The contact period started, so there will be a couple new names in the future, but overall I think this war room will cover just about everyone you’ll need to know about for the rest of the 2016 class. Signing Day is just three weeks ago (February 3), so it’s an exciting time of recruiting!
Assuming Kunle Ayinde is awarded a scholarship and no one else transfers out before Signing Day, there will be room for 24 newcomers next year, and the Big Ten allows programs to oversign by three, so the max amount we’ll see in this class is 27. With 18 current commits, that leaves room for nine more and probably even more considering there will likely be at least one decommit or nonqualifier.
Quarterback
Seth Green is signed and a great addition. Seth has great arm strength and is very accurate when is feet are set. He has great straight-line speed but isn't great laterally. His frame will allow him to put on plenty more weight. Yes, he didn't win the starting job in spring ball at Allen and lost and was later platooned as the starter at Allen, and yes, Oregon dropped him as a quarterback and said he could stay as a tight end. But I think the smack Seth's received is a bit overexaggerated because all in all, he did not have a bad season in Texas whatsoever -- his stats were actually quite good. Gopher fans should be very excited about Green and his potential.
Keon Howard has long wanted a Gopher offer. He named Minnesota his favorite and in his top four back in the spring, even though he didn’t have an offer. Sawvel and Zebrowski really made a good impression on Howard, and he’s sold on the program. If an offer comes, I think he flips from Memphis. The potential roadblock right now is that he visits Memphis this weekend, and they’ll do everything they can to make sure he doesn’t visit elsewhere. Memphis will be going all out for Howard.
If Howard stays solid to Memphis, the Gophers have several options in mind. An article was up yesterday on GI about DeMarcus Williams. He’s a pretty major target, considering Johnson is visiting him the second day of the contact period (tomorrow). I would speculate that an official visit will be set up then.
SMU commit David Moore is one I’ve mentioned before on the board. He told me that he’s heard from Minnesota the last two weeks, and we'll see if he gets a visit from Johnson next week.
Syracuse commit Lindsey Scott told me that the staff introduced themselves via DM, but haven’t really recruited him yet.
Ryan Stevens of Lowell (Mich.) told me he’s heard from Minnesota, and that they like his film. I think that it’s very much preliminary interest though, and maybe someone to keep an eye on as a preferred walk-on.
Contact with Ellsworth CC quarterback JuJuan Young-Battle has stopped, so we can forget about that name. Steven Frank is another name that has surfaced because Zebrowski watched him over the bye week, but I think we can forget about him as well. Zebrowski’s no longer on the staff, and it’s been a long time (maybe as long as this summer) since he’s heard from the Gophers.
Will the staff take DeMarcus Williams if they also land Keon Howard? This I don't know for sure, but I think yes because Williams has position flexibility.
Film (full-length senior year highlights unless marked otherwise): Seth Green, Keon Howard, David Moore, DeMarcus WIlliams, Lindsey Scott, Ryan Stevens
Running Back
Around the bye week it became clear that the staff was looking to sign up to two backs, one being a more traditional back (hopefully Arkeem Byrd) and the other being a power back.
Arkeem Byrd has received the most attention from the staff and for the longest amount of time. I love Arkeem Byrd’s film and think he’s a bonafide four-star level prospect. Byrd’s picked up offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Tennessee, and Wake Forest since Minnesota offered. To me, Georgia Tech and Tennessee are the biggest threats. Georgia Tech is close to home for him, and he's acknowledged that playing close to home would be nice. Georgia Tech is recruiting him as a safety and if Romeo Finley commits to the Yellow Jackets, then Byrd’s offer will be off the table, but Finley committing to the Jacks is apparently unlikely to happen. He's marveled at several things about Tennesee before. They're also recruiting him as a safety and sources have indicated that Tennessee might be waiting on Nigel Warrior to see if they'll take Byrd. The issue there is that Byrd is visiting Tennessee this weekend, and Warrior has yet to make a decision. The situation between Byrd and Tennessee is definitely a fluid one. Louisville is a new offer and a school Byrd will consider visiting. Boston College is pitching him early playing time, but I haven’t heard anything to suggest they'll beat out Minnesota. Same goes for Colorado State and Georgia Southern, both of which were a part of his top group before the slew of power five offers.
Byrd really likes Minnesota. He enjoyed his visit and his relationship with Minnesota is probably the best of any staff. If he had to sign today, I think there’s a good chance he’d be a Gopher. But I would hesitate to say there's more than a 50% chance he’s a Gopher come Signing Day because I think both those Tennessee and Georgia Tech offers could become committable. I think he would have committed to Minnesota by now if he was going to commit here. I have a feeling he’ll pick up more power five offers from Southern schools, too.
JUCO back Kobe McCrary visits the weekend of January 22, and I think he’ll commit shortly afterwards. He’s very high on Minnesota. Teammate and Gopher commit Garrison Wright told me he thinks McCrary will “blow up” and if that happens, he’ll probably visit elsewhere but otherwise I fully expect him to be the Gophers’ power and short yardage back next year.
JaQua Daniels is the other power back with an offer. The word on Daniels is that he won’t be a qualifier, however he recently set up visits with Middle Tennessee State and Marshall, which suggests maybe he had a strong first semester of senior year and could be a qualifier after all. If he does become a qualifier, I expect a handful of power fives to jump on him as he is very talented and I think academics has been the factor holding Daniels back from more offers all along. If Minnesota thinks he’ll qualify and get by the University’s admissions, I think the Gophers have an excellent shot at him but that’s a huge if.
