIU. Now U of Miami is heavily after him. But my son says, every time he talks to Coach Miller, he feels his sincerity. It will take 3-5 years just like it did when Butch Davis took over at U of Miami. And, Butch Davis took over a team with a 2 year probation. Mario Cristobal, FIU's coach took 4 years and look at FIU now. They are in the SunBelt, which definitely ain't B1G, but a lot more local recruits are noticing FIU.

I feel Coach Kill is on the right track. Our Gophers are not going to change in 1 year even if you had Jim Harbaugh coaching. He inherited a lazy team which can be considered lazy when you have to babysit 63 athletes, which is embarrasing.

One final note, by 2013 season I feel we will compete. By 2015, UM will not be considered the same way they are today. Damn Kills old school is ranked in the top 25, NIU. Give him the chance. He has proven he can do it.

Great post, nice to hear a different perspective.

PS we are the original U so feel free to let Miami know

 

[4four4]

I do not understand what some of you are saying. My son is a 2012 commit who will graduate early from Miami Central. Only talked to Coach Kill and Coach Miller on the phone. My son has met Coach Miller in person. I have seen the USC, NDSU, and Purdue games. The team lacks discipline and b@ll$. I believe him. When you talk to Kill and Miller, you get nothing but the truth. It looks like some of the previous recruits were signed just to give away scholarships. From what I see in the incoming recruiting class, it's off on the right foot. Just to see who Coach Miller offered at Central shows me what and who the are looking for. They are looking for character first. if a player has character, then he has heart, balls and the will to win. My son is a DT who got offered by MSU, Wake, WVU, W. Michigan, and FIU. Now U of Miami is heavily after him. But my son says, every time he talks to Coach Miller, he feels his sincerity. It will take 3-5 years just like it did when Butch Davis took over at U of Miami. And, Butch Davis took over a team with a 2 year probation. Mario Cristobal, FIU's coach took 4 years and look at FIU now. They are in the SunBelt, which definitely ain't B1G, but a lot more local recruits are noticing FIU.

I feel Coach Kill is on the right track. Our Gophers are not going to change in 1 year even if you had Jim Harbaugh coaching. He inherited a lazy team which can be considered lazy when you have to babysit 63 athletes, which is embarrasing.

One final note, by 2013 season I feel we will compete. By 2015, UM will not be considered the same way they are today. Damn Kills old school is ranked in the top 25, NIU. Give him the chance. He has proven he can do it.

Obviously, your son got a great upbringing! I want to welcome your son and thanks for your perspective. Go Gophers!

 

[RodentRampage]

Sounds like our President during his last election.

I supose you could say the players are filibustering everything...

 

[dbush]

I do not understand what some of you are saying. My son is a 2012 commit who will graduate early from Miami Central. Only talked to Coach Kill and Coach Miller on the phone. My son has met Coach Miller in person. I have seen the USC, NDSU, and Purdue games. The team lacks discipline and b@ll$. I believe him. When you talk to Kill and Miller, you get nothing but the truth. It looks like some of the previous recruits were signed just to give away scholarships. From what I see in the incoming recruiting class, it's off on the right foot. Just to see who Coach Miller offered at Central shows me what and who the are looking for. They are looking for character first. if a player has character, then he has heart, balls and the will to win. My son is a DT who got offered by MSU, Wake, WVU, W. Michigan, and FIU. Now U of Miami is heavily after him. But my son says, every time he talks to Coach Miller, he feels his sincerity. It will take 3-5 years just like it did when Butch Davis took over at U of Miami. And, Butch Davis took over a team with a 2 year probation. Mario Cristobal, FIU's coach took 4 years and look at FIU now. They are in the SunBelt, which definitely ain't B1G, but a lot more local recruits are noticing FIU.

I feel Coach Kill is on the right track. Our Gophers are not going to change in 1 year even if you had Jim Harbaugh coaching. He inherited a lazy team which can be considered lazy when you have to babysit 63 athletes, which is embarrasing.

One final note, by 2013 season I feel we will compete. By 2015, UM will not be considered the same way they are today. Damn Kills old school is ranked in the top 25, NIU. Give him the chance. He has proven he can do it.

I completely agree! Some people up here are just so used to losing that they freak out at any sign of hardship. Look our program is struggling this year, and quite frankly since Brewster was hired. It's obvious when you watch a Gopher game that the coaches cannot implement their entire playbook because they either don't have the athletes or the players have shown that they aren't getting in the right spots.

Fortunately, for recruits like your son they are coming to a caching staff who knows what they are doing and like you said NIU (with the majority of players being Kill recruits) is in the top 25.
Also, your son will be able to play within his first two years (we NEED DT help bad), a brand new stadium, friendly town, and fans that are thriving for a winner.

