Link: 2017 TGR Recruiting Awards

I'd love to hear the board's picks too!

Josh Williamson from Owatona has put up a couple of monster years! Is he a B1G RB, I think he is for certain teams. Looking at his film, speed is not the issue. He runs high through the line and is at most a one cut back. He would have been a beast in Mason's offense, but how does he do in an inside zone running game.

Can't imbed his hudl highlights for some reason. ‪http://www.hudl.com/v/28NYFv‬

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Just read somewhere. That IMG basically is a ((faribault)(hockey)) type of school witch gets top notch quality kids from all around to come and play for them. If this is true and we just landed two of there O lineman. With another one who is already talking about coming here next year, as a direct result of Annexstad and Bateman would be extremely awesome.
Dare I say that it would mean that we COULD have just started a pipeline or (inroads, if you like) with a premier top football prospect producing school? How awesome is that?
Tell me truly. How could anyone at this point doubt coach Fleck? I understand that it's still early, and one class does NOT a dynasty make. But, tell me honestly. When is the last time we had a coach that has even come close to putting himself in such a situation. Lou Holts comes to mind. Yes I know there are other's, but you have to admit they have been few and far between.
KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK COACH!!!!!!

who is in?

Admittedly, as scheduled, with travel will likely impact two work days. But still trying to sort it out. If I make it, it would likely be solo.

Who knows, maybe it will sell out before I can make it work.

Cheers

Always #skiumah

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This tweet is from 2019 Georgia OT/DE Austin Williams. And yes he has a Gopher offer...

