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Q&A: Eden Prairie OT Robert Olson Talks Gophers, Recruiting and Upcoming Season
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/273903?referrer_id=388419
Robert Olson, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound offensive tackle from Eden Prairie (MN) High, is one of the top offensive lineman in the state. Olson has already received two scholarship offers and attended several Big Ten and Big Twelve camps this summer.
Gopher Hole caught up with Olson to learn the latest on his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: What camps did you get a chance to attend this summer?
Robert Olson: I’ve been to Iowa State, Iowa, Northwestern, Northern Illinois, University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin, North Dakota State and Harvard.
Gopher Hole: Do you feel that you are able to pick some things up at those camps that are going to help you be a better player?
Robert Olson: I did. I picked up a few things that were very helpful. Working on fundamentals. We hadn’t done much for football before, so it was nice to get back into and work on my stance and fundamentals like that and pass blocking fundamentals, since we don’t pass a lot here at Eden Prairie, so it was nice to get some extra work on that as well.
Gopher Hole: Is that one of the main things that you need to show coaches that you are a capable pass blocker since Eden Prairie is so efficient at running the ball, there isn’t much of a need to pass the ball?
Robert Olson: It is, because I especially feel that one of my best attributes is just being a straight athlete as well. Pass blocking really gives me the opportunity to show that and I like to show coaches that I can do that as well.
Gopher Hole: You have put on a little bit of weight since last year, right?
Robert Olson: Yes, a little bit and hopefully I can put on a few pounds before the season hits as well.
Gopher Hole: What would you like to get up to before the start of the season?
Robert Olson: My goal was about 260. I was about at that, but unfortunately, I lost about ten pounds just traveling around to all the camps. It was tough to keep the weight on going on all of those.
Gopher Hole: You have two offers right now, right?
Robert Olson: Yes, from North Colorado University and South Dakota State University.
Gopher Hole: What other schools are you hearing from the most besides those two schools?
Robert Olson: I have also been talking to North Dakota State a lot. Out East, I have talking to Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth and Yale a little bit as far as Ivy League schools. From the Big Ten, I have heard from Wisconsin, University of Minnesota and the University of Iowa and also Iowa State.
Gopher Hole: Are you planning on doing anything else camp-wise this summer or are you pretty much done?
Robert Olson: No. This month, I am just getting ready to focus on my senior season and hopefully winning another state championship.
Gopher Hole: You had a close of rare losses in the regular season last year, but bounced back to win the state title. Obviously, the expectations are very high at Eden Prairie and everyone wants to be the team that knocks you off. Is that something you like knowing that you are going to get your opponents best game each week?
Robert Olson: I do. I love it. I love the pressure of being a team that everyone wants. I love the pressure of having everyone highlight you on their schedule. I feel like it really gives you a shot to get everyone’s best talent and gives you the best opportunity to see who has the best talent in the state.
Gopher Hole: When you go to camps and you say that you are from Eden Prairie, what is the reaction?
Robert Olson: Some of the coaches give you some crap when you go through the line and they ask where you are from. I have had a few jokes made at my expense just from being from Eden Prairie. Most of the kids are pretty cool about it. They comment on the state championships. Most kids are pretty respectful and pretty nice about it and that was nice to see, but I have heard stories about people not being fans of EP as well.
Gopher Hole: What are you hearing from the Gophers?
Robert Olson: I have gotten some letters, mainly the communication has been going through them and I went to their camp earlier in June and got a chance to work with Coach Limegrover a little bit as well.
Gopher Hole: Did you get a chance to go to their Junior Day or any college games last fall?
Robert Olson: I went to their Junior Day and then I got a chance to go down to spring practice as well.
Gopher Hole: I know that you want to get as many offers as you can. What do you have to show this season or what did you try to show at the camps to prove to these coaches that you can play at a higher level?
Robert Olson: I think that one of the big things for me is getting bigger and showing that I can still move with the extra weight on me. Last year, I was only about 235 playing weight and that is a little small for colleges, so I need put on the weight and show that I can still move and be an athlete with the extra weight on. That is the biggest thing for me.
Gopher Hole: A lot of college tackles are 280, 290 or 300 pounds. Is that something that you feel you can get up or is it just hard to put on weight with all the things you have going on?
