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

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MN Daily: 2021 Gophers' recruiting update: Offense

In addition to adding a pair of four-star defensive backs, the Gophers' football team has also added a pair of four-stars on the offensive side of the ball in 2021.

With starting quarterback Tanner Morgan and running back Mohamed Ibrahim entering their senior seasons in 2021, commits Athan Kaliakmanis and Mar'Keise Irving perhaps come in as their successors. Kaliakmanis, a dual-threat quarterback, and Irving, an elusive running back, are two of four Gophers' four-star commits that make up its No. 19 ranked recruiting class.

Irving hails from Hillcrest High School in Country Club Hills, Illinois, and, according to scouts, is a compact back who is incredibly hard to bring down. He's considered a solid pass catcher who could improve in that department. But overall, Irving is a runner who can power his way through defenders with a nice stiff arm and has a big burst to outrun defenders to the endzone.

“I had a special relationship with [head coach P.J.] Fleck and my position coach, Kenni Burns, at Minnesota. I trust them in giving me a chance to succeed at not just college but possibly going forward to have a shot at the NFL. They told me that I could bring great changes to the program, and I was all in," Irving said.

Morgan Weaver, the head football coach at Hillcrest, praised Irving's abilities and competitiveness on the field.

“Mar’Keise approaches the game with toughness, and he is always ready to compete. He is extremely confident in his capabilities to help a team win games. Most kids don’t have all three of those traits. He is going to bring it every chance he gets to play football," Weaver said.

Weaver continued to say that Irving is special on the field as well as off the field.

"He wants to get better, he wants to be coached and he is going to sell out for his teammates, coaches and fans," Weaver said. "Off the field, he is a very respectable young man, very likable. He is focused and ready to accomplish his goals. He’s been through a ton of adversity at such a young age, which has helped him mature and mold him into a respectable young man.”


Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
MN Daily: 2021 Gophers' recruiting update: Offense

In addition to adding a pair of four-star defensive backs, the Gophers' football team has also added a pair of four-stars on the offensive side of the ball in 2021.

With starting quarterback Tanner Morgan and running back Mohamed Ibrahim entering their senior seasons in 2021, commits Athan Kaliakmanis and Mar'Keise Irving perhaps come in as their successors. Kaliakmanis, a dual-threat quarterback, and Irving, an elusive running back, are two of four Gophers' four-star commits that make up its No. 19 ranked recruiting class.

Irving hails from Hillcrest High School in Country Club Hills, Illinois, and, according to scouts, is a compact back who is incredibly hard to bring down. He's considered a solid pass catcher who could improve in that department. But overall, Irving is a runner who can power his way through defenders with a nice stiff arm and has a big burst to outrun defenders to the endzone.

“I had a special relationship with [head coach P.J.] Fleck and my position coach, Kenni Burns, at Minnesota. I trust them in giving me a chance to succeed at not just college but possibly going forward to have a shot at the NFL. They told me that I could bring great changes to the program, and I was all in," Irving said.

Morgan Weaver, the head football coach at Hillcrest, praised Irving's abilities and competitiveness on the field.

“Mar’Keise approaches the game with toughness, and he is always ready to compete. He is extremely confident in his capabilities to help a team win games. Most kids don’t have all three of those traits. He is going to bring it every chance he gets to play football," Weaver said.

Weaver continued to say that Irving is special on the field as well as off the field.

"He wants to get better, he wants to be coached and he is going to sell out for his teammates, coaches and fans," Weaver said. "Off the field, he is a very respectable young man, very likable. He is focused and ready to accomplish his goals. He’s been through a ton of adversity at such a young age, which has helped him mature and mold him into a respectable young man.”


Go Gophers!!
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im really excited to see these guys hopefully lead the next iteration of this amazing offense we are already enjoying!
 


Kinda a random/general recruiting question: does anyone know when the majority of power 5 commits happen by? Obviously it’s going to be different this year and probably differs a lot by team, but was curious about what the average timeline for most recruits is. (Like, 75% of power 5 commits happen before X day). Either actual numbers or just anecdotal feelings are cool. I don’t really follow recruiting outside of the Gophers enough to know
 

skyman31 said:
Kinda a random/general recruiting question: does anyone know when the majority of power 5 commits happen by? Obviously it’s going to be different this year and probably differs a lot by team, but was curious about what the average timeline for most recruits is. (Like, 75% of power 5 commits happen before X day). Either actual numbers or just anecdotal feelings are cool. I don’t really follow recruiting outside of the Gophers enough to know
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I would say right now we are pretty close to being over the 50% committed point.
 


If I was a parent of a 2021 player, I would not be doing anything close to a commitment right now. Don't even know if your senior season is going to be played. Don't know when in-person visits can happen.

Speaking only for myself, I still can't believe that kids have made commitments without even visiting the campus in person. Fleck must be one hell of a salesman, and they must've throw together one hell of a video/Zoom presentation.
 

MplsGopher said:
If I was a parent of a 2021 player, I would not be doing anything close to a commitment right now. Don't even know if your senior season is going to be played. Don't know when in-person visits can happen.

