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

[GopherinPhilly]

Hines Ward was a better WR than QB. Failure! Disappointment!

Antwaan Randle El was a better WR than QB. Failure! Disappointment!

Matt Jones was a better WR than QB. Failure! Disappointment!

I hate agreeing with you...but in this instance, you are spot on. Q was anything but a failure here...it is unreasonable to think that any one player is going to be a program saviour...Kill is doing it right by building the whole team and depth then making year over year improvement.

 

[Maximus]

MGray single handily beat Iowa.

Crawford-Tufts catch? All Gray.
101 yards rushing for Bennett. All Gray.
Onside kick midway through the 4th? All Gray.
Royston recovering that onside kick and having 16 tackles? All Gray.
23 yard fumble return by Kirksey? All Gray.
Iowa's Groza semifinalist missing 2 FGs? All Gray.
Wettstein converting his first ever college FG attempt? All Gray.

 

[btowngopher]

Wisconsin

Rivals overall team rankings

2009: 43
2010: 88
2011: 40
2012: 57
2013: 57

Average rating: 57

Wisconsin has finished 1st or 2nd in the division/conference every year but one since 2010.

I meant 50+ every year, like the gophers. And if you go back another 4 years for Wisconsin the classes are all in the 30s and 40s.

 

[die hard gopher]

the Rivals 2008 top four dual threat QBs were
1. Terrelle Pryor
2. EJ Manuel
3. MarQueis
4. Robert Griffin

Yes, he was a great representative of the university, he was a 2 year starter at QB, he was a 4 year contributor and is now in the NFL. That being said I expect more than 2,053 passing yards, less than a 60% completion percentage and better than 14 TDs-11 INTs from an Army All American QB who was one of our biggest gets in the internet recruiting era. Failure is a strong word but I don't think it's crazy to consider him a bit of a disappointment.

 

[Spoofin]

Crawford-Tufts catch? All Gray.
101 yards rushing for Bennett. All Gray.
Onside kick midway through the 4th? All Gray.
Royston recovering that onside kick and having 16 tackles? All Gray.
23 yard fumble return by Kirksey? All Gray.
Iowa's Groza semifinalist missing 2 FGs? All Gray.
Wettstein converting his first ever college FG attempt? All Gray.

DCTs "catch" hit the ground. That wasn't on Gray [emoji2]


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[Spoofin]

Wisconsin

Rivals overall team rankings

2009: 43
2010: 88
2011: 40
2012: 57
2013: 57

Average rating: 57

Wisconsin has finished 1st or 2nd in the division/conference every year but one since 2010.

Box


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[beatles]

the Rivals 2008 top four dual threat QBs were
1. Terrelle Pryor
2. EJ Manuel
3. MarQueis
4. Robert Griffin

Yes, he was a great representative of the university, he was a 2 year starter at QB, he was a 4 year contributor and is now in the NFL. That being said I expect more from an Army All American QB who was one of our biggest gets in the internet recruiting era. Failure is a strong word but I don't think it's crazy to consider him a bit of a disappointment.

Exactly correct. Whether it was injuries, bad coaching, position switches or whatever, the bottom line is his career overall was disappointing and I'm not sure how anyone could disagree with that let alone be offended by it. It's not a knock on his character, he was a great teammate and represented the U well.

 

[btowngopher]

Box


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A 50+ class for wisconsin is not the norm. I stand by my point. 7 of their last 10 are better than 50.

 

[UncleSam'sMisguidedChild]

[/QUOTE]Don’t forget that Brewster misused him the first year by burning his redshirt and never really playing him. Throw in the injury and the QB/wide receiver thing and the poor guy just never had a chance to gain traction. Although he could have bitched like so many others, he was a class act through and through. A true "U" Man![/QUOTE]

I could not agree with this more. Nailed it.

 

[Donovan]

Funny thing, I hopped on the forum and saw 3 new pages of discussion in this topic today. Naively, I thought: sweet, must be lots of new recruiting news! Nope, just this old argument.

Looking forward to 12 months from now and we re-hash this discussion for the ump-teenth year in a row.

 

[Oregon Gopher]

Funny thing, I hopped on the forum and saw 3 new pages of discussion in this topic today. Naively, I thought: sweet, must be lots of new recruiting news! Nope, just this old argument.

Looking forward to 12 months from now and we re-hash this discussion for the ump-teenth year in a row.

