The purpose of this War Room is to throw all my cards on the table. Here's the latest on what I've heard on Minnesota's recruiting at every position. This list is in no way represent Minnesota's actual board. It's all my best guess.
Quarterback
Committed:
Illinois quarterback Early senior highlights
Everything I've heard from sources is that Minnesota is done with quarterbacks for the 2015 class. Demry will be the guy.
Running Back
Committed:
Georgia running back Early senior highlights
Ontario running back Early senior highlights
North Dakota running back Early senior highlights
Top targets:
1) Alabama running back Bradrick Shaw
2) Alabama running back Early senior highlights
Yes. You're reading this right. I'm hearing that Minnesota may not be done at running back with three commitments. That being said more than likely the Gophers will be done, but if Minnesota decides to take another, it'll be either these two. Shaw is simply too good of a talent to pass up and Kirksey may be in the same boat.
I know that Sawvel met with both of them this week and Shaw tells GI that he's very interested in taking an official visit to Minnesota, so don't be surprised if he comes out that he taking a visit to the Twin Cities. Makes sense as the Gophers have multiple Alabama players on the roster and it's a run-first offense in the Big Ten. Kirksey is a recruit I've mentioned before on GI and he's a guy that reminds some people of the staff of Indiana stud RB Tevin Coleman. Now if you have a chance to get your hands on a Tevin Coleman type talent, you have to grab him. Kirksey doesn't have an offer yet, but he's a name to keep in mind down the line if the Gophers end taking another running back.
Wide Receiver
Committed:
Georgia wide receiver Early senior highlights
Top targets:
1) Louisiana athlete Early senior highlights
2) Georgia wide receiver Early senior highlights
I believe that Minnesota will take one more receiver and these two are very high on the Gophers list. I feel pretty safe in saying that Register is the top WR option on the board right now with his official visit coming in two weeks and both of his parents are joining him. Sources have told GI that both the offense and defensive staff would take Register (WR on offense or safety on defense), but if he does commit to Minnesota, he'll be starting as a WR. It'll be either Louisiana-Lafayette or Minnesota for Register at the end of the day. Register's offer at ULL is for both basketball and football, his brother is on the basketball team and the campus is ten minutes from his house. A lot of factors there in favor of ULL, but the Gopher staff has put in a lot of work. It'll ultimately come down to the visit in two weeks, so stay tuned.
Coach Sherels and Coach Anderson will be watching Pinkney live tonight and Sherels has been kept in touch with him weekly for the past few months. Pinkney is a dominant run blocker with such a huge body and frame, but is still developing. He's a guy that I'd expect to visit in the next few months.
Tight End / H-Back
Committed:
None.
Top targets:
1) Kansas athlete Early senior highlights
2) Florida tight end Early senior highlights
I'll start off by saying that if Beebe and Bargas wanted to commit today, the Gophers would take both in a heartbeat. Sources have told GI that Coach Kill reached out to the Beebe camp yesterday and things still look very good for the Gophers. Sounds like the Gophers are looking at Beebe as a fullback/H-back on offense and potentially a defensive end or defensive tackle as well. It would depend on how his body develops once he gets to Minnesota. I'd be surprised if Beebe doesn't commit before the end of the month.
Bargas has been committed to Wake Forest since early June, but sources have told GI that Minnesota has been making a big push as of late, including visiting Bargas this past week at his school. The player I most compare Bargas to is Maxx Williams as he's a very good athlete for his size and just is dominant when watching his highlights. There's no guarantee that Minnesota even gets an official visit at this point, but the Gophers are really working to do so.
Offensive Line
Committed:
Minnesota offensive tackle Early senior highlights
Minnesota offensive lineman Bronson Dovich
Illinois offensive lineman Quinn Oseland
Ohio offensive lineman Ted Stieber
Top targets:
1) Alabama offensive lineman Ezekiel Mayblen
2) Alabama offensive lineman Early senior highlights
3) Texas offensive lineman Early senior highlights
4) Minnesota offensive lineman Drayton Carlberg
The more I hear, the more I think Minnesota will take a fifth offensive lineman in the 2015 class. Both Mayblen and White received visits from Minnesota today and here's what they had to say about the visits.
Mayblen: "Coach Sawvel came by today and then we spoke on the phone after. We talked about grades and how I was performing on and off the field. We also talked about what Minnesota can offer me if I commit to the Gophers. We also talked about me taking an official visit to the Twin Cities very soon and I'm hoping to in two weeks for their game against Purdue. Other schools I've heard from lately besides Minnesota are Alabama, Mississippi State and Louisiana-Lafayette."
