Official 2015 Recruiting Updates Thread: Links, Tweets, Videos, Stories, Rumors, etc.

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Killjoy said:
First, as coach Kill would say, it takes two years before you can begin to answer that question. Second, how good a class is also dependent upon how well it is meeting your recruiting needs. My answer to that would be it appears that both the 2014 and 2015 classes in there own way were very focused on doing that. Recruiting shouldn't be viewed as isolated events but as part of a long term plan. Third, because Kill and his staff recruit athletic players with higher than average upside potential, it is even more difficult for us to know the quality of these recruits. In addition they also recruit players that are likely to be better team players and buy into what Kill is building but again it is not possible for us to evaluate this factor.

My problem with your question is not that it isn't an interesting question but for so many reasons, none of us here have the understanding and or knowledge to answer it. That why I say "In Kill we Trust."
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What I look at is how many of our plan A priority guys we can get and how many guys we have to reach for and use that to compare the two classes. Regardless of whether these under the radar low 3 stars with no power 5 offers turn out to be great players or not, they may not have necessarily been out first choice.
 

Interesting conversation about this recruiting class in regards to past classes. I am one who believe in "stars" (offers much more than stars, but their is often a correlation), and I know many do not. Just browsing the commits from this year, 3 are rated at their position nationally on Rivals compared to 4 last season. That doesn't seem like much of a difference, but Jones, Elmore, Mayes (7,12,22) were all rated higher than the highest rated kid at his position in this class (Croft at 29).

I feel like the staff has done fine at what they do in this recruiting cycle, but I understand the disappointment with not signing any higher rated guys. For me, I like the Offensive Line recruits in this class and I also like the Defensive Back group. My concerns are that the Gophers haven't found a Theiren Cockran type Defensive End for this class or a Wide Receiver with breakaway speed (maybe Hardin is that guy if he plays offense?). Obviously, it's going to be very difficult to get wide receivers with options to choose Minnesota unless/until the team develops more of a passing game. Guys that run in the 4.4's and can catch aren't going to sign up for 2-3 targets a game.

Another position that looks surprisingly good for the future is linebacker. Their wasn't a whole lot of buzz about Everett Williams or Jonathan Celestin when they signed with the Gophers last year, but both really looked the part to me as true freshman.
 

John Galt said:
Agree with all of this. With lowly rated recruits, we won 8 games last year and will win 8-9 this year. While I'm thrilled with the improvement under Kill, I'm a greedy Gopher fan. I want to see 10+ wins consistently, I want to beat Becky 15 years in a row, and I'd like to experience multiple Rose Bowl appearances. To do this, recruiting needs to get better, even the coaches have said so. Claeys said the improvement we made last year would show up with this year's class. Up until this year, IMO every class appeared to get better. So my question is just this: Do you think the 2015 class will be better than the 2014 class? My opinion is it doesn't look that way.
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I agree. That's not a shot at Kill. He does know what he's doing, but we can't seem to land those couple of impact guys who will elevate everyone else. It takes time and there's no question the situation continues to improve.
 

EG#9 said:
Interesting conversation about this recruiting class in regards to past classes. I am one who believe in "stars" (offers much more than stars, but their is often a correlation), and I know many do not. Just browsing the commits from this year, 3 are rated at their position nationally on Rivals compared to 4 last season. That doesn't seem like much of a difference, but Jones, Elmore, Mayes (7,12,22) were all rated higher than the highest rated kid at his position in this class (Croft at 29).

I feel like the staff has done fine at what they do in this recruiting cycle, but I understand the disappointment with not signing any higher rated guys. For me, I like the Offensive Line recruits in this class and I also like the Defensive Back group. My concerns are that the Gophers haven't found a Theiren Cockran type Defensive End for this class or a Wide Receiver with breakaway speed (maybe Hardin is that guy if he plays offense?). Obviously, it's going to be very difficult to get wide receivers with options to choose Minnesota unless/until the team develops more of a passing game. Guys that run in the 4.4's and can catch aren't going to sign up for 2-3 targets a game.

Another position that looks surprisingly good for the future is linebacker. Their wasn't a whole lot of buzz about Everett Williams or Jonathan Celestin when they signed with the Gophers last year, but both really looked the part to me as true freshman.
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EG#9, I agree with most of what your saying, but I still feel the star system is way overrated. You say you believe in the star system, but then you use Williams and Celestin as examples of two true freshman that really stand out to you for LB position. They were both two star recruits. Yes we would all like to get those 4 and 5* recruits that jump of the paper and say I will be in the NFL in three years, but this staff recruits to the system they run and they are great at judging talent. I will take our DB's over any other group in the big ten and most of them are 2* to low 3* recruits. I think Colton Beebe will be an absolute beast on the DL. As someone else stated about him, turn him loose on D, but have some goal line situations where he is in the backfield. Again, lets have this conversation in two to three years and see how this class has developed. I think it will turn out to be very good.
 


IMO, one of the true tests when comparing classes is how many true freshman are leaping over sophomores and redshirt freshman from the previous class. Take this year as an example. Not only did we play 4 true freshman on the D-line, they were getting reps over other players that had been in the program for a few years (i.e. Peppers, Timms). Same with LB. On paper, it would have made sense to redshirt the LBs, but we played Williams and Celestin over other redshirt freshman like Dixon and Wipson.
 

We have a transfer student named Noah Scarver - Mpls Washburn. 6:6. 265. TE that tore up the scout team this fall. Noah transferred from Montana and will be in the mix for playing time next year!
 

WR clearly not a priority this year with 4 RS freshmen who will be ready next year. Gentry looks to be the tall, fast deep threat needed to expand the offense.
 

