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Prior Lake LB Blake Weber On Playing for Gophers: "That is my dream. I would love it."
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/274378?referrer_id=331171
Blake Weber, a 6-1, 215-pound linebacker from Prior Lake (MN) High, participated at the Minnesota Gopher football camp and received positive comments from the coaching staff. The two-way player is hoping that he can earn a scholarship with the homestate school.
Weber is an outstanding athlete who also plays outfield for the Lakers' baseball team.
Gopher Hole caught up with Weber to learn the latest on his recruitment, summer camps and expectations for the upcoming season.
Gopher Hole: What camps did you get a chance to attend this summer?
Blake Weber: Iowa State, Minnesota, Western Michigan, UND, South Dakota and Northwestern.
Gopher Hole: How do you think that you preformed at those camps?
Blake Weber: I performed the best probably at Minnesota. I put up my best numbers and I probably did the best in the drill work. I thought that I performed well at all the camps. I thought that I was in the upper half of kids there, at least.
Gopher Hole: I know that you played both sides of the field for Prior Lake. Did you just play defense at the camps?
Blake Weber: Yes. I just did linebacker at all the camps.
Gopher Hole: What are you hearing from the Gophers?
Blake Weber: I haven't heard from them since the camp, but at the camp they told me that I did well and they said that if I would have weighed in at 220 or 225 that I might have left the camp with an offer.
Gopher Hole: What kind of motivation does that give you?
Blake Weber: It gives me a lot of motivation. I have already gained like ten pounds since that camp. I weighed in at 205 at the camp and yesterday, we had our testing at the high school in our weight room and I weighed at 215.
Gopher Hole: What have you been doing to put on the weight?
Blake Weber: Just eating a lot and being in the weight room.
Gopher Hole: Can you tell that it has made a difference in your football game having added the ten pounds?
Blake Weber: My speed is still definitely the same as it was and I have more power behind my hits.
Gopher Hole: What was your 40 time?
Blake Weber: My best 40 was 4.63.
Gopher Hole: What do you see as your strengths as a football player?
Blake Weber: I have really good football instincts. I am fast. I am very athletic. Good hands. I can shed blocks well. I am good in space. I am more of an outside than inside linebacker.
Gopher Hole: What things are you working on to improve yourself as a player?
Blake Weber: I think it is really just my size. Getting my weight up.
Gopher Hole: Do you think playing running back helps you as a linebacker?
Blake Weber: Yes, definitely. I have that running back instinct, so sometime it helps me when a running back comes through a hole, I might know what cut he is going to make.
Gopher Hole: What are the expectations for the upcoming season? You had an excellent year last season, losing to Lakeville North in the playoffs after beating them in the regular season. You lost a couple of key seniors, but you have plenty of returning talent back.
Blake Weber: We have a lot of returning starters, so we expect to win state. That is our goal. I think that we have five or six returning starters on offense and six or seven on defense. Our goal is to win it all.
Gopher Hole: Last year, you had Jack Johnson who was the power runner and you were the guy who got to the outside and showed off his speed. Johnson was a senior. Do you have someone who can take his spot or will you be more of that inside runner along being a guy who can go outside?
Blake Weber: I think that my role will still be the same. I'll probably get more carries since he is gone and he was a senior. He was kind of the guy last year, but we have a kid who is going to be a senior and a kid who is going to be a junior are going to split time at fullback this year.
Gopher Hole: To be honest, you had such a good running game that you rarely pass the ball last season. Is that something you take pride in that you are about to pound the ball and dominate the line of scrimmage?
Blake Weber: Yes. We run a "Wing T," which is more of a running style offense. This year, we have done a 7-on-7 tournament at the U of M and we did another passing league. We did really well in both of those and we won the passing league. We love to run the ball and we take pride in that, but we are also trying to spread the ball little bit more this year.
Gopher Hole: I don't know how good of friends you are with former teammate Nick Hart, who is now a preferred walk-on at Minnesota. Have you talked to him since he got there to see how he likes it?
Blake Weber: I was really good friends with him. I have been up there a few times to visit him. He loves it up there.
Gopher Hole: Does that get you even a little more excited about Minnesota?
Blake Weber: Yes. I get really excited when I go up there. I think that could be me a year from now.
Gopher Hole: What other schools are you hearing from besides the schools that you went to their camps?
Blake Weber: NDSU, I have been hearing from them and I didn't go to their camp. South Dakota State. Those are the only Division I schools. I didn't go to their camps, but I've talked to them.
Gopher Hole: You don't have any offers yet, right?
Blake Weber: No.
Gopher Hole: Does that give you a little chip on your shoulder to work even harder to get that scholarship and prove some of these schools wrong about you?
Blake Weber: Oh, yes, definitely. It is definitely going to make me play a lot harder on the field this year. Work harder in the weight room and stuff.
Gopher Hole: Did you get a chance to go to college games last year?
Blake Weber: I went to a Gopher game last year with Nick Hart. He was a recruit, so he took me and we went to the game.
Gopher Hole: Have you talked to anyone about attending some games this fall?
Blake Weber: Not really. Every camp that I have been to has told me that they would like to see me come down to a game this year.
Gopher Hole: What would it mean to play at Minnesota?
Blake Weber: That is my ultimate goal right now. It is my big thing. I grew up about twenty minutes away from the school my whole life. I've went to their camp three years when I was in fourth and fifth grade. That is my dream. I would love it.