White: "I talked to Coach Sawvel very briefly when he visited school today and then we spoke on the phone before my game tonight. We talked about a lot about me taking an official visit to Minnesota soon, but we're going to talk more about this week as I didn't have a lot of time before my game."
What Mayblen and White can bring to the table more than the other offensive linemen in this class is a lot of athleticism. Mayblen is an ultra-athletic offensive lineman whose been starting on the basketball team since he was a sophomore and is very light on his feet. The point I'm trying to make with Mayblen is how many of Minnesota's current offensive linemen could you picture playing basketball, yet alone being athletic enough to play effectively. It's not a knock on the offensive line at all, but just trying to get the point home that I'm all on board for getting a great athlete in an offensive lineman for the last spot. The two pluses with Mayblen and White are that Mayblen is very tight with current Gopher tight end Jerry Gibson as they went to the same high school and Chris White is a December graduate and would be able to participate in spring ball.
The reason Moore isn't higher on the list is because I'm not sure that he won't be committed soon. I don't believe the Gopher coaches were able to see Moore during this past week, so not sure if that'll make his interest wane or not. Minnesota would love to get Moore up on an official visit none the less and he's a definite take like the other three linemen on the list. With Drayton, I'm not sold he is seriously interested in Minnesota any longer. The staff has a good idea of this, so if any of three above him were to commit, I believe there wouldn't be a spot for Carlberg if he wanted to then commit.
Defensive Line
Committed:
None.
Top targets:
1) Alabama defensive lineman Early senior highlights
2) Florida defensive lineman Early senior highlights
3) Florida defensive lineman Early senior highlights
I think Minnesota will take two or three defensive linemen. You'll notice the new name at the top of the list in Mose Hall. Hall received a visit from Minnesota today and here's what he said about the talk with the Gophers.
Hall: "Coach Sawvel came by and briefly introduced himself today and then we talked on the phone right before my game. He said they were going to end up offering me really soon. He liked what I had going so far in my first year on defense and he loves my size. He mentioned how there aren't too many defensive ends my size in this class and that he'll be talking with me after my game tonight. He said that they were definitely going to get me up on an official visit soon. I also spoke with Alabama today and they'll be at my game tonight scouting. They want me to visit in two weeks for their game against Texas A&M."
Hall is a guy that's extremely under the radar as before today he had no offers and was hearing from only Abilene Christian. He was an offensive lineman the past three years and then switched to defensive line this fall and has really flourished. He'd be an ideal 3-tech on the Gophers defensive line and I'd expect Minnesota to offer in the very near future. The hope is that Alabama or any other SEC school for that matter tries to grab Hall late.
Ray already took an official visit to Minnesota and despite being committed to Boston College at the moment, sources have told it's certainly not over yet. The Gophers have been in hot pursuit since his visit and will be on him until signing day. Johnson is another new name to the DL radar as Coach Reeves paid him a visit this past week and is really pressing to get an official visit set soon, but it'll be extremely tough to get Johnson out of Florida and out of the SEC. Florida State is considered the favorite at this point in time.
I spoke with a couple of people about DL recruiting for this class and the reason you've seen not a lot of names pop up is that there's not a ton of great DL recruits in this 2015 class. I keep hearing that the staff is putting out a huge net trying to find some, but there's just not a ton of names out there. I'm sure more and more names will pop up soon.
Linebackers
Committed:
Illinois linebacker Early senior highlights
Texas linebacker Jaylen Waters
Top targets:
1) Louisiana linebacker Bo Wallace
2) Oklahoma linebacker Early senior highlights
3) Ohio linebacker Early senior highlights
4) Alabama athlete Early senior highlights
My take is that Minnesota could take anywhere from one to two more linebackers if it's the right guys. I'll start with Bo Wallace, where I continue to hear a lot of good things about Minnesota. Wallace will be taking an official visit to Minnesota for the Purdue game in two weeks and I keep hearing he's very excited for the Gophers to be his first visit. It's extremely rare to see a recruit from John Curtis take an official visit during the season as the Curtis staff likes the players to focus on the season, but I've heard that Wallace went to the staff and said that he really wants to visit Minnesota, so they're letting him visit. Expect the Gophers to everything they legally can to impress Wallace while on his visit.
