Official 2018 Recruiting Updates Thread: Links, Tweets, Videos, Stories, Rumors, etc.

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RatherBeGolfing said:
Are you evaluating them as guards or centers? Audette is pretty clearly going to strictly be a guard in college while Boe is pretty clearly going to strictly be a center.
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From what I was told by people who know more than me, they thought Boe and Audette to be close. However they had them both at multiple camps, put them through the ringer and deduced that they liked Boes aggressivemes, quick feet and height and ability to put more good weight on his frame than Audette. Plus they said Audette didn't have as long of reach and arms so they went w Boe.
 

MNSpaniel said:
I don't understand how a kid is Mr. Minnesota Football from a powerhouse program and doesn't get an instate offer. I don't really know anything about him but if he is Eden Prairie's best player I'm surprised we didn't offer. From the article I read it sounds like he would take a PWO from Wisconsin over Minnesota. I guess we will have to wait and see. Will be interesting to see how all these stars and numbers translate to football in the next couple years.
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What works in HS doesn't necessarily work in college, and what works in college doesn't necessarily work in the NFL. There are many Heisman winners who haven't done anything in the NFL - some of them couldn't even make the league.

If Montero would rather have a wisconsin PWO than a Minnesota PWO, it tells me he doesn't want to be here anyway.
 

It sounded like Boe has a good stubbornness about him where he won't quit. Heard a comment about how they put him through camp and just kept calling his name to go again and again and he never stopped.

Not sure about how much he plays mean, but he's go that type of don't quit about him. Maybe he'll be the next Pat Elflein.
 

I see your point. Just thought that he would have gotten a little more interest but I have never seen him play. We have gotten some good play out of recent EP players. So if they thought he was at U of M level they would have given him a scholarship. Now I'm sure to watch and see what happens with him in the future.

dpodoll68 said:
What works in HS doesn't necessarily work in college, and what works in college doesn't necessarily work in the NFL. There are many Heisman winners who haven't done anything in the NFL - some of them couldn't even make the league.

If Montero would rather have a wisconsin PWO than a Minnesota PWO, it tells me he doesn't want to be here anyway.
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dpodoll68 said:
What works in HS doesn't necessarily work in college, and what works in college doesn't necessarily work in the NFL. There are many Heisman winners who haven't done anything in the NFL - some of them couldn't even make the league.

If Montero would rather have a wisconsin PWO than a Minnesota PWO, it tells me he doesn't want to be here anyway.
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Maybe the first post of yours that I ever agreed with. I need a drink...or a Fresca.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 


MNSpaniel said:
I see your point. Just thought that he would have gotten a little more interest but I have never seen him play. We have gotten some good play out of recent EP players. So if they thought he was at U of M level they would have given him a scholarship. Now I'm sure to watch and see what happens with him in the future.
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Montero is an interesting case. As someone close to the program, I've watched him play a lot, and he just sticks out. He's always around the ball, and his instincts are off the charts. He just doesn't quite have the height/athleticism that gets kids huge offers out of high school. I do believe that he will be a productive college player, whether it's at the U, Sconny, or NDSU. FWIW it sounds like Fleck wanted him pretty badly, but just didn't have the space for him this year.
 

Thomasthetank said:
From what I was told by people who know more than me, they thought Boe and Audette to be close. However they had them both at multiple camps, put them through the ringer and deduced that they liked Boes aggressivemes, quick feet and height and ability to put more good weight on his frame than Audette. Plus they said Audette didn't have as long of reach and arms so they went w Boe.
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I've heard the same. Boe is significantly longer than Audette, if he grows another inch or two he could even play some swing tackle. I think the potential versatility helped him.
 

per Sid:

Football coach P.J. Fleck said Wednesday, after announcing the highest-rated recruiting class the Gophers have had in recent memory, that this was the kind of class he felt his coaching staff could land given enough time.

