PiPress: Lakeville North: A focal point in Gophers football recruiting
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Lakeville North: A focal point in Gophers football recruiting
Lakeville North junior offensive tackle Bryce Benhart, left, and senior center Nate Boe pose for a photo after the Panthers’ football practice on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017. Boe is committed to play for the Gophers, and Benhart has many scholarship offers, including one from Minnesota. (Jace Frederick / Pioneer Press)
By ANDY GREDER | agreder@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer Press
PUBLISHED: December 16, 2017 at 6:10 pm | UPDATED: December 16, 2017 at 6:38 pm
Nathan Boe’s scholarship offer to be in Minnesota’s 2018 recruiting class came down to a one-on-one drill during a camp in June.
The Lakeville North center went against other prospective recruits in a board drill, where after a ball is snap, two players must straddle a long and narrow material laid on the ground while blocking/fighting off the block until one is deemed the winner.
The Gophers coaches kept putting Boe in the drill. He didn’t back down and plowed into his competition across five or six straight reps.
Later in coach P.J. Fleck’s office, Boe recalled how the Gophers head coach said he and offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca had a quick conversation on the field as Boe battled. One of them said he wasn’t leaving until Boe quit. They conferred and decided that wasn’t likely to happened, so the drill was called off in order for everyone to go home and celebrate Father’s Day a little sooner.
Boe was offered a scholarship and committed that same day. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound player is one of five Minnesotans in the Gophers’ incoming class. Although Boe might be the lowest-rated recruit, per 247sports.com’s composite ranking, he makes up for it in heart.
“That speaks to the Gophers but also to Nathan Boe,” said Lakeville North coach Brian Vossen. “That is kind of the type of dude he is. He will keep pounding his head in there over and and over and over again and never stop.”
Nathan is the oldest of four competitive and athletic children of Amanda and Ryan Boe. The kids’ games of choice have been two-on-two basketball, and when they were younger, tag, which once included Boe’s competitiveness causing him to slam into a wall to try to win. Amanda has told her eldest that his competitive streak can be tracked to her days on danceline.
With Boe set to sign a letter of intent Wednesday and then enroll at in January at Minnesota — the only Power Five school to offer him — attention has increasingly shifted to his Lakeville North teammate and good friend Bryce Benhart, the 6-9, 300-pound tackle in the 2019 class.
In September, Fleck and receivers coach Matt Simon, a Farmington native, flew in a helicopter from the Gophers’ practice facility to first see Edina’s offensive tackle Quinn Carroll, the state’s top recruit in 2019, play in a game and then hopped over to Boe’s and Benhart’s contest the same night. Fleck has been adamant about the best players in Minnesota remaining within the borders.
Benhart, whose offers include Wisconsin, UCLA, Northwestern and Oklahoma State, couldn’t be reached for this story. Although some recruiting analysts give the current edge to the Badgers, Vossen and Boe say they don’t have any insights on Benhart’s decision.
“He is doing it the right way,” Boe said. “He is keeping his mind open. He doesn’t talk about any specific schools too much, openly. He doesn’t say, I like this school or that school. He keeps it even. He gives every school a fair chance.”
Added Vossen: “He’s not one for lots of attention. He keeps his cards pretty close to his vest. I have no clue what he is going to decide to do. I just know that he plans to make his decision before next season. I think he wants to have it out of the way before then.”
Fleck has made it a goal to receive oral commitments from recruits early in the process. He started racking in commitments in February. Vossen said no school has visited more frequently than the Gophers, who obviously have an advantage of proximity.
“They are working very hard,” Vossen said. “Matt Simon, who is recruiting our area, is an awesome guy. They have been very open and honest and upfront with him. It seems like there was lots of pressure early from the Gophers to commit, but now I think they are recognizing his personality. That it’s maybe someone that is really going to think about things and want to take visits and let it all soak in and meet players.”
Benhart’s dad, Gene, played quarterback at Western Illinois and was drafted by the Colts in the 12th round of the 1990 NFL draft but didn’t play for Indianapolis.
“I think (Gene) has been pretty instrumental in helping Bryce ask the right questions and focus on the right stuff and not just get caught up on the next school that is going to offer,” Vossen said.
Vossen said there has been an abundance of interest. “I will be honest, it’s tough on a high school coach,” said Vossen, who teaches pre-calculus classes. “They stop by in the morning; they stop by at lunch; they stop by after school.”