Whitfield has an official visit scheduled to Minnesota in two weeks for the homecoming game against Purdue and the Gophers are sitting very well. Sherels went to see Whitfield live back in the spring and is expected to go see Whitfield during the next bye week. McKee received a visit from Sherels earlier in the week and he's expecting to take an official visit to Minnesota for the Gophers game versus Ohio State in November. I've heard that Gophers have McKee and Whitfield extremely high on their board and they would be takes.
Smiley is a new name to the GI radar after he received a visit from Coach Sawvel this past week. Smiley has a great frame to put on another 20 pounds or so and become a great outside linebacker talent. The Alabama recruit told me he has a Nebraska offer, but hasn't heard from them in a long time, so I'm not going to list it on his profile. I'd expect Smiley to take a visit to Minnesota in the next few months if the targets above him on my list go elsewhere.
Cornerback
Committed:
Michigan athlete Early senior highlights
Top targets:
1) Michigan athlete Early senior highlights
2) Texas cornerback Early senior highlights
3) Louisiana cornerback Early senior highlights
4) Florida cornerback Trenard Davis
5) Florida cornerback Early senior highlights
6) Alabama cornerback Michael Jackson
7) Missouri cornerback Early senior highlights
I keep hearing that Minnesota will be taking three corners and safeties this class, but would go seven defensive backs total for the class if it's the right seven. I'll start off this list by saying that Minnesota would take any two of these seven. All have committable offers to my knowledge.
I have John Kelly on top of the list as I think his impact on the class would be huge as you'd be getting a recruit with a legit Michigan State offer and he could have the highest ceiling of all the defensive backs. Kelly will be flying out to Minnesota next weekend for an unofficial visit with his coach and then plans to come back for an official visit in November or December. I just don't see him picking Michigan State after visiting 10 plus times there and still not pulling the trigger. I've been wrong before (and will be again), but I think the Gophers are sitting well going into this weekend.
Willie Sykes finally visited Minnesota for their last home game against San Jose State and loved his visit by all accounts. Sykes is planning on visiting Purdue (yes that Purdue) in November, but I'd be willing to bet he'll either be committed to Minnesota or the Gophers will have moved on by then. Sawvel is at his game tonight and the Gophers still very much wants Sykes want to join the fold, but like all the other defensive backs in the class, spots will be limited.
Alonzo Craighton received a visit from Coach Sawvel this past week and plans on making a decision by the end of the month. Let I said earlier this week, I expect his college decision to be between Minnesota and Louisiana-Lafayette. ULL is very close to home and he has a sister that goes to the University, plus his family would like him close to home. Going into the Minnesota visit, Craighton and his parents weren't too keen on him leaving home, but the visit really opened their eyes. This is a decision I could see going either way.
Trenard Davis is a recruit that I could see committing to Minnesota at any time. Coach Reeves visited him this past week and Sawvel spoke with him on the phone and I've heard that there were a lot of positive vibes from those conversations. Davis really enjoyed his official visit two weekends back and the Gophers would like to add an athlete like Davis with his length and speed.
Sheldrick Redwine is this low on the list just because I don't know how good of a shot that Minnesota really has with Redwine. I've heard that Louisville is the leader with Kentucky in second and the Gophers behind both. After talking with Redwine tonight, I've learned that he doesn't know a lot if any really about Minnesota, so the visit this upcoming weekend will be a lot of learning by Redwine.
Michael Jackson received a visit from Coach Sawvel this past week and after talking with Jackson, he's a guy that came away very impressed by the Gophers victory against Michigan this past weekend. Jackson and his mother watched the game and called Sawvel after the game and it's really boosted his interest in the Gophers. Jackson is a recruit is below guys that Sykes and Davis at this point, but if Sykes and Davis drag their feet on a decision, expect the Gophers to move on to Jackson in a hurry and get him on a visit.
KiAnte Hardin visited the Gophers this past summer and tells GI that he's really working on setting up an official visit to Minnesota in the near future. Coach Kill and Claeys have a ton of connections to the Webb City area and I get the feeling because of that Hardin will have a spot in this class even if Minnesota has three CB's committed. He's a smaller corner, but he's a take as the ideal situation would be Hardin as another Briean Boddy-Calhoun.
Safety
Committed:
Illinois safety Early senior highlights
Top targets:
1) Louisiana safety Early senior highlights
2) Kansas safety Early senior highlights
3) Iowa safety Early JUCO highlights
4) Louisiana safety Early senior highlights
5) Mississippi safety Early JUCO highlights
I keep hearing that Minnesota will be taking three safeties this class.
