BleedGopher
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per Greder:
Players from Illinois are expected to contribute more to the Gophers football team next season.
Receiver Chris Autman-Bell is the top candidate to help fill the void left by Tyler Johnson; Mariano Sori-Marin will move into Thomas Barber’s spot at middle linebacker; and Tyler Nubin will step into Antoine Winfield Jr.’s huge shoes at free safety.
And it doesn’t appear this trend will end anytime soon.
Minnesota’s 2021 class now has six Illinois residents among its 17 members. All six are ranked among 247 Sports’ Top 25 prospects for the state, part of the reason P.J. Fleck’s 2021 class is ranked in the Top 10 nationally.
When Fleck was hired as Minnesota’s coach in 2017, the Sugar Grove, Ill., native cast a recruiting radius to include his home state. His first class at Minnesota included four players from Illinois, including Autman-Bell and center/guard John Michael Schmitz, who started four games last season.
The next two classes had two Illinois players each. In 2018, it was Sori-Marin and defensive tackle Jamaal Teague, who played in all 13 games next year; in 2019, it was Nubin and offensive tackle J.J. Guedet, a candidate to join the U’s two-deep this fall.
www.twincities.com
Go Gophers!!
Players from Illinois are expected to contribute more to the Gophers football team next season.
Receiver Chris Autman-Bell is the top candidate to help fill the void left by Tyler Johnson; Mariano Sori-Marin will move into Thomas Barber’s spot at middle linebacker; and Tyler Nubin will step into Antoine Winfield Jr.’s huge shoes at free safety.
And it doesn’t appear this trend will end anytime soon.
Minnesota’s 2021 class now has six Illinois residents among its 17 members. All six are ranked among 247 Sports’ Top 25 prospects for the state, part of the reason P.J. Fleck’s 2021 class is ranked in the Top 10 nationally.
When Fleck was hired as Minnesota’s coach in 2017, the Sugar Grove, Ill., native cast a recruiting radius to include his home state. His first class at Minnesota included four players from Illinois, including Autman-Bell and center/guard John Michael Schmitz, who started four games last season.
The next two classes had two Illinois players each. In 2018, it was Sori-Marin and defensive tackle Jamaal Teague, who played in all 13 games next year; in 2019, it was Nubin and offensive tackle J.J. Guedet, a candidate to join the U’s two-deep this fall.
Gophers football program tapping Illinois for talent
UMN Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck has made it a priority to recruit in his native state, and it’s paying big dividends.
www.twincities.com
Go Gophers!!
