Tobi Okuyemi

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SDGopherFan said:
Yes I agree, when there are only 5-6 players in your entire state that are worth a scholarship you must count on other states much more than say USC who has hundreds in their state worthy or U of FL who also had hundreds. The artcle posted by the previous poster used Florida as an example not really the same when it comes to MN, SD, ND, Wyoming, Montana or even Iowa.
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This is the same for us year, after year, after year. Of course we have to rely on other states for good players to fill out our classes. But it doesn't change the point that GopherProf is making. We are not going to steal away players on the level of Henderson, Gjere, Edwards, Allen or Toby from other states very easily, if at all, which is why we need to be able to land the home grown talent. Only having 5 or 6 guys should make the coaching staff go at them even harder because we have a better chance to land them than we do a player of there talent level from CA, FL, or TX. It's that simple.
 

Of course we have to rely on other states for good players to fill out our classes.
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Fill out our class? Even if we get them all thats only 6 players, thats 21% of our allowed scholarships, are we even talking about the same thing?
 

SDGopherFan said:
so locking down the borders means getting all the players from MN, Wisconsin, Iowa, SD, ND and canada. Even then you wouldn't win the big ten I guarantee it. There is very little speed in the upper midwest, of the above mentioned states this year there is not one CB int hose states with a D1 offer, there is 2 RB's with D1 offers 1 of which is being looked at priamrily as a WR and the other just recieved his 1st D1 scholly.
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Holy *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#....

Find one quote where someone said we shouldn't recruit outside of Minnesota. It's called a strawman. Let it go.

You're arguing with nobody, and completely ignoring the points made by numerous people.
 

enough with the strawman line, where did I say we should only recruit outside of MN, in fact I said it was important, BUT, in MN you must recruit other states just as hard if not harder since that is where the majority of your team comes from. Your homerism is to be applauded but better players are outside of the borders concentrate on them as well. 5 to 6 players a year from your home state is great but that is minor to the big picture, look at the big picture my friend.
 

SDGopherFan said:
Fill out our class, even if we get them all thats only 6 players, thats 21% of our allowed scholarships, are we even talking about the same thing?
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Dude your logic is horrible. Tell me right now that if we only get one or two players from Minnesota a year that we are going to put teams on the field that will get us into the upper echelon of the big ten. You are the only person in this entire conversation that is trying to tell everyone that if we only land 2 solid guys from MN that is isn't a big deal.

Why do you think Brewster has made it his number one priority to try and get the best players in the state to play for us? Because it's harder than He.LL to get a player of the same stature from another state to come here when he can play for his home town team which by all means will allow him to play in front of his family and friends on a much better football team.

Case in point. Tobi Okuyemi. We have failed to land any defensive end more highly rated then he from any other part of the country in this class for every reason that has been stated in this thread. We actually have a chance with Tobi because he is from the state, which we otherwise would not have.
 


You must be joking....

WHERE DID ANYONE SAY YOU SHOULDN'T RECRUIT OUTSIDE THE STATE? FIND ME ONE PERSON THAT SAID THAT.

There. Big enough for you?
 

JackiO, don't expect most recruiting classes to help for 2-3 yrs. if we have a good team we will be mostly Jr.-Sr. dominated.
 

Gopherprof said:
Almost anyone who knows anything about recruiting knows that it is easier to recruit in-state than out of state. Our best chances at recruiting true elite talent is going to come from our ability to convince the guys already here to stay, not going to Florida where we have to compete with every top team in the country.

Yes, a program like Minnesota has to recruit out of state by necessity, but keeping in state kids at home is way more important than you think.

I offer you exhibit a: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/andy_staples/01/20/recruiting/
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Quite right; and even more to the point it's got to be easier to fight the negative recruiting if you sign your top guys.

" Why go to Minnesota, even the guys that live there, the kids that really know what's going on, won't go there. Why should you?
 

littlebigboy said:
JackiO, don't expect most recruiting classes to help for 2-3 yrs. if we have a good team we will be mostly Jr.-Sr. dominated.
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Oh I know that. But the point is that for so long we haven't been able to keep guys home which has helped lead us to mediocre play for so long. Brewster seems to have corrected this inability of previous coaches which is why I am more apt to feel we should be able to keep more of them from playing elsewhere.