Justin Reid tops the list, but is also the most unrealistic as he's got a lot of other options and hasn't visited Minnesota to this point. Reid told GI this week that there's a 70% chance that he take an official visit to the Twin Cities and at that point, it's anyone's ball game as the Gophers do well landing recruits once they get them on campus. If it doesn't happen before mid-November, Minnesota's chances go almost to zero in my opinion.
Alex Barnes will be taking an official visit to Minnesota for the Purdue game in two weeks and his mother tells GI that he's planning on coming to a decision by the end of this month. He'll be visiting Rutgers this weekend and wants to take an official visit to Kansas State as well, but Minnesota is the team to beat here. Coach Kill has so many connections to the city of Pittsburg from his days coaching there and I've heard from multiple people that Barnes has people in his eye around town saying go play for Coach Kill at Minnesota. I think that the visit goes well in two weeks and Barnes ends up coming to Minnesota around Halloween. He's also a top priority because he's a December grad.
Charlie Rogers is above Nick Beasley and other JUCO DB's right now, but I'm not sure for how much longer. Rogers visited Minnesota back in August and doesn't have a lot else going on right now. The Gophers are fully aware of that and it wouldn't shock me if Minnesota decides to move on soon and give Charlie an ultimatum saying are you in or out. Coach Claeys will be at Iowa Western's game tomorrow to watch Charlie among others.
Brandon Scott is a name that I've talked about in the past and Coach Sawvel paid Scott a visit this past week. The Gophers are going to have some tough competition for Scott and I've heard the comparisons of former NIU DB Jimmie Ward thrown around when talking about Scott's potential. If Barnes were to commit, I'd expect Scott still to get Minnesota interest and may visit, but he's not as big a priority then.
Nick Beasley is the last player I'll talk about and if the staff decides to move on from Charlie Rogers, I think Beasley is the top player on the list to replace Rogers as the JUCO DB this class. There will be a December grab JUCO DB in this class. Expect Beasley to visit without an offer if it does happen, but the Gophers are very high on Beasley after Sawvel saw him live yesterday.
Any questions or comments, please leave below.
This post was edited on 10/3 11:33 PM by Ryan Burns
Quarterback
Committed:
Illinois quarterback Early senior highlights
Everything I've heard from sources is that Minnesota is done with quarterbacks for the 2015 class. Demry will be the guy.
Running Back
Committed:
Georgia running back Early senior highlights
Ontario running back Early senior highlights
North Dakota running back Early senior highlights
Top targets:
1) Alabama running back Bradrick Shaw
2) Alabama running back Early senior highlights
Yes. You're reading this right. I'm hearing that Minnesota may not be done at running back with three commitments. That being said more than likely the Gophers will be done, but if Minnesota decides to take another, it'll be either these two. Shaw is simply too good of a talent to pass up and Kirksey may be in the same boat.
I know that Sawvel met with both of them this week and Shaw tells GI that he's very interested in taking an official visit to Minnesota, so don't be surprised if he comes out that he taking a visit to the Twin Cities. Makes sense as the Gophers have multiple Alabama players on the roster and it's a run-first offense in the Big Ten. Kirksey is a recruit I've mentioned before on GI and he's a guy that reminds some people of the staff of Indiana stud RB Tevin Coleman. Now if you have a chance to get your hands on a Tevin Coleman type talent, you have to grab him. Kirksey doesn't have an offer yet, but he's a name to keep in mind down the line if the Gophers end taking another running back.
Wide Receiver
Committed:
Georgia wide receiver Early senior highlights
Top targets:
1) Louisiana athlete Early senior highlights
2) Georgia wide receiver Early senior highlights
I believe that Minnesota will take one more receiver and these two are very high on the Gophers list. I feel pretty safe in saying that Register is the top WR option on the board right now with his official visit coming in two weeks and both of his parents are joining him. Sources have told GI that both the offense and defensive staff would take Register (WR on offense or safety on defense), but if he does commit to Minnesota, he'll be starting as a WR. It'll be either Louisiana-Lafayette or Minnesota for Register at the end of the day. Register's offer at ULL is for both basketball and football, his brother is on the basketball team and the campus is ten minutes from his house. A lot of factors there in favor of ULL, but the Gopher staff has put in a lot of work. It'll ultimately come down to the visit in two weeks, so stay tuned.