SMU commit Dae Williams received a visit from Poore over the last contact period but tells me he’s not heard from Minnesota since. He’s still very much a name to watch and would fit this power role the staff is looking for.
Former Eden Prairie star Anthony Anderson, who’s now at Iowa Western, is a powerful runner at 6’2” and 244 pounds. The staff liked him a lot out of high school and placed him at Iowa Western. He did fine there, but didn’t really excel (had nine touchdowns last year but only averaged 4.5 yards per carry). There’s definitely some interest in him because he took an unofficial over Thanksgiving Break, but right now, I don’t see him picking up an offer.
Centennial (Nev.) running back Rhamondre Stevenson told me he’s heard from Minnesota, but I think that interest is very preliminary. He fits the mold of a power back too, as he’s 6-feet and 230 pounds.
Film: Arkeem Byrd, JaQua Daniels (sophomore year), Dae WIlliams, Anthony Anderson (freshman year at Iowa Western), Rhamondre Stevenson (junior year)
Wide Receiver
Drew Hmielewski, Phillip Howard, Tyler Johnson, and Dredrick Snelson are all committed, but I don’t think all four will be Gophers come Signing Day. As I’ve hinted at for months and AZJ not so subtly revealed on the board, Snelson might not be a qualifier. What I’ve heard about Snelson’s academic situation ranges from “I’ve seen the transcripts and believe me, he won’t be a qualifier” to “it will be close.” All the new schools who are popping up with Snelson indicate that maybe he had a strong fall semester and might qualify after all, but we’ll see. Quite honestly, it could also mean that Snelson's party is reaching out to a handful of programs to see if he'll be able to get in anywhere. I wouldn’t get my hopes up about Snelson becoming a Gopher, especially after the Daniels’ decommitment. The writing's on the wall. Another one of the four above has an academic situation that I believe is still up in the air. This prospect's GPA is alright but needs to raise his ACT by a point or two. I’ve heard his GPA and think that he can’t be too far away from the needed ACT score, so I’d be surprised if he’s not a Gopher come Signing Day.
There isn’t much to report on wide receiver targets. Targets in the past like Jawun Ruffin, Roddrick Bryant, Maysoe Wiley, and Kamathi Holsey have not heard from Minnesota in a while. I think Minnesota is happy with the three fully committed now, as they should be. Hmielewski is maybe the best athlete in the class and has a high ceiling, I really liked Howard when I saw him camp this summer, and Tyler Johnson was impressive in the Semper Fi game.
Film: Drew Hmielewski, Phillip Howard, Tyler Johnson, Dredrick Snelson (junior year), Tim Pless
Tight End
Minnesota is pleased with Ko Kieft, and the top target now is obviously Chase Allen. Jay Johnson told Allen there might not be room for a second tight end, but I bet he's a take come Signing Day if Minnesota is where he wants to be.
He holds offers from Florida State, Iowa State, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska. The Jay Johnson hire definitely helps the Gophers with Allen, as Johnson played under Allen’s father at Northern Iowa and coached under him at both Northern Iowa and Kansas. Chase will likely visit Michigan this weekend, and right now they’re the biggest competition. If he leaves Ann Arbor uncommitted, I think the Gophers will have good chance to land him. The Gophers have done well with him. He really likes his the coaches and enjoyed his visit. I don’t think his Florida State offer is committable at this time, although that doesn’t mean it won’t be in the future. Teams don’t throw at offers this late in the process just for the sake of casting a wide net like they do in the spring and summer. Allen says he's not interested in homestate Missouri, who offered. Allen is a take for Nebraska as well, but I haven’t heard much buzz with Nebraska, either. There’s a lot of recruiting left to be done with Allen, so it doesn’t make sense to predict where he’ll end up. Just know that Minnesota is competitive, despite being up against some big programs.
Minnesota only wanted one tight end in this class, so they’re happy to have Kieft and be in the hunt for Allen, and really don’t need to be talking to others. Auburn (Ala.) tight end Noah Barnes, who’s committed to Memphis, received a visit from Sawvel over the last contact period, but at the moment, there really aren’t any serious tight end targets other than Allen.
Film: Ko Kieft, Chase Allen, Noah Barnes
Offensive Line
Vincent Calhoun and Garrison Wright will be huge additions to the offensive line next year. Gopher fans should be very happy to have both. Conner Olson had a great summer and senior season, and told me after his visit that he’s now up to 287 pounds. Remember, the reason he didn’t pick up an offer right away is because he was too light. He picked up a lot of good weight well, and I think he’ll do very well as a Gopher. His position is completely up in the air. Sam Schlueter’s obviously very talented as well, as indicated by his offer list. Schlueter played guard for Mayer Lutheran and has quick enough feet to pull, but he’ll likely be a tackle at the next level.