May be true- but the real question is when will we see the first "I'm worried because we haven't had another commitment yet for the 2016 class since ..."

 

[btowngopher]

May be true- but the real question is when will we see the first "I'm worried because we haven't had another commitment yet for the 2016 class since ..."

haha true

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

The program didn't fail under Brewster because of guys like Grey and Cooper who didn't live up to some people's expectations. Brew failed because he couldn't keep guys at the U (Vince Hill, Maresh, Smith, Allen, Hill, Whaley, Lipscomb) and he didn't recruit depth at key positions. Grey might not have lived up to some people's expectations, but he performed about where a guy like him would have been predicted to perform. They are predictions, so every year guys who are 3 star guys become studs and 5 star guys fail to show much. Grey was a good Big 10 football player and is currently in the NFL. If you factor in how great of a teammate he was during his time year, it's shocking to consider him anything but a success. He happened to play on some pretty lousy teams.

As far as the general argument. . .

There is absolutely no doubt that rankings do matter. However, they aren't the end of the world. Kill has shown he is fantastic at getting guys who go to school, stay in school, develop and fit a specific role. He gets that it isn't just fantasy football and that what happens after 2/4/2015 is way more important than the actual NSD. Certain guys earn the benefit of the doubt when it comes to recruiting because the rankings CANNOT factor in those other important issues. Our program is no longer being hurt by attrition and we are being built for the long haul.

We were one half of football away from playing in the Big 10 Championship Game against the eventual National Championships (who played tough a couple weeks earlier). I'm not saying that means we can't question the staff, but we've come a LONG way in a short time. We were losing to NMSU And South Dakota State in recent memory. Last year's team was led by a lot of guys who aren't splashy recruits (Cobb, Epping, Maxx, Thompson, Murray, BBC, Wilson, Botticelli).

 

[e.bigelow]

The program didn't fail under Brewster because of guys like Grey and Cooper who didn't live up to some people's expectations. Brew failed because he couldn't keep guys at the U (Vince Hill, Maresh, Smith, Allen, Hill, Whaley, Lipscomb) and he didn't recruit depth at key positions. Grey might not have lived up to some people's expectations, but he performed about where a guy like him would have been predicted to perform. They are predictions, so every year guys who are 3 star guys become studs and 5 star guys fail to show much. Grey was a good Big 10 football player and is currently in the NFL. If you factor in how great of a teammate he was during his time year, it's shocking to consider him anything but a success. He happened to play on some pretty lousy teams.

As far as the general argument. . .

There is absolutely no doubt that rankings do matter. However, they aren't the end of the world. Kill has shown he is fantastic at getting guys who go to school, stay in school, develop and fit a specific role. He gets that it isn't just fantasy football and that what happens after 2/4/2015 is way more important than the actual NSD. Certain guys earn the benefit of the doubt when it comes to recruiting because the rankings CANNOT factor in those other important issues. Our program is no longer being hurt by attrition and we are being built for the long haul.

We were one half of football away from playing in the Big 10 Championship Game against the eventual National Championships (who played tough a couple weeks earlier). I'm not saying that means we can't question the staff, but we've come a LONG way in a short time. We were losing to NMSU And South Dakota State in recent memory. Last year's team was led by a lot of guys who aren't splashy recruits (Cobb, Epping, Maxx, Thompson, Murray, BBC, Wilson, Botticelli).

+1 to everything. Very nicely posted, Bob.

 

[alchemy2u]

+1 The amazing thing is that we are still having this discussion here. Does star rankings mean anything? Yes! Does being ranked 46 or 48 compared to 50 or 52 mean anything? Not really. Yet some of you actually are still having this inane discussion. Those of you who still believe that you can make meaningful conclusions using this data stay away from the stock market. They are looking for suckers like you.

+1000, up 10 pts from the opening bid.

We all know that HS player rankings depends upon talent, visibility, who is recruiting you, were you live, etc.... There are many talented players that have not yet reached their potential in HS. because of maturity, coaching, experience, competition, playing wrong position, etc...

Many of the prima donnas in HS (5stars) are going to follow the bright lights to the helmet schools. That leaves the next tier of schools looking for untapped potential. The so called over achievers are the ones who can shape recruits into players. You can see it by the way Kill talks about the types of players he wants at each position. "Need good hips" for DB, etc...

