Link: Gibson recaps eLITe18 Palooza weekend

Niko Medved had his guys ready to play.. It took us 31 minutes to pass them up so they did a good job scouting and hustling.. His team was picked 10th in the preseason in the MVC so he has nothing to lose.. A huge loss to South Dakota but had some nice games against an ACC team(Wake Forest) and a PAC 12 team(Colorado) that he had a close game. I am guessing his assistant, Dave Thorson, is a great resource both in preparation and game management. Congrats to them on a tough game.

I think Niko is connected to his guys and they seemed to respond well.. He ultimately didn't have the horses to beat us but one point is awfully close. A 3 point shooting team can always be dangerous on a given night.

One thing I thought was interesting.. No doubt RIchard wanted to get the ball low to Jordan and Reggie to take advantage of the size difference.. I thought we had a huge size advantage with Amir Coffey on his man, as well.

I am not doubting Richard P's game plan one bit but I thought we may see more 'hi-low' with Jordan and AMIR INSTEAD OF REGGIE... The reason I say that is both are good passing out of the double team low and can dribble hard to the basket from out high... I understand that RIchard may have wanted Amir on the wing for the kickout 3 ball.. But I would have been tempted to run a 'hi-low' with Jordan and Amir because both can handle.. Amir can cause a lot of havoc by driving and drawing defenders for the pass to the post.. Maybe bring Reggie off the weakside and spend time screening on the outside. Sometimes, I feel that Amir does not recognize his talent advantage over the player that is trying to guard him... It seemed that Nate and Dupree would not mind playing more off the ball and set their feet for the 3-ball though Mason does that a ton off his own dribble... I just think that we have to keep Amir Coffey more engaged as he has so much ability untapped, IMO. Going forward, I feel most of our work has to be mental by the coaches and players.. Maybe relational as well.

Tonight we beat a team that was supposed to finish 10th in a mid major conference for this year. Played them at home. Our starters played 172 out of 200 possible minutes.. 86% of minutes played by starters, Gaston had a bucket.. I thought this would be a great game to get Harris involved. I hope that this little break will be good for the team but I hope EVEN MORE that the leadership on the team would get our guys together and air out whatever problems if there are any, or talk through what they need to do to play together the best possible. We still have a ton of work to do but we can do it.

https://uga.forums.rivals.com/threads/bateman-got-an-offer-today.296540/

If true, it's concerning that he hasn't tweeted out the offer like he has the others...

Bateman got an offer today
per my few and sparse connections. my splinter cell says we have a good shot but he likes to row the boat as well.

The next 9 days need to come quicker!

David's preview here.

Drake is an undersized team that beat Wake Forest this year and narrowly lost to Colorado but has also lost three games to mid-majors. They're No. 194 by Kenpom.

@Littlefinger Missing out on all those likes, while the vulture @Viperman69 comes guns blazing with the Twitterverse.



What a great ending to the night!

I’m sure it’s been posted somewhere, but who exactly are they??

Link: Dickson commits to Minnesota after "amazing" visit

The 2018 Class is almost full -- and it’s only August. This is definitely a different type of recruiting that Gopher fans are not used to. This class is filled with five from Minnesota, five from Georgia, four from Ohio, three from Florida, three from Illinois, one from Michigan, one from Texas, and one from Missouri. TGR is expecting just one or two more commitments in the class.

Assuming most of the current commits stay committed to Minnesota, this gives the staff time to prioritize the commits they already have, and possibly a few more. Also, it allows them to focus on the 2019 class, much earlier than they ever have before. With about a year and a half until signing day for the 2019s, this is a huge advantage to Fleck in recruiting.

Here’s a look at 2019 players the Gophers have offered (unless marked otherwise) so far (s/o to @Littlefinger ):

QUARTERBACKS

****Hank Bachmeier (Murrieta, CA); Videos, Twitter
Hank Bachmeir is a 5.9 rated four-star from Murrieta, California. He seems to be at the top of the list in priority when it comes to quarterbacks for 2019. He has a lot of mutual interest in Minnesota as well, as he has heavy family connections in the area. He holds offers from Boise State, Cal, Colorado, UCLA, Utah, and more. He has already come to Minnesota once this summer to visit family for over a week. He was planning on taking an unofficial, but unfortunately it was during a dead period so he was not allowed contact.

TGR Quote: “I talked to Coach Kirk (Ciarrocca) about three weeks ago, we have a pretty good relationship. My Grandfather is from the Twin Cities, and so is his family. I visit Lake Minnetonka every 4th, which, unfortunately was a dead period. As for the program, I have heard nothing but great things about Coach Fleck. Coach Kirk has great respect for him and I really admire Coach Kirk and how genuine a person he is.”