Trystan Castillo and Lloyd Cushenberry are the top targets with offers and both have visited. Castillo said he’d decide whether or not to stick with Missouri after they hired an offensive line coach, and that happened three days ago. He strikes me as someone who wants to stay and play for the homestate school, and I think that’s what will happen. Castillo loves the Gophers and has a great relationship with the staff and KiAnte Hardin, but I think it will be tough to pull him away from the lure of staying at home. If he doesn’t go to Missouri, I definitely think he’ll land at Minnesota, but right now, I’d say there’s about a 30% chance of that happening. Sometimes in recruiting, you can do everything right but just can't get a kid away from home. Castillo will visit Iowa State this weekend and Missouri the weekend before Signing Day. He’s also heard from Clemson and TCU. Oklahoma showed a lot of interest as well at one point, but has decided to go a different direction.
Lloyd Cushenberry is still committed to and wanted by South Carolina. He took an official here on the weekend of December 11 and will visit South Carolina this weekend and Mississippi State the next. Cushenberry is good friends with former teammates Zo Craighton and Coney Durr, but it will be difficult for Minnesota to pull him out of the South. Gamecock Central indicated they heard buzz about Cushenberry potentially flipping to Mississippi State, but hadn’t heard any buzz about Minnesota. Jay Sawvel, Bart Miller, and Tracy Claeys will put in the effort, but it will be a hard battle to win.
Patrick Kasl should definitely be considered a top target as well, although technically an offer has yet to be extended. For full background on Kasl's situation, read this thread. Basically, Kasl really bloomed into an excellent prospect and now Minnesota is in hot pursuit of him. Several commits are helping recruit him as well. Bart Miller visits him tomorrow, and I think an official visit might be figured out then. I think Minnesota flips him. He really wanted a Gophers offer this spring. There was some resentment that he didn't pick up an offer while four other in-state prospects did, but ultimately I think he still flips. There are just so many people in his hear and a lot of momentum in that direction.
An interesting name to know about is Western Reserve (Ohio) tackle Mario Marset, who I mentioned in a thread a couple days ago. Marset hasn't played football for very long, as he's an international student from Spain in the United States through the Next Level Foundation. He'll take officials to Georgia State, Florida A&M, and Southern Illinois, and took an unofficial to Minnesota for the Wisconsin game. He met Claeys and Glasscock and took a small tour of Bierman and Gibson-Nagurski. He told me the staff mentioned a visit in late January but it sounds like it's far from set up yet.
Kansas State guard commit Blake Hickey heard from Miller last week and is definitely a name to watch. I believe there's also some preliminary interest in SMU guard commit Harrison Barton.
Film: Vincent Calhoun, Garrison Wright, Conner Olson, Sam Schlueter, Trystan Castillo, Lloyd Cushenerry, Patrick Kasl, Blake Hickey, Harrison Barton, Mario Marset
Defensive Line
Merrick Jackson and Taiyon Devers are both committed. Jackson will make an immediate impact at defensive tackle, while Devers will need a couple years to develop. Devers, by the way, was recently bumped to three stars after multiple analysts watched his film in-depth. Defensive line recruiting has changed quite a bit. Former targets like Terrance Corbett, Jabari Ellis, JaQuize Cross, Zo Bridges, and Jerrion Nelson are now off the board, but the staff has kind of narrowed in on a few targets.
Amir Watts is the top target. Minnesota's the only visit he's taken, and he'd be a Gopher if he had to commit today. Minnesota's worked hard on him, and he's developed a good relationship with Phelps. However, there's a long way to go with Watts and a lot of recruiting to be done. Visits are set with Indiana (this weekend), Pitt (the next weekend), and Iowa State (the next weekend, which is the weekend before Signing Day). Maryland and Penn State just offered as well. Miami is his dream offer, but from talking with those around the network, I don't think he'll get that offer. I think Minnesota has the best shot at Watts right now, but I don't mean to imply the Gophers have separated themselves or have an above 50% chance to land him. There's a lot of work to be done. Watts is planning to announce his decision on Signing Day.
Noah Fant's brother and coach told Hawkeye Report today that he'll take an official visit to Minnesota (story here). The Gophers are recruiting Fant as a defensive end, while Iowa and Nebraska like him at tight end. I'm told that Reeves and Phelps "may" have seen Fant today, but I haven't confirmed that because Noah hasn't really been talking to the media recently. Regardless, Fant is a major target for Minnesota and has been for a long time. Flipping a rival's commit coming off their best season in years is a tough task, but Phelps is putting in the effort to do so.
Rhashuan Epting is visiting this weekend, and I'm expecting him to get an offer. He told me if he gets an offer, he'll commit. Like I said last night, I don't think it's set in stone that he'll be a defensive end anymore, but that's still his most likely spot.
Ohio commit Will Evans of Aquinas (Ga.) picked up a Minnesota offer this morning, and I'm expecting him to be a Gopher as well. He's heard from Minnesota for a long time, and the Gophers are his only power five offer. Will had an after school commitment and then a banquet tonight, so I won't be able to recap the offer with him until tomorrow.
Butler CC's Tramal Ivy is once again a target. There are still academic question marks with him, but regardless there's been some contact. Having Garrison Wright (and probably Kobe McCrary pretty soon) committed obviously helps the Gophers' cause. Nebraska's making a big push to land him and is the team to beat. The Huskers visit him Friday and host him on an official next weekend.
