Why would a recruit come to the U?

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gopherfan11

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Don't get me wrong here, I'm a die-hard gopher fan. I watch all the games. I just can't keep from wondering though how Brew is pulling all these 2 and 3 star recruits from Florida, California, NY, etc. If you look at it, nearly all of them have offers from better teams. Nearly all of them have offers from more proven coaches. Nearly all of them have offers from programs with more tradition. Nearly all of them have offers from teams with bigger stadiums and better game day atmosphere. It's not like I don't like the above-average recruiting classes, but I'm just wondering why a kid from Florida want to come to Minnesota to play for an unproven coach in horrible weather, when all of his family is living in Florida so they can't watch his games anyway. It's different if you grew up in MN and watched all the gophers game you're whole life and you want to be a hometime hero. But I just don't know how Coach Brewster does it.
 

What horrible weather? Sure, we have winter, but so does every other school in the northern states. It's not as if once you cross the border and leave Minnesota that it is a tropical vacation. They even have winter in Wisconsin, so I'm told. Wisconsin hypes up their cheese, but it's really no different than any other state. And Wisconsin puts up a tourist trap on just about everything.

Minnesotans, though have this "Oh, no one would be interested in seeing that!" attitude. If the dullest place on Earth were in Wisconsin, someone would put up a tourist trap there, inviting tourists to see the dullest place on Earth. There's just too much humility in Minnesota. For some reason, Minnesotans love to hype up how bad the winters are here, as if no one else has winter. Yes, Inernational Falls makes news for its cold weather, but the U isn't in International Falls. It would be like people judging the temperature in San Francisco based on the temperature in Death Valley.

I imagine that Brewster puts the legendary Minnesota winters in perspective, and hypes up how much there is to do in the Twin Cities, which is really quite a lot. Brewster's not a native Minnesotan, so presumably he doesn't have the compulsion not to show off. And there's this new stadium, which is pretty cool...
 

1. Minnesota weather is not horrible weather.
2. Was there sarcasm in your 2/3 star recruits?
3. Minnesota has more tradition than most those schools, its just from over 40 years ago.
4. TCF Bank is a beautiful stadium
5. A degree from Minnesota is better then a degree from (most of) the S.E.C.
6. Some players want to be a part of building a winning program, and saw MN as a place where they would most likely start earlier then at other schools
 

This hurts the sensibilities of many who read and post here but it's fact:

Those who are actually able to tell the difference know the Big Ten is the "major leagues" of college football. It isn't a coincidence that the Rose Bowl is the biggest Bowl game, or that all of the top teams from the Big Ten and SEC play each other in bowl games.

Competitive people generally want a chance to play against the best.
 

Why wouldn't I want to play at Minnesota? We can't fill a 50,000 seat stadium....haven't been to the Rose Bowl since 1962....and never been in a BCS bowl. At this point Minnesota football is a non-factor. I pray things will change for the better in my lifetime.
 


Let's turn this around, instead of thinking like a typical overly-humble Minnesotan, how would you sell coming to play for Minnesota if it was your jon to recruit?
 

(1) Very good academic institution, although we lack the sports admininstration program Sid has been pushing.

(2) Major college football in a solid conference.

(3) Great new football facilities.

(4) Major metropolitan area with a number of national and international companies for internship or employment possibilities.

(5) Energetic coach who seems to genuinely care about his players.
 

Here are 10 good reasons

1. The University of Minnesota is located in a Major Metro Area, not some remote second tier location.
2. The Fortune 500 prospects in Minneapolis/Saint Paul once you graduate.
3. An NFL team in town that you could at least evaluate your talent or practice with some the players informally.
4. Almost all the games are televised, some nationally.
5. Best Lockeroom in Football.
6. A President committed to winning.
7. It's Big 10 Football
8. Minnesota in The Fall
9. A major hub for flights
10. Academic challenge
 

Reality Check...the VAST majority of 2-4 star recruits do not get drafted or play pro ball...and they know it. Its OK to dream...but a degree from a top institution with job opportunities and a great college experience matter...plus I think most of our recruits genuinly like Brewster and our coaching staff...being that I hated my highschool coaches...I can say that it would make a huge difference to me if I would have played college ball.
 



I'm no recruiting expert, but I think playing in the Big Ten could be important to these kids. In Brew's earlier classes, I believe he sold kids on earlier playing time rather than having to wait for a few years to see the field, and also playing for an up and coming team.
 


  • One of the best places in the world to spend summer
  • One of the nicest cities in the country (you can always leave a school, but few schools exist in a city so nice with so many job opportunities after graduation)
  • I know two families who recently moved from the southern U.S. and love it here regardless of the winters. They said the cities have so many things to offer, arts/concerts/plays, professional sports, good public schools, great and many recreational facilities and parks, thousands of lakes, low crime rate
  • The other arguments about the U being able to hold it's own academically, the caliber of athletic competition is top notch
  • People who travel regularly for work will frequently say that this would be a great place to live
 




gopherluv said:
Why wouldn't I want to play at Minnesota? We can't fill a 50,000 seat stadium....haven't been to the Rose Bowl since 1962....and never been in a BCS bowl. At this point Minnesota football is a non-factor. I pray things will change for the better in my lifetime.
Click to expand...

