Maybe, just maybe PJ is the one who can utilize last weeks Bills/Colts blizzard game to encourage hesitant recruits that the weather up north is truly FUN to play in.

I doubt it's likely to turn too many recruits in favor of our weather, but maybe it can stem the tide of negative recruiting because of it.

Watch the awesome clip below from an NFL Films video of California native Lorenzo Alexander mic'd up playing in the extreme snowy weather...

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Here's the full article I pulled it from...

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...zard-game-produced-amazing-nfl-films-footage/

The data center housing Rivals servers must have burst into flames. Love all of the double posts though.

2018 3* Texas OT Jack York - He informed me that Coach Warinner is going to talk to Coach Fleck after vacation about offering. Makes sense considering our pool of OT offerees is slowly dwindling away.

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Twitter account

Good win against a bad team.

"Time for a lineup change? Kings blown out by Timberwolves and their three stars

The combination of Jimmy Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins overwhelmed the Kings, sending Sacramento to a 119-96 defeat Thursday night at Target Center.

Minnesota broke the game open by outscoring the Kings 31-16 in the third quarter. Towns led Minnesota (17-12) with 30 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and five blocks. Wiggins had 22 points and Butler had 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.

George Hill led the Kings (9-19) with 16 points. Zach Randolph had 15 points and nine rebounds. Point guard De’Aaron Fox exited in the first quarter with a left quadriceps contusion and did not return.

Randolph has carried the offense lately. Hill has found his game in the last two contests. But there has to be more defensive pressure and easy baskets off defense. The Kings scored just nine points off turnovers while giving up 18 off turnovers.

Switching starters at power forward
Willie Cauley-Stein started the second half after coach Dave Joerger shuffled the lineup following Fox’s injury. Cauley-Stein has played well as a reserve, and Joerger has to seriously consider moving him back into the starting lineup.

Skal Labissiere continues to struggle as a starter and might benefit from coming off the bench, as Cauley-Stein did.

Cauley-Stein already plays the majority of the minutes at power forward and Randolph is comfortable at center.

Thursday wasn’t Cauley-Stein’s best game (nine points on 3-of-10 shooting, two rebounds), but elevating him to the starting lineup would allow Labissiere to find his game in small doses against backups.

Temple’s struggles
Garrett Temple is shooting 4 for 24 in his last five games. He had three points Thursday after going scoreless in his previous two outings. Temple’s role as the starting small forward means defending someone much bigger than him most nights.

He is the Kings most versatile perimeter defender, but having to contend with the likes of Wiggins nightly has to wear on him and impact on his offense."


Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nba/sacramento-kings/kings-blog/article189906114.html#storylink=cpy

Ross, who played 4 years of hoops at Penn State, is playing TE for the Colts, in game vs Broncos tonight.

Bryce Williams:


Strengths:

· Great feet. Doesn’t slow down at all with his cuts. He has these subtle little cuts like Shannon Brooks that don’t look like much, but throw off defenders
· Plays fast. It may sound obvious, but there are a lot of players who run a fast 40-yard dash that don’t play fast on the field. Bryce plays fast
· Vision. He showed consistent ability to hit cutback lanes and find the open running lane. Of the two running backs, he will be the home run hitter

Weaknesses:

· Not any pass-catching highlights or blocking, so unaware of his abilities in those areas

As a runner, there’s a lot to like about Bryce as a running back. I had a hard time finding weaknesses. He’s elusive, has excellent vision, and is a home run threat when he has the ball. I didn’t see him catch any passes or block, so those are areas that will have to be discovered. He also has pretty good size, listed at 6’0”. Nolan Edmonds may have a slight better chance to play early because he’s more physically ready, but I see no reason why Williams can’t be a solid Big Ten RB.

I could sell it to Jeff Foxworthy I think.


How can you tell that a guy is a redneck?

When he has a sign that says 'WIDE LOAD' on his truck......and on his girlfriend.

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Gophers offer 2019 3* Connecticut PF Tre Mitchell. He has offers from Minnesota, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Penn State, and Kansas State, among others.

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@Connor Stevens @Matt Jessen-Howard @David Sisk

Has anyone else seen this ? It's Gopher fans and nebraska fans at a BW3's.

Do we still use current players as recruiting "hosts" on official visits? I don't see mention of them anymore.

Any word on Antonio Montero?

Does Fleck basically shut it down for this year and look for next year.

How exactly will they go about it?

Here's what @Chad Simmons had to say today:

Kirby stopped by Tift County HS today to check on WR Rashod Bateman.

Georgia wants Bateman to visit this weekend. No decision has been made yet. Georgia really has taken a liking to Bateman, a Minnesota commit.

Bateman is about loyalty and he is still set to sign with Minnesota December 20 right now. UGA has talked to him about not signing and giving them a chance.

Usually Bateman is quick to tell me he is not looking back at the school that offers him, but this time when I asked him if he could visit Athens this weekend, he said, “I’m not sure yet.”

This is something to watch as we get closer to the weekend. He is a VERY tough pull as crazy as it may sound to some, but so many schools skipped over him in the spring and the summer... Tennessee offered yesterday. South Carolina today. We will continue to monitor this one closely.