“Well, we had a whole year to prepare. We had two weeks to recruit when we first got here,” Fleck said. “We had a whole year this year to build those relationships, really get the Minnesota Golden Gophers brand out there and show what the new Minnesota movement is all about. I think a lot of players want to be a part of that.”

The accolades quickly came in for this Gophers class, with 247Sports.com putting this group of 26 commits at No. 29 in the country, which was the best class ranking of any team in the Big Ten West. Fleck said this kind of class was only the first in a long line of accomplishments the Gophers want to start making more common.

“It’s something we haven’t done before and it’s one of those ‘nevers’ that we’re going to continue to accomplish and check off,” he said. “But again, the rankings don’t necessarily matter to us. They don’t sit there and run us. But it’s nice to know that your class is recognized as one of the better ones in college football.”

This is Fleck’s sixth recruiting class as a head coach, and he knows the rankings won’t mean anything for a few years.

“You don’t know until about three or four years down the road how well you did,” he said. “But we feel like we targeted the guys we needed in the key positions that we needed help in, and I thought our staff did a tremendous job of hitting it right on the head.”

Did he get the guys that he was after?

“We signed them all, which was really good,” he said.

http://www.startribune.com/p-j-flec...ccess-to-keep-building-for-gophers/465577143/

Go Gophers!!
 

Anyone know what time Brown is supposed to announce? Was it ever determined if we have room for him?
 



Golden_Sloth said:
Anyone know what time Brown is supposed to announce? Was it ever determined if we have room for him?
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He's making his announcement at noon according to his Twitter, but my expectation is that we are all filled up for 2018 at this point.
 

Gopher07 said:
He's making his announcement at noon according to his Twitter, but my expectation is that we are all filled up for 2018 at this point.
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With Richter grey shirting I think that opens up one more spot for this class
 








The Gophers must really not have a scholie available.
 



Love at First Sight...Bateman signes with Minnesota

"Rashod Bateman holds all 3 career receiving records for Tift County (receptions, yards touchdowns), and his head coach Ashley Anders said his best football is still ahead of him.

That's bad news for teams in the Big 10 not named Minnesota.

Bateman signed early with the Golden Gophers.

The 6 foot 2 speedster is one of the crown jewels of the first ever top 25 Minnesota recruiting class.

Bateman committed in the Spring moments after head coach P.J. fleck offered him.

Over 20 schools including Georgia came calling after his breakout 21 touchdown senior season, but Bateman never wavered."



Link
 

per the Mankato Free Press:

When Zack Annexstad was a young football player, he attended camps at the University of Minnesota, hoping one day to wear the maroon and gold.

It took a couple of years in Florida, concentrating on football at a private school, but on Wednesday, Annexstad took a big step toward realizing his dream, signing a national letter of intent to accept a preferred walk-on offer from the Gophers. He rejoins his brother, who was a redshirt receiver with the Gophers last season.

“It’s exciting to be part of the Gophers program,” said Zack, who was flying back to Minnesota on Thursday and will enroll at Minnesota on Jan. 8 so he can participate in spring practice. “It took a lot of effort, and my family has had to make sacrifices. I’m ready to get back there and represent the state of Minnesota.”

Annexstad was a sophomore quarterback at Mankato West in 2015 and started the first couple of games. But he suffered a sprained ankle early in the season and never regained the starting job as Rob Meidl led the Scarlets to the state semifinals.

He met with contacts from IMG Academy through social media, and he and his brother Brock visited the campus at Bradenton, Florida. The football-centric school was just what they were looking for as they pursued a dream of playing college football.

“It was a great opportunity for my brother and I,” Zack said. “You can make a lot of connections there.”

So for the past two years, Zack has competed and studied at IMG, all with the goal of gaining a college scholarship. The typical day starts at 6:30 a.m., with breakfast at 7. There were football meetings for 90 minutes, followed by two hours of practice. After lunch, he attended classes until 5:30 p.m., then there was rehab, studying or relaxation until it was time to fall asleep.

http://www.southernminn.com/article_fbafa251-4446-5f93-a818-5ece2182441b.html

Go Gophers!!
 