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PJ Fleck

• Players did a spectacular job of hosting and recruiting the players on the official visits. Sometimes that positivity isn't always consistent. The players have done a great job in the classroom and volunteering.
• Want to say thanks to the faculty and everyone associated with the UMN. Elite day for everyone involved and the state.
• Remember, OJ Smith and Chris Williamson are a part of this class.
• Reviewed some numbers and rankings and left out Rivals since right now Minnesota's not in our top 25.
• Usually one or two JUCOs a year. Think that's a necessity.
• Terell Smith is the fastest Big Ten corner commit since 2009.
• Seven players will enroll early.
• 25 of the 26 players are multi-sport athletes. That's important.
• Mark Coyle was here at 5:00 am. He was excited for Signing Day too.
• Chernoff is a special person and was the designer of the class. He's high energy which is a prerequisite for working on this staff.
• Want to thank the coaches' wives and the sacrifices they make on a daily basis.
• Ahanotu (Ah-HAN-ah-too): Dad played in the NFL over ten years. Explosive defensive end. After visiting, he's driving to an ACC school. There's a car accident in front of him, and he turned to his dad and said it's a sign and that he wanted to be a Gopher and they didn't visit that ACC school.
• Annexstad: Early enrollee, legacy, true leader.
• Aune: 4.0 student, he's a camp offer and took every rep at camp. He played everything for Highland Park.
• Bateman: Truly special. Loves a restaurant that I don't even know how to pronounce. Earned an offer at the Georgia camp and visited on the spot. He had already done his homework before the camp. Special person. Had Big Ten offers in basketball.
• Beier: Over a 4.0 student, 30 ACT, tough, athletic. His mom is a kickboxer so he comes from a tough family.
• Boe: He's what a Nekton is all about -- always attacking, never full. Tremendous OL play and tradition and Lakeville North (s/o Benhart).
• Dickson: If you put Dickson and Donnell Greene together, they look like their brothers. Told Fleck that Minnesota was a long ways before his visit and later said that he had no idea the Twin Cities is what it is before the visit.
• Dunlap: Early enrollee, committed before visiting and said "you have to trust me." Lost his father and said his mom had to see campus because his mom's his heart. Five-star person. Roomed with Annexstad at IMG.
• Edmonds: Mo Linguist has established relationships in Georgia for years and young people absolutely love him. He's an exceptional recruiter and coach. Fleck always asks to see recruits' rooms because he wants to see how they live and if it's clean. Nolan's room is immaculate. Send the commits Gopher talk quotes and all of them were shaped in the word "elite" on his wall. Wants players to think at an elite level, and he already had elite spelled out.
• Faalele: The one thing that makes him special is heart. What mattered to him is his mom coming here, who's from Melbourne. It takes over a day to get here from Melbourne. Give credit to the administration for paying for that. He looked for fit and family and found it. Remember, he's only played one year of football and is a dynamite rugby player.
• Gibson: Known him for 2.5 years and recruited him at Western Michigan. He moved from receiver to safety this year because his team needed him there.
• Manns: Four-sport athlete including bowling. He's a two-handed bowler and he's exceptional with a 212 average. I did beat him in bowling with a special Gopher ball.
• Okonji: His name, Okonji, means "I am here, and I came to conquer." Strong lower half.
• Oliver: He's a thumper that can hit and fly. He had 164 tackles this year, almost 15 per game. It's his first year playing basketball and was explosive everywhere. His girlfriend hit the game winning three-pointer the game before.
• Norton: Came to camp and was sick and got sicker at camp. Came back better and crushed it.
• Reigelsperger: Very active on Twitter. His motor never stops. True Nekton.
• Rush: Satellite Ohio camp individual. He's never had all As his entire life. Played linebacker, running back. After getting an offer, he wanted to commit but said he needed to see campus and within 12 hours he was on campus.
• Sapp: Laid out the vision to Benny Jr. and Sr. and his dad almost didn't believe Fleck at first when he said he was going to land a top 25 class. He's relentless and the definition of the row the boat mantra.
• Terell Smith: Loyal recruit who committed before seeing campus and has been dating his girlfriend since 6th grade. Nicknamed Flash because he's so fast.
• CJ Smith: After weeks of corner study, they knew they needed to add corners and CJ kept coming to the top. He's physical, he'll hit you. The Big Ten is a physical conference. He hasn't left Jacksonville that much, and you should have seen his eyes when he got here.
• Sori-Marin: Great student from one of the best football programs in the country. 3.98 GPA and only had one B. His heart is huge, and his work ethic is incredible. He's Cuban and his mom makes incredible flan. He'll be a mike backer.
• Spann-Ford: Multi-sport athlete with incredible hands. Big, long target that will be a redzone threat and love his physicality after watching him defensively this year (he'll be a TE of course though).
• Teague: Chicago tough. Calls himself a Pescatarian and Vegan, but he eats more eat than anyone, so he embraces who he is at that day every single day. He's another player whose mom is everything to him. He'll probably play next year.
• Viramontes: Will only take a JUCO QB if they can play three years. Commands the huddle and the team and is a prideful person and prideful of his family. Trainer kept telling Fleck that he has no idea what great of person and player that he got.
• Williams: Think Robert Smith as his style of play. All-Conference all four years of high school. His speed gives him power and allows him to finish runs. He's quiet and all business and works hard.
• York: Heck of a lineman but an even better cook. Had a steak cookoff between his dad and his son. His dad cooked filet mignon on the green egg. It was elite. Jack cooked a filet mignon on a gas grill. Mom and dad already have heated hats, gloves, pants, and socks for their visits.
• Wishes the Vikings all the best and wants them to be the first team to be the home team to play in the Super Bowl.
• It was a six month panic worrying about Bateman flipping, but he never wavered. He gets paid to worry. Bateman had to tell Fleck for the 15th time that he wasn't going anywhere.
• Vic has a lot of energy, passion, leadership, connectivity. He's a natural leader. The greatest relationship in sports is the head coach and the quarterback. It takes a special person with confidence to be able to handle the pressure, and Vic has that.
• Getting two great running backs is a credit to all the elite running backs Minnesota has had before.
• When Nolan Edmonds decommitted, he wanted to see something else but he had to decommit. He found his way back. Normally, you don't want to take those players back, but Fleck knew he would come back and knows his family well.
• When our commits say they're committed, they're committed. Only one true decommit the past few months. The class knows each other inside and out.
• Doesn't comment on recruits that aren't ours but wishes them the best.
• The eLITe18 Palooza was a great event. It's not only about connecting players but about connecting the parents. It's important that the parents see who they're going to tailgate with and exchange numbers. Had the help of the administration, academic staff, businesses, Vikings and Twins. They're as much a part of the recruiting class as anyone.