Robert Olson: I feel like I can get up there. Another issue is that I play basketball in the winter, so that also makes it tough to gain weight when I am running and sprinting for two and half hours every day, but I feel like if I put the extra focus on football that I can put on the extra weight that I need to be.
Gopher Hole: It is tough to keep the weight on playing basketball, but do you think that it helps you in terms of foot work which helps you football-wise?
Robert Olson: Oh, yes. I think that basketball helps me extremely in the past year for football with foot work and everything else like that. It really showed last year, especially with the way I was able to move and be a little bit quicker than some of the guys that I was going up against. I think that basketball really helped.
Gopher Hole: Obviously, if you are hearing from Ivy League schools, you must be a good student. Have you thought about a possible college major?
Robert Olson: I am considering engineering as a major.
Gopher Hole: Have you taken the ACT or SAT?
Robert Olson: I have. I took the ACT in June and I got a 32.
Gopher Hole: What is your GPA?
Robert Olson: My GPA is a 3.99 now. I got an A- in AP Calculus.
Gopher Hole: You always have a good team at Eden Prairie. However, you lost some good seniors like Grant Shaeffer and others, but you return yourself, Zach Hovey and Anthony Anderson among others. You obviously have high expectations. What are the thought for the upcoming season?
Robert Olson: I think that we are all excited to get back and get going again. We lost some good guys like you said, like Shaeffer and (Jack) Cottrell. Some of the guys are hard to replace. You can’t really replace guys like them. You have to have kids step up. We are all pretty excited.
Gopher Hole: Have you thought about trying to take some more visits to schools?
Robert Olson: Right now, I am looking to heading out to Northern Colorado in the beginning of August and get out there and see their campus, but other than that, I am ready to stay at Eden Prairie and get focused on the senior season and stuff. I am definitely looking to taking some official visits. I haven’t narrowed down which schools yet that I would like to take official visits to, but I am definitely looking to take some of those in the fall.
Gopher Hole: What would it mean to play for the homestate school Minnesota?
Robert Olson: I think that it would be pretty special. Growing up, you are always cheering and go and watch the games and cheer for the guys. It would be pretty awesome to put on the jersey and say that you are one of those guys.
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/273903?referrer_id=388419
Robert Olson, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound offensive tackle from Eden Prairie (MN) High, is one of the top offensive lineman in the state. Olson has already received two scholarship offers and attended several Big Ten and Big Twelve camps this summer.
Gopher Hole caught up with Olson to learn the latest on his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: What camps did you get a chance to attend this summer?
Robert Olson: I’ve been to Iowa State, Iowa, Northwestern, Northern Illinois, University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin, North Dakota State and Harvard.
Gopher Hole: Do you feel that you are able to pick some things up at those camps that are going to help you be a better player?
Robert Olson: I did. I picked up a few things that were very helpful. Working on fundamentals. We hadn’t done much for football before, so it was nice to get back into and work on my stance and fundamentals like that and pass blocking fundamentals, since we don’t pass a lot here at Eden Prairie, so it was nice to get some extra work on that as well.
Gopher Hole: Is that one of the main things that you need to show coaches that you are a capable pass blocker since Eden Prairie is so efficient at running the ball, there isn’t much of a need to pass the ball?
Robert Olson: It is, because I especially feel that one of my best attributes is just being a straight athlete as well. Pass blocking really gives me the opportunity to show that and I like to show coaches that I can do that as well.
Gopher Hole: You have put on a little bit of weight since last year, right?
Robert Olson: Yes, a little bit and hopefully I can put on a few pounds before the season hits as well.
Gopher Hole: What would you like to get up to before the start of the season?
Robert Olson: My goal was about 260. I was about at that, but unfortunately, I lost about ten pounds just traveling around to all the camps. It was tough to keep the weight on going on all of those.
Gopher Hole: You have two offers right now, right?
Robert Olson: Yes, from North Colorado University and South Dakota State University.
Gopher Hole: What other schools are you hearing from the most besides those two schools?
Robert Olson: I have also been talking to North Dakota State a lot. Out East, I have talking to Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth and Yale a little bit as far as Ivy League schools. From the Big Ten, I have heard from Wisconsin, University of Minnesota and the University of Iowa and also Iowa State.
