Coughlin has narrowed his recruitment down to Minnesota, Oregon and Ohio State.
Carter Coughlin, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound linebacker from Eden Prairie, is considered the top in-state product from the Class of 2016. Coughlin helped lead the number one ranked Eagles to a fourth straight state title this season.
Gopher Hole caught up with Coughlin after the Eden Prairie-Bloomington Jefferson basketball game Tuesday night to learn the latest on his upcoming college decision.
Gopher Hole: You’ve narrowed your list of schools down to three. Is that correct?
Carter Coughlin: Yes, sir. My top three are Minnesota, Ohio State and Oregon.
Gopher Hole: How did you decide on those final three?
Carter Coughlin: Each one, I would say, just gives me a piece of whatever I would like. Oregon is pretty far out on the West Coast and they are obviously a top-notch program. Ohio State, national champions, they are still in the Big Ten. Decently close to my home and then obviously, home school, Minnesota, that is on the rise, so I thought that those three schools would be the best options.
Gopher Hole: Did you watch the National Championship game?
Carter Coughlin: Oh, yea.
Gopher Hole: Who did you root for? Did you root for either team?
Carter Coughlin: I did not. Honestly. I just hoped that it would be a good game.
Gopher Hole: Have you set a date when you might make a decision? I had heard possibly March.
Carter Coughlin: I am visiting Ohio State this upcoming weekend. I am going to stay overnight with one of the Buckeye players to get a chance to know the players and after that, I should be deciding pretty soon. I would say in the next month or two.
Gopher Hole: Are you going to do it at the school or have you thought that far ahead?
Carter Coughlin: No, I’ll probably just call the coaches and then I’ll probably just announce on Twitter. I’m not big on all this school stuff.
Gopher Hole: What are going to be the main factors that are going to make you pick School A over School B or C?
Carter Coughlin: Oregon, I got a super thorough tour of, so I know everything that Oregon has to offer. I never got a chance to tour Ohio State very thoroughly because I went out to the game and I had football and all that kind of stuff, so it was a short trip to watch their game and so, I’ll get a full aspect of everything that Ohio State has to offer and then Minnesota, I’ll get to know the players and all that kind of stuff. Once I can do all that kind of stuff, I’ll be able to compare and contrast
Gopher Hole: Is there anybody that you have been relying on, family or friends, to help you with the decision?
Carter Coughlin: My parents. I used to joke about how my dad played at Minnesota and he is super biased, but he has been so supportive. He is really helping me figure out what I want in a college. Same as my mom. Then, my grandpa, I love to talk to. I love the opinion of my friends and stuff like that, too.
Gopher Hole: Are you going to be glad to get the decision done with?
Carter Coughlin: Absolutely. It is going to be really nice to get that out of my way and just focus on the rest of my high school and preparing for college, ultimately.
Gopher Hole: Do you hear from a lot of classmates? Do they ask you where you are going to go?
Carter Coughlin: Absolutely.
Gopher Hole: Do they have a preference?
Carter Coughlin: It varies so much. A lot of them only see in Oregon the glamour and why wouldn’t you go there. Ohio State, national champs and a bunch of people say that they think that I am going to go Minnesota. Everyone has their own opinion, I guess.
Gopher Hole: When you make your decision, is it something that will just come to you or are you going to think about it?
Carter Coughlin: I’ll be praying about it a lot and hope that God just puts on my mind which school, I am hoping that I just have a realization that is the school that I want to see myself at and can see myself at.
Gopher Hole: You have to feel, to be honest, pretty good about any of those choices?
Carter Coughlin: Oh my gosh, yes. I can’t go wrong with any choice.
Gopher Hole: Does that make it any easier knowing no matter where you are going to go that you are going to have a good football experience, but a great education as well?
Carter Coughlin: Absolutely, it does. It makes the choice so much easier because I know that no matter what, I can’t go wrong.