Scout; A look ahead (around the Nation)- Class of 2012

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Jon

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We don't seem to be able to say around here how we think Minnesota will do on the field next season but surely there must be some great insights into who the Gophers can sign in 2012 and how they'll fit into the current team. I don't think it's ever too early to start speculating, however, about which of these kids will go to Minnesota versus Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska and so forth.
 

I guess I like data more than speculation. Everyone has an opinion and mostly it is so much noise.

Here are some opinions you will if you are wise ignore;
Gray will move to WR and with McKnight our receivers will be strong
Shortell will take over at QB so Gray can develop into a high draft pick receiver…
Running backs will be fine with all our options; key here is that the OL develops…
OL; no clue who will play or where but the pieces are there coaches must put them together…

DL; no clue who will play or where but the pieces are there coaches need to put them together…
LB; Beal will pull it all together making this unit better, will help plug up the middle and the run
DB; Royston coming back helps a ton with leadership, again coaches have to pull unit together…

I think Mason had an eye for talent or was lucky with his RB recruits, liked Brewster optimism with new stadium recruiting improved, hoping coach Kill and his coaches will coach current players up and bring in better recruits in the future.

Think we will make a bowl game this season…
 

Starting a true freshman QB on a perennial non-contender is a recipe for a 2-10 season if there ever was one.
 

True; just think it is best for the team and for Gray’s future that he play receiver. Having read info on Shortell it seems like the real deal so using some Brewster optimism and a dart board I pick him as our 2011 QB…
 


I couldn't disagree more. The offense will be run based so moving a mobile QB to WR and starting a less mobile, freshman, QB into that role is ludicrous. Gray could be drafted as a WR anyway (see Brad Smith) down the line. I want to win games, period, and so does this staff.
 

Has Gray proven anything?

How can you be so sure Gray is ready to lead us to wins? We have not seen enough of him at QB to say he is going to do anything more than be a good running option. If he cant be a decent passer teams are going to stack the box and force us to throw. Heck teams should do that anyway. I sure dont think starting a True Freshman QB is the way to go but Gray is far from a proven QB at this point. He is actually a far more proven product at WR. For the team it would be better if we had another QB who is ready to play to keep Gray at WR to help force defenses to be honest.

That being said its safe to say that we dont have a proven QB at all so we go with Gray unless someone can beat him out. Either way Shortell should be red shirting.
 

WolfontheProwl said:
How can you be so sure Gray is ready to lead us to wins? We have not seen enough of him at QB to say he is going to do anything more than be a good running option. If he cant be a decent passer teams are going to stack the box and force us to throw. Heck teams should do that anyway. I sure dont think starting a True Freshman QB is the way to go but Gray is far from a proven QB at this point. He is actually a far more proven product at WR. For the team it would be better if we had another QB who is ready to play to keep Gray at WR to help force defenses to be honest.

That being said its safe to say that we dont have a proven QB at all so we go with Gray unless someone can beat him out. Either way Shortell should be red shirting.
Click to expand...

Putting Gray @ WR is a waste of a great talent. This guy was rated a better passer than Pryor the summer of their freshman year by Rittenberg. While Brewster did not let us see much of him, his play at garbage time in the tOSU game (09) and in the 2nd half of the Insight Bowl gave us a preview of a guy that can move this team and inspire his teammates. And of course he came through running for us at this season's end. I think there are hints Gray could be a superstar at QB. Yeah he may fail, but there is enough potential that you'd be crazy to waste him @ WR. (And similarly a waste to play Troy S. at WR). I hope Max pushes him and I also hope Max gets some PT so that he's prepared if he has to go in.
 

Minority

I guess I am in the minority. Gray proved to me that he is a proven quarterback. The best for the job on our team. Now he didn't prove that to many of you and obviously not to the coaches the last two years, but he proved it to me.

If you read between lines (dangerous I know) it certainly seems to me he proved it to Coach Kill.
He has basically anointed him from day one on as being "the answer".
 



As I understand Kill’s offense there are multiple sets to set up mismatches we can exploit. From watching Gray at QB in his limited chances my opinion is that he is an amazing athlete but does not make good quick decisions. I have no idea of his leadership skills to pull the team together. A prospect like Shortell came here to start, time will tell. If Gray wins the QB job that is great and fine with me.
We are playing a bit of poker here, trying to read tells. Coach Kill said the competition is open and I believe him. You have a coaching staff talking about playing perhaps freshmen Olson and new lineman Campion; Shortell will earn the job if he is the best QB.
Freshmen or not best play starts I think… There are no old promises… New staff, new competition...
 

WolfontheProwl said:
How can you be so sure Gray is ready to lead us to wins? We have not seen enough of him at QB to say he is going to do anything more than be a good running option. If he cant be a decent passer teams are going to stack the box and force us to throw. Heck teams should do that anyway. I sure dont think starting a True Freshman QB is the way to go but Gray is far from a proven QB at this point. He is actually a far more proven product at WR. For the team it would be better if we had another QB who is ready to play to keep Gray at WR to help force defenses to be honest.

