As you all know, Minnesota’s pretty much full, so there’s not much room left. The Gophers are looking to add players to the class at OL, DL, DB, and possibly a RB/WR, but numbers are tight so it follows more of a best available/homerun type basis. The Early Signing Period is December 19th to 21st and JUCO Signing Period is from December 19th to January 15th. Minnesota expects all commits to sign as early as possible.
Skill Position
Former Maryland commit, and 5.7 rated three-star athlete Ahmarean Brown received visits from Illinois, Minnesota, and Syracuse this past week. Brown also told TGR, that he would be a part of the Gophers big visit weekend. He has no other visits scheduled, and has told us that he would like to decide in December so he is for sure one to keep a close eye on down the stretch.
Demariyon Houston is a recent Texas decommit. He’s been hearing from Minnesota for a while and his high school coach tells us he’s going to visit Minnesota. That could be this weekend. Oklahoma is currently interested in Houston, as well.
Offensive Line:
The fact that Minnesota got 5.7 rated three-star offensive tackle Isaiah Hookfin to come on an official visit is impressive. He’s told TGR that he likes the energy that the coaching staff brings. Along with that, he likes that not only do the coaches have a clear direction they want to head in, but they are “certain” they’re going to get there. His relationship with Coach Callahan is solid and he’s talked to Coach Fleck a few times. He visited Illinois back in October, Baylor on the last weekend of November, is visiting Minnesota on December 7th, and Texas on the 14th. We’ve heard that Texas seems to be the favorite and believe that at this time it’s likely he has a committable offer to the Longhorns. Texas has been visiting him in-home and he’s had the official visit there set for a while.
Patrick Paul does not have an offer yet, but at 6’8”, 320 I get why they’re intrigued with him. Tulsa right now is hard after Paul and his brother plays there and started last year as a redshirt freshman. Tulsa sources believe he’s a strong Tulsa lean, but Houston also believes they’re a favorite. He said he really likes Minnesota, the school, facilities, and coaches. He would definitely consider Minnesota if the Gophers were to offer.
Defensive Line:
Keonte Schad is currently committed to Minnesota, but his recruitment has blown up a bit lately. Offers from Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and West Virginia are the ones to look out for. He took a visit to Starkville this weekend. Reports from Rivals affiliated Volquest.com state he is likely to take a visit to Tennessee in the next few weeks. Schad is scheduled to visit Minnesota this weekend. If Keonte’s commitment isn’t solidified after this weekend, I’d expect him to take visits to Oklahoma and Tennessee.
Chris Daniels took a visit to Missouri on the weekend of November 23. To our knowledge, he will still be coming to Minnesota to visit on December 7, and so long as he does, I think it’s fairly likely he’s a Gopher. He’s been pretty quiet all along about the Missouri visit, so it’s hard for us to gauge his interest in Mizzou.
MJ Anderson decommitted from Minnesota by surprise. Minnesota’s still recruiting him and will continue to visit him until Signing Day. Kentucky is heavily involved with Anderson. We’ll have another update on Anderson soon.
Kristian Williams is visiting Minnesota the last weekend of November and has a final five of Indiana, Memphis, Minnesota, Missouri, and Tennessee. Williams told TGR that his only other visits would be to Missouri this weekend, and he wants to make it to Tennessee on the 14th, but that is not set yet. As we said last week, it’s not clear that Tennessee has a spot for him in their class right now. He said a decision would be coming soon after visits. Here are some of his thoughts following his visit to Minnesota:
“Absolutely the visit was a 10 out of 10. The facilities are phenomenal, the coaches are phenomenal again. They gave me a good look at what Minnesota has to offer. I liked how the fact that they weren’t just talking to me about football. They were talking to me about my life, and my character. They cared about me physically, socially, spiritually, and academically. They were talking about Row The Boat and I just feel like that was something that I can see myself being in and following as a guideline. The environment and culture there is just amazing. If you go anywhere else, nine times out of 10 you wouldn’t get the same type of feel that you would get at Minnesota. I just felt like that’s somewhere that I can be. Not just from a football perspective, but from a business standpoint. Just the culture is something that I love and can see myself being in.”