****Sam Howell (Monroe, NC); Videos; Twitter
Sam Howell is a 5.8 rated four-star from Monroe, NC. Howell holds offers from Duke, Maryland, Missouri, UNC, Pitt, and more. He also has interest from, and has visited, Clemson, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Tennessee. Howell has stated that he will probably make a decision after his junior season, and what he is looking for: “I’ll be looking at the education, a good relationship with the quarterbacks coach, a chance to compete for a national title and an offense that fits me to make a decision.” (via BlueAndGold.com)

***Taisun Phommachanh (Bridgeport, CT); Videos; Twitter
Taisun Phommachanh is a 5.5 rated three star from Bridgeport, Connecticut. He currently holds offers from Connecticut, and Maryland. He has very high reciprocating interest with Miami, however. He has gone as far as to call it his dream school. I wouldn’t say Minnesota out of it just yet, of course, but if Miami offers, he will most likely be a Hurricane on the spot.

TGR Quote: “I talked to Coach Ciarrocca a couple of weeks ago. Me and my parents were trying to set a visit with the staff. I know they are trying to build something special, and I wouldn’t mind being a part of it. We’ll have to schedule the visit with coach and how it would fit because their season is about to begin, as well as mine.”

***Max Duggan (Council Bluffs, IA); Videos; Twitter
Max Duggan is a 5.7 rated three-star from Council Bluffs, Iowa. He holds offers currently from Georgia, Iowa, Ole Miss, Nebraska, UNC, Penn State, and more. He worked out with Minnesota this fall when he came to visit, and they came away impressed. He has also visited Alabama, Georgia, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Penn State, and UNC. He is a big target for Iowa to try to keep home, along with Nebraska and UNC who have made him a priority early.

TGR Quote: “I talk with Coach Ciarrocca every once in awhile and I talked with Coach Fleck last week. It’s just changing a lot. The culture of the program is going to be different from what Coach Fleck is doing.”

More QB Names (No offer):

Graham Mertz (Overland Park ,KS)

Graham Mertz is an unranked quarterback from Overland Park, Kansas. He currently holds an offer from Kansas, with interest from Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, and Wisconsin. Mertz visited and camped at Minnesota. Minnesota has told him they want to see how he performs at the start of the high school season before offering. His recruitment is one to watch, because he has a BCS offer and interest before playing a game of varsity football. Also to note is that he is the son of former Gopher lineman Ron Mertz, who was on the team in the late 80’s. His mother also went to Minnesota, so there’s a chance they will always be in it, no matter who offers. He performed very well at the final Gopher camp this summer.

TGR Quote: “I’ve been up a couple times this summer and I’ve been getting to know all of the coaches pretty well. I went on July 29th for camp, and then the HYPRR Hangout after the camp. I also visited earlier in the summer for camp but I don’t remember the date. They were great! It was cool to learn about the new culture that Coach Fleck is bringing Minnesota. My dad played at Minnesota from 89-92. He came in as a linebacker and left as an offensive lineman.”

Cole Kramer (Eden Prairie, MN)
Cole Kramer is an unranked quarterback from Eden Prairie, Minnesota. He currently doesn’t hold any offers,. He camped at Minnesota, and the staff came away impressed with what they saw. If Minnesota decides to take two quarterbacks in this class, and Kramer has a great year, an offer could come his way.

TGR Quote: “My relationship with the Gophers and their staff is very strong. They want me to come to campus more so they can build a greater relationship wit me. All of the coaches there are very easy to connect and talk with.”

WIDE RECEIVERS

****David Bell (Indianapolis, IN); Videos; Twitter
David Bell is a 5.9 rated four-star from Indianapolis. He holds offers from Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, and more. He has also visited and camped at Ohio State, and visited Michigan and Iowa. Bell is also an excellent student

TGR Quote: “I haven’t heard from them since the offer, and I don’t really know too much about them.”

****Julian Barnett (Belleville, MI); Videos; Twitter
Julian Barnett is a 5.9 rated four-star from Belleville, Michigan. He holds offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and more. He also camped at Ohio State as a cornerback, but they have yet to offer. The Alabama offer is also as a cornerback. He tells TGR that his position, wide receiver or cornerback, is not an issue for him. He also really likes Notre Dame, and if he wanted to stay home, he would “probably” go to Michigan State.

Quote: “When I go to college it’s wherever I can play first at, because I know I want to play as soon as I can.”

****Marcus Washington (St. Louis, MO); Videos; Twitter
Marcus Washington is a 5.9 rated four-star from St. Louis, Missouri. He holds offers from Auburn, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and more. Washington has visited Michigan, Iowa, Iowa State, Illinois, Notre Dame, and Nebraska. He is looking for early playing time and a good relationship with his position coach.

***Jameson Williams (St. Louis, MO); Videos; Twitter
Jameson Williams is a 5.5 three-star from St. Louis, Missouri. He holds offers from Illinois, Michigan State, Missouri, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin, and more. The only camp or visit that Williams has taken on record so far is Missouri. He tells TGR that he hasn’t heard from Minnesota much lately.