Some targets to be aware of are Parkview's (Ga.) Stephen Moye and La Porte's (Texas) Eric Kendzior. Moye is a Virginia commit and has been on the radar for quite a while, but I don't think there's been much contact, other than a little bit over the last contact period. Kendzior is a Louisiana Tech commit that also heard from the staff over the last contact period.
Nick Fields, teammate of Tyrez Lindsey, received a visit from Sawvel last contact period and told me he might visit Minnesota, but when Lindsey set up his visit, Fields told me he hadn't set anything up. So for now, I think Fields is pretty low on the board.
Jake Richardson is for sure off the board, and I believe Jamahl Johnson is as well. So no local guys in this class other than preferred walk-on Nick Kramer.
Film: Merrick Jackson, Taiyon Devers, Amir Watts, Noah Fant, Rhashuan Epting (sophomore year), Will Evans, Tramal Ivy (freshman JUCO year), Stephen Moye, Eric Kendzior
Linebackers
Minnesota is extremely happy to have Carter Coughlin and Kamal Martin at outside linebacker and Thomas Barber in the middle. I'm very excited to watch all three as Gophers.
Chase Pine has been really the only linebacker target for a while now, as Minnesota's set at linebacker and Pine is just kind of a can't miss talent. During the last contact period, Pine said he'd visit Minnesota. In my last conversation with him, he kind of retracted from that statement, but I still think there's a good chance the staff gets him on campus. He's visiting Pitt this weekend and they'll obviously try and lock him up completely. If he's willing to take a visit after his official to Pitt this weekend, I think Minnesota might then be the team to beat, but for now, I think he stays with Pitt. Carter Coughlin has been helping the staff recruit Pine for a while.
Former Spring Lake Park star running back and current NDSCS linebacker Eji Ejiya told me he and his coaches are hearing from Minnesota a little bit. It's something I'll monitor but I don't expect much to come of it.
Film: Carter Coughlin, Kamal Martin, Thomas Barber, Chase Pine, Eji Ejiya
Defensive Backs
With so much youth and talent in the secondary, the decommitments of the Daniels and Battle shouldn't be concerning. Battle for sure won't be a Gopher because the Gophers dropped him because he's no longer an early enrollee. I just heard about something about the Daniels that would make me extremely surprised if they end back up with Minnesota, so I think we can count the decommitments out of the picture. Coney Durr, Kiondre Thomas, and Antoine Winfield Jr. are all great additions to the secondary. I could see all playing early. Durr and Winfield could play nickel right away. I think Durr long-term will be a field corner and Thomas will be on the boundary. All three could contribute right away on special teams.
Coney Durr will visit UNC this weekend and "probably" Virginia Tech next weekend. He told me he'll know for sure by the end of the week whether or not that Virginia Tech visit happens. The caveat with these visits is that his parents won't be going with them. This is key as remember part of the reason why his decision took so long in the first place was because one parent went on his Kansas State visit with him and the other went on his Minnesota visit. Tennessee and South Carolina were also talking to him quite a bit over the last contact period, but I haven't heard much on that front recently. Kiondre Thomas still has Louisiana Tech and Oklahoma State after him. Tennessee was another school talking to him during the last school, but I think that interest died down.
If Durr or Thomas were to flip -- and I don't think they will -- Minnesota is all set with their backup options. Cornerback Simeon Smiley is scheduled to visit the weekend before Signing Day. Smiley received quite a bit of attention throughout most of the spring, summer, and early fall. He's visiting Troy this weekend and Purdue the next.
Thompson (Ala.) cornerback Emmanuel Tait received some attention from Sawvel over the last contact period, and Tait tells me that he'll take an official visit towards the end of the month but that the date isn't confirmed yet. Minnesota will be able to flip Tait if they want, but he won't be visiting unless Durr or Thomas decommit.
Dothan (Ala.) safety and Memphis commit Tyrez Lindsey doesn't have an offer yet, but I believe he's the top safety target on the board at the moment. He spoke with GI about his Minnesota interest with GI a week and a half ago here. Sawvel will watch Lindsey play tomorrow night in some all-star game, which should be both a good recruiting and eval opportunity. Lindsey is visiting Memphis this weekend and visits Minnesota the next weekend. Memphis will obviously be doing everything they can to keep him locked up.
Western Kentucky commit Devon Key of Bryan Station (Ky.) slid under my nose last contact period, as he received a visit and some contact then. I believe Poore is his point of contact, not Sawvel. He's a safety target and the Gophers are in need of a safety, so he's a name to remember.
Georgiana (Ala.) corner Jacquez Payton has heard from Minnesota since the summer. He had a great senior season and is also a basketball star, but right now I think he's Smiley and Tait in the pecking order for an offer. He's still hearing from Minnesota though, and you can read my story on him from today here.
A preferred walk-on target Sawvel has been in contact with is Brady Wieland of St. Francis (WI). Wieland currently holds an offer from Valparaiso.
Film: Coney Durr, Kiondre Thomas (junior year), Antoine Winfield Jr., Simeon Smiley, Emmanuel Tait (mid-season), Tyrez Lindsey, Devon Key, Jacquez Payton, Brady Wieland
Specialists
Brandon Nickle is the top punter target, and I believe the only one Jay Nunez has extended a preferred walk-on offer too. He's the #9 punter in the nation and a five-star punter according to Kohl's Kicking. Connor talked to him several days ago and that story will be up soon.
