Minnesota native Amani Hooker got passed over by Gophers. Now he’s starring in the NFL.

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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Per Dane:

The thought of Hooker reaching the NFL felt so far away when he was a underrecruited kid playing high school football for Park Center. How was he ever going to get to the highest level if he couldn’t even get attention from the Gophers just 15 minutes up the road?

Asked why the Gophers never aggressively recruited him, Hooker responded, “I have no clue. That’d be a good question for whoever was recruiting me. I guess I wasn’t the right fit for them.”

www.twincities.com

Minnesota native Amani Hooker got passed over by Gophers. Now he’s starring in the NFL.

He played high school football for Park Center and has always loved to prove people wrong.
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com

Go Gophers!!
 


Were we not between a coaching change when Hooker was in high school. Meaning I don't think the current staff ever got a chance to recruit him and by the time Fleck and staff took over, Hooker was already committed to Iowa. I don't think the Gophers ever passed on Hooker, not that I can recall.
 

gopherdudepart2 said:
Were we not between a coaching change when Hooker was in high school. Meaning I don't think the current staff ever got a chance to recruit him and by the time Fleck and staff took over, Hooker was already committed to Iowa. I don't think the Gophers ever passed on Hooker, not that I can recall.
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He was a 2016 commit so you are correct that the current staff did not have a shot at recruiting him to Minnesota.

No clue why the previous staff didn't offer him, would have been a nice fit with the strong in state group from that year, but sure they had their reasons.
 

gopherdudepart2 said:
Were we not between a coaching change when Hooker was in high school. Meaning I don't think the current staff ever got a chance to recruit him and by the time Fleck and staff took over, Hooker was already committed to Iowa. I don't think the Gophers ever passed on Hooker, not that I can recall.
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It was even before then. He committed to Iowa in the summer of 2015. Fleck's first year wasn't until 2017.

In that same class the Gophers landed Durr and Winfield.
 


GophersInIowa said:
It was even before then. He committed to Iowa in the summer of 2015. Fleck's first year wasn't until 2017.

In that same class the Gophers landed Durr and Winfield.
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There was still the coaching change from Kill to Claeys, and all of the uncertainty of that period about Jerry Kill's health and if TC would be the long term coach. That might have weighed on the situation.
 

That's what I thought we were in a coaching change situation long before the current staff. I mean good players leave all the time and we don't always get the best local guy's but, I just don't even remember the Gophers having a chance with Hooker, he was committed to Iowa as a junior like posted here. I think they even did a prep sports extra feature on KARE 11 about him as a junior and Iowa committed. That Pioneer Press article seems to try and paint the Gophers in a negative light when in reality it comes to Hooker, and I don't think he ever even gave the Gophers a sniff about playing for the U. Eh like mentioned not all local guys want to stay here and play.
 

2018 story on Hooker recruitment

www.hawkcentral.com

'We hope he shows them up a bit': Minnesota homecoming 'a little sweeter' for Hawkeyes' Amani Hooker

Minnesota was peculiarly hesitant during Amani Hooker's recruitment. But the Minneapolis native found a home with Iowa. Hooker returns to Minnesota this week as a key defensive piece.
www.hawkcentral.com

Academics may also have been an issue.
"He was not a strong student in high school. That was probably a factor," head coach Kirk Ferentz said on Tuesday. "We were going to be patient there. We felt after getting to know Amani and his parents that there wasn't a big risk there.”

 




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