Official 2023 Gophers Football Recruiting Thread: Links, Tweets, Videos, Rumors

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short ornery norwegian said:
the in-state recruits are a double-edged sword.

If MN lands the top in-state recruits, some people will question how good they are compared to recruits from outside MN.

But if MN doesn't land the top in-state recruits, then they get criticized for "not closing the borders."

hey, the guys from MN are probably not going to have the most stars in any recruiting class, but you need solid players to fill out the roster.

And, a guy from MN who has a local support system is probably less likely to jump into the portal the first time something doesn't go their way.

so, if you can get 'em, take 'em.
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I look at it as a glass half full. Four to six homegrown kids that have the potential to be great contributors or even develop into Pro players. "Why not us?"

I would guess that many of them will become contributors whether or not they see the playing field. Who will be the next Boye Mafe or Blake Cashman?

They can enter the Transfer Portal with a degree in hand and the knowledge gained from being in the Gopher system. They will always be Gophers!

Someone who has plenty of time on their hands should look at all of PJ Fleck's recruiting classes. Compare homegrown players versus out-of-state players. I would like to see some statistics. It will be insightful.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Using 247 I went back and looked at in-state classes from 2000 till now. The tool is a little clunky but the closest I could find to what might happen this year was 2009 when we landed 5 of the top 6 just missing out on the #1 guy Bryce McNeal to Clemson.

During the Mason years I looked at we rarely got any of the top 3 guys in-state to stay home. It got a little better during many of the Kill/Brewster/Fleck years but I don't think we even had the top 3 in-state recruits in any of those years (could have missed one though). Obvious caveat being that these are the top recruits according to the services, might not have actually ended up being the top in-state guys once they got to college.

So if Fleck is able to land the top 6 in-state guys in this class it would be pretty unprecedented.
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It would also likely be unprecedented if PJ's top six coincided with the rating service top six. (Marion Barber ranked 12th best in his class? LOL).
 

hungan1 said:
PJ Fleck has a good dose of goodness and an excellent life coaching program that the in-state players know well. The three-star players know they are getting a "twofer." They will be playing for a good coach who will take care of them and play in front of friends and family in a program that does send multiple players into the Pros.

Jaxon Howard has more options open to go to a Top Five program or for a nice NIL payday.
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Howard also comes from a family where getting an early NIL kickback is not that important. He and his dad know he is on a path to make huge money in the NFL. I don't think they will let quick money influence his college choice.
 


Dakota2 said:
There is no chance a booster is going to foist any player on PJ Fleck. Just not going to happen.
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That might be true, but if you're coach and the following happens, what do you say??

"Ed" (the rich booster, who has given seven figures of donations to U football over the years and has been funding a top recruit with a six figure NIL deal): Damnit PJ! I've dropped 100 large on this kid, and you won't even get him the damned ball! Give him a damned chance!
Fleck: My answer is no, Ed. You don't tell me how to run my team!
"Ed": Then you can forget me ever giving another dime to Gopher football!!! I'm sick of this crap!!

Obviously I've dramatized it and embellished it ... but you get the idea here?
 


Gophers_4life said:
That might be true, but if you're coach and the following happens, what do you say??

"Ed" (the rich booster, who has given seven figures of donations to U football over the years and has been funding a top recruit with a six figure NIL deal): Damnit PJ! I've dropped 100 large on this kid, and you won't even get him the damned ball! Give him a damned chance!
Fleck: My answer is no, Ed. You don't tell me how to run my team!
"Ed": Then you can forget me ever giving another dime to Gopher football!!! I'm sick of this crap!!

Obviously I've dramatized it and embellished it ... but you get the idea here?
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The idea is PJ is correct just as if the President of the U or a regent told him who to play. No.
 

Dakota2 said:
The idea is PJ is correct just as if the President of the U or a regent told him who to play. No.
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But then you lose funding to pull in future top recruits.

Is all I'm saying. It's a tough decision. Obviously we have to trust PJ to do what he thinks is best, as always.
 

No it isn't...and that donor would be back giving money and everyone including PJ knows it.

I get the point you are trying to make, but no. Minnesota is not tOSU...as long as PJ is keeping grad numbers and GPA high and the team is winning no donor will have more control over the team than the coach.
 




Dave H said:
No it isn't...and that donor would be back giving money and everyone including PJ knows it.

I get the point you are trying to make, but no. Minnesota is not tOSU...as long as PJ is keeping grad numbers and GPA high and the team is winning no donor will have more control over the team than the coach.
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Deep-pocket SEC donors who circumvent the coaches can create a toxic environment.

These folks think money solves everything.

We shall see how many national titles Texas brings.
 


Lincoln Kienholz

Any chance PJ is going to look at another top ranked South Dakota QB? Has offers from Wisconsin, Washington, Washington State, Pittsburgh.
 

Gophers_4life said:
That might be true, but if you're coach and the following happens, what do you say??

"Ed" (the rich booster, who has given seven figures of donations to U football over the years and has been funding a top recruit with a six figure NIL deal): Damnit PJ! I've dropped 100 large on this kid, and you won't even get him the damned ball! Give him a damned chance!
Fleck: My answer is no, Ed. You don't tell me how to run my team!
"Ed": Then you can forget me ever giving another dime to Gopher football!!! I'm sick of this crap!!

Obviously I've dramatized it and embellished it ... but you get the idea here?
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No and no. There is no booster more important than the principle at stake. An honest booster wouldn't cancel his support but in the worst case it doesn't matter. The coach makes all decisions on who plays, who gets the ball.
 