The recruiters all want to know where Benhart is in the process. Vossen, his good friend/future Gopher, are also in that camp.
http://www.twincities.com/2017/12/16/lakeville-north-a-focal-point-in-gophers-football-recruiting/
Lakeville North junior offensive tackle Bryce Benhart, left, and senior center Nate Boe pose for a photo after the Panthers’ football practice on Thursday, Oct. 12, 2017. Boe is committed to play for the Gophers, and Benhart has many scholarship offers, including one from Minnesota. (Jace Frederick / Pioneer Press)
By ANDY GREDER | agreder@pioneerpress.com | Pioneer Press
PUBLISHED: December 16, 2017 at 6:10 pm | UPDATED: December 16, 2017 at 6:38 pm
Nathan Boe’s scholarship offer to be in Minnesota’s 2018 recruiting class came down to a one-on-one drill during a camp in June.
The Lakeville North center went against other prospective recruits in a board drill, where after a ball is snap, two players must straddle a long and narrow material laid on the ground while blocking/fighting off the block until one is deemed the winner.
The Gophers coaches kept putting Boe in the drill. He didn’t back down and plowed into his competition across five or six straight reps.
Later in coach P.J. Fleck’s office, Boe recalled how the Gophers head coach said he and offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca had a quick conversation on the field as Boe battled. One of them said he wasn’t leaving until Boe quit. They conferred and decided that wasn’t likely to happened, so the drill was called off in order for everyone to go home and celebrate Father’s Day a little sooner.
Boe was offered a scholarship and committed that same day. The 6-foot-4, 270-pound player is one of five Minnesotans in the Gophers’ incoming class. Although Boe might be the lowest-rated recruit, per 247sports.com’s composite ranking, he makes up for it in heart.
“That speaks to the Gophers but also to Nathan Boe,” said Lakeville North coach Brian Vossen. “That is kind of the type of dude he is. He will keep pounding his head in there over and and over and over again and never stop.”
Nathan is the oldest of four competitive and athletic children of Amanda and Ryan Boe. The kids’ games of choice have been two-on-two basketball, and when they were younger, tag, which once included Boe’s competitiveness causing him to slam into a wall to try to win. Amanda has told her eldest that his competitive streak can be tracked to her days on danceline.
With Boe set to sign a letter of intent Wednesday and then enroll at in January at Minnesota — the only Power Five school to offer him — attention has increasingly shifted to his Lakeville North teammate and good friend Bryce Benhart, the 6-9, 300-pound tackle in the 2019 class.
In September, Fleck and receivers coach Matt Simon, a Farmington native, flew in a helicopter from the Gophers’ practice facility to first see Edina’s offensive tackle Quinn Carroll, the state’s top recruit in 2019, play in a game and then hopped over to Boe’s and Benhart’s contest the same night. Fleck has been adamant about the best players in Minnesota remaining within the borders.
Benhart, whose offers include Wisconsin, UCLA, Northwestern and Oklahoma State, couldn’t be reached for this story. Although some recruiting analysts give the current edge to the Badgers, Vossen and Boe say they don’t have any insights on Benhart’s decision.
“He is doing it the right way,” Boe said. “He is keeping his mind open. He doesn’t talk about any specific schools too much, openly. He doesn’t say, I like this school or that school. He keeps it even. He gives every school a fair chance.”
Added Vossen: “He’s not one for lots of attention. He keeps his cards pretty close to his vest. I have no clue what he is going to decide to do. I just know that he plans to make his decision before next season. I think he wants to have it out of the way before then.”
Fleck has made it a goal to receive oral commitments from recruits early in the process. He started racking in commitments in February. Vossen said no school has visited more frequently than the Gophers, who obviously have an advantage of proximity.
“They are working very hard,” Vossen said. “Matt Simon, who is recruiting our area, is an awesome guy. They have been very open and honest and upfront with him. It seems like there was lots of pressure early from the Gophers to commit, but now I think they are recognizing his personality. That it’s maybe someone that is really going to think about things and want to take visits and let it all soak in and meet players.”
Benhart’s dad, Gene, played quarterback at Western Illinois and was drafted by the Colts in the 12th round of the 1990 NFL draft but didn’t play for Indianapolis.
“I think (Gene) has been pretty instrumental in helping Bryce ask the right questions and focus on the right stuff and not just get caught up on the next school that is going to offer,” Vossen said.
Vossen said there has been an abundance of interest. “I will be honest, it’s tough on a high school coach,” said Vossen, who teaches pre-calculus classes. “They stop by in the morning; they stop by at lunch; they stop by after school.”
The recruiters all want to know where Benhart is in the process. Vossen, his good friend/future Gopher, are also in that camp.
http://www.twincities.com/2017/12/16/lakeville-north-a-focal-point-in-gophers-football-recruiting/