A somewhat new name that got an offer from Minnesota in November is Niadre Zouzoua. Coach Rossi was at his practice this past week. He told TGR he’s still learning about Minnesota. He was very impressed with their win over Wisconsin. He also received visits from Baylor, Temple, and Tennessee. He is visiting Temple, and has a visit set for Tennessee on the third weekend of December. He told TGR it’s always been his dream to play in the South, so Tennessee may be the team to beat. He wants to make his decision on the JUCO signing day so the Gophers have time.
Another defensive end name to keep an eye on is 5.7 rated three-star Darius Robinson. He has already taken official visits to Colorado, Syracuse, and Missouri. Michigan and Michigan State are both ones to watch in his recruitment as well. Not long ago, he named a top four of Colorado, Michigan State, Missouri, and Syracuse, but Minnesota has now visited him twice. He has one official left, so it will be big if Minnesota gets to make the last impression. Robinson recently told Helmholdt his last visit could be to Minnesota. “Talked about the city of Minneapolis with Coach Burns. It has a lot to offer for me wanting to be a business major and how they play kids early.”
On November 11th, 5.7 rated three-star defensive end Rashad Cheney came up to Minnesota for an unofficial visit. Minnesota has been keeping tabs on him, and visited him this past week along with Maryland, Syracuse, and a few others. Houston is also in play. According to sources, Rashad Cheney was a Georgia Tech lean but things may have changed after Paul Johnson decided to retire. His only official visit set was for Georgia Tech on Nov. 30th, but that ended up not happening. He is likely to visit Minnesota and they are in a solid spot for Cheney.
Prince Okituama got a visit from Coach Rossi on Thursday, and he has a visit set for December. 14th. His only other offer right now is Kentucky, which he got on the same day that Minnesota came to see him. He told TGR that Minnesota did not offer him a scholarship. According to his high school coach, Okituama is 6’8”, 230 pounds. He’s listed as an athlete, but Minnesota has told him he would be playing defensive end if he were to be a Gopher. His visit being set up for Dec. 14th and not the 7th, and no offer extended, may mean that there might not be a spot for him by the time he’s meant to visit.
Coach Fleck took a visit to see 5.7 rated three-star defensive end Keith Randolph. Randolph told TGR that it meant a lot that Minnesota’s head coach was the one who came to see him. Minnesota, although not listed in his top group of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, and Virginia, is “definitely” being considered by Randolph. He’s likely visiting Iowa this weekend or next weekend and said he’s open to visiting Minnesota. One thing that’s important to Randolph is early playing time, and he’s said that Minnesota’s told him he’d have the chance to compete for early playing time.
Another name to know is Jeremiah Byers. He got visits from Stephen F. Austin and Minnesota last week. I don’t believe that an offer is coming soon for Byers but if they were to extend one, TGR thinks he would be pretty quick to jump in the boat. Here’s what he said about Minnesota.
“Minnesota visiting went well. Coach Callahan was just telling me about what they have to offer at Minnesota and the future at Minnesota and that I will know soon if they are gonna offer or not. I haven’t seen Minnesota yet but the football is great. I love what the coaching staff is doing up there and how they are trying to change the culture and move in the right direction. Maybe I could be apart of it, hopefully.”
Defensive Back:
Damarion Williams will be taking an official this weekend and visited UTSA last weekend.
Independence CC DB Dontye Carriere-Williams just received an offer from Minnesota. He transferred from Wisconsin and went JUCO for one season. Carriere-Williams was teammates with current Gopher Benny Sapp at St. Thomas Aquinas years ago, and the two have a good relationship. He will be in Minnesota this weekend for the visit weekend. He’s a mid-year enrollee and would be eligible for two years.
Three-star defensive back Darius Gooden received an in-home visit on the same day as his teammate Prince Otikuama from Coach Rossi. Gooden also got an offer from Kentucky that day, but unlike his teammate, he does not have an invite to visit as of right now.