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2018/rashod-bateman-204681

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Gophers offer 2019 3* Texas OG Trevor Stange. He has P5 offers from Minnesota, Kansas State, Syracuse, and Texas Tech.

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@Matt Jessen-Howard @Connor Stevens

Folks are getting excited due to recent activity regarding potential 4**** Gopher recruit ratings. One would assume that a 4**** would be a very good player and make big plays and a be difference maker.

For the record here are the 4**** commitments listed on Rivals of players we have had since 2007. Pretty sparse in numbers and rather blah considering overall performance.

Carter C., Dior Johnson, Jeff Jones, LaMonte Edwards, Jimmy Gjere, Michael Carter, Hayo, Hasan Limpsomb, Keanon Cooper, Marquis, David Pittman, Traye Simmons, Anthony Jacobs, Brandon Greene, Vincent Hill and Sam Maresh. Some played a lot, some rarely saw the field, some didn't make it to Minnesota and Gjere had to retire. Not sure how many of them, if any, made All BigTen. Maybe Simmons and Carter??

Maybe PJ will be able to reel in some 4**** and they will perform like highly rated players.

In the meantime, I try to temper my enthusiasm for any incoming recruit as all they are at this time are, what Coach Kill called them, a bunch of "Paper Tigers",

Lynch is starting to bore me.

While Oturu won't block shots at the pace of lynch, I'm assuming he will move his feet much better and be better against pick and roll, etc.

What is the trade off here?

Austin Beier


Strengths:

· Fundamentally sound. Great steps on zone and working to second level on double teams. Appropriately attacks the underneath shoulder on kick out blocks.
· Great puller. The best of the class. Quick footwork on his initial pull, athletic enough to kick out or lead up the whole, rarely allowing linebackers out of his reach.
· Well-put together. No bad weight. Makes 6’4” 285 look good in pads. Doesn’t look like he has much bad weight to him. Also appears to have solid strength at this point in his career.

Weaknesses:

· Pass blocking. His highlight film was 14 minutes and about 12.5 minutes of that was run blocking. Only a few clips showed him pass blocking, to which he looked fine.
· Feet need to be more active after engaging. This is where Boe excels. Once Beier has a defender engaged, he needs to work on continuing to pump his feet and drive the defender rather that simply sealing off.

After watching Beier’s film, I was surprised he doesn’t have more offers. Austin is fundamentally sound and looks ahead of the class from a technical standpoint. His pass blocking ability is something to be discovered since there wasn't much in his highlights, but he is an excellent run blocker. I don’t believe we’ll see him this year but I believe he’ll be a multiple year starter for Minnesota.

I Have been reading the past several threads and conversations regarding Rashod Bateman. I see a lot of people possible getting bent out of shape if he where to go to Georgia after they came in and offered him so late in the game. However I would like to point out Since we do live in the state of Hockey(Where at least in my generation most kids wanted to be able to suit up for the U of M.) and there was a similar situation. We would all be on other the other side of the fence and ridiculing the local talent for not dropping everything and committing to the U of M no matter how late we came and offered them a scholarship. So give the kid a break. I would be more upset if it was someone other than his home state team that came in late and then he decided to de commit. Also- I am really happy to see the Dunlap and Faalele commits especially. We need those types on both side of the line. It all start's up front and everyone knows it. Don't get me wrong. To me it would be a coup de grace,for us anyway, to get Bateman as well. On another note. How likely is Viramontes to win the starting job right out of the gate next year, and is he at least good enough to be our short term solution at QB? also- speaking of 4 Star Recruits. What is the likelihood of Hank Bachmeier committing in 2019.

@Alex Carlson question for you as you do a great job with the scouting reports.

I love R Bateman but I also understand he may be gone as an instate offer from a perennial power house is tough to pass up.

My question is this...

It seems that the highlight videos all show deep post and fade and fly routes. Who do we have on the current roster or committed to us this year (excluding Bateman) that has quick hips / cuts / acceleration that can run the 10 yard out, slant, hook, etc routes and get open doing it ?

Do we have our Larry Fitzgerald / DeAndre Hopkins ?

Daniel Faalele


Strengths:

· Incredibly gifted athletically for a guy his size. They don’t make many humans 6’9” 390 pounds. If you’ve seen the video of him dunking a basketball you can see the athleticism he possesses.
· Big frame and long arms. Tough to get around from a pass rush standpoint
· Blocks to the whistle


Weaknesses:

· Needs to play more football. This was his first year playing football, and while he did very well given those circumstances, his footwork needs to be addressed and will have to get used to blocking schemes
· High leverage; needs to drop his hips down and come off low
· S&C program will be big for him to lower his body fat % and get in the best shape possible


Faalele is a relative unknown since there isn’t much tape of him available and he’s only played one year of football. While his frame and athleticism are quite exciting, he is a development project. I believe he’s a few years out from playing. He’s going to need to get his body is proper shape, and get a ton of reps/coaching in order to really learn the position. The most recent commitment of Dickson gives Coach Fleck more comfortability in letting Faalele grow in practice before he’s ready.

that shut down the recruiting, but even more so now. Kinda tired of seeing our committed recruits continuing to accept more offers, though I do understand they want to make sure they make the decision that is best for them.

