OT Kyle Sassack commits

[Sparlimb]

You get what you can get. I'm just tempering the unrealistic giddiness of people who cheer on the fact that a warm body is coming to UMN.

Well I lean towards the fact that 2 star MAC DLineman are better then no DLineman at all. I also think having a discussion of which of our QB's that happen to be suspended for the next year should be the starter. Better to see us bringing in some different choices. And I've been saying since Kill got here, for whatever reason it seems we've never had a receiving corps that were as good as the better MAC teams had. I don't know why that is, but I like to see these WR commits coming in too.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

Well, for starters you could open your mind to the idea that recruiting rankings aren't the final determination in talent. Bear with me here.... not all guys playing MAC football are unworthy of playing in the B1G. Unless, of course, you have broken down film in your determination. Please accept my apologies if you have spent hours evaluating these players. I'm sure you haven't declared them inadequate based on any less.


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You would think this would be a good lesson for people that Team Rankings are silly too. We've signed 8 guys that have a lower star average than our class pre-Fleck and we've jumped up from like 75 to 45 in the rankings. It's nonsense. Our class would have gotten filled with similarly ranked players.

If we recruited and 5 guys failed out every single season, our team rankings would always be higher because we'd sign more recruits. But is that good for the program?

 

[Vandy]

You get what you can get. I'm just tempering the unrealistic giddiness of people who cheer on the fact that a warm body is coming to UMN.

Well, he has had the top rated recruiting class in the MAC for several years running, would likely have been the same this year.

I have not bothered to look back at the past 2-3 years, but I am fairly certain that his classes of recruits were better that a fair number of P5 teams, and would likely have been this year as well.

These will all be decent players...I believe that a number are 3* rated. Remember, 4*'s are a rarity for us in the first place. This should not be a step down recruiting class for us, and may well be a slight upgrade by the time we are done. If we could snag the guys he was pursuing that committed to Ole Miss and Mizzou, it'd be even better.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

You would think this would be a good lesson for people that Team Rankings are silly too. We've signed 8 guys that have a lower star average than our class pre-Fleck and we've jumped up from like 75 to 45 in the rankings. It's nonsense. Our class would have gotten filled with similarly ranked players.

If we recruited and 5 guys failed out every single season, our team rankings would always be higher because we'd sign more recruits. But is that good for the program?

It would have? Recruiting has been very quiet around here for awhile.

 

[Oregon Gopher]

.

Yes

You understand the elevation in rank is because of # of commits not quality? Claeys would assuredly been able to fill out the class by February- the question is would his final recruits have been as highly ranked as his original commits.


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[Bob_Loblaw]

It would have? Recruiting has been very quiet around here for awhile.

You don't think we would have filled up our class with a bunch of recruits with a 2.5 star average? Is this your first year following recruiting?

 

[Torres9]

You understand the elevation in rank is because of # of commits not quality? Claeys would assuredly been able to fill out the class by February- the question is would his final recruits have been as highly ranked as his original

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Fair - but we seem to have taken the best from a class that was ranked significantly higher than ours. For now I like this from The Daily Gopher ...


Chris Bell and Tanner Morgan are now the 5th and 6th best recruits we have committed right now according to the 247 composite rankings. MAC recruits does not immediately mean bad when you’re poaching from the top ranked MAC recruiting class.

 

[btowngopher]

If you want to bash these recruits lets hear right now which ones you think won't be any good.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

You don't think we would have filled up our class with a bunch of recruits with a 2.5 star average? Is this your first year following recruiting?

We hadn't had a commitment in nearly a month, and need a ton of help on offense, which is what most of these recruits play. There wasn't much help coming on offense prior to Fleck.

The average before was 2.53 and the new commits average 2.63. So it is a slight uptick in rating and most of these recruits have other P5 offers, unlike most of the recruits that were committed prior to Fleck. So no I do not think Claeys would have been able to replicate that.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

We hadn't had a commitment in nearly a month, and need a ton of help on offense, which is what most of these recruits play. There wasn't much help coming on offense prior to Fleck.

The average before was 2.53 and the new commits average 2.63. So it is a slight uptick in rating and most of these recruits have other P5 offers, unlike most of the recruits that were committed prior to Fleck. So no I do not think Claeys would have been able to replicate that.

I am not saying the recruits would have actually been just as good or had the same amount of P5 offers. I am saying that if we would have filled up the class with 2.53 guys, our team rankings would have jumped almost the exact same. I am not ripping on Fleck's new commits, I am ripping on the importance of Team Rankings. You have to look into the recruits (as you pointed out with the P5 offers, etc.).

