War Room: 7/29 Defense

Matt Jessen-Howard · Jul 29, 2015

Defensive recruiting has a few more moving parts and offers out than offense. Let's take a look.

Defensive Line
I expect five or six commits in this class with two of them being JUCOs. There are already two commits in East Ridge DT JoJo Garcia and Blinn CC defensive end Tralund Webber.

The name everyone should be familiar with is Fort Scott CC defensive tackle Walvenski Aime, who will be visiting this weekend. Aime has a good relationship with Coach Anderson, but more coaches have joined in recruiting him, so the staff is really putting in the work to get him. From talking to him recently, I'll say that he loves Kentucky though, and really felt like he'd commit there based off our conversation. Aime was originally a Miami commit, and he told me that he felt pressured by his family to commit to Miami, which is why he later decommitted. He's also talking to Louisville a lot. A great visit this weekend will go a long ways with Aime, but I've felt as if Kentucky has been the leader since my first interview with him in early June.
Really, the only other defensive tackle with an offer that was being recruited as of the last war room was Cedrick Lattimore, but he told me he hasn't heard from Minnesota much since the offer. Maybe the staff will make a run at JaQuize Cross, but he seems pretty set on Kentucky. Miami commit Josh Uche also told me that he hasn't heard from Minnesota in a while.
The defensive tackle without an offer to know is Lake Marion (SC) 5.7 three-star defensive tackle Jabari Ellis. His profile lists offers from Georgia Southern, Miami, South Carolina State, and Western Carolina, although I don't think the Miami offer is committable. Ellis has been talking with the staff every week, so maybe an offer comes soon, given the lack of freshman DT targets. You can watch his Hudl here.

There are more targets at defensive end than defensive tackle, headlined by Terrell Lucas and Zo Bridges.

Last war room, I wrote that Terrell Lucas hadn't heard from Minnesota a whole ton, and Minnesota was at least third behind Michigan and Syracuse. When I talked to him earlier this month, he didn't mention Michigan or Syracuse once and instead said that Minnesota was recruiting him the hardest. A limiting factor here is that he wants to stay close to home, so a local power five could potentially steal Lucas, but for now, Lucas should be a recruit Gopher fans are very familiar with. He plans to make a summer decision.
Zo Bridges is a major priority for the staff, and in June he told GI that he plans to make a summer decision. I doubt that happens, as his only two power five offers right now are from Minnesota and Kentucky, neither of which he's visited. I'd expect Bridges to be up in Minneapolis for an official sometime this fall.
As recent as two weeks ago, Terrance Corbett told GI that Minnesota was his leader and that wanted to take a September official visit, but yesterday committed to Troy. I had some reason to believe that the staff may have been slow-playing him a bit, as I commented in a thread a couple weeks ago. However, if the staff doesn't want Corbett's recruitment to be over, I don't think it will be over. Terrance told me that he'd be open to taking an official in the fall.
The JUCO offers at defensive end are Tramal Ivy and Joe Henderson, neither of whom are answering calls from anyone in the media, but I think that we can forget about both now that Tralund Webber is committed.

The list of new defensive end names is long:

I'll start out with McComb (MS) strongside DE KaDerrion Mason. He told me that he and Sawvel talk almost everyday, and that they're working to set up an official right now. Mason holds offers from Cal, Mississippi State, West Virginia, and some smaller schools. An offer could certainly come from Minnesota too, considering the need for defensive ends this class. I haven't seen his film yet, but at 6'5" 250, maybe he could bulk up and become a defensive tackle too. Hudl
Next is Zack Gilbert, a 6-foot, 241 pound three star from the Charlotte area. Gilbert's profile lists power five offers from Boston College, Cal, Duke, Florida, Kansas State, North Carolina, Pitt, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and West Virginia. Gilbert has been talking with Phelps recently, and said he's interested in Minnesota. He's trying to set up a road trip "way out west" and by way out west he means Kansas and Minnesota. Gilbert told me that Virginia Tech and Pitt are his top two, and that he could be making a decision as soon as this weekend if he enjoys his visit to Virginia Tech. But the fact that he's saying that he'd still like to visit Minnesota shows that there's some mutual interest. Definitely a recruit to remember moving forward. Hudl
I'd think that the next tier is Bryson Young and Malcolm Roach. Young heard from the staff as recently as earlier this month. He's from the Fresno area, which is interesting because it seems like the staff has completely forgone California to focus their efforts elsewhere. Roach is from Baton Rouge, and he's been in contact some with Sawvel. I'd imagine that if the Gophers want to be a serious contender for either, we'll see the staff make a move soon, as both have several power five offers already. You can watch Young's Hudl here and Roach's here.
The last defensive end I'll mention is Troy commit Griffin Gentry of Homewood (AL). Gentry heard from Minnesota early this summer, but there hasn't been consistent contact since. Gentry doesn't hold any power five offers, and maybe he's a guy that could be an option late in the process if others don't pan out, as right now all other "plan B" DE targets have power five offers. Hudl

Linebackers
Thomas Barber and Carter Coughlin are the two linebacker commits right now, and I'd expect there to be one or two more by Signing Day. There's already quite a bit of depth at linebacker -- Celestin, Dixon, Weber, Poock, Williams, and Wipson will all just be sophomores this fall. But there were only two scholarship linebackers last class, and by the time the 2016 class are redshirt freshman, the large group of sophomore linebackers will be seniors.

The two main linebacker targets to know are Brock Miller and Andre Polk, both from Florida.