That being said its safe to say that we dont have a proven QB at all so we go with Gray unless someone can beat him out. Either way Shortell should be red shirting.
Click to expand...

How can you be so sure Gray is not ready to lead the gophers to wins? We have not seen enough of him at QB to say he is going to be only a good running option. If he can be a decent passer he may be the best QB in the past 20 years. I don't think starting a freshman QB is necessarily the way to go, but Gray is far from a proven failure as a QB at this point. He actually had more of an affect on the Big Ten season while playing QB and wildcat than at WR. For the team it would be better to have a good QB playing QB.


That being said it is safe to say the first sentence of the last paragraph you wrote is the most obvious statement anyone has ever made ever. "We go with player X unless someone beats him out"......thank you John Madden.
 

Ya

Jon said:
As I understand Kill’s offense there are multiple sets to set up mismatches we can exploit. From watching Gray at QB in his limited chances my opinion is that he is an amazing athlete but does not make good quick decisions. I have no idea of his leadership skills to pull the team together. A prospect like Shortell came here to start, time will tell. If Gray wins the QB job that is great and fine with me.
We are playing a bit of poker here, trying to read tells. Coach Kill said the competition is open and I believe him. You have a coaching staff talking about playing perhaps freshmen Olson and new lineman Campion; Shortell will earn the job if he is the best QB.
Freshmen or not best play starts I think… There are no old promises… New staff, new competition...
Click to expand...

I agree with that Jon. Heard an interview with Shortell's personal quarterback trainer touting him.
Said he's coming here to play and has prepared as best he can to this point.

I think Gray will win the job. He has a huge edge from a team chemistry standpoint I'd think....without knowing. In addition Gray has two years of college experience and an additional year of life after high school over Shortell. I understand the starting line for Shortell may be way ahead of where Gray's was from a knowledge standpoint about football techniques, schemes etc.

If Gray is healthy and not quarterback, then Shortell will be pretty good.
 

Jon said:
As I understand Kill’s offense there are multiple sets to set up mismatches we can exploit. From watching Gray at QB in his limited chances my opinion is that he is an amazing athlete but does not make good quick decisions. I have no idea of his leadership skills to pull the team together. A prospect like Shortell came here to start, time will tell. If Gray wins the QB job that is great and fine with me.
We are playing a bit of poker here, trying to read tells. Coach Kill said the competition is open and I believe him. You have a coaching staff talking about playing perhaps freshmen Olson and new lineman Campion; Shortell will earn the job if he is the best QB.
Freshmen or not best play starts I think… There are no old promises… New staff, new competition...
Click to expand...

How can you criticize a kid who has barely played QB in college? He's still getting used to playing QB at the college level. Show me one freshman QB or first year starter that comes in and has all the answers to every defense. Hell, the gophers had a 4 year starter last year who at times struggled identifying defenses and open receivers. Inferring Gray's ability in very limited action, the majority of which was during his true freshman year, is a stupid practice. Of course he looked lost, he was a FRESHMAN. Let's not forget that he was out of football for almost a year. He sat out his real freshman due to standardized test issues with the NCAA clearing house and he missed the significant portion of his senior year of high school due to injury. Truth be told Gray hasn't had enough time at Qb for anyone to truly judge his ability to be an effective passer. Give the kid a chance.
 



60's Guy said:
I guess I am in the minority. Gray proved to me that he is a proven quarterback. The best for the job on our team. Now he didn't prove that to many of you and obviously not to the coaches the last two years, but he proved it to me.

If you read between lines (dangerous I know) it certainly seems to me he proved it to Coach Kill.
He has basically anointed him from day one on as being "the answer".
Click to expand...

To me, he's proven he has the ability to be a very good QB. He's very athletic and has a great arm. But until he shows he can do it as the QB over a game or several games, he's still unproven to me. Every QB was "unproven" at one point, and there's nothing wrong with being a little skeptical of a player, no matter how high his potential is.

I think Kill has been careful with how he's talked about Gray. He's said he's an incredible athlete and is the type of player that fits perfectly into their system. He's pretty much said Gray is the leading candidate for the QB spot which is no surprise. He's the only one on our team right with game day experience. If I had to put a percentage on the chance Gray is the starting QB against USC this fall, I'd say 90%. Gray would have to look terrible this spring and early fall, and someone else would have to play very well for Gray not to be starting.
 

Jon said:
General top players around nation
"Texas has yet to pick up a commitment, but that will change in the next few weeks as the Longhorns' junior day may as well be called Selection Saturday in Austin. Texas picked up 13 commitments last year during their junior day weekend on the way to 17 total players in the month of February"
http://minnesota.scout.com/2/1045751.html
Scouts top 2012 National prospects
http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=9&c=4&yr=2012
Click to expand...



This guy http://recruiting.scout.com/a.z?s=73&p=8&c=1&nid=4548594
;)
 

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