Last year was the first year we have actually been able to do it, and if Bryce comes back that would be an amazing feat by Brewster and certainly show everyone that it can be done. Also, SDgopher, Wisconsin locks the best players form there state down every year. It's not impossible like you make it out to be.
 



Also, SDgopher, Wisconsin locks the best players form there state down every year. It's not impossible like you make it out to be.
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That they do, but only 5 of there 21 commits last year were from the state of WI. So you and gopherprof do agree that its just as important to recruit outside of the state as well as in? Thats my only point! And if we do not get anymore comits from MN this year the sky is not falling and the football program will still continue correct? And it is possible to bring good to very good talent outside of the state correct? And you will continue to be a gopher fan if we still play the game at the U of MN right?
Can these we agree upon?
Now bow down before me! just kidding, love to continue but gotta make some money!
 

I've thought about this a lot and I've concluded that as long as we're getting most of the instate 4 star players and 6 to 8 players overall we're fine. Our program needs to develop to expect to keep 5 star players home. Given that we have 28 players to sign this is kind of see an avg year breaking down.
Instate 6-8
Fla 6
Tx/La 6
MidW 6-8 MidWest defined as ND,SD,IA,WI,MO,IL and IN
Balance the rest of the states
I believe that we a just begining to see the development of recuiting relationships in South Florida, New Orleans and Houston. As these relationships mature the talent from these areas will improve.
 

Early in Recruiting

Looking at the #1 guy in each state, at this point about 1/2 are committed and 1/2 undecided. Of the states I could find.

These States have their #1 guy committed.
Michigan
Iowa
Alabama
Missouri
Florida (Florida)
Georgia
Tennessee
Nebraska
Utah (BYU)
Idaho (Boise State)
West Virginia (Marshall)

These have lost to another program.
New York (Penn State)
Wisconsin (Iowa)
Conneticut (Penn State)
Maryland(California)
Mass. (Stanford)
New Jersey (Boston College)
Illinois (USC)
Indiana (North Carolina)
Colorado (Notre Dame)
Kansas (Oklahoma)
Oklahoma (Tennessee)
Nevada (USC)
Washington (BYU)

Undecided
MN
Delaware
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Virginia
Arkansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
South Carolina
Ohio
Texas
Arizona
California
Hawaii
Montana
Wyoming
Oregon
 

GVBadger said:
He is the first one in Wisconsin to leave with a Badgers offer in quite some time.
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You've used this line before, and I will refute it again the same way I've done previously.

While what you say is undeniably true, it is also beyond obvious that Bielema doesn't offer in-state prospects if he knows there's a good chance they'll go elsewhere, in order to save face and later be able to say that Wisconsin "cooled" on certain prospects that go elsewhere. You don't bat 1.000 on in-state offers for several years in a row without being extremely selective in your offers. You just don't. He offered two on-the-fence recruits this year, and guess what? Both got away.

We could be bragging up Brewster if he only offered guys like Gjere, Olson, etc. But he casts a wider net and actually goes for guys who don't bleed maroon and gold. He doesn't hold up a "100% in-state retention rate" as some badge of honor like your boy Bulimia does.
 



dpodoll68 said:
You've used this line before, and I will refute it again the same way I've done previously.

While what you say is undeniably true, it is also beyond obvious that Bielema doesn't offer in-state prospects if he knows there's a good chance they'll go elsewhere, in order to save face and later be able to say that Wisconsin "cooled" on certain prospects that go elsewhere. You don't bat 1.000 on in-state offers for several years in a row without being extremely selective in your offers. You just don't. He offered two on-the-fence recruits this year, and guess what? Both got away.

We could be bragging up Brewster if he only offered guys like Gjere, Olson, etc. But he casts a wider net and actually goes for guys who don't bleed maroon and gold. He doesn't hold up a "100% in-state retention rate" as some badge of honor like your boy Bulimia does.
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Oh shoot...
 

Garin, KGM, etc were far better prospects than Okuyemi is. Okuyemi is speed rusher that has the risk of being hampered at the next level because of his size (in run support) and height (wing-span to keep separation from the OT).

If we're going to take an undersize DE/tweener I'd personally rather have Nduka Onyeali than Okuyemi because he has a better motor and more speed to offset his size issues.
 

dpodoll68 said:
You've used this line before, and I will refute it again the same way I've done previously.