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

I am not saying the recruits would have actually been just as good or had the same amount of P5 offers. I am saying that if we would have filled up the class with 2.53 guys, our team rankings would have jumped almost the exact same. I am not ripping on Fleck's new commits, I am ripping on the importance of Team Rankings. You have to look into the recruits (as you pointed out with the P5 offers, etc.).

And I don't think it's a guarantee Claeys would have even got 8 more commitments. Or that they would have averaged out as high as the previous commits. And this is just the start for Fleck. There's a good chance he does flip a couple higher rated ones before signing day.

I agree that putting too much stock in the team recruiting rating right now is not smart. But at signing day it does matter and statistics back that up.

 

[charliedontsurf]

Furthermore, our recruiting class has leaped from something like 77 in the country to 49 with these recruits! In just the last 2 days!

Where are you seeing this?

 

[MennoSota]

Well, for starters you could open your mind to the idea that recruiting rankings aren't the final determination in talent. Bear with me here.... not all guys playing MAC football are unworthy of playing in the B1G. Unless, of course, you have broken down film in your determination. Please accept my apologies if you have spent hours evaluating these players. I'm sure you haven't declared them inadequate based on any less.


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According to Coyle, it was the low recruiting rankings that got Claeys fired...so if that's the case there isn't reason to be thrilled with 2 and 3 star kids coming to UMN. Blame this expectation on Coyle and the emailers whom he listened to.

 

[BarnBoy]

According to Coyle, it was the low recruiting rankings that got Claeys fired...so if that's the case there isn't reason to be thrilled with 2 and 3 star kids coming to UMN. Blame this expectation on Coyle and the emailers whom he listened to.

No question it's been a rough 10 hours for Gopher recruiting. Maybe days 2-900 can be better.

 

[Urbandale]

Is he a road grader though?

Will our offensive linemen still be instructed to play nasty? Or have we moved on from that?

 

[Spoofin]

According to Coyle, it was the low recruiting rankings that got Claeys fired...so if that's the case there isn't reason to be thrilled with 2 and 3 star kids coming to UMN. Blame this expectation on Coyle and the emailers whom he listened to.

I don't listen to anything MC says anymore. This is a prime example as to why.


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[Spoofin]

Fair - but we seem to have taken the best <b>from a class that was ranked significantly higher than ours. </b>For now I like this from The Daily Gopher ...

You may want to check the bolded part.


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[GopherinFlorida]

Well, for starters you could open your mind to the idea that recruiting rankings aren't the final determination in talent.

Not according to Mark Coyle who said that was a major reason why Coach Claeys was fired...dead last in recruiting in Big Ten according to 14 major recruiting ranking systems.

 

[btowngopher]

I'll go out on a limb and actually give an opinion on Fleck's recruits going beyond their offer lists.
1. QB Tanner Morgan, a better qb prospect than anyone Claeys had committed and better than any qb Claeys would have gotten this year.
2. WR Chris Bell, a better WR prospect than anyone Claeys had comitted. Claeys did have 3 juco WR visitors lined up.
3. John Schmitz, only one other OG committed and that one is a juco with no P5 offers.
4. DE Otowemo, Claeys had zero DE verbals.
5. DT Hickcox, Claeys had Croslen, who looks like a nice DT prospect, but no other DTs, this is a difficult position to recruit and I'll gladly take another one ranked in the top 100 for his position.
6. Sassack adds nice depth with the other OTs in this class, Umlor versatile prospect that could end up on either side, and Guthrie slides into the spot vacated by Kyrei Fisher.

Granted the events Claeys had to recruit under at the end of the season kind of derailed things, but Fleck has brought in guys at positions of need, and even upgraded on some players that Claeys brought in a while ago.

 

[Johnnyboy18]

No question it's been a rough 10 hours for Gopher recruiting. Maybe days 2-900 can be better.

You're joking right?

 

[short ornery norwegian]

Unknowns - would recruiting have picked up after the HOliday bowl win? The Gophers pulled off an upset (on paper) on National TV and the (former) coaching staff was getting raves for their game plan (and the players for their execution). I have to think there might have been a few recruits out there who would have been interested in playing for a 9-win team that just pulled off a big bowl game victory.

Of course, we'll never know. Maybe Claeys & Co. wouldn't have signed any more recruits. Maybe they would have signed some unheralded players who turned out to be pretty good. Don't know. We'll never know.

And, in all fairness, we won't know about Fleck as a recruiter for at least a year. It will be interesting to see what he can do recruiting to a major conference team for the 1st time. Can he bring in a better level of players? only time will tell. National Signing Day 2018 will be a date to circle on the calendar. That will be an important grade on Fleck's report card.

 

[BarnBoy]

You're joking right?

Yes

 

[maroonfive]

Since we get MAC talent, should we expect MAC level success against the B1G next season?