Genson Hooper-Price (Houston, TX); Videos; Twitter
Genson Hooper-Price is an unrated 2019 receiver from Houston, Texas. He holds offers from Baylor, Duke, and Iowa State.

*****Arjei Henderson (Richmond, TX); Videos; Twitter - Committed to Oregon
Arjei Henderson is a 6.1 rated five-star from Richmond, Texas. He committed to Oregon on July 29th following a visit. Henderson was previously committed to Oklahoma as well. Given that this is his second commitment and he has over a year left before signing, it may not be his last.


TIGHT ENDS

***Logan Lee (Orion, IL); Videos; Twitter - Committed to Iowa
Logan Lee is a 5.6 rated three-star from Orion, Illinois. Lee committed to Iowa June 24th, and has stated that he is done with the recruiting process.

***Hayden Rucci (Lititz, PA); Videos; Twitter
Hayden Rucci is a 5.7 rated three-star from Lititz, Pennsylvania. He holds offers from Michigan State, Northwestern, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and more. He also has interest from Penn State, where his father played. He has visited Minnesota and Northwestern. Quote from BadgerBlitz.com: "Both were also very impressive visits as well. I'm just grateful for all the amazing coaches I get to meet, with P.J. Fleck at Minnesota and Pat Fitzgerald at Northwestern. Not just good coaches but very genuine people as well. I had a great time at those universities.”

TGR Quote: “I haven’t talked to any coaches as I’ve been on vacation and busy with preseason. I learned a bunch about Minnesota on my visit, and I had some great conversations with Coach Fleck while I was there. I was very grateful for the attentiveness they showed as well.”

Offensive Line:

****Keiondre Jones (Hogansville, GA); Videos; Twitter
Kiondre Jones is a 5.9 rated four-star from Hogansville, Georgia. He holds offers from Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, and many more. Jones seems to be headed to a helmet school, as he has always listed Alabama and Georgia, and has also listed Clemson, Ohio State, Michigan, Florida, Florida State, LSU, and Tennessee as schools he wants to visit. Bama, Georgia, Clemson, and Ohio State are on top.

****Trevor Keegan (Crystal Lake, IL); Videos; Twitter
Trevor Keegan is a 5.8 rated four-star from Crystal Lake, Illinois. He holds offers from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, and more. Keegan camped at Michigan, grew up a Michigan fan, and his high school coach said he would cry if he got a Michigan offer. He mentioned Michigan State, Iowa, and Northwestern, but said Michigan is definitely at the top.

****Devontae Dobbs (Belleville, MI); Videos; Twitter
Devontae Dobbs is a 6.0 rated four-star from Belleville, Michigan. He holds offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin, and more. Michigan State, Ohio State, Michigan and Notre Dame are big players in his recruitment, and he has visited several other schools including Iowa, and Clemson among others.

****Quinn Carroll (Edina, MN); Videos; Twitter
Quinn Carroll is a 5.9 rated four-star from Edina, Minnesota. He holds offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, USC, Wisconsin, and more. Carroll is the top in-state target that Minnesota has had in awhile, and Fleck has been working hard on getting him to stay home. Carroll’s most recent visit was the last open practice the Gophers had (August 5th). Minnesota is definitely in heavy consideration, but he is keeping his options open. TGR believes that Ohio State, Alabama, and Notre Dame are the others in the best position at this time.

****John Olmstead (Metuchen, NJ); Videos; Twitter
John Olmstead is a 5.9 rated four-star from Metuchen, New Jersey. He holds offers from Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, UCLA, Wisconsin, and more. Notre Dame is a place that he has already visited and loved, but he’s said his recruitment is wide open.

TGR Quote: “I talk to Coach Rossi at Minnesota. He tells me a lot of things about Minnesota, and how great the future of the program is going to be.”

****Caedan Wallace (Princeton, NJ); Videos; Twitter
Caeden Wallace is a 5.9 rated four-star from Princeton, New Jersey. He holds offers from Maryland, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Penn State, Rutgers, and more. He has visited and enjoyed Penn State, and he also said he would like to visit Temple and Rutgers again for gameday visits, and possibly Florida State who is yet to offer. He tells TGR that he hasn’t heard from Minnesota in a month.

****Zeke Correll (Cincinnati, OH); Videos; Twitter
Zeke Correll is a 5.8 rated four-star from Cincinnati, Ohio. He holds offers from Cincinnati, Duke, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio State, and Toledo. Correll has visited and camped at Ohio State, where he got his offer. He also has stated that he would like to visit Michigan. His family has several connections to Kentucky, but he said that will not affect his recruitment, and that he is open to information about different schools.