In it he say's that he his 2019 recruiting begins today. He also touched on keeping the top home state talent Here.
Although I understand he can not make any contact with recruits until Jan., according to what Coach said in his Press conference. I have a couple off questions?

1st. Besides Carroll,who are the top recruits in Minnesota for 2019 to keep an eye on?

2nd. Besides Hank Bachmeier. Who will be our top out of state targets for 2019?

When I watched them practice this summer and saw them in the Spring, I was positive they were down and not as talented as when Butt Head was recruiting and Coaching. I still believe that to be true, but was totally unprepared for how BAD we were as a Team! I also underestimated the Kid from New Jersey and how great he was as a Freshmen.

I WAS WRONG!

But in my opinion the B1G just was not that good! And that caught me by surprise!

The B1G felt the impact of not getting more 5 and 4 Star guys from the Midwest and the West just does not have the talent to compete with the East.

Everyone who reads my posts knows I'm not a Star chaser, but if we want to really compete Minnesota will have to get some strong 6.0, 5.9, and 5.8 guys in every class. Like 1 five star, at least 3 4 stars and a lot of 5.7 3 stars if we want to win BIG!

I believe P.J. can do just that in recruiting! Is he someone I could play for? Not sure because I do not know him. But from what I see, P.J. relates GREAT with these young men, and that's all that counts!

ROW THE BOAT!

I see that, so far, Michigan has signed zero players from Ohio, tOSU has signed only 4 players from Ohio. I know the population in the "rust belt" has declined a lot over the last 30 years or so, but is this an anomaly or has this been going on for awhile? Since when was Ohio not a hotbed of football?

Just looked at Rivals 100. 4 players from Ohio.

...very similar to the P.J. Fleck Show!

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and any ladies that may frequent this site!

A few weeks ago, I just about gave in to the urge to join TOS to go along with my membership to this site! (NEVER INTENDED TO LEAVE THIS SITE, BUT DUEL MEMBERSHIP)!!!

I miss the work of RJ, RB and yes, even MOC

Anyways, was about to join when I read TOS had released the info concerning Tyrik Henderson's reason for un-committing I said NOOOOOOOO!!!!

MY KUDOS TO MJH, CS, EJS AND ANYONE ELSE (LITTLEFINGER..?) WHO KNEW ABOUT THE REASON BUT ABIDED FAITHFUL TO THE COACHING STAFFS DESIRE TO KEEP IT QUIET!

As much as it annoys us to not know all the information, I personally believe the players have right to privacy as well!!! I greatly respect you guys for honoring the Coaches wishes along with respecting the players and their families and say WELL DONE YOUNG MEN!!!

Jornell Manns:


Strengths:

· Manns plays fast and will be one of the fastest members on the team when he steps on campus
· Incredibly cutting ability to stop/change direction on a dime. Quick feet, doesn’t lose much speed after cuts and accelerates and deaccelerates quickly.
· Best playmaker in the class once the ball is in his hands

Weaknesses:

· Listed at 6’0” 185, but I would honestly be surprised he is even that big. It will help him to add weight.
· Learning the wide receiver position: Mansfield used Manns as their do-it-all guy on offense, so they moved him around quite a bit. He spent a lot of snaps at running back. The majority of his routes were screens, slants, and fades. He’ll need to learn the position a bit and get used to playing receiver full-time.