Speaking only for myself, I still can't believe that kids have made commitments without even visiting the campus in person. Fleck must be one hell of a salesman, and they must've throw together one hell of a video/Zoom presentation.
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I wonder if the current mentality towards commitments is more that you're reserving a spot at a school rather than truly committing and you can always decommit after making in person visits. Besides burning a bridge at one school, there really isn't a huge downside to committing to your current top choice and continuing your recruitment until things open up again.

Would like to hope that's not how the gopher's commits are viewing it, but wouldn't be surprised if some players are.
 

MplsGopher said:
If I was a parent of a 2021 player, I would not be doing anything close to a commitment right now. Don't even know if your senior season is going to be played. Don't know when in-person visits can happen.

Speaking only for myself, I still can't believe that kids have made commitments without even visiting the campus in person. Fleck must be one hell of a salesman, and they must've throw together one hell of a video/Zoom presentation.
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I understand what you are saying, but the way the system works at present it makes some sense to take a commitable offer now as you can always de-commit later. It's sort of like playing a game of musical chairs where you can carry a chair so that you know that you have one, while still being able to discard it if a better chair is open when the music stops.
 

skyman31 said:
I wonder if the current mentality towards commitments is more that you're reserving a spot at a school rather than truly committing and you can always decommit after making in person visits. Besides burning a bridge at one school, there really isn't a huge downside to committing to your current top choice and continuing your recruitment until things open up again.

Would like to hope that's not how the gopher's commits are viewing it, but wouldn't be surprised if some players are.
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Exactly. As a player if you hold off on committing you could end up very limited in options in the end. Besides, as we saw after Sam Jackson's (first) decommitment, bridges are hardly burned. Even after two decommitments, if he spends three years at Purdue, realizes he's not a QB, and decides he wants back in the boat, I bet we'd still take him as a transfer.
 



I think that this recruiting process must be really stressful for these young kids. For many it is the first experience with real world business.
 


per Shooter:

The Gophers rank No. 18 nationally in football recruiting with no five-star players, but four four-stars, according to highly regarded 247sports.com. Ohio State is No. 1 with four five-stars. Wisconsin is 13th with no five-stars, but five four-stars. Iowa, No. 15, has no five-stars, and just three four-stars.

www.twincities.com

Charley Walters: Twins-Saints partnership talks quietly ongoing

Neither the Minnesota Twins nor the St. Paul Saints talk much about it publicly, but discussions about the Saints partnering with the Twins have been ongoing. The Saints, now conveniently housing t…
www.twincities.com www.twincities.com

Go Gophers!!
 

PitinoFan said:
ATH....

Do it all...

Both sides of the ball? Kick returns too? I sure hope so.

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The Gophers’ version of Deion Sanders?? Sounds like he could be a serious threat at receiver as well as a lock down corner.
 



Gophergrandpa said:
The Gophers’ version of Deion Sanders?? Sounds like he could be a serious threat at receiver as well as a lock down corner.
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Looks a little like Deion on this pick 6. Amazingly, his coach said he wasn’t playing at full speed last season because of a nagging hamstring injury. You wouldn’t know it by watching his highlights.

 

PitinoFan said:
Looks a little like Deion on this pick 6. Amazingly, his coach said he wasn’t playing at full speed last season because of a nagging hamstring injury. You wouldn’t know it by watching his highlights.

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look at the dude coming from 10 yards behind the play to get ahead of Avante for the last block....coaches gotta love that hustle!
 


per Mike Farrell:

Staying home: Just more than half of Minnesota’s recruiting class are prospects within a seven-hour drive from campus, but many of them are right around that distance since in-state recruiting has not gone incredibly well so far this cycle. The Golden Gophers have been successful in Illinois with five commitments from that state including Athanand Dino Kaliakmanis, only two from in-state players and one from Nebraska in four-star Avante Dickerson

Hitting the road: P.J. Fleck and his staff have done a nice job touching talent-rich parts of the county by fighting off Pac-12 programs for four-star Steven Ortiz out of Arizona, going to Georgia for two commits, Florida for one and then hitting Indiana and Ohio as well. Three-star WR Brady Boyd gives Minnesota some entry into the state of Texas.

Farrell’s take: Minnesota has won some nice battles in other states and kept a few key prospects home, but there is more work to be done. However, when you can land a prospect like Ortiz from Arizona or go down to Texas or Florida and fill a need, it’s always good. Fleck is an elite recruiter and that comes through on Zoom as well. The state of Minnesota doesn’t produce a ton of talent and the surrounding area is a challenge, but they are holding their own.

uga.rivals.com

Big Ten Spotlight: How has pandemic impacted recruiting?

Some schools are seeing more success in their home region with travel being limited.
uga.rivals.com uga.rivals.com

Go Gophers!!
 

per Mike Farrell:

Staying home: Just more than half of Minnesota’s recruiting class are prospects within a seven-hour drive from campus, but many of them are right around that distance since in-state recruiting has not gone incredibly well so far this cycle. The Golden Gophers have been successful in Illinois with five commitments from that state including Athanand Dino Kaliakmanis, only two from in-state players and one from Nebraska in four-star Avante Dickerson

Hitting the road: P.J. Fleck and his staff have done a nice job touching talent-rich parts of the county by fighting off Pac-12 programs for four-star Steven Ortiz out of Arizona, going to Georgia for two commits, Florida for one and then hitting Indiana and Ohio as well. Three-star WR Brady Boyd gives Minnesota some entry into the state of Texas.

