Marcus Fuller blog: Gophers open eyes of 6-9 tackle Pirsig at spring game

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Happy to see that Pirsig enjoyed his visit. Your home state would love to see you on board.
 

Interesting dilemma: do you lie to Pirsig and say that he will be the starter by his redshirt freshman year, replacing Gjere or Ed Olson (who would be 4th year Jr. and 5th year Sr respectively) to get him to commit or do you tell him honestly that we have two great, Twin Cities bookends that are only 2/3 years older than you so the only way you're going to see the field before your Jr. year is to beat them out - meaning he probably commits elsewhere?

I don't know if being 6-9 is any real advantage over being 6-7 - both are really tall, esp. when DE are probably more like 6-4, 6-5 on average, but is Pirsig really that much better than either Gjere or Ed Olson? Or for that matter, the plethora of 6-5 underclassmen OL on the team? Or is 6-5 only good enough to get you a spot on the interior OL these days?!
 

BisonGopher said:
Interesting dilemma: do you lie to Pirsig and say that he will be the starter by his redshirt freshman year, replacing Gjere or Ed Olson (who would be 4th year Jr. and 5th year Sr respectively) to get him to commit or do you tell him honestly that we have two great, Twin Cities bookends that are only 2/3 years older than you so the only way you're going to see the field before your Jr. year is to beat them out - meaning he probably commits elsewhere?

I don't know if being 6-9 is any real advantage over being 6-7 - both are really tall, esp. when DE are probably more like 6-4, 6-5 on average, but is Pirsig really that much better than either Gjere or Ed Olson? Or for that matter, the plethora of 6-5 underclassmen OL on the team? Or is 6-5 only good enough to get you a spot on the interior OL these days?!
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I doubt cracking the starting line up as a Rfreshman at Ohio St, Auburn, or Wisconsin is going to be any easier. I don't think that point really puts us at a disadvantage.
 

Do You Lie?

BisonGopher said:
Interesting dilemma: do you lie to Pirsig and say that he will be the starter by his redshirt freshman year, replacing Gjere or Ed Olson (who would be 4th year Jr. and 5th year Sr respectively) to get him to commit or do you tell him honestly that we have two great, Twin Cities bookends that are only 2/3 years older than you so the only way you're going to see the field before your Jr. year is to beat them out - meaning he probably commits elsewhere?

I don't know if being 6-9 is any real advantage over being 6-7 - both are really tall, esp. when DE are probably more like 6-4, 6-5 on average, but is Pirsig really that much better than either Gjere or Ed Olson? Or for that matter, the plethora of 6-5 underclassmen OL on the team? Or is 6-5 only good enough to get you a spot on the interior OL these days?!
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Of course Kill won't lie! What kill has always said is if you are a freshman and you are the best player you will start. That what he would tell Pirsig.

He also has said that he is looking for depth. One reason for that is that he uses a lot of players during a game. His strategy is to wear the other team down and be the physically stronger team at the end of the game. Therefore, if you can contribute you will get playing time.

The problem Pirsig faces is that college lineman take longer to mature than the skilled position players.
 


I really doubt Coach Kill would lie to Pirsig to get him in the door. People see through that kind of nonsense immedietly. Tackle is a definite position of need (as far as depth) and Pirsig will have every opportunity to earn a starting position. It's entirely possible that Pirsig, at some point in his career, beats out Gjere and Gjere gets moved inside. It's also entirely possible that Pirsig will have to wait until his RS SO season to play a ton. That is still young, especially when the schools you are Auburn, Ohio St., etc.
 


pointer said:
I doubt cracking the starting line up as a Rfreshman at Ohio St, Auburn, or Wisconsin is going to be any easier. I don't think that point really puts us at a disadvantage.
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Yeah I agree. No doubt Olson and Gjere are talents, but they don't exactly have scrubs at those other schools.
 

Bison, Gjere played Guard his entire life until this spring, hope this helps.....
 



Interesting dilemma: Do I tell bisongopher his posts go over as well as a fart in church, or do I ignore him?

It is also interesting that his first thought would lead him to think that Kill would be a liar.
 

Considering that Pirsig is the one who was talking up the possibility that he might get to play early in his career rather than wait, Bison is making a reasonable point that Kill might have to choose between bursting his bubble or letting him keep on believing that he'll play a lot early on.

What is it about you guys that makes you fly off the handle whenever certain people speak up? Midol time again?
 

everybody knows my name said:
Considering that Pirsig is the one who was talking up the possibility that he might get to play early in his career rather than wait, Bison is making a reasonable point that Kill might have to choose between bursting his bubble or letting him keep on believing that he'll play a lot early on.