My initial thought was a redshirt year for Manns, but I also could see a scenario where he comes into camp and wows. He’ll be one of the faster players on the roster the moment he steps on campus, so he could be dangeours on sweeps and under routes. He has a ton of talent. Somebody said JD Spielman as a comparison which I think is a decent comparison. Once he learns the position of a receiver, he will be a weapon for the Gophers.

Is Richter gray shirting to make room for Annexstad as a scholarship player?

I know a lot of guys on this site have been following football and basketball recruiting for as long as I have or longer.. I have had an interest and followed it since I was little, in 1978. More seriously after watching Clark Kellogg and Magic Johnson in high school as that was an absolute thrill to see them play in Cleveland and Lansing, respectively. So almost 40 years of following recruiting to some degree.

In the days of printed newsletters and publications, only without internet, I wanted to seriously get involved in the recruiting business.. Now with Twitter, every decision comes out in real time so by the time a story comes out in print, its old news. Even internet sites have trouble keeping up as people follow these kids as they put out personal stuff in real time. So for me, it was not worth pursuing farther though it was like an obsession. Basketball was my first love so I subscribed to all the original publications whether on the newsstand(Street and Smith) or subscriptions like Basketball Times, Hoop Scoop, Future Stars, 5 star, etc. Football recruiting besides Street and Smith was covered mostly by Tom Lemming and Bill Kurelic in Ohio. I asked a ton of questions to guys in the recruiting industry and to college coaches who shared what they were looking for at various positions both in football and basketball.. Asked them in detail to what they meant by qualities they wanted to see by going to the games with the coaches(when they weren't coaching or games on TV) so I had examples in my mind to what to look for while watching in the stands or viewing a player on tape. I wrote them down and kept them in case I ever got involved in the recruiting industry.

I read some threads here and I hope for some you, that you understand about information whether it is ratings or stars... In football, you have 22 spots on the field.. Positions like offensive tackles, defensive tackle, Receivers, running backs DEs, LBs, CBs, and safeties, you have more than one of those on the field at any given time. So really you are looking at 14 to 16 positions(Middle LB has different skill set than OLB and Strong Safety different from free safety.. You can probably add 2-3 more back if you want to add field corner vs boundary corner or fullback vs. tailback though fullback is more and more obsolete. Plus you have kickers, punters, and long snappers.

In basketball, much easier because you have 5 positions instead of 22 positions.. But both sports you have literally thousands of kids being evaluated... No matter how big the organization of evaluators are for a scouting service, that organization is at the mercy of the evaluators to some extent... So a LOT OF TRUST is involved. Contacts are at a premium.. Just think about this. If each DIvision 1 football program signs 20 kids a year, that is over 2500-3000 kids a year to be evaluated. If you spent watching 1 hour of tape on each kid, that would take up your entire work year. Plus think about it then write about it. That is why staffs have MANY PEOPLE doing evaluating and they have to trust the evaluators.. One person can only get so much information on each kid by watching them play at one time. So there is only so much THOROUGH evaluation that any scouting service can do, regardless the amount of people. There is communication between contacts that are trusted and metrics taken at camps that are used in evaluations.. Reputation and news clippings have to come into effect especially if they play top level competition, to see how they perform. That is true in all sports. Recruiting services have to trust more regional or local guys that get to see these kids play more consistently.. But it is still the OPINION of the evaluator.. This is true for everyone including me when I write about a kid that I see. It is my opinion.. It may or may not be a true reflection of what the kid can do on field. Or the result of what will happen during his collegiate career.