GL to Central the rest of the year and I can't wait to see your son and all the other recruits in the Maroon and Gold.

By the way, don't pay attention to the negativity, everyone is just upset because the Vikings, Gophs, and Twins had or are having bad seasons and there is no NBA yet.

 

[Great Plains Gopher]

Know.

Iceland is on to something: Kill is covering his arse while staying employed for four or five years regardless of what transpires on the field. Fact is that he can't get the upperclassmen to play for him now and can't instill discipline now and is matching the '83 season while blaming everything onto previous coaches. I seriously doubt he will have five wins in conference any season, including the fourth - although I hope I'm wrong and will be the first to admit I was wrong. But I'm not buying it now.

 

[GoAUpher]

although I hope I'm wrong and will be the first to admit I was wrong.

So you'll be the first to jump back on the bandwagon after jumping off it faster than almost anyone? Good to know.

And for the record, I'm not saying you need to be all sunshine and gummy bears around here. But giving up on a head coach halfway through his first season isn't something that paints you in a real good light.

 

[RodentRampage]

I'm not terribly concerned about not being able to instill discipline in year one. After all, if a team is going to be undisciplined, the first year is when you expect to see it. The players aren't robots, the coach can't simply install a discipline module. And he was in fact handed a pretty bad team.

Also, the 2011 Gophers have given up 50+ points in one game. At this point in 1983, the Gophers gave up 50+ points three times. The 1983 Gophers gave up 50+ points 6 times, gave up 60+ points twice, and of course gave up 80+ points once. Let's not forget that the 1983 team was year 5 of the Salem regime. A team doing badly in year one is one thing, that kind of collapse well into a coach's tenure is a different matter.

 

[dbush]

So you'll be the first to jump back on the bandwagon after jumping off it faster than almost anyone? Good to know.

And for the record, I'm not saying you need to be all sunshine and gummy bears around here. But giving up on a head coach halfway through his first season isn't something that paints you in a real good light.

Very true!

 

[nasa35]

STOP IT!

This is probably the worst team in every aspect that we have had the misery to observe. Coaching MUST be part of that equation. If I hear coach Kill blame it all on the players one more time I'm going to puke. It's starts at the top, you can't tell me we don't have more talent then a Div 2 team, a team that was full of castoffs and unwanted high school kids.

If Kill would act like a man himself for a change I might get behind him. I would never want my kid playing for someone like him.

 

[nasa35]

So you'll be the first to jump back on the bandwagon after jumping off it faster than almost anyone? Good to know.

And for the record, I'm not saying you need to be all sunshine and gummy bears around here. But giving up on a head coach halfway through his first season isn't something that paints you in a real good light.

Of course we all hope he's wrong. Get a frickin grip, what has Kill done to even deserve a compliment as of yet? If this team is going to new year's bowl games in three years of course tones will change and we'll be behind him....but I doubt I'm the only one completely unimpressed so far.

 

[RodentRampage]

STOP IT!

This is probably the worst team in every aspect that we have had the misery to observe. Coaching MUST be part of that equation. If I hear coach Kill blame it all on the players one more time I'm going to puke. It's starts at the top, you can't tell me we don't have more talent then a Div 2 team, a team that was full of castoffs and unwanted high school kids.

If Kill would act like a man himself for a change I might get behind him. I would never want my kid playing for someone like him.

This fantasy that you have created is interesting.

 

[GopherGod]

So you'll be the first to jump back on the bandwagon after jumping off it faster than almost anyone? Good to know.

And for the record, I'm not saying you need to be all sunshine and gummy bears around here. But giving up on a head coach halfway through his first season isn't something that paints you in a real good light.[/QUOTE]


How does it paint Coach Kill then when he gives the impression that he has essentially given up not only on this season, but the next couple as well. I hope he is successful, I just don't think it is smart to air out your dirty laundry in public. We all get that it is a rebuilding job, that was stated almost day one when he took the job, so he doesn't need to hammer it home every time a tape recorder or microphone is in front of him.

 

[GoAUpher]

STOP IT!

This is probably the worst team in every aspect that we have had the misery to observe. Coaching MUST be part of that equation. If I hear coach Kill blame it all on the players one more time I'm going to puke. It's starts at the top, you can't tell me we don't have more talent then a Div 2 team, a team that was full of castoffs and unwanted high school kids.

If Kill would act like a man himself for a change I might get behind him. I would never want my kid playing for someone like him.

