Greetings, fellow GIers.
This thread marks my return from the land of the damned, a place misguided Gopher fans are sent when they incite the anger of The Gatekeeper. Though my words were a fraction of what gets spewed by and at Opie on a regular basis, the Thor of recruiting felt grievous wound, and swiftly took his pound of flesh swinging the ban hammer as he cast me out of the high flying recruiting machine that is GI.
I flailed, fell, and careened down towards a small, marshy pond. I splashed hard into the water and landed, feet first in the cyber equivalent of a large, soft pile of Minnesota pond-mud. There I stood for weeks on end, unable to free my boots from this dirty, boggy digital prison. I could read GI, but I could not post as the ban hammer was swift and powerful, 'twas as if I'd been muted.
I watched 55 seize attention then receive the old testament justice he deserved and weirdly-- seemed to be craving, saw the whole run-up to NSD and now the 2016 class is more or less in the books.
During my first forced, then later self-imposed exile I had a number of thoughts, observations and queries. I'll leave a few of them here:
1a) A head coaching change brings a lot of uncertainty into the recruiting process. That uncertainty is even more pronounced when the new HC replaces the 2 most important offensive coaches (OC/QB coach & OL coach). It's a minor miracle that Claeys kept this class as steady as he did.
1b) Claeys has 2 groups to thank for his success: his recruiting staff/assistant coaches & Carter Coughlin and the Empire. I am extremely excited for the next 3-4 years of the Coughlin era. It's good when your best leaders are also your best players.
2) Given the aforementioned uncertainty, Claeys did a great job closing this class. The large majority of the recruits in this class could have picked other power 5 schools with which to sign. They did not. They picked Minnesota. For the 2nd time in 3 years, Minnesota has signed a consensus top 100 recruit. For the longest time, nobody thought Seth Green would ever come here, yet somehow he signed and for the first time ever I'm jacked about TWO incoming frosh QBs. If 2 years ago you told me that in 2016 the Gophers were going to sign three exciting in-state receivers, I would have sneered derisively at your gallows' humor.
3) The NFL draft and 'the Saturday eye test' have proven this staff right time and time again at several positions, particularly on defense. There weren't as many on O but the new and remaining coaches will have a chance to rectify that. More sought after recruits should equal more NFL/all-Big 10 kinda players.
4) Claeys' decisiveness with his coaching staff and on the recruiting trail show me that not only is TC ready for the challenge, but he's been meticulously planning in earnest. Given what he's shown so far, I would wager that TC would have left Jerry to be a head coach of his own program within the next few years. He has a clear vision for what he wants in every aspect of the program, just as Jerry did. As a fan who suffered his collegiate years through the Brewster era, that is a trait I truly value.
5) At some point during the season Dubwa had his moniker stolen by some poor soul suffering from a kind of split personality disorder.
6) The fact that Kill and Claeys had such a high talent hit rate for prospects with no other power 5 offers is really impressive. Now that the class is made up of more guys with good offers, we should see players with higher floors and higher ceilings. This is a good thing.
7a) While I know TC wanted to sign a lot more guys (especially on the line of scrimmage!), I think next year he'll be glad he has more schollies to distribute. TC now has a year to recruit in the aggressive manner we saw him use over the course of the waning months of this cycle. If next year is the breakout year, we could see a class even better than this one. However, with a smaller in-state crop, it'll be a challenge to surpass this class (a challenge for which I believe Claeys is ready).
7b) I predict that despite early musings of a 'small class', Tracey Claeys will sign a full class of at least 25 recruits next year. Scribes, add that to the 'GI Hall of Rube-y Prophesies', where it will continue to sit until it is proven true or until JK Rowling runs out of plot devices and returns to the well**.
8a) At some point we as fans are going to have to get over the redshirt thing. I'm at the point where the only burned redshirts I get upset about are on the OLine--strength and cohesion is so key there. Otherwise we should be glad to see a lot of frosh playing, it means they have more upside than the older guys on the roster.
8b) There's often talk on this site about 'playing guys as frosh to prepare them for bigger roles'. To me that's mostly coach speak. Frosh play because recruiting has continually improved, which means our frosh are often quicker/faster/longer than our older guys.
c) Every year where our frosh are our fastest/longest/most athletic players is a good year.
9a) Burning David Cobb's redshirt hurt us in 2015, but may have helped in the long run. DC covered up a lot of the issues on the line with his superior vision, quickness, balance, and power. The injuries hurt, but between the injuries, loss of Cobb, and Lauer and Bobek's respective decisions to hang up the cleats, it became clear that the OLine desperately needed an influx of talent and better development of the guys we already have.
9b) Claeys likely would have fired Limey anyway, but I think the 2015 struggles totally mitigated the backlash against that move. Remember, Jerry Kill stood up at the senior banquet and announced that all of the coaches would be back in 2016. Claeys blindsided everybody, and in the wrong climate could have been a PR disaster.
9c) I believe that Claeys' decision to fire Limey and Zebrowski helped propel Kill away from a hands on role with the program. Jerry thought he could be Barry without the AD title. Turns out it doesn't work that way.
Next year the Gophers get Michigan and league overlord Ohio State off the schedule. The Gophers do not have to play Sparty. That is a schedule comparable to what Iowa had this year. There will probably never be a better opportunity for a breakout season.
Leidner was off the chain in that bowl game. If Mitch can stay healthy next year, he is gonna have a monster season. If the OLine gels AND Mitch stays healthy? Sky is the limit for the 2016 Gophers.