The Big Ten West was somewhat MAC level last year as Western Michigan beat Northwestern and Illinois.

Go Gophers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MennoSota]

The Big Ten West was somewhat MAC level last year as Western Michigan beat Northwestern and Illinois.

Go Gophers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kinda like Claeys...

 

[Tlsbhansen]

Agree, but pretty late in the recruiting season for that now though.

Then why are most on Gopherhole giddy with every2 or low 3 star recruit from WMU we are magically flipping? Remember Coyle promised us no less than 10 wins a year or it is a failure. Not sure we are going to get there with MAC recruits who maybe have a single P5 offer. (Syracuse?)

 

[bigticket1]

If you want to bash these recruits lets hear right now which ones you think won't be any good.

Can you tell me right now which ones will be really good ? The point being that no one really has any idea which recruits from Fleck's or Claeys classes are going to pan out.

 

[U2Gopher]

Then why are most on Gopherhole giddy with every2 or low 3 star recruit from WMU we are magically flipping? Remember Coyle promised us no less than 10 wins a year or it is a failure. Not sure we are going to get there with MAC recruits who maybe have a single P5 offer. (Syracuse?)

I don't know what u can't understand about why everyone is "giddy." Try to understand this. All of us who are "giddy" realize that to win the Big10 we will ultimately have to recruit better players than those who have flipped. Though I wonder if u realize that Wisconsin, who competes at the top of this conference every year, currently has NO 5 star commits and only one 4 star. All others r 3 star or less, just like Minnesota. We get it that u think these players can't play. We don't need U to keep posting that. What I don't think u understand is that there is no way Fleck is going to get 4 and 5 star guys to come to Minnesota in this class. Those players have been recruited for years by top flight programs. Clayes nor Fleck spent much time targeting those types of players unless they were in their back yard/home state. As such, they are not coming to Minnesota in the last three weeks of recruiting. We r "giddy" because at least we r filling out the class which is more than what Clayes was doing and it didn't appear as though many of the higher ranked Clayes targets (which were all 3 star as well) were gonna come here.

Why don't u understand that????

Now, next recruiting season, if Fleck isn't "in" on a handful of elite players u can post your crap and it will have some merit. Until then, give it a rest, please.


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[btowngopher]

Can you tell me right now which ones will be really good ? The point being that no one really has any idea which recruits from Fleck's or Claeys classes are going to pan out.

My point is for the people assuming they aren't good enough because of their offer lists.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I don't know what u can't understand about why everyone is "giddy." Try to understand this. All of us who are "giddy" realize that to win the Big10 we will ultimately have to recruit better players than those who have flipped. Though I wonder if u realize that Wisconsin, who competes at the top of this conference every year, currently has NO 5 star commits and only one 4 star. All others r 3 star or less, just like Minnesota. We get it that u think these players can't play. We don't need U to keep posting that. What I don't think u understand is that there is no way Fleck is going to get 4 and 5 star guys to come to Minnesota in this class. Those players have been recruited for years by top flight programs. Clayes nor Fleck spent much time targeting those types of players unless they were in their back yard/home state. As such, they are not coming to Minnesota in the last three weeks of recruiting. We r "giddy" because at least we r filling out the class which is more than what Clayes was doing and it didn't appear as though many of the higher ranked Clayes targets (which were all 3 star as well) were gonna come here.

Why don't u understand that????

Now, next recruiting season, if Fleck isn't "in" on a handful of elite players u can post your crap and it will have some merit. Until then, give it a rest, please.


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Amen!

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

I don't know what u can't understand about why everyone is "giddy." Try to understand this. All of us who are "giddy" realize that to win the Big10 we will ultimately have to recruit better players than those who have flipped. Though I wonder if u realize that Wisconsin, who competes at the top of this conference every year, currently has NO 5 star commits and only one 4 star. All others r 3 star or less, just like Minnesota. We get it that u think these players can't play. We don't need U to keep posting that. What I don't think u understand is that there is no way Fleck is going to get 4 and 5 star guys to come to Minnesota in this class. Those players have been recruited for years by top flight programs. Clayes nor Fleck spent much time targeting those types of players unless they were in their back yard/home state. As such, they are not coming to Minnesota in the last three weeks of recruiting. We r "giddy" because at least we r filling out the class which is more than what Clayes was doing and it didn't appear as though many of the higher ranked Clayes targets (which were all 3 star as well) were gonna come here.

Why don't u understand that????

Now, next recruiting season, if Fleck isn't "in" on a handful of elite players u can post your crap and it will have some merit. Until then, give it a rest, please.


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You really don't think Claeys would have filled up this class with 2 and 3 star recruits? Really?

I am all for being excited about the people coming in, but let's not go crazy.