You mean like when he constantly takes responsibility on himself or the coaches? When even after noting what he considers to be the team flaws he still puts it back on the coaches? B/c that's what he's been doing in the pressers when you hear the whole quote (versus the 140 character tweet that is communicating select details). He hasn't been only blaming the players. I'm sorry, but he hasn't. If that's what you think is happening then you're selectively reading quotes.

As for some of this being on the coaches? OF COURSE some of it is! But for the most part folks aren't bothering to talk about the stuff that the coaches have the most control over. There have been problems with the gameplans. Rarely discussed and should be fair game. But oh boy, if Coach says anything about the culture he's trying to change then all bets are off. Attitude, work ethic, focus from players...all these things are on Kill and the staff ultimately. But what people seem to be willfully ignoring is that changes to those things don't happen quickly. Behavior isn't altered just because. Maybe you think it is, I dunno.

Look, I get that people are tired of hearing Kill talk about what is wrong. But if it's true then what do you want? To not hear the truth? Would him saying "it's on the coaches" all the time really make this season better for everyone who wants to flip their lids? I mean, if it does then fair enough. But that doesn't make much sense to me.

 

[4four4]

If some people don't like what is going on here maybe they should stop following the team.

 

[GoAUpher]

How does it paint Coach Kill then when he gives the impression that he has essentially given up not only on this season, but the next couple as well. I hope he is successful, I just don't think it is smart to air out your dirty laundry in public. We all get that it is a rebuilding job, that was stated almost day one when he took the job, so he doesn't need to hammer it home every time a tape recorder or microphone is in front of him.

I don't think it looks like he's given up on anything. I think it looks like he's laying out the state of the program as he sees it so that he can continue to work to improve it. Since when did telling people how things are become giving up on a season (or multiple seasons)? That's a real negative outlook that assumes that a person capable of speaking hard truths is also incapable or unwilling to work past them.

If he does it past this season I'll be as tired of it as anyone else. And personally, I might have preferred that the bad news get released earlier and at one time rather than a drip, drip, drip. But let's be honest, unless people think he's lying what he's putting out there means that the program is in worse shape than most thought. And while people harp about how he keeps saying the same things, he is actually often saying the same things with different details. And it's those details that keep shedding light on how messed up things really appear to be. Personally, I don't think there is anything wrong with letting folks know the truth about a situation. This is the year for the hardest changes. This is still one of the worst seasons on record whether he says these things or not. His saying them isn't going to make it THAT much worse IMO. Others can feel free to disagree with that last point.

 

[Oneoldgopher]

ummmmm........wisconsin should absolutely not be included in a list of academic institutions like stanford, northwestern or even notre dame for that matter. you reached quite a bit including them here.

Of course it depends on the department, but you would have to look hard at the rankings to miss the fact that Wisconsin has risen above the U in recent years and in general rankings.

 

[GophersInIowa]

This fantasy that you have created is interesting.

I literally LOL'ed when I read his post. He reads and hears what he wants to.

Imagine if Kill didn't say a whole lot in his press conferences.

"Why did you lose 58-0?"
"Gee, I don't know."

 

[Oneoldgopher]

This fantasy that you have created is interesting.

Fantasy?

 

[Monty519]

There is no definition of the four year turn around. Kill might mean 8-4,9-3 or he might mean 6-6. We don't know. Kill might not consider a bowl game in next year or 2013 as having it turned around.

The most important post in this entire thread. People keep reading into Kill's thoughts on the program and how it's gonna take "4 years" to turn things around and then assume that to mean 4 years to field a competitive squad. I truly doubt Kill thinks it will take 4 years to be in the mix for a bowl game. That's just ridiculous. This guy is looking at things from a championship perspective. It's gonna take 4 years (at least) to get this team in the direction of winning a B1G title.

We may make a bowl game in two years, but that's not the goal for him, nor should it be.

And what's with this growing sentiment that Kill and his staff is taking NO blame for the problems this year? He has constantly said they gotta do a better job getting these kids ready, but you have to choose to be completely blind to not see there are problems far beyond coaching as to why we're so uncompetitive right now. When you lose a game 58-0, 45-17 to a mediocre team, losing to FCS squads, yes, ALL facets of the game are to blame, coaching, players, administration, even fans honestly. There is not one aspect of this program that is free from any part of this mess IMO.

 

[Hates Monikers]

In response to both Iceland and Hates Monikers...

One difference I hadn't been thinking about until now for some reason that is an important one. We're comparing a presser with full coverage to a series of tweets. In the presser, we get the full context including all the questions and answers. Here, we're not only getting only some of what Kill said but we don't know what it was in response to. Perhaps the Dunkers were asking for more details. Just realized it and figured that it'd be worth noting that context given the concern over the increase in "excuses" by Kill.