Anyone who bases their expectations solely on some player rankings does not have any real understanding of how teams are constructed. You might as well start an argument on nuclear fusion containment. But then again, those people would have made a good recruiting assistant for Brewster!!!


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[GopherOhana]

My apologies if this has already been shared but seen this for a BYU recruit and thought some may enjoy.

http://blogs.wsj.com/dailyfix/2015/02/04/byus-big-signing-6-feet-7-410-pounds/

and zero football experience. byu taking a flyer based on his size

 

[GopherOhana]

allow me to offer a recruiting update, though not gophers. an assessment from Jason Kirk on teams that recruited better than usual this year:

1. San Jose State

Previous four-year Composite average: No. 107.75

2015 Composite ranking: No. 58

One big reason: I have no freaking idea. That big a leap is inexplicable. SJSU went 3-9 last season. One recruit, a four-star who'd claimed a USC offer, said he picked the Spartans because he likes their jerseys. Let's go with that. Incredible jerseys.


http://www.sbnation.com/college-foo...ecruiting-rankings-2015-most-improved-classes

 

[Buck_Buchanan]

Article on Winston Delattiboudere III commitment. Good stuff. If previously posted, my apologies. Worthy of a Bump anyways

 

[balds]

Article on Winston Delattiboudere III commitment. Good stuff. If previously posted, my apologies. Worthy of a Bump anyways

Thank you! Painful to watch a thread about 2015 recruits devolve into an ego fueled pissing match about the merits of Marquis Gray or the validity of the star based ranking system.

 

[Spoofin]

Thank you! Painful to watch a thread about 2015 recruits devolve into an ego fueled pissing match about the merits of Marquis Gray or the validity of the star based ranking system.

Yeah, and it only took 2,600 posts to get there.


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[e.bigelow]

Yeah, and it only took 2,600 posts to get there. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That's a new record!

 

[Lordshawesome]

I totally agree with the sentiment, that rankings are an iffy indicator of where a players talent level will be after a few years in a program. But that being said, I think the overall tone of the thread is based in a place with some bias/homerism. I'd bet good money that, if in 2-3 yrs. we are landing a bunch of 4&5 star athletes, the number of people who say star rankings don't matter will drop dramatically...

 

[Killjoy]

May be true- but the real question is when will we see the first "I'm worried because we haven't had another commitment yet for the 2016 class since ..."

Okay - I will bite - I am "I'm worried because we haven't had another commitment yet for the 2016 class since Jovanny Garcia committed."

 

[hungan1]

Okay - I will bite - I am "I'm worried because we haven't had another commitment yet for the 2016 class since Jovanny Garcia committed."

Here's hoping Carter Coughlin commits to the U. This is a big deal for himself, his family, the U, and the whole state.

 

[60's Guy]

Well said

The program didn't fail under Brewster because of guys like Grey and Cooper who didn't live up to some people's expectations. Brew failed because he couldn't keep guys at the U (Vince Hill, Maresh, Smith, Allen, Hill, Whaley, Lipscomb) and he didn't recruit depth at key positions. Grey might not have lived up to some people's expectations, but he performed about where a guy like him would have been predicted to perform. They are predictions, so every year guys who are 3 star guys become studs and 5 star guys fail to show much. Grey was a good Big 10 football player and is currently in the NFL. If you factor in how great of a teammate he was during his time year, it's shocking to consider him anything but a success. He happened to play on some pretty lousy teams.

As far as the general argument. . .

There is absolutely no doubt that rankings do matter. However, they aren't the end of the world. Kill has shown he is fantastic at getting guys who go to school, stay in school, develop and fit a specific role. He gets that it isn't just fantasy football and that what happens after 2/4/2015 is way more important than the actual NSD. Certain guys earn the benefit of the doubt when it comes to recruiting because the rankings CANNOT factor in those other important issues. Our program is no longer being hurt by attrition and we are being built for the long haul.

We were one half of football away from playing in the Big 10 Championship Game against the eventual National Championships (who played tough a couple weeks earlier). I'm not saying that means we can't question the staff, but we've come a LONG way in a short time. We were losing to NMSU And South Dakota State in recent memory. Last year's team was led by a lot of guys who aren't splashy recruits (Cobb, Epping, Maxx, Thompson, Murray, BBC, Wilson, Botticelli).