While what you say is undeniably true, it is also beyond obvious that Bielema doesn't offer in-state prospects if he knows there's a good chance they'll go elsewhere, in order to save face and later be able to say that Wisconsin "cooled" on certain prospects that go elsewhere. You don't bat 1.000 on in-state offers for several years in a row without being extremely selective in your offers. You just don't. He offered two on-the-fence recruits this year, and guess what? Both got away.

We could be bragging up Brewster if he only offered guys like Gjere, Olson, etc. But he casts a wider net and actually goes for guys who don't bleed maroon and gold. He doesn't hold up a "100% in-state retention rate" as some badge of honor like your boy Bulimia does.
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Let's get together for lunch. You obviously have extensive knowledge of the inner workings of the Badgers coaching staff and I would love to hear what you know and get some more detail. I am a "sucker" for "inside knowledge". Which coach do you talk to?

I am free Monday or Friday next week. Shoot me a PM.
 

grunkiejr said:
Garin, KGM, etc were far better prospects than Okuyemi is. Okuyemi is speed rusher that has the risk of being hampered at the next level because of his size (in run support) and height (wing-span to keep separation from the OT).

If we're going to take an undersize DE/tweener I'd personally rather have Nduka Onyeali than Okuyemi because he has a better motor and more speed to offset his size issues.
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I realize now Hageman is a much better prospect, although he definitely was prized more for his tight end abilities rather than his DE prowess while being recruited. But look at KGM, I know he is a beast, but why does Okuyemi have a much better offer list. There has to be something there. Also Okuyemi isn't exactly undersized -- He's 6'3 250 pounds. Onyeali is only 6'0.
 

JackiO said:
I realize now Hageman is a much better prospect, although he definitely was prized more for his tight end abilities rather than his DE prowess while being recruited. But look at KGM, I know he is a beast, but why does Okuyemi have a much better offer list. There has to be something there. Also Okuyemi isn't exactly undersized -- He's 6'3 250 pounds. Onyeali is only 6'0.
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I'll reverse your question with other questions, why was Garin a 4-star on Scout and 5.7 3* on Rivals? Why was KGM a 5.7 3* athlete? Why is Okuyemi is rated 3-star 5.5?

A lot goes in to who gets offers and who doesn't. Where do players show interest, where do players camp, what HS program is a recruit at for getting exposure/good competition, how does the HS coach work with college coaches in promoting his players, etc?

My guess on what hurt KGM for getting offers (not that his offer list is bad) is the question of what position will a player play. KGM played TE his junior year of HS and the Gophers and most teams recruited him at DE. Unfortunately there wasn't a lot of film on him at DE so unless he camped at a school the coaches have to project his athletic skills to another position.

As far as Onyeali vs. Okuyemi, Onyeali is listed at 6-1 by Rivals, not 6-0. How much do you trust Tobi's listed measurements? I don't. I've heard he is shorter than that. I'd rather have Onyeali than Okuyemi because aside from also having a good offer list (maybe not as great as Okuyemi's) his film is much more impressive and he has been more dominant against high level competition. I personally think Onyeali would be amazing as the DE/OLB tweener that teams love in a 3-4 (Shawn Merriman).
 

Gopherprof said:
Speaking of which, how the hell did Iowa get Mike Hardy?
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I had the "privaledge" of watching the Ohio State/Wisconsin game last weekend with an entire family from the Milwaukee area. We had about 2 hours between the photos and the actual wedding and the bar area had the game on. The entire family was ripping Bielema almost the entire game. Even though the Badgers were undefeated at that time, there was still a very strong dislike for him.
 

GVBadger said:
Let's get together for lunch. You obviously have extensive knowledge of the inner workings of the Badgers coaching staff and I would love to hear what you know and get some more detail. I am a "sucker" for "inside knowledge". Which coach do you talk to?

I am free Monday or Friday next week. Shoot me a PM.
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Why don't you have the whole week off? You work? Doesn't seem likely with how many message boards you're active on........
 

The invitation is still there GVBadger, to leave us alone.........your snippy, snide posts only speak of ARROGANCE.
 