Some evaluators have a habit of OVERSTATING a kid's ability or some always are UNDERSTATING IT... So I always take the "STAR SYSTEM" with a grain of salt... Scouting services do very well with the resources they have but there are still limitations. Ultimately, the kids being evaluated have to 'lace 'em up' and/or put on the pads IN COLLEGE to see what they can do... If a kid did not go to a camp to compete against the best, he may not get the star rating or even the offers so finding out if the kid camped anywhere is something to see if there is a DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH.. Getting kids that didn't camp at bigger schools is how Barry Alvarez got his kids in the early classes.. Kids for Wisconsin's early classes under Alvarez, weren't going to get high star ratings or huge offers because no one knew about them including scouting services. Barry trusted his assistants and his own eyes, which proved to serve him well.. THERE ARE SOME GUYS THAT EVALUATE WHO HAVE A NATURAL FEEL FOR BEING ABLE TO PROJECT A KID AT THE COLLEGE LEVEL and those are the ones that are the most trusted to listen to, IMO.

Trust is an important component between evaluators because there just is not enough time to find things out other than metrics at a camp. Anyone can get the size-speed ratio thing and the toughness of competition out of an internet article but to know about the player is a totally different issue.. For a small school kid or one that has not attended camps, evaluators have to try to measure ability and if the player may be slightly deficient in size or speed, evaluators have to try to measure the heart of the player. Guys that coached are better at evaluating that than scouting services, for the most part, unless the scouting service has great coaching contacts. Again, Barry Alvarez and his staff were excellent at that and that is a big reason his kids overachieved. That is where fans see walk ons or marginal recruits 'move to the front of the line' and become stars. Some kids develop much later and that is a whole other issue that persons good at projecting seem to have a better feel though empirical evidence may not exist to back it up. JUST REMEMBER THAT SCOUTING SERVICES ARE LOOKING AT GENERALITIES AND ARE NOT GOING TO BE "PROGRAM SPECIFIC".. When it comes to intangibles or things like personality and ability to comprehend teaching or coaching, that can only be evaluated by the staffs of the colleges

I SAY ALL THIS TO POINT OUT THAT COACH FLECK's RECRUITING CLASS IS HIGHLY REGARDED AND FOR THAT, WE CAN BE EXCITED.. Same is true for Pitino's classes in basketball, for the most part. But guys can turn out to be overrated by evaluators or even coaches.. Just like us as fans, players' lives are dynamic and circumstances of life change. Same is true for college athletes... Family events, breaking up with a girlfriend, injuries, changing of minds, being away from home, learning how to live life away from parents and family.. All these things can affect performance on the field.. The kids have always been the BIG MAN ON CAMPUS so being put on the bench may be a first for these kids.. So it takes time to develop and teach the kid patience.. They are used to success in high school RIGHT AWAY and that may change in college.

I ENCOURAGE GOPHER FANS TO BE EXCITED FOR THE POTENTIAL of the recruiting class but for the informed fan, that is all that should be expected.. What happens on the field remains to be seen. Kids that are highly rated may disappoint and kids low rated may exceed their ranking. I can tell you that I was asked by 2 coaching staffs that were former national champions in basketball(one JC program and one NAIA program) to suggest a player that would fit into their system.. One player I suggested for the JC school, I said this was a perfect fit who was 6-8 post player that was athletic enough to have placed in state in the high jump and thought was very skilled.. I knew his grades were bad so JC seemed like a good fit...At my suggestion, the JC school sent an assistant coach to the game to watch the kid play and the kid had 3 fouls in the first 5 minutes of the game as well as got into a shoving match with an opponent.. I had not seen that out of the kid before and if I did, I would have never suggested the kid to the school... A bad suggestion and they never came to me again.. Conversely, I called this NAIA school about a different kid and the school made the kid their top priority in recruiting.. The head coach has since retired but contacted me about other players later on. So my 'amateur evaluations' have been both good and bad but I have learned a lot over the years.. I would never suggest a player to a program again unless I was awfully sure of his ability, temperament, and aptitude to accept coaching.