****Rodas Johnson (Lewis Center, OH); Videos; Twitter
Rodas Johnson is a 5.8 rated four-star from Lewis Center, Ohio. He holds offers from Cincinnati, Iowa, Kentucky, Notre Dame, Penn State, Rutgers, and more. Notre Dame is one school that is “definitely up there” when it comes to his recruitment.

TGR Quote: “I haven’t been talking to coaches, just focusing on the season. I know they offered, and they have a new coaching staff.”

***Bryce Benhart (Lakeville, MN); Videos: Twitter
Bryce Benhart is a 5.7 rated three-star from Lakeville, Minnesota. He holds offers from Iowa State, Northwestern, UCLA, and Wisconsin. Benhart also attended a Nebraska camp, and was marked as a standout on HuskerOnline.com. Benhart has been to several Minnesota events, most recently the August 5th open practice that he attended with his dad. With his Lakeville North teammate Nathan Boe being a Gopher in the 2018 class, it is very possible that Benhart will follow suit and be a Gopher as well.

Charles Turner (Bradenton, FL); Videos; Twitter
Charles Turner is an unranked offensive tackle from IMG Academy in Florida. He holds offers from Cincinnati, Kentucky, and others. Turner listed Cincinnati as a very good offer, but has listed Minnesota as his leader. Quote from BearcatReport.com: “Minnesota would be at the top of my list right now. I like what Coach (Ed) Warinner is doing right now. He had one of best offensive lines at Ohio St. I like what Coach (PJ) Fleck is doing there, too. He turned Western Michigan around and turned them into a top 25 program. There’s a lot of good coaching over there.”

TGR Quote: “I talked to Coach Warriner two weeks ago. They said that they’re still very interested and that they’re recruiting me hard.”

****Logan Brown (Kentville, MI); Videos; Twitter
Logan Brown is a 6.0 rated four-star from Kentville, Michigan. He holds offers from Alabama, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin, and more. He has visited Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Wisconsin (twice). He has listed Wisconsin as his favorite school.

****Spencer Brown (Walled Lake, MI); Videos; Twitter - Committed to Michigan State
Spencer Brown is a 5.8 rated four-star from Walled Lake, Michigan. He committed to Michigan State over 20+ over FBS schools that offered him. He committed on his unofficial visit there on July 29th. He said MSU has always been his dream school.

****Nolan Rumler (Akron, OH); Videos; Twitter - Committed to Michigan
Nolan Rumler is a 5.9 rated four-star from Akron, Ohio. He committed to Michigan over many Power-Five offers. He has stated that he always knew it was going to be Michigan that he committed to.

***Tyler Endres (Norwalk, IA); Videos; Twitter - Committed to Iowa
Tyler Endres is a 5.6 rated three-star from Norwalk, Iowa. He committed to Iowa over offers from Iowa State, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Endres grew up a fan of Iowa, even though he said that didn’t play a factor in his recruitment.

Defensive Tackles

****Mazi Smith (Kentwood, MI); Videos; Twitter
Mazi Smith is a 5.8 rated four-star from Kentwood, Michigan. He holds offers from Akron, Alabama, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Notre Dame, Pitt, Western Michigan, and Wisconsin. Smith has camped at Notre Dame, and visited Wisconsin. He says he is hearing the most from Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin.

Defensive Ends

****Beau Robbins (Carmel, IN); Videos; Twitter
Beau Robbins is a 5.9 rated four-star from Carmel, Indiana. He holds offers from Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Indiana, and Purdue. Robbins has visited Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Northwestern.

***Jason Bargy (Momence, IL); Videos; Twitter
Jason Bargy is a 5.7 rated three-star from Momence, Illinois. He holds offers from Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Purdue. He is also a great athlete, as he plays running back for the offense. He has said Notre Dame is his favorite at the moment. At 6’5”, 231 pounds, Bargy also plays running back for his high school team and ran for 1,266 yards and 12 touchdowns as a sophomore. Defensively, he had 61 tackles and four sacks.

***Blake Peterson (Beresford, SD); Videos; Twitter
Blake Peterson is a 5.6 rated three-star from Beresford South Dakota. He holds offers from Iowa State, South Dakota, and South Dakota State. So far, he has visited Iowa State twice, and Iowa once.

TGR Quote: “I’ve been talking with (Coach) Bryce Paup. The biggest things they have been talking about is their culture and the new direction of Minnesota football, and what they’re headed for.”

Mosai Newsom (Waverly, IA); Videos; Twitter
Mosai Newsome is an unranked defensive end from Waverly, Iowa. He holds offers from Iowa and South Dakota. Newsome visited Minnesota for the recruiting BBQ, and has also visited Iowa. Newsome on Minnesota trip: “It was good. I had a lot of fun there. It was just doing the same thing in building relationships with their coaches. It was good.” He says he does not have a favorite as of now.

