Was able to catch up with Plymouth (Minn.) Armstrong linebacker Junior Highlights) after their overnight visits to Minnesota yesterday and here's the latest.
Barber: "I had a chance to hang out with the players and coaches, tour the school and just experience Minnesota. My hosts were Brandon Lingen, Steve Richardson and Gaelin Elmore and I had already met those guys last summer, so it wasn't awkward at all. We had a great time and they're all great people. They showed us around campus, we talked football and it was a great time. I met with Coach Kill multiple times and we just talked about school and how they take care of their players and are really good about watching their players grades and getting them help when they need it. He also told how he'd really like me in his program as I'd really develop into good linebacker there."
"I thought I fit in with the guys well as they were all great. No one thought they were better than anyone else, which I like to see. It's just one big happy family who takes care of each other and I could see myself in that culture. My interest in Minnesota is higher than it was before the visit. Before the visit, I just like them because of the coaches and them being my dream school in all, but not with the teammates showing that much care and how they took us under their wing last night, it's higher. I loved it because you'll be spending most of your time with your teammates and I got along with them great. I'll just say I'm very high on Minnesota."
Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if Barber committed here in the next seven days or so.
Schlueter: "I got to tour a lot of campus and I was able to find out a lot of information about them and get a better feel for the team. I got to see more of the academic side of things and got to see statistics on the academic and football program and its improvement over the past couple of years. My hosts were Tyler Moore and Jared Weyler and they're great and nice guys. They showed us around campus a little bit more and we just got to hang out with them and some of the other football players on the team. They seem like a good group of guys and they're all good friends and hanging with them had a good feel to it."
"Matt (Kegel) and I were paired up together on the visit and I've known him for a long time as we played sports against each other growing up. We got to catch up a bit and just talk about colleges too. My favorite part of the visit was being able to spend time with the players and they're the guys I'll be with most of the time and I felt that I fit in well with them. I got to talk with head coach Jerry Kill this morning before I left and he really appreciated me coming down and showed me some of the ways he coaches and keeps track of different guys as each guy is different on and off the field and he needs to tailor to that. He mentioned how they're going to keep recruiting me hard and that he hopes I can come to campus again soon. What I'll be taking from this visit is getting to know the guys and the academic side of things. I heard a lot about academics and we got to see the Carlson School of Business and it's really nice there with a great reputation. I've always been interested in Minnesota and they're definitely a great school. I'm excited to keep building my relationship with them. I'm going to see what happens this spring with schools and then visit some places this summer and make a decision from there."
Kegel: "I went on a lot of tours, attended meetings, went bowling and then hung out with the team and guys. We toured all of their facilities again and the business school there. We also had meetings with the strength and conditioning staff, the equipment staff and with Coach Kill as well. I went bowling with the linemen and I bowled very poorly, but that's irrelevant. My hosts were Tyler Moore, Luke Rasmussen and Jared Weyler and it was a lot of fun hanging out with them. We chilled with the Mayes brothers and played Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros on N64, then went to meet some of the other guys. I thought I fit in well with the guys as they're a fun group of guys. My favorite part of the visit was definitely hanging out with them. I spoke with Coach Kill this morning and he just told me how much of a priority I am and all that good stuff. My interest in Minnesota is really high still as I had a great overnight visit. The Gophers are still my leader. I'll be committing in October as I want to see what schools come by this spring so I have an educated one time decision. As I said though, the Gophers were and are still my leader."
I'm scheduled to talk with Carter Coughlin later tonight FYI for those wondering where his update is.
This post was edited on 3/9 9:01 AM by Ryan Burns
Barber: "I had a chance to hang out with the players and coaches, tour the school and just experience Minnesota. My hosts were Brandon Lingen, Steve Richardson and Gaelin Elmore and I had already met those guys last summer, so it wasn't awkward at all. We had a great time and they're all great people. They showed us around campus, we talked football and it was a great time. I met with Coach Kill multiple times and we just talked about school and how they take care of their players and are really good about watching their players grades and getting them help when they need it. He also told how he'd really like me in his program as I'd really develop into good linebacker there."
"I thought I fit in with the guys well as they were all great. No one thought they were better than anyone else, which I like to see. It's just one big happy family who takes care of each other and I could see myself in that culture. My interest in Minnesota is higher than it was before the visit. Before the visit, I just like them because of the coaches and them being my dream school in all, but not with the teammates showing that much care and how they took us under their wing last night, it's higher. I loved it because you'll be spending most of your time with your teammates and I got along with them great. I'll just say I'm very high on Minnesota."
Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if Barber committed here in the next seven days or so.
Schlueter: "I got to tour a lot of campus and I was able to find out a lot of information about them and get a better feel for the team. I got to see more of the academic side of things and got to see statistics on the academic and football program and its improvement over the past couple of years. My hosts were Tyler Moore and Jared Weyler and they're great and nice guys. They showed us around campus a little bit more and we just got to hang out with them and some of the other football players on the team. They seem like a good group of guys and they're all good friends and hanging with them had a good feel to it."
"Matt (Kegel) and I were paired up together on the visit and I've known him for a long time as we played sports against each other growing up. We got to catch up a bit and just talk about colleges too. My favorite part of the visit was being able to spend time with the players and they're the guys I'll be with most of the time and I felt that I fit in well with them. I got to talk with head coach Jerry Kill this morning before I left and he really appreciated me coming down and showed me some of the ways he coaches and keeps track of different guys as each guy is different on and off the field and he needs to tailor to that. He mentioned how they're going to keep recruiting me hard and that he hopes I can come to campus again soon. What I'll be taking from this visit is getting to know the guys and the academic side of things. I heard a lot about academics and we got to see the Carlson School of Business and it's really nice there with a great reputation. I've always been interested in Minnesota and they're definitely a great school. I'm excited to keep building my relationship with them. I'm going to see what happens this spring with schools and then visit some places this summer and make a decision from there."
Kegel: "I went on a lot of tours, attended meetings, went bowling and then hung out with the team and guys. We toured all of their facilities again and the business school there. We also had meetings with the strength and conditioning staff, the equipment staff and with Coach Kill as well. I went bowling with the linemen and I bowled very poorly, but that's irrelevant. My hosts were Tyler Moore, Luke Rasmussen and Jared Weyler and it was a lot of fun hanging out with them. We chilled with the Mayes brothers and played Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros on N64, then went to meet some of the other guys. I thought I fit in well with the guys as they're a fun group of guys. My favorite part of the visit was definitely hanging out with them. I spoke with Coach Kill this morning and he just told me how much of a priority I am and all that good stuff. My interest in Minnesota is really high still as I had a great overnight visit. The Gophers are still my leader. I'll be committing in October as I want to see what schools come by this spring so I have an educated one time decision. As I said though, the Gophers were and are still my leader."
I'm scheduled to talk with Carter Coughlin later tonight FYI for those wondering where his update is.
This post was edited on 3/9 9:01 AM by Ryan Burns