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/274378?referrer_id=331171
Blake Weber, a 6-1, 215-pound linebacker from Prior Lake (MN) High, participated at the Minnesota Gopher football camp and received positive comments from the coaching staff. The two-way player is hoping that he can earn a scholarship with the homestate school.
Weber is an outstanding athlete who also plays outfield for the Lakers' baseball team.
Gopher Hole caught up with Weber to learn the latest on his recruitment, summer camps and expectations for the upcoming season.
Gopher Hole: What camps did you get a chance to attend this summer?
Blake Weber: Iowa State, Minnesota, Western Michigan, UND, South Dakota and Northwestern.
Gopher Hole: How do you think that you preformed at those camps?
Blake Weber: I performed the best probably at Minnesota. I put up my best numbers and I probably did the best in the drill work. I thought that I performed well at all the camps. I thought that I was in the upper half of kids there, at least.
Gopher Hole: I know that you played both sides of the field for Prior Lake. Did you just play defense at the camps?
Blake Weber: Yes. I just did linebacker at all the camps.
Gopher Hole: What are you hearing from the Gophers?
Blake Weber: I haven't heard from them since the camp, but at the camp they told me that I did well and they said that if I would have weighed in at 220 or 225 that I might have left the camp with an offer.
Gopher Hole: What kind of motivation does that give you?
Blake Weber: It gives me a lot of motivation. I have already gained like ten pounds since that camp. I weighed in at 205 at the camp and yesterday, we had our testing at the high school in our weight room and I weighed at 215.
Gopher Hole: What have you been doing to put on the weight?
Blake Weber: Just eating a lot and being in the weight room.
Gopher Hole: Can you tell that it has made a difference in your football game having added the ten pounds?
Blake Weber: My speed is still definitely the same as it was and I have more power behind my hits.
Gopher Hole: What was your 40 time?
Blake Weber: My best 40 was 4.63.
Gopher Hole: What do you see as your strengths as a football player?
Blake Weber: I have really good football instincts. I am fast. I am very athletic. Good hands. I can shed blocks well. I am good in space. I am more of an outside than inside linebacker.
Gopher Hole: What things are you working on to improve yourself as a player?
Blake Weber: I think it is really just my size. Getting my weight up.
Gopher Hole: Do you think playing running back helps you as a linebacker?
Blake Weber: Yes, definitely. I have that running back instinct, so sometime it helps me when a running back comes through a hole, I might know what cut he is going to make.
Gopher Hole: What are the expectations for the upcoming season? You had an excellent year last season, losing to Lakeville North in the playoffs after beating them in the regular season. You lost a couple of key seniors, but you have plenty of returning talent back.
Blake Weber: We have a lot of returning starters, so we expect to win state. That is our goal. I think that we have five or six returning starters on offense and six or seven on defense. Our goal is to win it all.
Gopher Hole: Last year, you had Jack Johnson who was the power runner and you were the guy who got to the outside and showed off his speed. Johnson was a senior. Do you have someone who can take his spot or will you be more of that inside runner along being a guy who can go outside?
Blake Weber: I think that my role will still be the same. I'll probably get more carries since he is gone and he was a senior. He was kind of the guy last year, but we have a kid who is going to be a senior and a kid who is going to be a junior are going to split time at fullback this year.
Gopher Hole: To be honest, you had such a good running game that you rarely pass the ball last season. Is that something you take pride in that you are about to pound the ball and dominate the line of scrimmage?
Blake Weber: Yes. We run a "Wing T," which is more of a running style offense. This year, we have done a 7-on-7 tournament at the U of M and we did another passing league. We did really well in both of those and we won the passing league. We love to run the ball and we take pride in that, but we are also trying to spread the ball little bit more this year.
Gopher Hole: I don't know how good of friends you are with former teammate Nick Hart, who is now a preferred walk-on at Minnesota. Have you talked to him since he got there to see how he likes it?
Blake Weber: I was really good friends with him. I have been up there a few times to visit him. He loves it up there.
Gopher Hole: Does that get you even a little more excited about Minnesota?
Blake Weber: Yes. I get really excited when I go up there. I think that could be me a year from now.
Gopher Hole: What other schools are you hearing from besides the schools that you went to their camps?
Blake Weber: NDSU, I have been hearing from them and I didn't go to their camp. South Dakota State. Those are the only Division I schools. I didn't go to their camps, but I've talked to them.
Gopher Hole: You don't have any offers yet, right?
Blake Weber: No.
Gopher Hole: Does that give you a little chip on your shoulder to work even harder to get that scholarship and prove some of these schools wrong about you?
Blake Weber: Oh, yes, definitely. It is definitely going to make me play a lot harder on the field this year. Work harder in the weight room and stuff.
Gopher Hole: Did you get a chance to go to college games last year?
Blake Weber: I went to a Gopher game last year with Nick Hart. He was a recruit, so he took me and we went to the game.
Gopher Hole: Have you talked to anyone about attending some games this fall?
Blake Weber: Not really. Every camp that I have been to has told me that they would like to see me come down to a game this year.
Gopher Hole: What would it mean to play at Minnesota?
Blake Weber: That is my ultimate goal right now. It is my big thing. I grew up about twenty minutes away from the school my whole life. I've went to their camp three years when I was in fourth and fifth grade. That is my dream. I would love it.