Dontay Hunter (Columbus, OH); Videos; Twitter
Dontay Hunter is an unranked defensive end from Columbus, Ohio. He holds one other offer from Kentucky. TGR story by Marc Givler: Ohio DE Dontay Hunter "loves" PJ Fleck and Minnesota offer. Hunter is also hearing from Cincinnati, Toledo, Kent State, and Northwestern along with the schools that have offered.

TGR Quote: “They haven’t been in too much contact with me. The last they they spoke to me was when they offered me.”

Linebackers

***Shammond Cooper (St. Louis, MO); Videos; Twitter
Shammond Cooper is a 5.7 rated three-star from St. Louis, Missouri. He holds offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Iowa, LSU, Michigan State, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and more.

***Nick Henrich (Omaha, NE); Videos; Twitter
Nick Henrich is a 5.5 rated three-star from Omaha, Nebraska. He holds offers from Iowa, Iowa State, Kentucky, Nebraska, Ohio, and South Dakota State. Henrich was one of the 2019 recruits at the Gophers recruiting BBQ, and said his visit and conversation with the staff was great. He lists Minnesota as a school recruiting him the hardest

TGR Article: 2019 linebacker talks Gophers, recruiting

***Jamir Thomas (Massillon, OH); Videos; Twitter
Jamir Thomas is a 5.7 rated three-star from Massillon, Ohio. He holds offers from Cincinnati, Kentucky, Iowa State, Michigan, Michigan State, Pitt, Rutgers, and West Virginia. Ohio State, and Oregon have also been in contact with Thomas.

Cornerbacks

****Nyquee Hawkins (Orange, NJ); Videos; Twitter
Nyquee Hawkins is a 5.8 rated four-star from Orange, New Jersey. Hawkins holds offers from Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, Rutgers, Syracuse, and more. Hawkins visited Minnesota on March 25th. He also has heavy reciprocating interest from, and has visited Penn State and Michigan. TGR visit article: Hawkins talks junior day

TGR Quote (from visit): “I didn’t know (Fleck) was that young, but it was a real good meeting. We talked for like half an hour, and I was just talking with him, asking questions and getting to know the campus, asking him why he left Western Michigan and everything. I was just getting to know him. He’s a real high-energy guy. The talk went well. He got to know me and my parents and I got to know him as well. He was saying that he would love to have me here. It’s a beautiful city, and they have a lot to offer.”

****Moses Douglass (Springfield, OH); Videos; Twitter
Moses Douglass is a 5.8 rated four-star from Springfield, Ohio. Douglass holds offers from Alabama, Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Purdue, Rutgers, and more. Douglass has visited many schools so far, including Ohio State, Michigan, Louisville, Indiana, Louisville, Michigan State, Western Michigan, Kentucky, and is looking for more visits as well. He’s listed as a cornerback right now, but could be changing to a safety, linebacker hybrid.

TGR Quote: “I’d like to visit them this year. P.J. Fleck, Row the Boat. He gets guys that fit the program.”

More CB Names (No offer):

Anthony Coleman (Johnston, Iowa)
Anthony Coleman is an unranked cornerback from Johnston, Iowa. He holds no offers so far, but has garnered plenty of interest from schools like Arkansas, Florida State, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, and more. He was in Minnesota for an unofficial visit on July 28th.

TGR Quote: “I have a pretty good relationship with Bryce Paup, as he recruits my area. My relationship with the rest of the staff is quite new but I got to meet some of the coaches on my visit.”


Safeties

****Marvin Grant Jr (Detroit, MI); Videos; Twitter
Marvin Grant Jr. is a 5.8 rated four-star from Detroit, Michigan. He holds offers from Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Notre Dame, and more. Grant has a few friends that play at Michigan, and they are his home school, so they will be difficult to beat out.

***Malik Washington (Lilburn, GA); Videos; Twitter
Malik Washington is a 5.6 rated three-star from Lilburn, Georgia. He holds offers from Auburn, Cincinnati, Duke, Indiana, Mississippi State, Tennessee, and more. He had Vanderbilt on top of his list early, but gained many more offers and now is considering other schools more seriously. Tennessee could be a big player, and he has visited before. He tells TGR he has not been in contact with Minnesota since the offer.

***Sebastian Castro (Oak Lawn, IL); Videos; Twitter
Castro is a 5.6 rated three-star from Oak Lawn, Illinois. He holds offers from Indiana, Iowa, and Syracuse. Castro has also has visited Notre Dame and has interest from several other schools that are yet to offer.

TGR Quote: “I’ve been in contact with them. I was supposed to visit before summer ended, but unfortunately we couldn’t go. I talk to Coach Callahan. I visited early on in the school year(April), and I was impressed with the culture and winning mindset the P.J. Fleck is bringing to the table.”