Projected Class
QB -- Seth Green and Keon Howard
RB -- Kobe McCrary
WR -- Phillip Howard, Tyler Johnson, and Drew Hmielewski
TE -- Ko Kieft
OL -- Vincent Calhoun, Garrison Wright, Sam Schlueter, Connor Olson, and Patrick Kasl
DL -- Merrick Jackson, Taiyon Devers, Amir Watts, Rhashuan Epting, and Will Evans
LB -- Carter Coughlin, Kamal Martin, and Thomas Barber
DB -- Coney Durr, Kiondre Thomas, Antoine Winfield Jr., and Tyrez Lindsey
ATH -- DeMarcus Williams
That's 25. I think there will be another running back of the power backs I listed and probably another lineman which might be a name on no one's radar right now. That'd be 27, which is the max the staff can take. All in all, I think that would be a very solid class and one fans should be happy about.
I apologize for not doing a mailbag to add on to this war room like I've done in the past. Fire away questions at me!
Assuming Kunle Ayinde is awarded a scholarship and no one else transfers out before Signing Day, there will be room for 24 newcomers next year, and the Big Ten allows programs to oversign by three, so the max amount we’ll see in this class is 27. With 18 current commits, that leaves room for nine more and probably even more considering there will likely be at least one decommit or nonqualifier.
Quarterback
Seth Green is signed and a great addition. Seth has great arm strength and is very accurate when is feet are set. He has great straight-line speed but isn't great laterally. His frame will allow him to put on plenty more weight. Yes, he didn't win the starting job in spring ball at Allen and lost and was later platooned as the starter at Allen, and yes, Oregon dropped him as a quarterback and said he could stay as a tight end. But I think the smack Seth's received is a bit overexaggerated because all in all, he did not have a bad season in Texas whatsoever -- his stats were actually quite good. Gopher fans should be very excited about Green and his potential.
Keon Howard has long wanted a Gopher offer. He named Minnesota his favorite and in his top four back in the spring, even though he didn’t have an offer. Sawvel and Zebrowski really made a good impression on Howard, and he’s sold on the program. If an offer comes, I think he flips from Memphis. The potential roadblock right now is that he visits Memphis this weekend, and they’ll do everything they can to make sure he doesn’t visit elsewhere. Memphis will be going all out for Howard.
If Howard stays solid to Memphis, the Gophers have several options in mind. An article was up yesterday on GI about DeMarcus Williams. He’s a pretty major target, considering Johnson is visiting him the second day of the contact period (tomorrow). I would speculate that an official visit will be set up then.
SMU commit David Moore is one I’ve mentioned before on the board. He told me that he’s heard from Minnesota the last two weeks, and we'll see if he gets a visit from Johnson next week.
Syracuse commit Lindsey Scott told me that the staff introduced themselves via DM, but haven’t really recruited him yet.
Ryan Stevens of Lowell (Mich.) told me he’s heard from Minnesota, and that they like his film. I think that it’s very much preliminary interest though, and maybe someone to keep an eye on as a preferred walk-on.
Contact with Ellsworth CC quarterback JuJuan Young-Battle has stopped, so we can forget about that name. Steven Frank is another name that has surfaced because Zebrowski watched him over the bye week, but I think we can forget about him as well. Zebrowski’s no longer on the staff, and it’s been a long time (maybe as long as this summer) since he’s heard from the Gophers.
Will the staff take DeMarcus Williams if they also land Keon Howard? This I don't know for sure, but I think yes because Williams has position flexibility.
Film (full-length senior year highlights unless marked otherwise): Seth Green, Keon Howard, David Moore, DeMarcus WIlliams, Lindsey Scott, Ryan Stevens
Running Back
Around the bye week it became clear that the staff was looking to sign up to two backs, one being a more traditional back (hopefully Arkeem Byrd) and the other being a power back.
Arkeem Byrd has received the most attention from the staff and for the longest amount of time. I love Arkeem Byrd’s film and think he’s a bonafide four-star level prospect. Byrd’s picked up offers from Boston College, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Tennessee, and Wake Forest since Minnesota offered. To me, Georgia Tech and Tennessee are the biggest threats. Georgia Tech is close to home for him, and he's acknowledged that playing close to home would be nice. Georgia Tech is recruiting him as a safety and if Romeo Finley commits to the Yellow Jackets, then Byrd’s offer will be off the table, but Finley committing to the Jacks is apparently unlikely to happen. He's marveled at several things about Tennesee before. They're also recruiting him as a safety and sources have indicated that Tennessee might be waiting on Nigel Warrior to see if they'll take Byrd. The issue there is that Byrd is visiting Tennessee this weekend, and Warrior has yet to make a decision. The situation between Byrd and Tennessee is definitely a fluid one. Louisville is a new offer and a school Byrd will consider visiting. Boston College is pitching him early playing time, but I haven’t heard anything to suggest they'll beat out Minnesota. Same goes for Colorado State and Georgia Southern, both of which were a part of his top group before the slew of power five offers.
Byrd really likes Minnesota. He enjoyed his visit and his relationship with Minnesota is probably the best of any staff. If he had to sign today, I think there’s a good chance he’d be a Gopher. But I would hesitate to say there's more than a 50% chance he’s a Gopher come Signing Day because I think both those Tennessee and Georgia Tech offers could become committable. I think he would have committed to Minnesota by now if he was going to commit here. I have a feeling he’ll pick up more power five offers from Southern schools, too.