Coach Sherels and Coach Anderson will be watching Pinkney live tonight and Sherels has been kept in touch with him weekly for the past few months. Pinkney is a dominant run blocker with such a huge body and frame, but is still developing. He's a guy that I'd expect to visit in the next few months.
Tight End / H-Back
Committed:
None.
Top targets:
1) Kansas athlete Early senior highlights
2) Florida tight end Early senior highlights
I'll start off by saying that if Beebe and Bargas wanted to commit today, the Gophers would take both in a heartbeat. Sources have told GI that Coach Kill reached out to the Beebe camp yesterday and things still look very good for the Gophers. Sounds like the Gophers are looking at Beebe as a fullback/H-back on offense and potentially a defensive end or defensive tackle as well. It would depend on how his body develops once he gets to Minnesota. I'd be surprised if Beebe doesn't commit before the end of the month.
Bargas has been committed to Wake Forest since early June, but sources have told GI that Minnesota has been making a big push as of late, including visiting Bargas this past week at his school. The player I most compare Bargas to is Maxx Williams as he's a very good athlete for his size and just is dominant when watching his highlights. There's no guarantee that Minnesota even gets an official visit at this point, but the Gophers are really working to do so.
Offensive Line
Committed:
Minnesota offensive tackle Early senior highlights
Minnesota offensive lineman Bronson Dovich
Illinois offensive lineman Quinn Oseland
Ohio offensive lineman Ted Stieber
Top targets:
1) Alabama offensive lineman Ezekiel Mayblen
2) Alabama offensive lineman Early senior highlights
3) Texas offensive lineman Early senior highlights
4) Minnesota offensive lineman Drayton Carlberg
The more I hear, the more I think Minnesota will take a fifth offensive lineman in the 2015 class. Both Mayblen and White received visits from Minnesota today and here's what they had to say about the visits.
Mayblen: "Coach Sawvel came by today and then we spoke on the phone after. We talked about grades and how I was performing on and off the field. We also talked about what Minnesota can offer me if I commit to the Gophers. We also talked about me taking an official visit to the Twin Cities very soon and I'm hoping to in two weeks for their game against Purdue. Other schools I've heard from lately besides Minnesota are Alabama, Mississippi State and Louisiana-Lafayette."
White: "I talked to Coach Sawvel very briefly when he visited school today and then we spoke on the phone before my game tonight. We talked about a lot about me taking an official visit to Minnesota soon, but we're going to talk more about this week as I didn't have a lot of time before my game."
What Mayblen and White can bring to the table more than the other offensive linemen in this class is a lot of athleticism. Mayblen is an ultra-athletic offensive lineman whose been starting on the basketball team since he was a sophomore and is very light on his feet. The point I'm trying to make with Mayblen is how many of Minnesota's current offensive linemen could you picture playing basketball, yet alone being athletic enough to play effectively. It's not a knock on the offensive line at all, but just trying to get the point home that I'm all on board for getting a great athlete in an offensive lineman for the last spot. The two pluses with Mayblen and White are that Mayblen is very tight with current Gopher tight end Jerry Gibson as they went to the same high school and Chris White is a December graduate and would be able to participate in spring ball.
The reason Moore isn't higher on the list is because I'm not sure that he won't be committed soon. I don't believe the Gopher coaches were able to see Moore during this past week, so not sure if that'll make his interest wane or not. Minnesota would love to get Moore up on an official visit none the less and he's a definite take like the other three linemen on the list. With Drayton, I'm not sold he is seriously interested in Minnesota any longer. The staff has a good idea of this, so if any of three above him were to commit, I believe there wouldn't be a spot for Carlberg if he wanted to then commit.
Defensive Line
Committed:
None.
Top targets:
1) Alabama defensive lineman Early senior highlights
2) Florida defensive lineman Early senior highlights
3) Florida defensive lineman Early senior highlights
I think Minnesota will take two or three defensive linemen. You'll notice the new name at the top of the list in Mose Hall. Hall received a visit from Minnesota today and here's what he said about the talk with the Gophers.
Hall: "Coach Sawvel came by and briefly introduced himself today and then we talked on the phone right before my game. He said they were going to end up offering me really soon. He liked what I had going so far in my first year on defense and he loves my size. He mentioned how there aren't too many defensive ends my size in this class and that he'll be talking with me after my game tonight. He said that they were definitely going to get me up on an official visit soon. I also spoke with Alabama today and they'll be at my game tonight scouting. They want me to visit in two weeks for their game against Texas A&M."