In other DB news, Iowa visited Solomon Brown last week. Iowa’s looking for another corner and visited Solomon Brown last week. The Largo coach told Hawkeye Report that Brown’s locked in with Minnesota.
Skill Position
Former Maryland commit, and 5.7 rated three-star athlete Ahmarean Brown received visits from Illinois, Minnesota, and Syracuse this past week. Brown also told TGR, that he would be a part of the Gophers big visit weekend. He has no other visits scheduled, and has told us that he would like to decide in December so he is for sure one to keep a close eye on down the stretch.
Demariyon Houston is a recent Texas decommit. He’s been hearing from Minnesota for a while and his high school coach tells us he’s going to visit Minnesota. That could be this weekend. Oklahoma is currently interested in Houston, as well.
Offensive Line:
The fact that Minnesota got 5.7 rated three-star offensive tackle Isaiah Hookfin to come on an official visit is impressive. He’s told TGR that he likes the energy that the coaching staff brings. Along with that, he likes that not only do the coaches have a clear direction they want to head in, but they are “certain” they’re going to get there. His relationship with Coach Callahan is solid and he’s talked to Coach Fleck a few times. He visited Illinois back in October, Baylor on the last weekend of November, is visiting Minnesota on December 7th, and Texas on the 14th. We’ve heard that Texas seems to be the favorite and believe that at this time it’s likely he has a committable offer to the Longhorns. Texas has been visiting him in-home and he’s had the official visit there set for a while.
Patrick Paul does not have an offer yet, but at 6’8”, 320 I get why they’re intrigued with him. Tulsa right now is hard after Paul and his brother plays there and started last year as a redshirt freshman. Tulsa sources believe he’s a strong Tulsa lean, but Houston also believes they’re a favorite. He said he really likes Minnesota, the school, facilities, and coaches. He would definitely consider Minnesota if the Gophers were to offer.
Defensive Line:
Keonte Schad is currently committed to Minnesota, but his recruitment has blown up a bit lately. Offers from Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and West Virginia are the ones to look out for. He took a visit to Starkville this weekend. Reports from Rivals affiliated Volquest.com state he is likely to take a visit to Tennessee in the next few weeks. Schad is scheduled to visit Minnesota this weekend. If Keonte’s commitment isn’t solidified after this weekend, I’d expect him to take visits to Oklahoma and Tennessee.
Chris Daniels took a visit to Missouri on the weekend of November 23. To our knowledge, he will still be coming to Minnesota to visit on December 7, and so long as he does, I think it’s fairly likely he’s a Gopher. He’s been pretty quiet all along about the Missouri visit, so it’s hard for us to gauge his interest in Mizzou.
MJ Anderson decommitted from Minnesota by surprise. Minnesota’s still recruiting him and will continue to visit him until Signing Day. Kentucky is heavily involved with Anderson. We’ll have another update on Anderson soon.
Kristian Williams is visiting Minnesota the last weekend of November and has a final five of Indiana, Memphis, Minnesota, Missouri, and Tennessee. Williams told TGR that his only other visits would be to Missouri this weekend, and he wants to make it to Tennessee on the 14th, but that is not set yet. As we said last week, it’s not clear that Tennessee has a spot for him in their class right now. He said a decision would be coming soon after visits. Here are some of his thoughts following his visit to Minnesota:
“Absolutely the visit was a 10 out of 10. The facilities are phenomenal, the coaches are phenomenal again. They gave me a good look at what Minnesota has to offer. I liked how the fact that they weren’t just talking to me about football. They were talking to me about my life, and my character. They cared about me physically, socially, spiritually, and academically. They were talking about Row The Boat and I just feel like that was something that I can see myself being in and following as a guideline. The environment and culture there is just amazing. If you go anywhere else, nine times out of 10 you wouldn’t get the same type of feel that you would get at Minnesota. I just felt like that’s somewhere that I can be. Not just from a football perspective, but from a business standpoint. Just the culture is something that I love and can see myself being in.”