Gophers_4life said:
But then you lose funding to pull in future top recruits.

Is all I'm saying. It's a tough decision. Obviously we have to trust PJ to do what he thinks is best, as always.
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It is not a tough decision.
 

Stuff said:
Lincoln Kienholz

Any chance PJ is going to look at another top ranked South Dakota QB? Has offers from Wisconsin, Washington, Washington State, Pittsburgh.
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He is cool on the dozen offers he has, which means only one thing:
He’s waiting for that cherished Gopher offer!!!
 

Dakota2 said:
No and no. There is no booster more important than the principle at stake. An honest booster wouldn't cancel his support but in the worst case it doesn't matter. The coach makes all decisions on who plays, who gets the ball.
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Dakota2 said:
It is not a tough decision.
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I think this is an easy thing to say, when you're not the head coach.

But I respect your opinion, and we can agree to disagree.
 

Dakota2 said:
Howard also comes from a family where getting an early NIL kickback is not that important. He and his dad know he is on a path to make huge money in the NFL. I don't think they will let quick money influence his college choice.
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If they think they are nfl locks then he is probably going to flame out a ton in college

60% of 5 star recruits don’t play more than 2 seasons in the nfl
 


Some guy said:
If they think they are nfl locks then he is probably going to flame out a ton in college

60% of 5 star recruits don’t play more than 2 seasons in the nfl
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But what percent get drafted? Also, I wonder about that stat since they sign 3-year rookie contracts.
 

Dakota2 said:
But what percent get drafted? Also, I wonder about that stat since they sign 3-year rookie contracts.
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No idea. But the point of the post wasn’t that he isn’t going to get drafted. It is that he is going to have to work his butt off and be fortunate to make it in the nfl regardless of how talented he is…so if he and his family go in with the attitude that it’s a guarantee that’s the type of attitude that will likely get him passed by one of the other thousands of people who also have talent.


I am not saying he has that attitude, I was just responding to someone’s post
 

Some guy said:
No idea. But the point of the post wasn’t that he isn’t going to get drafted. It is that he is going to have to work his butt off and be fortunate to make it in the nfl regardless of how talented he is…so if he and his family go in with the attitude that it’s a guarantee that’s the type of attitude that will likely get him passed by one of the other thousands of people who also have talent.


I am not saying he has that attitude, I was just responding to someone’s post
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He and his family have the expectation he will be drafted and play in the NFL for the precise reason that he has already learned and displayed the work ethic and attitude, combined with superb athleticism, to excel at each level. His dad is a major guide and influence.
 

Dakota2 said:
He and his family have the expectation he will be drafted and play in the NFL for the precise reason that he has already learned and displayed the work ethic and attitude, combined with superb athleticism, to excel at each level. His dad is a major guide and influence.
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Yup. And having that be the expectation rather than aspiration/goal is why (if true) I would predict him to fail
 

tmvander said:
low to mid 3* recruits from MN

Exactly...most of the major NIL money in college football is going to be going to super highly rated guys. The low 3* to low 4* guys that we typically target and are in realistic shape to get probably aren't going to be generating a whole lot of NIL interest after their Junior years of high school.
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I think the more immediate danger is not pay-for-play schools stealing away high school recruits. It's a repeat of Bucky Irving - programs pilfering established Gopher players.

A week from now or a month from now or a year from now, you know there will be wallets open for the likes of Justin Walley, Michael Dixon, Trill Carter, and others.

If I'm a deep-pocketed booster from SEC territory, I'd rather put my money toward an established player with only a year or two left, rather than an unproven high school senior.
 

Urbandale said:
I think the more immediate danger is not pay-for-play schools stealing away high school recruits. It's a repeat of Bucky Irving - programs pilfering established Gopher players.

A week from now or a month from now or a year from now, you know there will be wallets open for the likes of Justin Walley, Michael Dixon, Trill Carter, and others.

If I'm a deep-pocketed booster from SEC territory, I'd rather put my money toward an established player with only a year or two left, rather than an unproven high school senior.
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Exactly why the one year sit-out needs to be reinstated.
 


Dakota2 said:
Sounds crazy but you're welcome to your prediction.
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I have no prediction. I’ve never met the kid and don’t know his attitude.
Entitled people don’t make it when the going gets tough though
 

Some guy said:
No idea. But the point of the post wasn’t that he isn’t going to get drafted. It is that he is going to have to work his butt off and be fortunate to make it in the nfl regardless of how talented he is…so if he and his family go in with the attitude that it’s a guarantee that’s the type of attitude that will likely get him passed by one of the other thousands of people who also have talent.


I am not saying he has that attitude, I was just responding to someone’s post
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That is a given. Boye Mafe worked his butt off to become the player that he is. Hard work is a guarantee when you play for PJ Fleck.

Star ratings out of high school are only just that. The proof is in the practices. For most high school recruits, the college football game is much faster than it is in high school.
 



Some guy said:
I have no prediction. I’ve never met the kid and don’t know his attitude.
Entitled people don’t make it when the going gets tough though
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There’s a difference between “expecting” to make it to the NFL because you’re talented and think it should be given to you, and “expecting” to make it to the NFL because you’re confident in your abilities and work ethic, and you know that you’re willing to put in the time needed.

I think that in order to be among the best in the world at anything, at some level you NEED to have the expectation and confidence that you will make it and that you belong there.
 

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