Fact is, that winning is the only cure to the game of 2nd guessing the coach. As HM notes, the common thread in the tiring of some folks with both Brew's optimism and Kill's tell it like it is style is continued losing. In that regard, I doubt there is anything Kill can say that will be the right thing.

I agree that a huge piece of all this is based on how and what the media reports from Kill's pressers and interviews. But it's also on Kill to be careful about what he's saying.

 

[GoAUpher]

Of course we all hope he's wrong. Get a frickin grip, what has Kill done to even deserve a compliment as of yet? If this team is going to new year's bowl games in three years of course tones will change and we'll be behind him....but I doubt I'm the only one completely unimpressed so far.

You don't have to compliment him, you don't have to be impressed. I'm simply tired of the "I've given up on him already and we're doomed" talk. Having a bad first season doesn't mean he won't succeed. It's a hyperbolic statement. It's as silly as if I said his tough talk makes me think he'll lead us to a B1G title next season. It is possible to feel negative about Kill without going off the deep end. I don't know if some posters are just so pissy that they forget that or if they want to put down markers so they can pretend to be Nostradamus later. Either way, it's just silly.

 

[GoAUpher]

But it's also on Kill to be careful about what he's saying.

True, but you're also assuming that he has no idea about the effect of what he's saying. He may very well view airing out the dirty laundry as essential to changing the culture of the program. And like I said in an earlier post, in a season that is going this badly, it can certainly be argued that the words can't make it much worse.

 

[GoAUpher]

Fantasy?

If he thinks Kill is only blaming the players then yes, he is living in a fantasy land.

 

[Ron Johnson Super Fan]

Of course it depends on the department, but you would have to look hard at the rankings to miss the fact that Wisconsin has risen above the U in recent years and in general rankings.

Nothing was said about the U. It was stated that Wisconsin doesn't belong with Stanford, Northwestern and Notre Dame academically. What does Wisconsin's standing relative to the U have to do with that?

 

[50PoundHead]

Hmm, players and class might be a new thing. I absolutely loved that Gopher sports put out a detailed week in the life of Asad Abdul Khaliq that had him not attending a single class or doing anything school related. The fact that they missed this fact (with the exception of noting he had a light classload) in a publicity piece shows how little academics mattered to the Athletic department. Maybe it has changed.

http://www.gophersports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/103003aaa.html

I would agree. This problem goes way back. It may have reached a new low with Brewster, but APR did improve (slightly and not enough) when he was head coach.

Still, no excuses for guys getting a free education not making the most of it.

I'm all in on Kill, but I agree with kuatolives and Iceland12, that the record seems to be broken.

 

[Great Plains Gopher]

We have half a season to go; let's see if there is any progress or we spiral into Salem's last two years. 43 years is enough to wear down anyone's patience...

 

[EG#9]

If Jerry Kill means he needs 4 recruiting classes starting with '12 to compete for Big Ten titles, that is completely understandable. If Jerry Kill means that he needs 4 recruiting classes startring with '12 to just be remotely competitive, he should start polishing up that resume.

 

[ButchNashGuy]

I do not understand what some of you are saying. My son is a 2012 commit who will graduate early from Miami Central. Only talked to Coach Kill and Coach Miller on the phone. My son has met Coach Miller in person. I have seen the USC, NDSU, and Purdue games. The team lacks discipline and b@ll$. I believe him. When you talk to Kill and Miller, you get nothing but the truth. It looks like some of the previous recruits were signed just to give away scholarships. From what I see in the incoming recruiting class, it's off on the right foot. Just to see who Coach Miller offered at Central shows me what and who the are looking for. They are looking for character first. if a player has character, then he has heart, balls and the will to win. My son is a DT who got offered by MSU, Wake, WVU, W. Michigan, and FIU. Now U of Miami is heavily after him. But my son says, every time he talks to Coach Miller, he feels his sincerity. It will take 3-5 years just like it did when Butch Davis took over at U of Miami. And, Butch Davis took over a team with a 2 year probation. Mario Cristobal, FIU's coach took 4 years and look at FIU now. They are in the SunBelt, which definitely ain't B1G, but a lot more local recruits are noticing FIU.

I feel Coach Kill is on the right track. Our Gophers are not going to change in 1 year even if you had Jim Harbaugh coaching. He inherited a lazy team which can be considered lazy when you have to babysit 63 athletes, which is embarrasing.

One final note, by 2013 season I feel we will compete. By 2015, UM will not be considered the same way they are today. Damn Kills old school is ranked in the top 25, NIU. Give him the chance. He has proven he can do it.

Coach Miller has said in multiple interviews that you have to recruit toughness. Usually you here about talent, skill, speed .... I am very good friends with a local family thats son is being recruited. Miller is the real deal.