Official 2021 Gophers Football Recruiting Updates Thread: Links, Tweets, Videos etc

[MNVCGUY]

I'm with Slab...Gophers sucked to start 2018, needed miracles to avoid 0-3 in 2019, and lost to two pretty sub par teams to open last season. Bad things happened in a lot of games.

Fair enough. I just think the slow start in 2020 was different then the ones from the previous few seasons. Part of that is because we jumped straight into conference games as opposed to having a few non-conf tuneups.

But yeah, would be nice to see the team clicking on all cylinders earlier in the season.

 

[tmvander]

Fair enough. I just think the slow start in 2020 was different then the ones from the previous few seasons. Part of that is because we jumped straight into conference games as opposed to having a few non-conf tuneups.

But yeah, would be nice to see the team clicking on all cylinders earlier in the season.

Yeah I'll agree with you there especially over how we played to start 2019. Playing Michigan week one and then on the road against Maryland is different than South Dakota St and Georgia Southern at home with fans.

 

[hungan1]

Good post - this is where a core of strong position coaches matter.
How do you get to the Rose Bowl?
Practice, practice, practice.

We have witnessed the fruits of these in the Gophers knocking off Auburn, and beating Nebraska with a ton of players missing.

The Gophers have become a solid unified team that opponents can no longer take for granted. They play real team football, not a collection of individual players.

 

[hungan1]

Exactly
We're where we need to be at this point IMO and you'll never get them all, but the ones we are getting now are exciting, including the transfers - man I want to see Pickney toss some chubby WI OL around like rag dolls.

The Gophers will only get better in recruiting each succeeding class. This might be the year that the Gopher Defense will surprise.

Yeah, I am excited to see Pinckney pickle Bryce Benhart.

 

[die hard gopher]

One question: how "early" were we recruiting these 2021 high school guys?

What I'm getting at: were we already recruiting them before the blow-up 2019 season, or not until after that season?

We were recruiting Athan, Dino, Boyd and McGill before the 2019 season. Athan and Dino actually committed here in the spring of 2019 and Boyd took a visit here during that time as well.

 

[Pete smith]

Who do we expect to sign on Feb. 3?

 

[MaxyJR1]

Really wish we could rid ourselves of the slow starts. It feels like it has been that way for ages.....

It seems to be the way of developmental programs. Iowa does the same. They nearly lose or lose a non-conference game every year.

 

[MaxyJR1]

Good reporting -you deserve a raise.

Boom here it is.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

It seems to be the way of developmental programs. Iowa does the same. They nearly lose or lose a non-conference game every year.

I feel like that's correct to some extent, but that we tend to do it ... more than a game per year

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

The Gophers will only get better in recruiting each succeeding class. This might be the year that the Gopher Defense will surprise.

Yeah, I am excited to see Pinckney pickle Bryce Benhart.

Love it - you should trademark the Pinckney Pickle!!

 

[MplsGopher]

Benhart got owned by our ends already in 2020. Give the poor carpet bagger a rest for a year.

 

[Gopher_In_NYC]

Boom here it is.

Thanks for the update.

Excellent news

Welcome Quentin to the Main Campus.

Blake has provided the template, go grind and write your chapter and shine!!

 

[short ornery norwegian]

on the subject of "difference makers."

That is obviously a subjective concept.

I guess I think of a "difference maker" as not just a good player, but a transcendent player - a guy who steps on the field and instantly makes the team better. I am not talking about going from a B to a B+, or a B+ to an A-. I'm talking about an instant A+ type of player.

and yes, I know those guys are rare and very hard to recruit.

But, I believe that is exactly the type of player that a MN coach will have to recruit to truly elevate the program.

Think of the impact Winfield had on the defense, and what happened when he left. That is what the Gophers need on offense. As good as Johnson and Bateman were, I would say they fell just a little short of being the type of player I'm talking about.

Fleck is bringing in better classes, but it is incremental improvement. If the Gophers want to not just equal WI and IA, but surpass WI and IA, they will need to land players who are markedly better - by a significant factor.

now, maybe that is an impossible dream. maybe no coach will ever be able to bring that type of player to MN.

But - bottom line - you can say all day long that Fleck's classes are an improvement over previous coaches. But - are they making a big enough improvement for the program to really take a leap forward - not just slightly better, but significantly better. That is the ultimate question.

 

[hungan1]

We need more Polynesians. We need to sign this guy.

 

[PMWinSTP]

Thanks for the update.

Excellent news

Welcome Quentin to the Main Campus.

Blake has provided the template, go grind and write your chapter and shine!!

Can't tell, did he accept or just acknowledging the PWO offer?

 

[PMWinSTP]

Noticed the Gophs 2021 class has slid down to #35 on 247.

 

[Bayfieldgopher]

Hey Bayfield - trails good in your neck of the woods?

Stay north of Hwy 2 and away from the lake. They are probably better than any other place in WI but far below our normal standards for end of Jan.

 

[BarnBurner]

Stay north of Hwy 2 and away from the lake. They are probably better than any other place in WI but far below our normal standards for end of Jan.

Tough year everywhere

 

[hungan1]

 

[Some guy]

I saw a kid decommitted from Duluth yesterday and a MN Coach liked the tweet. Might be another PWO in the mix.

This gets me thinking. What is the value difference of a PWO offer at a P5 school to a D2 scholarship?

Thousands of dollars

 

[Word]

Thousands of dollars

I'm always impressed when we get a recruit to give up a scholarship offer to walk on. It means they really want to be here.

 

[Westfield Gopher]

 

[MplsGopher]

Thousands of dollars

Yes.

But also tough to put a number (literally, to do that) on the value of things like: instruction from higher quality coaching staff, better strength staff, better weight room/training facilities, access to athlete's village nutrition center and probably nutritionist on staff, probably even psychologist/therapists available to players, etc. Higher quality education, most likely, too. Or at least, name on the degree means more to some HR people (others it won't, just sayin).

Most DII schools are not going to have anything like that. For whatever it is worth.

 

[hungan1]

Injuries and Civd-19 gave the Gophers a big bonanza. Kid brother of Tyler Nubin.

Congrats to Jordan!

He's grown height and weight-wise in the last year. He seems to be hungry for the challenge. He will get a scholie sooner than later if he keeps it up. I am sure his family are elated that both brothers are playing together and is within driving distance to watch both of them play.

This will be another nice story about perseverance and determination. We need Safeties.

 

[MplsGopher]

We need Safeties.

We need guys who can make plays and take good angles to the ball.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Awesome - feels like a kid who has the potential to be a great under the radar pickup. Time will tell.

 

[die hard gopher]

 

[MNVCGUY]

247 lists him at 5'7" - 155 so is going to need to get some size to compete at the college level. But assume he is another PWO commit so no worries there, coaches clearly see something about him they like.

edit: He does have a younger brother who is a 2022 kid. Might have something to do with this. No matter what the reason though welcome aboard.

 

[GophersInIowa]

Is it me or do we get a lot of PWO out of Wisconsin?

 

[mkAz]

Here’s some Quentin Redding video.