Gopher Hole: Are you planning on doing anything else camp-wise this summer or are you pretty much done?
Robert Olson: No. This month, I am just getting ready to focus on my senior season and hopefully winning another state championship.
Gopher Hole: You had a close of rare losses in the regular season last year, but bounced back to win the state title. Obviously, the expectations are very high at Eden Prairie and everyone wants to be the team that knocks you off. Is that something you like knowing that you are going to get your opponents best game each week?
Robert Olson: I do. I love it. I love the pressure of being a team that everyone wants. I love the pressure of having everyone highlight you on their schedule. I feel like it really gives you a shot to get everyone’s best talent and gives you the best opportunity to see who has the best talent in the state.
Gopher Hole: When you go to camps and you say that you are from Eden Prairie, what is the reaction?
Robert Olson: Some of the coaches give you some crap when you go through the line and they ask where you are from. I have had a few jokes made at my expense just from being from Eden Prairie. Most of the kids are pretty cool about it. They comment on the state championships. Most kids are pretty respectful and pretty nice about it and that was nice to see, but I have heard stories about people not being fans of EP as well.
Gopher Hole: What are you hearing from the Gophers?
Robert Olson: I have gotten some letters, mainly the communication has been going through them and I went to their camp earlier in June and got a chance to work with Coach Limegrover a little bit as well.
Gopher Hole: Did you get a chance to go to their Junior Day or any college games last fall?
Robert Olson: I went to their Junior Day and then I got a chance to go down to spring practice as well.
Gopher Hole: I know that you want to get as many offers as you can. What do you have to show this season or what did you try to show at the camps to prove to these coaches that you can play at a higher level?
Robert Olson: I think that one of the big things for me is getting bigger and showing that I can still move with the extra weight on me. Last year, I was only about 235 playing weight and that is a little small for colleges, so I need put on the weight and show that I can still move and be an athlete with the extra weight on. That is the biggest thing for me.
Gopher Hole: A lot of college tackles are 280, 290 or 300 pounds. Is that something that you feel you can get up or is it just hard to put on weight with all the things you have going on?
Robert Olson: I feel like I can get up there. Another issue is that I play basketball in the winter, so that also makes it tough to gain weight when I am running and sprinting for two and half hours every day, but I feel like if I put the extra focus on football that I can put on the extra weight that I need to be.
Gopher Hole: It is tough to keep the weight on playing basketball, but do you think that it helps you in terms of foot work which helps you football-wise?
Robert Olson: Oh, yes. I think that basketball helps me extremely in the past year for football with foot work and everything else like that. It really showed last year, especially with the way I was able to move and be a little bit quicker than some of the guys that I was going up against. I think that basketball really helped.
Gopher Hole: Obviously, if you are hearing from Ivy League schools, you must be a good student. Have you thought about a possible college major?
Robert Olson: I am considering engineering as a major.
Gopher Hole: Have you taken the ACT or SAT?
Robert Olson: I have. I took the ACT in June and I got a 32.
Gopher Hole: What is your GPA?
Robert Olson: My GPA is a 3.99 now. I got an A- in AP Calculus.
Gopher Hole: You always have a good team at Eden Prairie. However, you lost some good seniors like Grant Shaeffer and others, but you return yourself, Zach Hovey and Anthony Anderson among others. You obviously have high expectations. What are the thought for the upcoming season?
Robert Olson: I think that we are all excited to get back and get going again. We lost some good guys like you said, like Shaeffer and (Jack) Cottrell. Some of the guys are hard to replace. You can’t really replace guys like them. You have to have kids step up. We are all pretty excited.
Gopher Hole: Have you thought about trying to take some more visits to schools?
Robert Olson: Right now, I am looking to heading out to Northern Colorado in the beginning of August and get out there and see their campus, but other than that, I am ready to stay at Eden Prairie and get focused on the senior season and stuff. I am definitely looking to taking some official visits. I haven’t narrowed down which schools yet that I would like to take official visits to, but I am definitely looking to take some of those in the fall.
Gopher Hole: What would it mean to play for the homestate school Minnesota?
Robert Olson: I think that it would be pretty special. Growing up, you are always cheering and go and watch the games and cheer for the guys. It would be pretty awesome to put on the jersey and say that you are one of those guys.