***Jarrian Jones (Brandon, MS); Videos; Twitter
Jarrian Jones is a 5.7 rated three-star from Brandon, Mississippi. He holds offers from Georgia, Marshall, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Oklahoma. He was previously committed to Mississippi State, but decommitted because he wanted to take more time on his decision. He tells TGR that Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia, and Oklahoma are sticking out to him.


Athletes

****Isaiah Williams (St. Louis, MO); Videos; Twitter
Isaiah Williams is a 5.9 rated four-star from St. Louis, Missouri. He holds offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Texas, UCLA, Wisconsin, and more. Williams last visit of the summer was to Nebraska, and he enjoyed that visit a lot. He is in the process of picking finalists that he is going to focus on for the remainder of his recruitment.

****Jalani Williams (St. Louis, MO); Videos; Twitter

Jalani Williams is a 5.8 rated four-star from St. Louis, Missouri. He holds offers from Illinois, Iowa, Louisville, Missouri, Nebraska, UCLA, Wisconsin, and more. He visited Nebraska for their spring game, and has visited Iowa. Williams took defensive MVP honors at the Rivals 3-Stripe Camp camp in St. Louis, Missouri.

****Dylan Wright (Ennis, TX); Videos; Twitter

Dylan Wright is a 5.8 rated four-star from Ennis, Texas. He holds offers from Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, and more. He also has been talking to schools like Baylor, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and TCU and is getting more recruiting attention as of late. He tells TGR he hasn’t heard much Minnesota since the offer.

***Jalyn Phillips (Lawrenceville, GA); Videos; Twitter

Jalyn Phillips is a 5.7 rated three-star from Lawrenceville, Georgia. He holds offers from Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Mississippi State, UNC, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, UCLA, Wisconsin, and more. He is a big fan of Clemson, and they are evaluating him right now. Clemson will be far and away the favorite if they decide to offer.

****Cam Phillips (Westerville, OH); Videos; Twitter

Cam Phillips is a 5.8 rated four-star from Westerville, Ohio. He holds offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, and Wisconsin. He has visited Ohio State, Pitt, and Wisconsin. Also has interest from Michigan State, Northwestern, and Rutgers. He is going to decide based on relationship with coaches and the academic situation he would like.

VOTE O’BRIEN FOR UPLIFTING ATHLETES AWARD



Dec. 11, 2017

Vote for Casey Here!

The only thing better than beating cancer once, is beating it twice. Gophers walk-on holder Casey O’Briendid just that and is one of four finalists for the Rare Disease Champion Award given by Uplifting Athletes, a nonprofit organization that inspires the rare disease community through sports.

The Rare Disease Champion is determined by college football fans and the rare disease community through online voting. Gopher fans are encouraged to vote for O’Brien here.

The award is given annually to a leader in college football who has realized his or her potential to make a positive and lasting impact on the rare disease community. O’Brien was a high school freshman quarterback for Cretin-Derham Hall when he began having knee pain. He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, and had to get a knee transplant. The cancer returned in his lungs and he has underwent 10 surgeries and more than 30 rounds of chemotherapy.

The award is presented to the winner at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala in Atlantic City, N.J., and celebrated at Uplifting Athletes’ Gridiron Gala in Harrisburg, Pa.

Along with teammate (safety).
https://www.freep.com/story/sports/...1/michigan-football-shea-patterson/941190001/

SKI-U-MAH WEEKLY: EPISODE 14

Dec. 11, 2017

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Former Gopher Basketball player (and current Gopher Radio Network color commentator) Spencer Tollackson joined Justin Gaard on Ski-U-Mah Weekly Dec. 11 to talk Minnesota Basketball and more!

Rashod Bateman said when I asked him about UT, “they are wayyyyyy too late.”

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Our Gophers have a fairly easy home match vs. Fresno State University at 1 pm on Sunday afternoon at Maturi Pavilion. The Fresno State program has just been reinstated this year, so they are very young and new. And, being one of very few D1 Wrestling programs in California (where there are a large # of high level high school recruits), in the future they will probably be a lot better. Still, this will be a fun event so come on down and show your support!

I see the match as going around 36-6 MN over FSU, and the probable line-ups and my predictions are after the following article from Gophersports.com.


'U' Welcomes Fresno State on Sunday

The No. 10-ranked University of Minnesota wrestling team will host Fresno State on Sunday Dec. 10 at the Maturi Pavilion in their fourth dual of the 2017-18 season.



Gophersports.com
Dec. 7, 2017

No. 10 Minnesota vs Fresno State
Date/Time Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017 | 1:00 p.m. CT
Location Maturi Pavilion
Live Video BTN Plus
Tickets Buy Now
Live Updates Click Here
Match
Notes
Match Notes vs Fresno State
Social Media @GopherWrestling | Facebook | Instagram

Dec. 5 Coach's Corner // Match of the Week // Ski-U-Mah Weekly with Eggum/Schlatter

The No. 10-ranked University of Minnesota wrestling team will host Fresno State on Sunday Dec. 10 at the Maturi Pavilion in their fourth dual of the 2017-18 season. This will be the final dual before the Gophers take off for the end of the semester and finals week.