John Galt said:
IMO, one of the true tests when comparing classes is how many true freshman are leaping over sophomores and redshirt freshman from the previous class. Take this year as an example. Not only did we play 4 true freshman on the D-line, they were getting reps over other players that had been in the program for a few years (i.e. Peppers, Timms). Same with LB. On paper, it would have made sense to redshirt the LBs, but we played Williams and Celestin over other redshirt freshman like Dixon and Wipson.
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There are several factors that played into the above scenario that you have described. First and foremost is how strong was the strength of your roster of returning players. If there was no depth and or if it was weak there will be a greater opportunity for more incoming freshmen to play than usual. That is certainly part of the reason as to why those freshmen played. It is also the reason why Kill has had to play so many true freshmen over the past few years. If it happens that fewer true freshmen from this next class don't play as true freshmen it could be because the depth and strength of the roster is now much better. Kill has always said he would love to be in the position to red shirt more of his players like Ohio State and other helmet schools do. I also would love that to be the case with class of 2015. And it won't necessarily mean that the class of 2014 was better.
 



The passing game is the hardest nut to crack in the Gophers program rebuilding.

We've got some good looking athletes like Holland in the mix,

This coming season is the chance for the Gophers to showcase that, yes they have a vertical game. Success will breed success.

WR recruits are not going to notice or want to play for MN if they cannot demonstrate that they do possess a good vertical game.

I feel that they will get better recruits as each season progress. Complete turn around IMHO may take sseven years.
 

play hard said:
We have a transfer student named Noah Scarver - Mpls Washburn. 6:6. 265. TE that tore up the scout team this fall. Noah transferred from Montana and will be in the mix for playing time next year!
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Staff kept him at TE? Thought they might see if he could play DE. He was a nice WO pickup.
 

A little tidbit for those worried about the passing game, Croft holds his HS conference record for completion percentage, despite playing less than 2 years at QB. Croft's upside is huge, I keep having dreams of Marcus Mariota type development, we just might have real difference make committed.
 




nsmike said:
A little tidbit for those worried about the passing game, Croft holds his HS conference record for completion percentage, despite playing less than 2 years at QB. Croft's upside is huge, I keep having dreams of Marcus Mariota type development, we just might have real difference make committed.
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False. Croft played QB sophomore year for Boylan’s sophomore team and all throughout youth football and presumably for his freshman team as well. He has only played less than 2 years at QB for Boylan’s varsity team, not throughout his entire career.
 

sonnygarcia said:
Staff kept him at TE? Thought they might see if he could play DE. He was a nice WO pickup.
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Not really related to 2015 recruitment but he was all metro as a senior. The 2012 Washburn team was loaded with him and two 1,000 yard rushers(Jeff Jones and Ramonte Maynard). Scarver caught 27 passes for 388 yards and 8 TDs with also 40 tackles and 14 sacks.

<iframe src='//www.hudl.com/embed/athlete/1060516/highlights/22426379' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe>
 

nsmike said:
A little tidbit for those worried about the passing game, Croft holds his HS conference record for completion percentage, despite playing less than 2 years at QB. Croft's upside is huge, I keep having dreams of Marcus Mariota type development, we just might have real difference make committed.
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Conference record for completion percentage in only two years! Amazing.
 


Rosemount's Demitrius Williams committed to NDSU today. They now have 8 Minnesota guys committed.
 

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Well that sucks.
 


I'm guessing Brown decommitting kills any chance of Anree Saint-Amour to Minnesota.
 


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>4star DB Dior Johnson, a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wake?src=hash">#Wake</a> Forest commit, is intrigued by recent interest from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gophers?src=hash">#Gophers</a>
<a href="http://t.co/P2dS9Yzsjx">http://t.co/P2dS9Yzsjx</a> <a href="http://t.co/JncaCqt1wF">pic.twitter.com/JncaCqt1wF</a></p>— Josh Helmholdt (@JoshHelmholdt) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshHelmholdt/status/546713967318429698">December 21, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 

PhillyGopher said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>4star DB Dior Johnson, a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wake?src=hash">#Wake</a> Forest commit, is intrigued by recent interest from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gophers?src=hash">#Gophers</a>
<a href="http://t.co/P2dS9Yzsjx">http://t.co/P2dS9Yzsjx</a> <a href="http://t.co/JncaCqt1wF">pic.twitter.com/JncaCqt1wF</a></p>— Josh Helmholdt (@JoshHelmholdt) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshHelmholdt/status/546713967318429698">December 21, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Oh baby. That would be a huge pickup.
 


Georgia Tech commit. 5.7 and 64th ranked WR on Rivals.

<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 

<blockquoteclass="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Minnesota?src=hash">#Minnesota</a> offered Louisiana WR Brandon Singleton (<a href="https://twitter.com/BSingleton19">@BSingleton19</a>) this afternoon. Singleton also has a track offer from LSU. He's kindafast</p>— Ryan Burns (@RyanBurnsGI) <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanBurnsGI/status/546797279668355073">December 21, 2014</a></blockquote> <script asyncsrc="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 

Can the Gophers be lucky and land two 4 Star game changers with the remaining slots?
 


PhillyGopher said:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>4star DB Dior Johnson, a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wake?src=hash">#Wake</a> Forest commit, is intrigued by recent interest from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gophers?src=hash">#Gophers</a>
<a href="http://t.co/P2dS9Yzsjx">http://t.co/P2dS9Yzsjx</a> <a href="http://t.co/JncaCqt1wF">pic.twitter.com/JncaCqt1wF</a></p>— Josh Helmholdt (@JoshHelmholdt) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshHelmholdt/status/546713967318429698">December 21, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Interesting he's a Michigan kid with no MSU or Mich offers.
 

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