Hall is a guy that's extremely under the radar as before today he had no offers and was hearing from only Abilene Christian. He was an offensive lineman the past three years and then switched to defensive line this fall and has really flourished. He'd be an ideal 3-tech on the Gophers defensive line and I'd expect Minnesota to offer in the very near future. The hope is that Alabama or any other SEC school for that matter tries to grab Hall late.
Ray already took an official visit to Minnesota and despite being committed to Boston College at the moment, sources have told it's certainly not over yet. The Gophers have been in hot pursuit since his visit and will be on him until signing day. Johnson is another new name to the DL radar as Coach Reeves paid him a visit this past week and is really pressing to get an official visit set soon, but it'll be extremely tough to get Johnson out of Florida and out of the SEC. Florida State is considered the favorite at this point in time.
I spoke with a couple of people about DL recruiting for this class and the reason you've seen not a lot of names pop up is that there's not a ton of great DL recruits in this 2015 class. I keep hearing that the staff is putting out a huge net trying to find some, but there's just not a ton of names out there. I'm sure more and more names will pop up soon.
Linebackers
Committed:
Illinois linebacker Early senior highlights
Texas linebacker Jaylen Waters
Top targets:
1) Louisiana linebacker Bo Wallace
2) Oklahoma linebacker Early senior highlights
3) Ohio linebacker Early senior highlights
4) Alabama athlete Early senior highlights
My take is that Minnesota could take anywhere from one to two more linebackers if it's the right guys. I'll start with Bo Wallace, where I continue to hear a lot of good things about Minnesota. Wallace will be taking an official visit to Minnesota for the Purdue game in two weeks and I keep hearing he's very excited for the Gophers to be his first visit. It's extremely rare to see a recruit from John Curtis take an official visit during the season as the Curtis staff likes the players to focus on the season, but I've heard that Wallace went to the staff and said that he really wants to visit Minnesota, so they're letting him visit. Expect the Gophers to everything they legally can to impress Wallace while on his visit.
Whitfield has an official visit scheduled to Minnesota in two weeks for the homecoming game against Purdue and the Gophers are sitting very well. Sherels went to see Whitfield live back in the spring and is expected to go see Whitfield during the next bye week. McKee received a visit from Sherels earlier in the week and he's expecting to take an official visit to Minnesota for the Gophers game versus Ohio State in November. I've heard that Gophers have McKee and Whitfield extremely high on their board and they would be takes.
Smiley is a new name to the GI radar after he received a visit from Coach Sawvel this past week. Smiley has a great frame to put on another 20 pounds or so and become a great outside linebacker talent. The Alabama recruit told me he has a Nebraska offer, but hasn't heard from them in a long time, so I'm not going to list it on his profile. I'd expect Smiley to take a visit to Minnesota in the next few months if the targets above him on my list go elsewhere.
Cornerback
Committed:
Michigan athlete Early senior highlights
Top targets:
1) Michigan athlete Early senior highlights
2) Texas cornerback Early senior highlights
3) Louisiana cornerback Early senior highlights
4) Florida cornerback Trenard Davis
5) Florida cornerback Early senior highlights
6) Alabama cornerback Michael Jackson
7) Missouri cornerback Early senior highlights
I keep hearing that Minnesota will be taking three corners and safeties this class, but would go seven defensive backs total for the class if it's the right seven. I'll start off this list by saying that Minnesota would take any two of these seven. All have committable offers to my knowledge.
I have John Kelly on top of the list as I think his impact on the class would be huge as you'd be getting a recruit with a legit Michigan State offer and he could have the highest ceiling of all the defensive backs. Kelly will be flying out to Minnesota next weekend for an unofficial visit with his coach and then plans to come back for an official visit in November or December. I just don't see him picking Michigan State after visiting 10 plus times there and still not pulling the trigger. I've been wrong before (and will be again), but I think the Gophers are sitting well going into this weekend.
Willie Sykes finally visited Minnesota for their last home game against San Jose State and loved his visit by all accounts. Sykes is planning on visiting Purdue (yes that Purdue) in November, but I'd be willing to bet he'll either be committed to Minnesota or the Gophers will have moved on by then. Sawvel is at his game tonight and the Gophers still very much wants Sykes want to join the fold, but like all the other defensive backs in the class, spots will be limited.