JUCO back Kobe McCrary visits the weekend of January 22, and I think he’ll commit shortly afterwards. He’s very high on Minnesota. Teammate and Gopher commit Garrison Wright told me he thinks McCrary will “blow up” and if that happens, he’ll probably visit elsewhere but otherwise I fully expect him to be the Gophers’ power and short yardage back next year.
JaQua Daniels is the other power back with an offer. The word on Daniels is that he won’t be a qualifier, however he recently set up visits with Middle Tennessee State and Marshall, which suggests maybe he had a strong first semester of senior year and could be a qualifier after all. If he does become a qualifier, I expect a handful of power fives to jump on him as he is very talented and I think academics has been the factor holding Daniels back from more offers all along. If Minnesota thinks he’ll qualify and get by the University’s admissions, I think the Gophers have an excellent shot at him but that’s a huge if.
SMU commit Dae Williams received a visit from Poore over the last contact period but tells me he’s not heard from Minnesota since. He’s still very much a name to watch and would fit this power role the staff is looking for.
Former Eden Prairie star Anthony Anderson, who’s now at Iowa Western, is a powerful runner at 6’2” and 244 pounds. The staff liked him a lot out of high school and placed him at Iowa Western. He did fine there, but didn’t really excel (had nine touchdowns last year but only averaged 4.5 yards per carry). There’s definitely some interest in him because he took an unofficial over Thanksgiving Break, but right now, I don’t see him picking up an offer.
Centennial (Nev.) running back Rhamondre Stevenson told me he’s heard from Minnesota, but I think that interest is very preliminary. He fits the mold of a power back too, as he’s 6-feet and 230 pounds.
Film: Arkeem Byrd, JaQua Daniels (sophomore year), Dae WIlliams, Anthony Anderson (freshman year at Iowa Western), Rhamondre Stevenson (junior year)
Wide Receiver
Drew Hmielewski, Phillip Howard, Tyler Johnson, and Dredrick Snelson are all committed, but I don’t think all four will be Gophers come Signing Day. As I’ve hinted at for months and AZJ not so subtly revealed on the board, Snelson might not be a qualifier. What I’ve heard about Snelson’s academic situation ranges from “I’ve seen the transcripts and believe me, he won’t be a qualifier” to “it will be close.” All the new schools who are popping up with Snelson indicate that maybe he had a strong fall semester and might qualify after all, but we’ll see. Quite honestly, it could also mean that Snelson's party is reaching out to a handful of programs to see if he'll be able to get in anywhere. I wouldn’t get my hopes up about Snelson becoming a Gopher, especially after the Daniels’ decommitment. The writing's on the wall. Another one of the four above has an academic situation that I believe is still up in the air. This prospect's GPA is alright but needs to raise his ACT by a point or two. I’ve heard his GPA and think that he can’t be too far away from the needed ACT score, so I’d be surprised if he’s not a Gopher come Signing Day.
There isn’t much to report on wide receiver targets. Targets in the past like Jawun Ruffin, Roddrick Bryant, Maysoe Wiley, and Kamathi Holsey have not heard from Minnesota in a while. I think Minnesota is happy with the three fully committed now, as they should be. Hmielewski is maybe the best athlete in the class and has a high ceiling, I really liked Howard when I saw him camp this summer, and Tyler Johnson was impressive in the Semper Fi game.
Film: Drew Hmielewski, Phillip Howard, Tyler Johnson, Dredrick Snelson (junior year), Tim Pless
Tight End
He holds offers from Florida State, Iowa State, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska. The Jay Johnson hire definitely helps the Gophers with Allen, as Johnson played under Allen’s father at Northern Iowa and coached under him at both Northern Iowa and Kansas. Chase will likely visit Michigan this weekend, and right now they’re the biggest competition. If he leaves Ann Arbor uncommitted, I think the Gophers will have good chance to land him. The Gophers have done well with him. He really likes his the coaches and enjoyed his visit. I don’t think his Florida State offer is committable at this time, although that doesn’t mean it won’t be in the future. Teams don’t throw at offers this late in the process just for the sake of casting a wide net like they do in the spring and summer. Allen says he's not interested in homestate Missouri, who offered. Allen is a take for Nebraska as well, but I haven’t heard much buzz with Nebraska, either. There’s a lot of recruiting left to be done with Allen, so it doesn’t make sense to predict where he’ll end up. Just know that Minnesota is competitive, despite being up against some big programs.
Minnesota only wanted one tight end in this class, so they’re happy to have Kieft and be in the hunt for Allen, and really don’t need to be talking to others. Auburn (Ala.) tight end Noah Barnes, who’s committed to Memphis, received a visit from Sawvel over the last contact period, but at the moment, there really aren’t any serious tight end targets other than Allen.
Film: Ko Kieft, Chase Allen, Noah Barnes
Offensive Line
Vincent Calhoun and Garrison Wright will be huge additions to the offensive line next year. Gopher fans should be very happy to have both. Conner Olson had a great summer and senior season, and told me after his visit that he’s now up to 287 pounds. Remember, the reason he didn’t pick up an offer right away is because he was too light. He picked up a lot of good weight well, and I think he’ll do very well as a Gopher. His position is completely up in the air. Sam Schlueter’s obviously very talented as well, as indicated by his offer list. Schlueter played guard for Mayer Lutheran and has quick enough feet to pull, but he’ll likely be a tackle at the next level.