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Smart play but dumb play and kind of a shameful way to win...

I updated my tracker for scholarships going forward. This includes the recent transfers and graduations of players. I also assumed Winfield and Douglas will get medical redshirts. I did not include incoming freshmen (nor will I until they're signed). Pretty interesting looking at our depth across the roster.

60 scholarships out of 85 allowed
87 total players

Scholarship Seniors: 13
Scholarship Juniors: 15
Scholarship Sophomores: 13
Scholarship Freshmen: 19
_________________________________
QB (2 scholarships)

Freshman
Morgan, Tanner (RS)
Pickerign, Samuel (WO) (RS)
Roste, Jaran (WO) (RS)

Sophomore
Green, Seth (RS)

Junior

Senior
_________________________________
RB (5 scholarships)

Freshman
Delich, Mike (WO) (RS)
Ibrahim, Mohamed (RS)
London, Dominik (RS)

Sophomore

Junior
Femi-Cole, Jonathan (RS)

Senior
Brooks, Shannon
Smith, Rodney (RS)
_________________________________
WR (7 scholarships)

Freshman
Annexstad, Brock (WO) (RS)
Autman-Bell, Chris (RS)
Douglas, Demetrius
Van Dyne, Harry (RS)

Sophomore
Geary, Clay (WO) (RS)
Hmielewski, Drew (RS)
Howard, Phillip (RS)
Van Dyne, Yale (WO) (RS)
Williams, Mark (RS)

Junior
Gossage, Paul (WO) (RS)
Johnson, Tyler
Morse, Matt (WO) (RS)

Senior
_________________________________
TE (4 scholarships)

Freshman
Paulson, Jake (RS)
Witherspoon, Clayton (WO) (RS)

Sophomore
Kieft, Ko (RS)

Junior
Beebe, Colton (RS)
Witham, Bryce (RS)

Senior
_________________________________
OL (11 scholarships)

Freshman
Bursch, Nathan (RS)
Andries, Blaise (RS)
Rousemiller, Eric (WO) (RS)
Ruschmeyer, Axel (WO) (RS)
Sassack, Kyle (RS)
Schmitz, John Michael (RS)

Sophomore
Olson, Conner (RS)
Schlueter, Sam (RS)
Davis, Ben (RS)

Junior
Dovich, Bronson (RS)
Kuehn, Noah (WO/RS)
Oseland, Quinn (RS)

Senior
Greene, Donnell (RS)
Weyler, Jared (RS)
_________________________________
DL (11 scholarships)

Freshman
Coughlin, Quinn (WO) (RS)
Hickcox, Noah (RS)
Mafe, Boye (RS)
Otomewo, Esezi (RS)
Robinson, Malcolm (RS)

Sophomore
Umlor, Nate
Novak-Goar, Connor (WO) (RS)

Junior
DeLattiboudere, Winston (RS)
Devers, Tai'yon
Renner, Sam (WO) (RS)
Silver, Royal (RS)

Senior
Gibson, Jerry (RS)
Moore, Gary (RS)
Smith, O.J. (RS)
_________________________________
LB (6 scholarships)

Freshman
Guthrie, Trenton (RS)
Anderson, Dan (WO) (RS)
Russell, Joe (WO) (RS)

Sophomore
Schoenfelder, Bailey (WO) (RS)

Junior
Barber, Thomas
Coughlin, Carter
Martin, Kamal

Senior
Cashman, Blake
Huff, Julian
_________________________________
DB (11 scholarships)

Freshman
Beck, Adam (RS)
Estes, Rey (RS)
Fuller, Tommy (WO) (RS)
Leius, Jack (WO) (RS)
Santaga, Jon (WO) (RS)
Strazzanti, Alex (WO) (RS)

Sophomore
Handy-Holly, Ken
Harris, Justus
Swenson, Calvin (WO) (RS)
Thomas, Kiondre (RS)
Winfield Jr., Antoine

Junior
Craighton, Zo (RS)
Durr, Coney
Williamson, Chris (RS)

Senior
Huff, Jacob
Shenault, Antonio
_________________________________
K (2 scholarships)

Freshman
Ryerse, Grant (RS)

Sophomore
Mack, John (WO) (RS)

Junior

Senior
Carpenter, Emmit (RS)
_________________________________
P (0 scholarship)

Freshman

Sophomore

Junior
Herbers, Jacob (WO/RS)

Senior
_________________________________
LS/H (1 scholarship)

Freshman
O'Brien, Casey (WO) (RS)

Sophomore

Junior
Hansen, Trey (WO) (RS)

Senior
Jordahl, Payton (RS)
_________________________________

do without the February signing day mattering?

Dam, what a boring time it's going to be going forward.

Was listening to KFAN on the drive into the Twin Cities today and Gaard said that Jimbo Fisher wants him at A&M and Herman wants him at Texas so it looks like there’s about to be a bidding war for him. For Brewster.