Ness vs Abidin and More
During the halftime of the dual, Jayson Ness, a four-time All-American, will wrestle Anthony Abidin, in his preparation for his run at making an Olympic team. The team will also be honoring the current freestyle and greco senior level wrestlers who have come through the University of Minnesota. On top of all of that, the Gophers will also honor past Olympians in the area that have wrestled for the Minnesota Storm.

Backpack Lizak
No. 5 Ethan Lizak may have been tripped up in Las Vegas with his first loss of the season to eventually Cliff Keen Champion, Taylor LaMont, but he still was impressive in his five victories. Lizak was 3-1 against ranked opponents in Vegas. In those four matches, Lizak outscored his opponents 28-4, and that did not include the 8-0 score before Lizak pinned No. 19 Jay Schwarm of Northern Iowa in the consolation semifinals. In total, Lizak outscored his six opponents 49-9 at the Cliff Keen Invitational.

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Ski-U-Mah Life: Jake Short
It may be a well known fact on the Minnesota wrestling team that Jake Short can dance, but GopherSports.com sat down with the senior to discuss his family dancing history. You can find the full story here.

Last Time Out - Cliff Keen
The University of Minnesota only brought about half of their regular starting lineup to one of the most competitive regular season tournaments last week. The Gophers had three wrestlers that finished on the podium, including No. 5 Ethan Lizak who finished third after ripping off four straight wins after his first loss of the season. Along with LIzak, Nick Wanzek and Tommy Thorn stood on the podium on the second day of action. The Gophers also had some strong performances from some young guys. Dylan Anderson picked up three wins, while Jose Champagne reached the round of 16 before losing his first match.

Back into the Fray
Fresno State has returned to Division I wrestling after 11 years in the dark. The Bulldogs competed in Division II for seven seasons before making the move to Division I in 1969 where they competed for 38 seasons. Fresno State holds an all-time dual meet record of 445-339-7 and have won 11 conference titles and finished in the Top 25 of the NCAA Tournament 14 times.

Thorn in the Side
Tommy Thorn did not have the tournament he would have liked to have in Las Vegas, but the junior did perform at a high level in his victories. Combined he pinned four opponents in seven matches, and added an 18-2 tech fall for his highest scoring match of the young season. His final match impressed the Gophers coaching staff enough to also award him the Match of the Week honor. You can watch and hear about Thorn's match as well as past Matches of the Week here.

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Through the Fire
Nick Wanzek may have had the toughest road during the Cliff Keen Invite last weekend. The senior ended the tournament with an injury which put him down to sixth place, but while healthy Wanzek picked up two ranked victories, including an overtime win over No. 17 Jake Wentzel of Pittsburgh. He also rode out Anthony Valencia, the No. 8 ranked wrestler at 165, in the final period to earn the quarterfinal victory.

Extra Wrestling
Open Tournaments are in full swing, and the Gophers will send a combined 20 wrestlers to participate in two different tournaments on Dec. 9. Faris Karaborni and Tijani Karaborni along with Miles Patton will head to St. Cloud to wrestle in the St. Cloud Open. The other 17 wrestlers will head to Northern Iowa to wrestle in the UNI Open. Six of the 17 will wrestle attached including Dylan Anderson, Ben Brancale, Carson Brolsma, Jose Champagne, Brandon Krone and Skyler Petry. You can follow updates on the Twitter page throughout the day for both Open Tournaments.

A Breather, Sort Of
Minnesota will be able to take some time off to focus on finals that will take place after Fresno State. The Gophers will not wrestle for 19 days after their Dec. 10 dual at Maturi Pavilion. The next test will come in the form of the South Beach Duals in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. where they will take on North Carolina and Cornell.


Probable Line-ups:

125
#5 Ethan Lizak Schnecksville, Pa. / Junior / 12-1 overall / 3-0 duals / 2 pins / 2 tech falls / NCAA Finalist (‘17) wins by tech fall over Sean Williams Tulare, Calif. / Senior / 0-4 overall
(MN 5 - FSU 0)

133
#8 Mitch McKee Hanover, Minn. / Sophomore / 5-2 overall / 1-2 duals / 4 pins / NCAA Qualifier (‘17) wins by fall over Trevor Williams Oakdale, Calif. / Freshman / 3-6 overall
(11-0)

141
#10 Tommy Thorn St. Michael, Minn. / Junior / 9-4 overall / 1-1 duals / 5 pins / 1 tech fall / All-American (‘17) wins by fall over Chris De Loza Fresno, Calif. / Freshman/ 5-5 overall
(17-0)