Lloyd Cushenberry is still committed to and wanted by South Carolina. He took an official here on the weekend of December 11 and will visit South Carolina this weekend and Mississippi State the next. Cushenberry is good friends with former teammates Zo Craighton and Coney Durr, but it will be difficult for Minnesota to pull him out of the South. Gamecock Central indicated they heard buzz about Cushenberry potentially flipping to Mississippi State, but hadn’t heard any buzz about Minnesota. Jay Sawvel, Bart Miller, and Tracy Claeys will put in the effort, but it will be a hard battle to win.
Patrick Kasl should definitely be considered a top target as well, although technically an offer has yet to be extended. For full background on Kasl's situation, read this thread. Basically, Kasl really bloomed into an excellent prospect and now Minnesota is in hot pursuit of him. Several commits are helping recruit him as well. Bart Miller visits him tomorrow, and I think an official visit might be figured out then. I think Minnesota flips him. He really wanted a Gophers offer this spring. There was some resentment that he didn't pick up an offer while four other in-state prospects did, but ultimately I think he still flips. There are just so many people in his hear and a lot of momentum in that direction.
An interesting name to know about is Western Reserve (Ohio) tackle Mario Marset, who I mentioned in a thread a couple days ago. Marset hasn't played football for very long, as he's an international student from Spain in the United States through the Next Level Foundation. He'll take officials to Georgia State, Florida A&M, and Southern Illinois, and took an unofficial to Minnesota for the Wisconsin game. He met Claeys and Glasscock and took a small tour of Bierman and Gibson-Nagurski. He told me the staff mentioned a visit in late January but it sounds like it's far from set up yet.
Kansas State guard commit Blake Hickey heard from Miller last week and is definitely a name to watch. I believe there's also some preliminary interest in SMU guard commit Harrison Barton.
Film: Vincent Calhoun, Garrison Wright, Conner Olson, Sam Schlueter, Trystan Castillo, Lloyd Cushenerry, Patrick Kasl, Blake Hickey, Harrison Barton, Mario Marset
Defensive Line
Merrick Jackson and Taiyon Devers are both committed. Jackson will make an immediate impact at defensive tackle, while Devers will need a couple years to develop. Devers, by the way, was recently bumped to three stars after multiple analysts watched his film in-depth. Defensive line recruiting has changed quite a bit. Former targets like Terrance Corbett, Jabari Ellis, JaQuize Cross, Zo Bridges, and Jerrion Nelson are now off the board, but the staff has kind of narrowed in on a few targets.
Amir Watts is the top target. Minnesota's the only visit he's taken, and he'd be a Gopher if he had to commit today. Minnesota's worked hard on him, and he's developed a good relationship with Phelps. However, there's a long way to go with Watts and a lot of recruiting to be done. Visits are set with Indiana (this weekend), Pitt (the next weekend), and Iowa State (the next weekend, which is the weekend before Signing Day). Maryland and Penn State just offered as well. Miami is his dream offer, but from talking with those around the network, I don't think he'll get that offer. I think Minnesota has the best shot at Watts right now, but I don't mean to imply the Gophers have separated themselves or have an above 50% chance to land him. There's a lot of work to be done. Watts is planning to announce his decision on Signing Day.
Noah Fant's brother and coach told Hawkeye Report today that he'll take an official visit to Minnesota (story here). The Gophers are recruiting Fant as a defensive end, while Iowa and Nebraska like him at tight end. I'm told that Reeves and Phelps "may" have seen Fant today, but I haven't confirmed that because Noah hasn't really been talking to the media recently. Regardless, Fant is a major target for Minnesota and has been for a long time. Flipping a rival's commit coming off their best season in years is a tough task, but Phelps is putting in the effort to do so.
Rhashuan Epting is visiting this weekend, and I'm expecting him to get an offer. He told me if he gets an offer, he'll commit. Like I said last night, I don't think it's set in stone that he'll be a defensive end anymore, but that's still his most likely spot.
Ohio commit Will Evans of Aquinas (Ga.) picked up a Minnesota offer this morning, and I'm expecting him to be a Gopher as well. He's heard from Minnesota for a long time, and the Gophers are his only power five offer. Will had an after school commitment and then a banquet tonight, so I won't be able to recap the offer with him until tomorrow.
Butler CC's Tramal Ivy is once again a target. There are still academic question marks with him, but regardless there's been some contact. Having Garrison Wright (and probably Kobe McCrary pretty soon) committed obviously helps the Gophers' cause. Nebraska's making a big push to land him and is the team to beat. The Huskers visit him Friday and host him on an official next weekend.
Some targets to be aware of are Parkview's (Ga.) Stephen Moye and La Porte's (Texas) Eric Kendzior. Moye is a Virginia commit and has been on the radar for quite a while, but I don't think there's been much contact, other than a little bit over the last contact period. Kendzior is a Louisiana Tech commit that also heard from the staff over the last contact period.
Nick Fields, teammate of Tyrez Lindsey, received a visit from Sawvel last contact period and told me he might visit Minnesota, but when Lindsey set up his visit, Fields told me he hadn't set anything up. So for now, I think Fields is pretty low on the board.