A somewhat new name that got an offer from Minnesota in November is Niadre Zouzoua. Coach Rossi was at his practice this past week. He told TGR he’s still learning about Minnesota. He was very impressed with their win over Wisconsin. He also received visits from Baylor, Temple, and Tennessee. He is visiting Temple, and has a visit set for Tennessee on the third weekend of December. He told TGR it’s always been his dream to play in the South, so Tennessee may be the team to beat. He wants to make his decision on the JUCO signing day so the Gophers have time.
Another defensive end name to keep an eye on is 5.7 rated three-star Darius Robinson. He has already taken official visits to Colorado, Syracuse, and Missouri. Michigan and Michigan State are both ones to watch in his recruitment as well. Not long ago, he named a top four of Colorado, Michigan State, Missouri, and Syracuse, but Minnesota has now visited him twice. He has one official left, so it will be big if Minnesota gets to make the last impression. Robinson recently told Helmholdt his last visit could be to Minnesota. “Talked about the city of Minneapolis with Coach Burns. It has a lot to offer for me wanting to be a business major and how they play kids early.”
On November 11th, 5.7 rated three-star defensive end Rashad Cheney came up to Minnesota for an unofficial visit. Minnesota has been keeping tabs on him, and visited him this past week along with Maryland, Syracuse, and a few others. Houston is also in play. According to sources, Rashad Cheney was a Georgia Tech lean but things may have changed after Paul Johnson decided to retire. His only official visit set was for Georgia Tech on Nov. 30th, but that ended up not happening. He is likely to visit Minnesota and they are in a solid spot for Cheney.
Prince Okituama got a visit from Coach Rossi on Thursday, and he has a visit set for December. 14th. His only other offer right now is Kentucky, which he got on the same day that Minnesota came to see him. He told TGR that Minnesota did not offer him a scholarship. According to his high school coach, Okituama is 6’8”, 230 pounds. He’s listed as an athlete, but Minnesota has told him he would be playing defensive end if he were to be a Gopher. His visit being set up for Dec. 14th and not the 7th, and no offer extended, may mean that there might not be a spot for him by the time he’s meant to visit.
Coach Fleck took a visit to see 5.7 rated three-star defensive end Keith Randolph. Randolph told TGR that it meant a lot that Minnesota’s head coach was the one who came to see him. Minnesota, although not listed in his top group of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, and Virginia, is “definitely” being considered by Randolph. He’s likely visiting Iowa this weekend or next weekend and said he’s open to visiting Minnesota. One thing that’s important to Randolph is early playing time, and he’s said that Minnesota’s told him he’d have the chance to compete for early playing time.
Another name to know is Jeremiah Byers. He got visits from Stephen F. Austin and Minnesota last week. I don’t believe that an offer is coming soon for Byers but if they were to extend one, TGR thinks he would be pretty quick to jump in the boat. Here’s what he said about Minnesota.
“Minnesota visiting went well. Coach Callahan was just telling me about what they have to offer at Minnesota and the future at Minnesota and that I will know soon if they are gonna offer or not. I haven’t seen Minnesota yet but the football is great. I love what the coaching staff is doing up there and how they are trying to change the culture and move in the right direction. Maybe I could be apart of it, hopefully.”
Defensive Back:
Damarion Williams will be taking an official this weekend and visited UTSA last weekend.
Independence CC DB Dontye Carriere-Williams just received an offer from Minnesota. He transferred from Wisconsin and went JUCO for one season. Carriere-Williams was teammates with current Gopher Benny Sapp at St. Thomas Aquinas years ago, and the two have a good relationship. He will be in Minnesota this weekend for the visit weekend. He’s a mid-year enrollee and would be eligible for two years.
Three-star defensive back Darius Gooden received an in-home visit on the same day as his teammate Prince Otikuama from Coach Rossi. Gooden also got an offer from Kentucky that day, but unlike his teammate, he does not have an invite to visit as of right now.
In other DB news, Iowa visited Solomon Brown last week. Iowa’s looking for another corner and visited Solomon Brown last week. The Largo coach told Hawkeye Report that Brown’s locked in with Minnesota.