This is just my opinion and I have no facts to base it on. I think Mr. Brown wanted to be a Gopher and that is why he waited until the 22nd to commit. When he found out there was no room left, he settled for his home town state. If my opinion is true, we have come along way with recruiting. How often do we get to tell a 4* kid we don't have room for you.
 

dlw4gophers said:
This is just my opinion and I have no facts to base it on. I think Mr. Brown wanted to be a Gopher and that is why he waited until the 22nd to commit. When he found out there was no room left, he settled for his home town state. If my opinion is true, we have come along way with recruiting. How often do we get to tell a 4* kid we don't have room for you.
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Who knows but we had a few more 4 stars visit than usual. Twice as many in almost a decade committed to us as well. We have brand new facilities that are just about to go into use. We are sitting in a good spot recruiting wise and if we can improve even a little we will be a team like Michigan State I think.
 

Q&A: Gopher commit may have a show with Coach Fleck one day

So take me through the end of your recruiting, it seemed like Minnesota came in later there.
They had been recruiting me throughout. I had been talking to Coach Fleck throughout. He wasn’t sure about how interested I was in Minnesota. Once I de-committed from Florida, he was the first person I talked to. We talked for a long time, we had great conversations. The opportunity presented is great. I can come in and play right away, compete – we’re going to be competing for championships soon, really soon – with the class we’re bringing in, the best class Minnesota [has had]. It’s perfect timing. I’m a Jacksonville native, went to IMG Academy, always been in the heat, but something about the snow, I just fell in love when I went up. The atmosphere, everything just fit.

Was that your first time in the snow like that?
Yes sir

First time ever?
First time ever.

So what did you think of that?
I always used to play with mom and my dad and told them if it snowed in Jacksonville for Christmas, that was all I’d want, and now to have the opportunity to go play in the snow and all types of weather and get training from one of the best offensive line coaches and it’s just great because I was just looking at it, when offensive linemen go high rounds from some of those up north schools, Big Ten and I feel like it’s a great opportunity for me.

When you went up there, were you able to see a lot of new places, maybe find some of the better places to eat up there?
Yes sir, we experienced a lot. It was just a great time. Zach [Annexstad]’s from there, so he knew places to go in Minnesota. He’s from an hour and 30 minutes away from there, so we knew places to go. It was fun.

Was it important to have guys you knew go there?
Importance… it was not a big factor. I was going to go where I was going to go regardless because of the opportunity presented -- it just makes you more comfortable. The opportunity fits. Since they are going, it just makes it a lot more comfortable. I’ll be up there with Daniel [Faalele], Daniel’s going to be my roommate, Zach’s going to be my roommate, it's just definitely something that makes me feel a lot better.

Being a Jacksonville kid, was it pretty tough to de-commit from Florida?
It really wasn't pretty tough because I look at what I want for the future. I want to be great, so why not go to the Big Ten and be a great offensive lineman?

Have your parents already made a plan for getting up to games?
Yes, so with my stipend check, I'll be able to get my mom up to a couple games, we'll start off with two or three my freshman year and go from there. As I save more, we can get more, and she’ll be working and be able to get tickets and then just go from there.

Coach Fleck is a head coach that gets a lot of attention --
Haha, a lot of attention.

As a recruit though, you get to know him away from the cameras, what was he like away from all that?
Crazy. I watched Coach Fleck on his ESPN special, and you expect every coach to act a certain way in front of the camera, but camera’s off, Coach Fleck is the same way. And I love it because that energy is what you need as a player because if a coach doesn’t have energy, why would you want to be out there? But if you have the energy... he's out there racing with us sprinting, doing everything we're doing, it makes it better. He understands. He knows what we're going through is hard and is not taking us for granted, and we're not taking him for granted either.