Jake Richardson is for sure off the board, and I believe Jamahl Johnson is as well. So no local guys in this class other than preferred walk-on Nick Kramer.
Film: Merrick Jackson, Taiyon Devers, Amir Watts, Noah Fant, Rhashuan Epting (sophomore year), Will Evans, Tramal Ivy (freshman JUCO year), Stephen Moye, Eric Kendzior
Linebackers
Chase Pine has been really the only linebacker target for a while now, as Minnesota's set at linebacker and Pine is just kind of a can't miss talent. During the last contact period, Pine said he'd visit Minnesota. In my last conversation with him, he kind of retracted from that statement, but I still think there's a good chance the staff gets him on campus. He's visiting Pitt this weekend and they'll obviously try and lock him up completely. If he's willing to take a visit after his official to Pitt this weekend, I think Minnesota might then be the team to beat, but for now, I think he stays with Pitt. Carter Coughlin has been helping the staff recruit Pine for a while.
Former Spring Lake Park star running back and current NDSCS linebacker Eji Ejiya told me he and his coaches are hearing from Minnesota a little bit. It's something I'll monitor but I don't expect much to come of it.
Film: Carter Coughlin, Kamal Martin, Thomas Barber, Chase Pine, Eji Ejiya
Defensive Backs
With so much youth and talent in the secondary, the decommitments of the Daniels and Battle shouldn't be concerning. Battle for sure won't be a Gopher because the Gophers dropped him because he's no longer an early enrollee. I just heard about something about the Daniels that would make me extremely surprised if they end back up with Minnesota, so I think we can count the decommitments out of the picture. Coney Durr, Kiondre Thomas, and Antoine Winfield Jr. are all great additions to the secondary. I could see all playing early. Durr and Winfield could play nickel right away. I think Durr long-term will be a field corner and Thomas will be on the boundary. All three could contribute right away on special teams.
Coney Durr will visit UNC this weekend and "probably" Virginia Tech next weekend. He told me he'll know for sure by the end of the week whether or not that Virginia Tech visit happens. The caveat with these visits is that his parents won't be going with them. This is key as remember part of the reason why his decision took so long in the first place was because one parent went on his Kansas State visit with him and the other went on his Minnesota visit. Tennessee and South Carolina were also talking to him quite a bit over the last contact period, but I haven't heard much on that front recently. Kiondre Thomas still has Louisiana Tech and Oklahoma State after him. Tennessee was another school talking to him during the last school, but I think that interest died down.
If Durr or Thomas were to flip -- and I don't think they will -- Minnesota is all set with their backup options. Cornerback Simeon Smiley is scheduled to visit the weekend before Signing Day. Smiley received quite a bit of attention throughout most of the spring, summer, and early fall. He's visiting Troy this weekend and Purdue the next.
Thompson (Ala.) cornerback Emmanuel Tait received some attention from Sawvel over the last contact period, and Tait tells me that he'll take an official visit towards the end of the month but that the date isn't confirmed yet. Minnesota will be able to flip Tait if they want, but he won't be visiting unless Durr or Thomas decommit.
Western Kentucky commit Devon Key of Bryan Station (Ky.) slid under my nose last contact period, as he received a visit and some contact then. I believe Poore is his point of contact, not Sawvel. He's a safety target and the Gophers are in need of a safety, so he's a name to remember.
Georgiana (Ala.) corner Jacquez Payton has heard from Minnesota since the summer. He had a great senior season and is also a basketball star, but right now I think he's Smiley and Tait in the pecking order for an offer. He's still hearing from Minnesota though, and you can read my story on him from today here.
A preferred walk-on target Sawvel has been in contact with is Brady Wieland of St. Francis (WI). Wieland currently holds an offer from Valparaiso.
Film: Coney Durr, Kiondre Thomas (junior year), Antoine Winfield Jr., Simeon Smiley, Emmanuel Tait (mid-season), Tyrez Lindsey, Devon Key, Jacquez Payton, Brady Wieland
Specialists
Brandon Nickle is the top punter target, and I believe the only one Jay Nunez has extended a preferred walk-on offer too. He's the #9 punter in the nation and a five-star punter according to Kohl's Kicking. Connor talked to him several days ago and that story will be up soon.
Projected Class
QB -- Seth Green and Keon Howard
RB -- Kobe McCrary
WR -- Phillip Howard, Tyler Johnson, and Drew Hmielewski
TE -- Ko Kieft
OL -- Vincent Calhoun, Garrison Wright, Sam Schlueter, Connor Olson, and Patrick Kasl
DL -- Merrick Jackson, Taiyon Devers, Amir Watts, Rhashuan Epting, and Will Evans
LB -- Carter Coughlin, Kamal Martin, and Thomas Barber
DB -- Coney Durr, Kiondre Thomas, Antoine Winfield Jr., and Tyrez Lindsey
ATH -- DeMarcus Williams
That's 25. I think there will be another running back of the power backs I listed and probably another lineman which might be a name on no one's radar right now. That'd be 27, which is the max the staff can take. All in all, I think that would be a very solid class and one fans should be happy about.
I apologize for not doing a mailbag to add on to this war room like I've done in the past. Fire away questions at me!