Farrell’s take: Minnesota has won some nice battles in other states and kept a few key prospects home, but there is more work to be done. However, when you can land a prospect like Ortiz from Arizona or go down to Texas or Florida and fill a need, it’s always good. Fleck is an elite recruiter and that comes through on Zoom as well. The state of Minnesota doesn’t produce a ton of talent and the surrounding area is a challenge, but they are holding their own.

uga.rivals.com

Big Ten Spotlight: How has pandemic impacted recruiting?

Some schools are seeing more success in their home region with travel being limited.
uga.rivals.com uga.rivals.com

Go Gophers!!
 



Lot of talk about Leingang and ASU, but 247 has him warm for us, KSU, and Stanford.
 
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btowngopher said:
Lot of y’all about Leingang and ASU, but 247 had him warm for us, KSU, and Stanford.
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Says Stanford just offered this weekend. Kid must be a pretty high academic, in which case tough to pass up the opportunity to go to Stanford.
 

skyman31 said:
Kinda a random/general recruiting question: does anyone know when the majority of power 5 commits happen by? Obviously it’s going to be different this year and probably differs a lot by team, but was curious about what the average timeline for most recruits is. (Like, 75% of power 5 commits happen before X day). Either actual numbers or just anecdotal feelings are cool. I don’t really follow recruiting outside of the Gophers enough to know
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Based on the 247 sports top 300, just under 70% are already commited.
 

We need to keep out-recruiting the OL. Without them, the Offense will become mere mortals.

If we can land 4-Star linemen, it will be very sweet indeed.

Lucky to have both 4-stars Dunlap and Faalele in the 2018 class whose presence in the lineup IMHO have made a significant impact.

The reality is that the Gophers need to "grow" their own 4-Star linemen out 3-Star players for the most part.

We need more guys like John Michael Schmitz and others who will thrive in the Gophers development program. The dividends come in two, three, or four years.

A time will come when 4-Star recruits will see the Gophers putting linemen into the Pros.
 
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BleedGopher said:
per Mike Farrell:

Staying home: Just more than half of Minnesota’s recruiting class are prospects within a seven-hour drive from campus, but many of them are right around that distance since in-state recruiting has not gone incredibly well so far this cycle. The Golden Gophers have been successful in Illinois with five commitments from that state including Athanand Dino Kaliakmanis, only two from in-state players and one from Nebraska in four-star Avante Dickerson

Hitting the road: P.J. Fleck and his staff have done a nice job touching talent-rich parts of the county by fighting off Pac-12 programs for four-star Steven Ortiz out of Arizona, going to Georgia for two commits, Florida for one and then hitting Indiana and Ohio as well. Three-star WR Brady Boyd gives Minnesota some entry into the state of Texas.

Farrell’s take: Minnesota has won some nice battles in other states and kept a few key prospects home, but there is more work to be done. However, when you can land a prospect like Ortiz from Arizona or go down to Texas or Florida and fill a need, it’s always good. Fleck is an elite recruiter and that comes through on Zoom as well. The state of Minnesota doesn’t produce a ton of talent and the surrounding area is a challenge, but they are holding their own.

uga.rivals.com

Big Ten Spotlight: How has pandemic impacted recruiting?

Some schools are seeing more success in their home region with travel being limited.
uga.rivals.com uga.rivals.com

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...
Any one know if Ratzlaff is playing football for sure? Heard hockey was a possibility but I don't know anything about his situation.

Would have liked us to grab Justice Sullivan/Joe Alt but if we could at least finish with Townley I would not be too dissapointed with the in-state haul. Purcell, Eastern, Townley would be a good group of talent imo
 

Why does everyone get so excited about guys that never practice football? He is another Suggs, he is a 6'1" 205 pound hockey player that sounds like he has the ability to go Pro in hockey. While there are kids that work on their skill set in football all year and no one talks about them. Everyone follows the hype train.
 



MinnGopher said:
Any one know if Ratzlaff is playing football for sure? Heard hockey was a possibility but I don't know anything about his situation.

Would have liked us to grab Justice Sullivan/Joe Alt but if we could at least finish with Townley I would not be too dissapointed with the in-state haul. Purcell, Eastern, Townley would be a good group of talent imo
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Ratzlaff would be crazy to play football. He has a very good shot at making the NHL. If he chose football it would just be for the love of the sport.
 

Tommyboy said:
Why does everyone get so excited about guys that never practice football? He is another Suggs, he is a 6'1" 205 pound hockey player that sounds like he has the ability to go Pro in hockey. While there are kids that work on their skill set in football all year and no one talks about them. Everyone follows the hype train.
Click to expand...
He does practice football, and he plays it well. There's a reason he is a highly regarded recruit.
 

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