Did you watch that show before or after Minnesota started recruiting you?
I watched it before. I watched it with Zach because Zach’s my roommate, so he kept it in my ear for me. It was nice and he’s the exact same.

https://247sports.com/Article/QA-Go...ave-a-show-with-Coach-Fleck-one-day-113121533

Go Gophers!!
 



I think a least spot can be explained by Texas A&M losing a 4 star OLB. I suspect that they will make up for it soon enough.
 

BleedGopher said:
Q&A: Gopher commit may have a show with Coach Fleck one day

So take me through the end of your recruiting, it seemed like Minnesota came in later there.
They had been recruiting me throughout. I had been talking to Coach Fleck throughout. He wasn’t sure about how interested I was in Minnesota. Once I de-committed from Florida, he was the first person I talked to. We talked for a long time, we had great conversations. The opportunity presented is great. I can come in and play right away, compete – we’re going to be competing for championships soon, really soon – with the class we’re bringing in, the best class Minnesota [has had]. It’s perfect timing. I’m a Jacksonville native, went to IMG Academy, always been in the heat, but something about the snow, I just fell in love when I went up. The atmosphere, everything just fit.

Was that your first time in the snow like that?
Yes sir

First time ever?
First time ever.

So what did you think of that?
I always used to play with mom and my dad and told them if it snowed in Jacksonville for Christmas, that was all I’d want, and now to have the opportunity to go play in the snow and all types of weather and get training from one of the best offensive line coaches and it’s just great because I was just looking at it, when offensive linemen go high rounds from some of those up north schools, Big Ten and I feel like it’s a great opportunity for me.

When you went up there, were you able to see a lot of new places, maybe find some of the better places to eat up there?
Yes sir, we experienced a lot. It was just a great time. Zach [Annexstad]’s from there, so he knew places to go in Minnesota. He’s from an hour and 30 minutes away from there, so we knew places to go. It was fun.

Was it important to have guys you knew go there?
Importance… it was not a big factor. I was going to go where I was going to go regardless because of the opportunity presented -- it just makes you more comfortable. The opportunity fits. Since they are going, it just makes it a lot more comfortable. I’ll be up there with Daniel [Faalele], Daniel’s going to be my roommate, Zach’s going to be my roommate, it's just definitely something that makes me feel a lot better.

Being a Jacksonville kid, was it pretty tough to de-commit from Florida?
It really wasn't pretty tough because I look at what I want for the future. I want to be great, so why not go to the Big Ten and be a great offensive lineman?

Have your parents already made a plan for getting up to games?
Yes, so with my stipend check, I'll be able to get my mom up to a couple games, we'll start off with two or three my freshman year and go from there. As I save more, we can get more, and she’ll be working and be able to get tickets and then just go from there.

Coach Fleck is a head coach that gets a lot of attention --
Haha, a lot of attention.

As a recruit though, you get to know him away from the cameras, what was he like away from all that?
Crazy. I watched Coach Fleck on his ESPN special, and you expect every coach to act a certain way in front of the camera, but camera’s off, Coach Fleck is the same way. And I love it because that energy is what you need as a player because if a coach doesn’t have energy, why would you want to be out there? But if you have the energy... he's out there racing with us sprinting, doing everything we're doing, it makes it better. He understands. He knows what we're going through is hard and is not taking us for granted, and we're not taking him for granted either.

Did you watch that show before or after Minnesota started recruiting you?
I watched it before. I watched it with Zach because Zach’s my roommate, so he kept it in my ear for me. It was nice and he’s the exact same.

https://247sports.com/Article/QA-Go...ave-a-show-with-Coach-Fleck-one-day-113121533

Go Gophers!!
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What's the stipend check. Is that something that the U gives recruits?
 

Stipend check is issued by University and can be used however the athlete wants to. It's in addition to tuition/books/room/board money. Most schools in B1G are in $2,000-$3,000 range. Started in 2015-16.
 

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