My point is evaluators and coaches sometimes have very little information to make a decision to give a kid a free ride in school and help their team.. They are as thorough as they can be but because of limitations and just the unknowns of life, don't be disappointed in the kid or coaching staff OR THE SCOUTING SERVICE LIKE RIVALS.. Or don't get too high with a top rated class.. A lot goes into making a great player and that is not something that is always predictable as an 18 year old from evaluators in a scouting service or as coaches looking for great talent.. Its important to separate the excitement from a highly regarded recruiting class to the actual performance on the field.. These are kids that have chosen to become part of something we love dearly.. Keep in mind that they are doing their best to entertain us while getting a degree of substance for their future.. Stars or point ratings don't matter once they hit the field so all we can do is stand behind the coaches and support the kids as they grow.. The MOST IMPORTANT STAR RANKING IS WHAT THEY END UP AFTER COLLEGE NOT BEFORE THEY START!!

Just got my notice via email. I don't recall that ever coming before the 1st of the year before.

Prices stayed the same for most-
DQ Lounge dropped a bit, and 2 corner of the stadium upper deck sections dropped all the way down to $249 for the season.

are accomplishing with this recruiting class and last year's class added to the mix!!! (I know, showing my age a little!)

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Steve Berkowitz‏Verified account@ByBerkowitz


Tax plan coming out of House-Senate conference committee includes repeal of 80% deduction that has been allowed for donations to college sports programs connected to rights to buy game tickets

today a whole bunch of MN recruits have been releasing, apparently for the first time, professional hype pics of themselves in MN uniforms. they are excited publishing them with their confirmed commitment to MN. actually a very brilliant move to keep the energy, as well as confirm, almost like taking attendance, of who will be signing as planned.

this of course follows yesterdays, similar ocial media pic/graphics as well, of facial shots.

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• Got up at 2:00 o'clock in the morning and kept checking if it was 6:00 yet. It's an elite day and probably the most important day for the staff and culture here at Minnesota.
• Rashod Bateman has an excellent highlight tape and was a dual-sport athlete with Division-I basketball offers. One of the most elite players and people in the nation.
• Braelen Oliver plays football like a linebacker. He's downhill and will hit you and loves the game.
• Terell Smith won back-to-back 100m state championships. He is legitimately one of the fastest players in the nation. He played offense and defense; he's the total package.
• Abi Okonji is explosive and will add to the depth of the defensive line.
• Bryce Williams had a late push of people trying to get him. The class was connected and that paid off at the end.
• eLITe18 Palooza: Imagine Animal House and the biggest party you've ever seen times 10.

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• A lot of dreams were filled today. That's something we have to continue.
• Boe bleeds maroon and gold. He'll provide passion and nastiness upfront.
• Aune literally did everything for Highland Park. Coaches at the high school all-start game were all very complimentary of him.
• Once the season was over, it was a sprint for recruiting. Fleck said in a staff meeting after the season that the next three weeks would be three of the most important weeks in the history of the program, and the staff took that as a challenge.
• The class has formed a brotherhood, but the way they connected during eLITe18 Palooza, you would have thought that they grew up together. They connected really well with the current players, too. It was special to watch as a coach.
• Benny Sapp was the one who started it all. He believed in the vision in him as a player and for the rest of his life. He saw our belief in him, and for him to give that belief back in us set the tone for the rest of the recruiting class. He's already helping recruit for the 2019 class.
• We don't like to "recruit" guys. We want to build genuine relationships. The relationship with Bateman is so much deeper than a football relationship, and he proved that by signing.

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• Dunlap went to IMG Academy for three years and roomed with Zack Annexstad. He got to know the culture through Zack. His mom felt comfortable here. He will have an impact and be very active in spring ball.
• Faalele went to IMG two years ago from Melbourne. He started at right tackle for them this year (I think on the second team.). He's a high character guy and a great athlete.
• IMG nationally recruits elite level players to play there. Everyone who started on their offensive line has Power 5 offers. They were undefeated and ranked No. 1 or 2 in the country.
• Boe: He cancelled a camp he was already scheduled to attend to instead go to Minnesota's camp. He then came to another camp and dominated, showed his how, and that's when the offer came.
• When he accepted this job at Minnesota, he knew Fleck had an elite culture and that's why they won.