Oscar Munson said:
there isn't a coach in the country who gets every kid they want from their own state, doesn't happen. If Don Lucia can't get every Minnesota kid he wants with all the built in advantages and history of the hockey program it is ludicrous to expect Tim Brewster to somehow do it. All we can ask it that we recruit Minnesota harder and better than anyone else, there will always be some kids who think the grass is greener or just are determined to get away from home. A kid from Milwaukee or Des Moines can go to Madison or Iowa City and still feel like they are getting away to an extent, not so much with Wayzata to Dinkytown.
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Mack Brown recruits basically 100% Texas and does it very well.
 

grunkiejr said:
Garin, KGM, etc were far better prospects than Okuyemi is. Okuyemi is speed rusher that has the risk of being hampered at the next level because of his size (in run support) and height (wing-span to keep separation from the OT).

If we're going to take an undersize DE/tweener I'd personally rather have Nduka Onyeali than Okuyemi because he has a better motor and more speed to offset his size issues.
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He's got a big enough frame that the size thing isn't really an issue if you have an even marginally competent strength and conditioning program.
 

Tobi Okuyemi is taking his official visit to Nebraska for the Oklahoma game in November. He has also taken two previous unofficial visits there within the last year. I would venture to bet that he will commit there assuming the offer is still on the table from them come the middle of November.
 

Interesting thread. In my mind their is no excuse for Brewster to lose an in state kid to Iowa. It is also not acceptable to only land 2 of the top 5 prospects in state as could turn out to be the case this year. We hired an inexperienced coach who was a very experienced recruiter. Coach Brewster cannot regress with his recruiting, and I am very disappointed with this years class to this point. I expected a step up in recruiting in the first year of TCF Bank Stadium. It shocks me that the same staff who had such a high percentage of kids who visited commit in past years has not had one undecided guy who visited for the stadium opener commit to the program.

I also disagree with the idea that there are only 5-6 guys in Minnesota a year that can be players at the Big Ten level. My feeling is Minnesota needs to do a better job of finding those kids who are not recruited nationally, but can play Big Ten football. Iowa has been successful in finding those in state such as Dallas Clark, Aaron Kampman, Robert Gallery, etc,etc. The Gophers need to find more Tow-Arnett's, Tripplett's, and Van De Steegs.
 

EG#9 said:
The Gophers need to find more Tow-Arnett's, Tripplett's, and Van De Steegs.
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With Minnesota kids it is a total crap shoot, Tripplett took 5 years to become worthwhile and for every Tow-Arnett, VanDesteeg, Decker, Barber, There is a Patrick Sveum, Collin Mcgarry, Tommy Becker, Shane Potter and a long list of others who have made no impact on the program. And even other "top" recruits that have left Minnesota have disappeared in other programs. I realize there have been top kids like Floyd who have gotten away and been good but other kids have been busts. Minnesota lacks the talent that other states have. I would take the 50th best kid in Texas over the top kid in Minnesota more often than not. (obviously I would take Floyd, and Henderson)
 

I also disagree that there are 5-6 players in Minnesota who can be players at the Big Ten level. There are only 3-4
 

I certainly don't disagree that Minnesota lacks the talent of Texas, although I think it would be very rare that the 50th best Texas player would be better than the no.1 Minnnesota player.

I also think it's important to remember all the intangible benefits of keeping the top kids in state. Improved fan interest locally, less of a chance the kid gets in trouble or transfers (family support close by).
 

As long as we are still moving on the debate of In-state recruiting, Beau Allen has been down-graded by Rivals from a 5.6 to a 5.5 status. This is very interesting to me because I thought he was under-rated because of his offer list. But...I did watch him play against Hopkins and he looked rather unimpressive.

Has he regressed in play from his Freshman and Sophmore campaigns at Minnetonka, or were they hyping him based on what he potentially could have become and he just never panned out like expected?
 

JackiO said:
As long as we are still moving on the debate of In-state recruiting, Beau Allen has been down-graded by Rivals from a 5.6 to a 5.5 status. This is very interesting to me because I thought he was under-rated because of his offer list. But...I did watch him play against Hopkins and he looked rather unimpressive.

Has he regressed in play from his Freshman and Sophmore campaigns at Minnetonka, or were they hyping him based on what he potentially could have become and he just never panned out like expected?
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Defensive lineman and tight ends always seem to have more offers because those are the hardest positions to find good athletes. A lot of DT's are converted from another position, Beau is basically built for it.

I don't think he'll be a dominate player in college, but he'll probably be a 2-3 year starter at a very important position.
 

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