149
Hunter Marko Amery, Wis. / Sophomore / 5-6 overall / 2-1 duals / 2 pins / 1 tech fall loses by decision to Khristian Olivas Clovis, Calif. / Freshman / 7-1 overall
(17-3)

157
#13 Jake Short Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Senior / 4-3 overall / 1-2 duals NCAA Qualifier (‘16, ‘17) wins by major decision over Greg Gaxiola Clovis, Calif. / Freshman / 8-2 overall
(21-3)

165
#9 Nick Wanzek Inver Grove Heights, Minn. / Senior / 10-2 overall / 2-1 duals / 1 pin / 1 tech fall / NCAA Qualifier (‘16, ‘17) wins by tech fall over Isaiah Hokit Clovis, Calif. / Freshman / 6-3 overall
(26-3)

174
Chris Pfarr Le Sueur, Minn. / Senior / 5-5 overall / 1-1 duals NCAA Qualifier (‘17) wins by decision over Dominic Kincaid Clovis, Calif. / Sophomore / 6-5 overall
(29-3)

184
Owen Webster Shakopee, Minn. / Sophomore / 5-2 overall / 2-1 duals / 1 pin wins by major decision over Angel Solis Lemoore, Calif. / Freshman / 5-5 overall
(33-3)

197
Bobby Steveson Apple Valley, Minn. / Sophomore / 0-5 overall / 0-3 duals NCAA Qualifier (‘17) wins by decision over Richie Brandt Madera, Calif. / Junior / 5-6 overall
(36-3)

285
Rylee Streifel Prior Lake, Minn. / Sophomore / 5-2 overall / 2-1 duals / 1 tech fall loses by decision to AJ Nevills Clovis, Calif. / Freshman / 9-2 overall
(36-6)

In the thread entitled Army & Navy game I mentioned that I once heard Bobby Knight in an interview
say that the best player he ever coached was a West Point player. Couldn’t remember his name and did some research and here is what I found....Some like Vifan like a little history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Silliman

I just reviewed the current Rivals B1G team recruiting rankings. I know these aren't final, but still interesting to compare.

Summary info:
1. MN has the most recruits - 26. Next are PU and MD with 21. Lowest is NE with 8.
2. Only one team, tOSU, has ANY
5-star recruits (3).
3. PSU leads in 4-stars with 14; tOSU next with 13. Big drop from there to MI (7), MD (6), MSU (5), MN and NE (3), IA (2), WI, NU, IL (1), and IND, PU, RUT (0).
4. Average star rankings: tOSU (4),
PSU (3.65), MI (3.44), NE (3.38), MSU (3.2), MD (3.14), IA and NU (3.07), WI (3.05), MN (3.04), IN (2.89), PU (2.86), RUT (2.8), and IL (2.71).

We're right there in star average with border rivals IA and WI, better than 4 teams, and, not surprisingly, still lag well behind leaders tOSU and PSU.

In total points (average stars times number of recruits), we rank first in the West and 6th overall (1515), next after MI (1604), and ahead of WI (1473).

Great progress in Fleck's first full year of recruiting, and hopefully, just a taste of better things to come.

And yes, Wren, I am aware Fleck has only 2 B1G wins to date.

Gophers are down 0-1 to the Buckeyes after the first...

(BTN)

Jason Dickson


Strengths:

· Active feet. Consistently keeps his feet driving throughout run blocks and has a stable base in pass protection
· Excellent reach blocker. Tape shows him more than a few times have the feet/athleticism to get outside of DE’s/LB’s and get the edge
· Former basketball player. His athleticism shows on tape with his pass protection, reach blocking, and zone blocking

Weaknesses:

· Strength. Since he is a former basketball player with not a big football background, he will need to get stronger. Film saw him give ground at times
· Didn’t have the mean streak that Dunlap showed on film. More important for guards/centers to have that in my opinion, but it is something I noticed

Dickson is a great athlete that can make all sorts of blocks and is sound in pass protection. Strength will come with S&C program, and the mean streak thing I wouldn’t buy too much into. He’ll compete from Day One to be a starter in my opinion. Projects as an offensive tackle. He follows suit of the players Fleck likes to recruit: very good athletes that will add strength and be coached up when they get to Minnesota.

Not sure Dickson is a take with Dunlap and Fa'alele committing last night. Would love Sqwirl or Brown, but both have some great options. Or do we keep the last schollie open for a QB or someone that gets squeezed out elsewhere?

Frost's pitch/strategy regarding high-end recruits: top recruits are already going all over the country. There's no reason they won't come to Lincoln if they'll go to Columbus, Ann Arbor, and Eugene.

My take - but, MINNEAPOLIS.

Meanwhile, he'll pursue jucos to fill immediate needs.
http://journalstar.com/sports/huske...cle_39fc9ad7-8afb-58c3-b376-60962991a358.html