Alonzo Craighton received a visit from Coach Sawvel this past week and plans on making a decision by the end of the month. Let I said earlier this week, I expect his college decision to be between Minnesota and Louisiana-Lafayette. ULL is very close to home and he has a sister that goes to the University, plus his family would like him close to home. Going into the Minnesota visit, Craighton and his parents weren't too keen on him leaving home, but the visit really opened their eyes. This is a decision I could see going either way.
Trenard Davis is a recruit that I could see committing to Minnesota at any time. Coach Reeves visited him this past week and Sawvel spoke with him on the phone and I've heard that there were a lot of positive vibes from those conversations. Davis really enjoyed his official visit two weekends back and the Gophers would like to add an athlete like Davis with his length and speed.
Sheldrick Redwine is this low on the list just because I don't know how good of a shot that Minnesota really has with Redwine. I've heard that Louisville is the leader with Kentucky in second and the Gophers behind both. After talking with Redwine tonight, I've learned that he doesn't know a lot if any really about Minnesota, so the visit this upcoming weekend will be a lot of learning by Redwine.
Michael Jackson received a visit from Coach Sawvel this past week and after talking with Jackson, he's a guy that came away very impressed by the Gophers victory against Michigan this past weekend. Jackson and his mother watched the game and called Sawvel after the game and it's really boosted his interest in the Gophers. Jackson is a recruit is below guys that Sykes and Davis at this point, but if Sykes and Davis drag their feet on a decision, expect the Gophers to move on to Jackson in a hurry and get him on a visit.
KiAnte Hardin visited the Gophers this past summer and tells GI that he's really working on setting up an official visit to Minnesota in the near future. Coach Kill and Claeys have a ton of connections to the Webb City area and I get the feeling because of that Hardin will have a spot in this class even if Minnesota has three CB's committed. He's a smaller corner, but he's a take as the ideal situation would be Hardin as another Briean Boddy-Calhoun.
Safety
Committed:
Illinois safety Early senior highlights
Top targets:
1) Louisiana safety Early senior highlights
2) Kansas safety Early senior highlights
3) Iowa safety Early JUCO highlights
4) Louisiana safety Early senior highlights
5) Mississippi safety Early JUCO highlights
I keep hearing that Minnesota will be taking three safeties this class.
Justin Reid tops the list, but is also the most unrealistic as he's got a lot of other options and hasn't visited Minnesota to this point. Reid told GI this week that there's a 70% chance that he take an official visit to the Twin Cities and at that point, it's anyone's ball game as the Gophers do well landing recruits once they get them on campus. If it doesn't happen before mid-November, Minnesota's chances go almost to zero in my opinion.
Alex Barnes will be taking an official visit to Minnesota for the Purdue game in two weeks and his mother tells GI that he's planning on coming to a decision by the end of this month. He'll be visiting Rutgers this weekend and wants to take an official visit to Kansas State as well, but Minnesota is the team to beat here. Coach Kill has so many connections to the city of Pittsburg from his days coaching there and I've heard from multiple people that Barnes has people in his eye around town saying go play for Coach Kill at Minnesota. I think that the visit goes well in two weeks and Barnes ends up coming to Minnesota around Halloween. He's also a top priority because he's a December grad.
Charlie Rogers is above Nick Beasley and other JUCO DB's right now, but I'm not sure for how much longer. Rogers visited Minnesota back in August and doesn't have a lot else going on right now. The Gophers are fully aware of that and it wouldn't shock me if Minnesota decides to move on soon and give Charlie an ultimatum saying are you in or out. Coach Claeys will be at Iowa Western's game tomorrow to watch Charlie among others.
Brandon Scott is a name that I've talked about in the past and Coach Sawvel paid Scott a visit this past week. The Gophers are going to have some tough competition for Scott and I've heard the comparisons of former NIU DB Jimmie Ward thrown around when talking about Scott's potential. If Barnes were to commit, I'd expect Scott still to get Minnesota interest and may visit, but he's not as big a priority then.
Nick Beasley is the last player I'll talk about and if the staff decides to move on from Charlie Rogers, I think Beasley is the top player on the list to replace Rogers as the JUCO DB this class. There will be a December grab JUCO DB in this class. Expect Beasley to visit without an offer if it does happen, but the Gophers are very high on Beasley after Sawvel saw him live yesterday.
Any questions or comments, please leave below.
This post was edited on 10/3 11:33 PM by Ryan Burns