**Harry Potter joke
This thread marks my return from the land of the damned, a place misguided Gopher fans are sent when they incite the anger of The Gatekeeper. Though my words were a fraction of what gets spewed by and at Opie on a regular basis, the Thor of recruiting felt grievous wound, and swiftly took his pound of flesh swinging the ban hammer as he cast me out of the high flying recruiting machine that is GI.
I flailed, fell, and careened down towards a small, marshy pond. I splashed hard into the water and landed, feet first in the cyber equivalent of a large, soft pile of Minnesota pond-mud. There I stood for weeks on end, unable to free my boots from this dirty, boggy digital prison. I could read GI, but I could not post as the ban hammer was swift and powerful, 'twas as if I'd been muted.
I watched 55 seize attention then receive the old testament justice he deserved and weirdly-- seemed to be craving, saw the whole run-up to NSD and now the 2016 class is more or less in the books.
During my first forced, then later self-imposed exile I had a number of thoughts, observations and queries. I'll leave a few of them here:
1a) A head coaching change brings a lot of uncertainty into the recruiting process. That uncertainty is even more pronounced when the new HC replaces the 2 most important offensive coaches (OC/QB coach & OL coach). It's a minor miracle that Claeys kept this class as steady as he did.
1b) Claeys has 2 groups to thank for his success: his recruiting staff/assistant coaches & Carter Coughlin and the Empire. I am extremely excited for the next 3-4 years of the Coughlin era. It's good when your best leaders are also your best players.
2) Given the aforementioned uncertainty, Claeys did a great job closing this class. The large majority of the recruits in this class could have picked other power 5 schools with which to sign. They did not. They picked Minnesota. For the 2nd time in 3 years, Minnesota has signed a consensus top 100 recruit. For the longest time, nobody thought Seth Green would ever come here, yet somehow he signed and for the first time ever I'm jacked about TWO incoming frosh QBs. If 2 years ago you told me that in 2016 the Gophers were going to sign three exciting in-state receivers, I would have sneered derisively at your gallows' humor.
3) The NFL draft and 'the Saturday eye test' have proven this staff right time and time again at several positions, particularly on defense. There weren't as many on O but the new and remaining coaches will have a chance to rectify that. More sought after recruits should equal more NFL/all-Big 10 kinda players.
4) Claeys' decisiveness with his coaching staff and on the recruiting trail show me that not only is TC ready for the challenge, but he's been meticulously planning in earnest. Given what he's shown so far, I would wager that TC would have left Jerry to be a head coach of his own program within the next few years. He has a clear vision for what he wants in every aspect of the program, just as Jerry did. As a fan who suffered his collegiate years through the Brewster era, that is a trait I truly value.
5) At some point during the season Dubwa had his moniker stolen by some poor soul suffering from a kind of split personality disorder.
6) The fact that Kill and Claeys had such a high talent hit rate for prospects with no other power 5 offers is really impressive. Now that the class is made up of more guys with good offers, we should see players with higher floors and higher ceilings. This is a good thing.
7a) While I know TC wanted to sign a lot more guys (especially on the line of scrimmage!), I think next year he'll be glad he has more schollies to distribute. TC now has a year to recruit in the aggressive manner we saw him use over the course of the waning months of this cycle. If next year is the breakout year, we could see a class even better than this one. However, with a smaller in-state crop, it'll be a challenge to surpass this class (a challenge for which I believe Claeys is ready).
7b) I predict that despite early musings of a 'small class', Tracey Claeys will sign a full class of at least 25 recruits next year. Scribes, add that to the 'GI Hall of Rube-y Prophesies', where it will continue to sit until it is proven true or until JK Rowling runs out of plot devices and returns to the well**.
8a) At some point we as fans are going to have to get over the redshirt thing. I'm at the point where the only burned redshirts I get upset about are on the OLine--strength and cohesion is so key there. Otherwise we should be glad to see a lot of frosh playing, it means they have more upside than the older guys on the roster.
8b) There's often talk on this site about 'playing guys as frosh to prepare them for bigger roles'. To me that's mostly coach speak. Frosh play because recruiting has continually improved, which means our frosh are often quicker/faster/longer than our older guys.
c) Every year where our frosh are our fastest/longest/most athletic players is a good year.
9a) Burning David Cobb's redshirt hurt us in 2015, but may have helped in the long run. DC covered up a lot of the issues on the line with his superior vision, quickness, balance, and power. The injuries hurt, but between the injuries, loss of Cobb, and Lauer and Bobek's respective decisions to hang up the cleats, it became clear that the OLine desperately needed an influx of talent and better development of the guys we already have.
9b) Claeys likely would have fired Limey anyway, but I think the 2015 struggles totally mitigated the backlash against that move. Remember, Jerry Kill stood up at the senior banquet and announced that all of the coaches would be back in 2016. Claeys blindsided everybody, and in the wrong climate could have been a PR disaster.
9c) I believe that Claeys' decision to fire Limey and Zebrowski helped propel Kill away from a hands on role with the program. Jerry thought he could be Barry without the AD title. Turns out it doesn't work that way.
Next year the Gophers get Michigan and league overlord Ohio State off the schedule. The Gophers do not have to play Sparty. That is a schedule comparable to what Iowa had this year. There will probably never be a better opportunity for a breakout season.
Leidner was off the chain in that bowl game. If Mitch can stay healthy next year, he is gonna have a monster season. If the OLine gels AND Mitch stays healthy? Sky is the limit for the 2016 Gophers.
**Harry Potter joke
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