The Gophers season is 85 days away and sportsbook online betting have the Gophers with an over/under at 5.5 wins, which seems very low. Despite the off-season, Coach Jerry Kill continues his weekly radio show and his comments and responses to questions on today’s Sports Huddle are as follows:
1) Sid opened the segment by asking about the start of the summer camps at the U:
Kill’s response was succinct: “We have our first camp for seniors . . . one-day (camp) . . . . 130 to 140 juniors to seniors (at today’s camp).”
2) Sid opined that the coaching staff has had success and offers with the camps:
“We’ve had a lot of offers through the camps . . . Great opportunity for us in evaluation (of potential recruits).” Again, Kill stressed the importance of live evaluation and for high school players to show their athletic abilities at the camps; this is especially true for players that don’t have spring practices as they do in the southern states.
3) Sid then started talking about recruiting and the recruitment of twin brothers that had committed to Pittsburgh. According to Sid, Pitt offered one of the brothers but not the other; however, when Minnesota offered both they committed to Minnesota. Sid then started talking about the number of Division One recruits in Minnesota:
Kill acknowledged that there are number of recruits in the state this year: “Yes, a good group of kids in Minnesota – the area – good recruiting group.” He sounded pleased with their recruiting efforts in the state, and that they’ve received early commitments from recruits in the state.
4) Sid wanted to know how they approach a recruit who resides in Alabama:
Kill stressed the importance of relationships with the high school coaches and the development of relationships with the players they’re recruiting: “A lot of it has to do with relationships . . . develop a relationship through recruiting.”
He also said it’s important to get the recruits to make an on-campus visit: to show off the educational/sports facilities, the Twin Cities, the many opportunities that exist in the state, and, of course, to meet the players and to develop relationships. As he has in the past, Kill said “our best recruiters are our players.”
5) Sid said a person (didn’t catch his name) said this year’s defense will be the best they’ve had since Kill’s arrival. Sid wanted to know if he agreed with that “theory:”
Coach Kill quickly and emphatically said, “I do . . . Five guys will get drafted next year . . . strong in the secondary . . . experienced at the linebacking corps . . . good kids coming in.”
At the same time, Kill said they need to keep everyone healthy and that they did lose some quality players on defense; however, there are good players returning that gained valuable experience on the field last year.
6) Dave Mona asked a follow-up question about the camps and finding players who have a chance to show their abilities on the practice field during specialized drills:
Kill answered saying it’s (evaluation) “ a long process” and that it takes time to complete the evaluation process because of the large number of camp participants; as a result, “We video everything.”
Although live evaluations are extremely helpful, Kill acknowledged, they can’t see everything and that’s why video tapes and film are so very important. They want to see how the campers run, if they’re physical and how they handle the various drills.
7) Sid asked for some more comments about the camps and how high school players and parents can get information about the camps:
Kill said the best way to get information about the camps is to visit their website: www.coachkillfbcamps.com
He added, “We treat the camps differently because of age groups.” However, Kill said all of the camps stress fundamentals. As to the difference because of age groups, some camp participants are for the very young campers (pre-high school) and others (camps) focus on the upper grades.
He concluded Sid’s query by saying they’ll have a “skills camp” tomorrow, which is open to high school players – 9 to 12.
8) Dave Mona returned to the topic of recruiting and the recent commitments of twin brothers, as well as the recruitment of brothers and cousins. According to Dave, it appears as though Kill and his staff have a history in recruiting family members/relatives:
“There really hasn’t been a strategy (recruiting siblings/cousins),” Kill said. However, “you look at blood lines; Maxx Williams is a good example.”
9) Sid asked about team injuries:
When fall practices commence “we’ll have everybody healthy,” Kill replied. For the most part, Kill sounded upbeat and confident about the team’s health and those that have undergone surgery. However, he did express a cautionary note by alluding to injuries that can occur in the weight room or in running.
One player that won’t be playing this year, however, is Jeff Borchardt. Coach Kill said Borchardt - a wide receiver from Medina, Minnesota and Wayzata High School – underwent surgery (successfully) to remove a brain tumor. The surgery was performed in Rochester. Coach Kill sounded serious and hopeful when discussing Borchardt’s health and surgery.