Frankly, the first question we need answered is "Why do we want you to play here?"
 

Marquise Hill- St. Louis, committed to the Gophers over offers from Arkansas, Mizzou, Ucla among other power school.
Devon Wright-Coral Springs Fl, committed to Gophers over nine other BCS offers.
Michael Carter-Pompano FL, committed to Gophers over offers from Florida, Miami, Georgia, WVU.
Keenon Cooper-Dallas TX, committed to Gophers over Oklahoma, Miami, Michigan among power schools.

This is just a sampling of guys who chose to come to Minnesota from other parts of the country and each of them could have stayed closer to home or played at schools that are 'better' than Minnesota. They all probably had different reasons for coming to Minnesota and it takes a good recruiter to find the right reason for the right recruit. if he can do that, then there is no reason to question why anyone would want to come to Minnesota. after all there are plenty of good reasons that have already been listed.
 

I think we need to shape our recruiting toward the things Minneapolis has to offer. We don't have the party scene of a Miami or Los Angeles. Unfortunately, we don't have the co-eds either. But, Minneapolis does have a lot to offer a 20 year old who wants to experience a top-tier university in one of the America's most educated metropolitan areas.

Via Husker 70:
1. The University of Minnesota is located in a Major Metro Area, not some remote second tier location.
2. The Fortune 500 prospects in Minneapolis/Saint Paul once you graduate.
3. An NFL team in town that you could at least evaluate your talent or practice with some the players informally.
4. Almost all the games are televised, some nationally.
5. Best Lockeroom in Football.
6. A President committed to winning.
7. It's Big 10 Football
8. Minnesota in The Fall
9. A major hub for flights
10. Academic challenge
 

I am close to a young man who chose the U over several warm weather, highly successful academic schools. He did so because he said it felt like the right place. He liked Coach Brew and loved Coach Cross. It was meaningful to his family that Coach Cross is a good man and a great role model for African American (and other) players. I think we often over-simplify what kids & families consider. This young man also chose an unproven high school and went on to miss the state championship by an extra point in OT of the semifinals. Smart recruits are looking for personal, team and family chemistry.
 

MNRideorDieChick said:
I am close to a young man who chose the U over several warm weather, highly successful academic schools. He did so because he said it felt like the right place. He liked Coach Brew and loved Coach Cross. It was meaningful to his family that Coach Cross is a good man and a great role model for African American (and other) players. I think we often over-simplify what kids & families consider. This young man also chose an unproven high school and went on to miss the state championship by an extra point in OT of the semifinals. Smart recruits are looking for personal, team and family chemistry.
Click to expand...

Very well put.

There are so many reasons why a kid picks a particular school. Some want to go somewhere to win and win a lot. Some want playing time. Some go to a place where they really like the coaches. Some want to go to a place where they will stand out....
 

Whats the big deal about out state kids choosing Minnesota? There are tons of HS kids looking to play CFB. My alma mater in the cold, windy, desolate flat plains of North Dakota have 12 players on their roster of 98 from California, 11 from Texas, 6 from Washington, 5 Georgia, 2 Arizona, 2 Florida, 1 Alabama, 1 Kentucky, 1 Arkansas and a few more from mid tier USA.
 


gopherfan11 said:
Don't get me wrong here, I'm a die-hard gopher fan. I watch all the games. I just can't keep from wondering though how Brew is pulling all these 2 and 3 star recruits from Florida, California, NY, etc. If you look at it, nearly all of them have offers from better teams.
Click to expand...

Were too busy getting 5 and 4 star athletes.... Fight On!!
 

Home Sweet Home Is Often Underestimated

If Minnesota is such a terrible place to live, why do thousands of people from Iowa and other states jump in their car and drive hundreds of miles to vacation in the land of 10,000 lakes. Why are the beautiful beaches of Detroit Lakes and other areas, lined with visitors from Canada. Why do thousands of people make a special trip to shop at the Mall of America. Ever hear of a pond hockey tournament or snowmobiling in Florida? For many young athletes the choice of a college is a chance to live in a very different geographical area, and that to many is an attraction. I can see those who live in the extreme heat of the southern states being attracted to Minnesota cool. Then of course when you have a natural born salesman like Brewster the recruit is left thinking Minnesota must be a little bit like heaven and the naional championship is just a matter of weeks away which might be a slight stretch of the imagination.
 

The Twin Cities does have a lot to offer, even if you do have to shift gears to think like an 18 year old. A lot of campuses have a great area around them, but little else once you get past that. Imagine if once you left Dinkytown, there was nothing but corn fields. But we don't just have the U, we don't just have Dinkytown, we have the whole Twin Cities.

When anyone asks what there is to do in the Twin Cities, I have to find out first what sort of things they like to do. There's a lot to do here, but you have to filter out the things that the individual would find interesting from those he would find boring. I'm sure Brewster is good at that, finding out what the recruit's interests are, and then pointing out all the things in the Twin Cities that match his interests.
 

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