I am very much in agreement. Kill and his staff have done a great job! I just feel if we were able to recruit better players we'd develop them and be that much better of a football team. Fully aware they are trying and not saying they aren't doing the best job possible. I just think to sustain success we need better players and I'm impatient that there was not measurable improvement in that effort in 2015.

 

[g1976b]

Look, I was referring to his hype. His potential. Experts (and Tim Brewster) talked him up to be a Heisman contender. Whatever. I'm obviously outnumbered here. Bad example maybe. But please tell me you understand the real point I was trying to make.

You do realize this meant absolutely NOTHING considering the source, right?

 

[Maximus]

The program didn't fail under Brewster because of guys like Grey and Cooper who didn't live up to some people's expectations. Brew failed because he couldn't keep guys at the U (Vince Hill, Maresh, Smith, Allen, Hill, Whaley, Lipscomb) and he didn't recruit depth at key positions.

Rivals lists his vaunted 2008 recruiting class as 29 deep. While we know there were hits and misses in those 29....not a single one of them was an offensive lineman. I think it took until 2013 or this past season to finally dig out of that recruiting incompetence.

 

[UncleSam'sMisguidedChild]

You do realize this meant absolutely NOTHING considering the source, right?

At the time, no. How could I? Now, its easy to dismiss his claims. It was never my intention to turn this into a discussion about MarQueis Gray. I think everyone, me included, is ready to move on from this subject.

 

[BleedGopher]

per the New Richmond News:

It was not an easy decision for Max Praschak.

With both the University of Minnesota and University of Wisconsin football teams showing intense interest, Praschak decided to follow his heart and become a Wisconsin Badger.

The Gophers have been following Praschak’s progress closely for more than a year. When 2014 SHS graduate Gaelin Elmore was recruited to join the Gophers, Praschak also drew interest from the Gopher coaching staff. Praschak spoke in appreciative terms toward the Gopher coaches.

“(Minnesota coach) Jerry Kill and his staff are great guys. They gave me a sense I could do it,” Praschak said.

Praschak and Elmore had talked about being college teammates, but Elmore was supportive of Praschak’s decision.

“He knows how hard a decision it is and he had a lot more schools interested. Hopefully, some day we can play against each other,” Praschak said.

While the Gophers showed long-term interest in Praschak, it wasn’t until Paul Chryst was hired as head coach that the Badgers showed interest in Praschak. Chryst came to Somerset three weeks ago to meet with Spartan football coach Bruce Larson. Larson told Chryst the Badgers were missing out on a top prospect in Praschak. Larson said Chryst met with Praschak and was immediately sold on his athletic ability and his poise.

The Badgers made arrangements for Praschak to visit on Saturday, Feb. 1. Praschak made his official visit with the Gophers the previous Saturday.

http://www.newrichmond-news.com/spo...heart-commits-play-football-wisconsin-badgers

Go Gophers!!

 

[4four4]

per the New Richmond News:

It was not an easy decision for Max Praschak.

With both the University of Minnesota and University of Wisconsin football teams showing intense interest, Praschak decided to follow his heart and become a Wisconsin Badger.

The Gophers have been following Praschak’s progress closely for more than a year. When 2014 SHS graduate Gaelin Elmore was recruited to join the Gophers, Praschak also drew interest from the Gopher coaching staff. Praschak spoke in appreciative terms toward the Gopher coaches.

“(Minnesota coach) Jerry Kill and his staff are great guys. They gave me a sense I could do it,” Praschak said.

Praschak and Elmore had talked about being college teammates, but Elmore was supportive of Praschak’s decision.

“He knows how hard a decision it is and he had a lot more schools interested. Hopefully, some day we can play against each other,” Praschak said.

While the Gophers showed long-term interest in Praschak, it wasn’t until Paul Chryst was hired as head coach that the Badgers showed interest in Praschak. Chryst came to Somerset three weeks ago to meet with Spartan football coach Bruce Larson. Larson told Chryst the Badgers were missing out on a top prospect in Praschak. Larson said Chryst met with Praschak and was immediately sold on his athletic ability and his poise.

The Badgers made arrangements for Praschak to visit on Saturday, Feb. 1. Praschak made his official visit with the Gophers the previous Saturday.

http://www.newrichmond-news.com/spo...heart-commits-play-football-wisconsin-badgers

Go Gophers!!

I wonder if he was ever honest with Jerry? What a waste of Jerry's time.