What is it about you guys that makes you fly off the handle whenever certain people speak up? Midol time again?
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The odds are highly against Pirsig playing immediately regardless of where he goes, unless he goes against the grain and signs non-BCS or DI-AA. Playing time is one advantage that the U has over the other schools Pirsig is considering, so why would Kill need to lie about it?

One doesn't go from the very ground floor of football coaching to major college football over the course of 25+ years without a great deal of class, integrity, and character. If Kill were a phony, it would've been found out long ago and he wouldn't have advanced through multiple levels like he has. It's insulting to one's intelligence to suggest that he's going to throw all that away and risk sabotaging his career just to get the signature of one 18-year-old on the dotted line.

What is it about you that makes you post sexist allusions to menstrual women whenever certain people post reasonable objections? Misogyny time again?
 

This is encouraging news!

I think Kill's demeanor and candor could win this guy over. Think of how the snake oil/blow hard pitch would go over in Blue Earth...

I agree with the Olson/Gjere points both are solid (as are others potentially) this is how you build depth, foster competition and keep kids in state. Switching either of Olson or Gjere would not be surprising (dare I say, it might be a better fit for Olson at the "next level")

It is also good to hear he will commit by end of summer.
 



Pirsig is very raw. Would sit until R. Soph year pretty much anywhere. Gjere is also athletic enough to play guard.
 

Did you guys read the article? He specifically stated he didn't want to Wait until his junior or senior year to start. I would think that he just might consider being a starter as a red shirt sophomore acceptable, particularly if he sees playing time before that, as he would in Kill's system.
 

nsmike said:
Did you guys read the article? He specifically stated he didn't want to Wait until his junior or senior year to start. I would think that he just might consider being a starter as a red shirt sophomore acceptable, particularly if he sees playing time before that, as he would in Kill's system.
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I read it but I think most of us think that is something Pirsig is going to have to sort of deal with wherever he goes. The U won't lose out to tOSU, Auburn, or Wisconsin because he can play sooner at those schools.

I think Pirsig has tremendous potential but I really think he is in for a rude awakening when he gets to college. He is a raw kid who wasn't completely dominating the smaller conference that he plays in. He has looked good and I think he could have unlimited upside, but I think he is pretty far from playing Big 10 football. If I am wrong and he chooses the U, Gjere could certainly slide inside. If I am right, he would be a starter in three seasons (backup his RS FR season), so it would be about ideal.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I read it but I think most of us think that is something Pirsig is going to have to sort of deal with wherever he goes. The U won't lose out to tOSU, Auburn, or Wisconsin because he can play sooner at those schools.

I think Pirsig has tremendous potential but I really think he is in for a rude awakening when he gets to college. He is a raw kid who wasn't completely dominating the smaller conference that he plays in. He has looked good and I think he could have unlimited upside, but I think he is pretty far from playing Big 10 football. If I am wrong and he chooses the U, Gjere could certainly slide inside. If I am right, he would be a starter in three seasons (backup his RS FR season), so it would be about ideal.
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You know that, Kill and Limegrover know that, probably every coaching staff knows that...but does the young man know that?

That was all I meant.

Just based on the one comment, it sounds like the winning school is going to have to convince him that he's a superstar who could potentially play as a true freshman if it comes down to it.

Reality might not be the best sales pitch.


And I never implied that Kill is a liar or has no class.
 

You never tell a kid what he can't do. You tell him what he could do. Each of these kids is different. Some explode in a good S & C program. Some mature more slowly. Slow pick up the technique and the playbook slower. You don't know about future injuries. You don't much except what could happen under the right circumstances. Playing in a game is nothing like practice or a scrimmage either. Your body functions entirely differently under real game conditions. Some play lights out, most don't.
 

"That's definitely a positive because I don't want to wait around until my junior or senior year to finally get a start," Pirsig said. "The sooner that I play, I guess, the better."

Well, I would guess this is all up to young Mr. Pirsig. Not Coach Kill.
 

Bayfieldgopher

Bayfieldgopher said:
"That's definitely a positive because I don't want to wait around until my junior or senior year to finally get a start," Pirsig said. "The sooner that I play, I guess, the better."

Well, I would guess this is all up to young Mr. Pirsig. Not Coach Kill.
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Thanks for your clear simple answer. I often wonder if people here listen to what Kill actually says. He has made it abundantly clear that whoever is the best player will start. This could be a senior, a junior, a sophomore, a red shirt freshman, or a true freshman. As you have stated, it is up to the players who starts.
 

Kill will tell Pirsig the same thing Brewster told the kids "You'll have the opportunity to earn a starting position from the day you step on campus." The reality is that good programs have linemen who are 5 year players & most don't play until their R-Soph or Jr seasons. Kids want to play early but once they get on the practice field they know right away if they're better than the older guys & in most cases it's "no" they're not. I fully expect Pirsig will play at the U and to take over at LT when Eddie Olson moves on, my .02.
 

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