Brock Miller put Minnesota in his top eight along with Mississippi State, Kentucky, Cal, Boise State, Virginia Tech, and Virginia, but all of those programs were on him longer than Minnesota. Miller will be committing tomorrow, and from talking to those around the Rivals network, it sounds like the decision will either be Kentucky or Virginia Tech. Miller I'm sure is being swarmed by reporters now, but after he makes a commitment, I'll ask if he'll still consider visiting Minnesota in the fall because he's said he'd like to before.
At 6'2" 190, Andre Polk is small, but he's athletic and a major target for this staff after Claeys saw him live this spring. His other power five offers are from Iowa State and Louisville, but has yet to visit either. Polk plans to commit in the fall, and I'd expect him to set up an official visit pretty soon. Minnesota is sitting very well here.

With two commits and very strong interest from Polk, Gopher fans shouldn't be sweating about this 2016 linebacker class, but here are some more names that have garnered interest:

The main name to know is Johnathan Picone, a Texas Tech commit from Louisiana. Despite his Texas Tech commitment, his recruitment is still pretty open, and he plans on taking all five official visits. He said Minnesota and Arizona State were the two schools he was talking the most to. Sawvel has been his contact. Hudl
Price Morgan is an outside linebacker from Lawrence, Kansas who had originally planned to be at the Emporia State camp, but decided not to because he wasn't going to be able to make it the full day and wanted a full day in front of the Minnesota coaches. Morgan said that he's heard from the staff a decent amount and that they'll be keeping a close eye on him this fall. Hudl
Jaceiry Linzer of Louisiana could potentially play either linebacker spot and is a guy that Sawvel has been in touch with weekly. Linzer doesn't plan to make a decision until the winter and he doesn't hold any offers yet, so the staff has plenty of time to make a move on Linzer if they want to. You can watch his Hudl here.
Other names to be aware of are middle linebacker Christion Abercrombie and outside linebacker Jermany Hawkins, both from Georgia. Both are pretty small and hold about a dozen lower-level offers. Hawkins ran an electronic 4.54 at a Nike SPARQ combine, though. Hawkins' Hudl is here, and Abercrombie's is here.

Defensive Backs
Drinking caffeine now to finish this war room. Yes, I took breaks, but this is taking way longer than I expected... I've said four is the magic number at defensive back for a while now, but maybe they take five if they love all five. Elijah Daniels is committed as a safety, while Elisha will be a corner. I think the two spots left are split between a safety and corner. Sawvel has been an animal this year on the recruiting trail, so there are a ton of both corner and safety names to be aware of.

I've said before that I think Minnesota might be the favorite for Simeon Smiley, who right now is committed to South Alabama. He's set to take an official here for the Michigan game on Halloween. Remember, he has a connection with Damarius Travis, so that helps. His other power five offers are from Louisville, Purdue, and Wisconsin. Louisville and Wisconsin I've been told he doesn't have committable offers to. Smiley is also really interested in South Florida, which would be close to home for him. If I had to guess today, I'd say Smiley will be a Gopher.
The next big target is Kiondre Thomas, a Louisiana Tech commit from Arkansas. At 6-feet tall and with a 4.37 40, Thomas has the size and speed of a Sawvel corner. Thomas told me that he hears from Minnesota everyday and will take an official in November. The date isn't set in stone yet, but he'll said he "knows for sure" that he'll be visiting when his season is over. He didn't hesitate to tell me he'll flip if he loves his visit. The only question is if there will still be room for him by then.
I expect Antoine Winfield Jr., to make a decision very soon. He had a great visit here, and told me after the visit that he could make a decision in a couple of days. He didn't end up committing after a couple of days, but texted me that a decision could come "about two weeks" after the visit. Two weeks from the start of his visit would be tomorrow, so unless he changed his mind (which could certainly happen), a decision will be coming soon. As of right now, I fully expect him to be a Gopher. He named Minnesota his leader and hasn't set up any more visits.
Kentucky commit Tobias Gilliam is still hearing from the staff quite a bit, but told me that he doesn't have an official set up yet.
Geismar (LA) corner Coney Durr has built up a great relationship with Sawvel, as the two have been in touch for quite some time. I believe that Minnesota currently leads for Durr, with Kansas State as a close second. He's told me before that location will play a small factor for him, and after he recently had a couple family members pass away, location could play an even bigger factor for him. I do think he likes Minnesota the most, but it's hard to say where his recruitment will go from here. I'm sure his mind isn't on recruiting at the moment. He plans to make a decision in the winter. You can read my article on him from two weeks ago here.
Here's a new name who's claiming an offer: Darrius Vukobradovich from Southern California. Darrius told me that he's hearing twice a week from Claeys and Sawvel. They wanted him to come up for the BBQ, but he was unable to. He's planning to take an official, though. He gave me a top five of Arizona State, Minnesota, UCLA, Purdue, and Oregon State. You can watch his Hudl here.
Tony Butler, who recently decommitted from Pitt, isn't hearing from Minnesota once as much as he once was. He told me a lot of great things about Minnesota and being in constant contact with Sawvel, but he recently told the Arizona State Rivals writer that his shortlist is now Michigan, Maryland, Rutgers, Arizona State, and Pitt. That makes sense because he told me he was going to have to choose between Minnesota and Maryland for his fifth official visit, and I guess Maryland got the nod. Not that they need to be in on more corners, but I wouldn't be surprised if Butler still hears from Minnesota moving forward.

There are a couple guys Sawvel has kept in touch with for the highly unprobable scenario in which none of the corners above pan out:

Toledo commit Justin Clark told me he's hearing from Minnesota at least once a week, and he's also hearing a lot from Pitt, who he thinks is actually closer to offering. Clark kind of made a reservation commitment to Toledo, and will be revisiting his recruitment when his season is over, so that gives the Gophers plenty of time to figure out who they want at corner. A visit hasn't been talked about yet. Clark goes to West Bloomfield in Michigan, which I think plays in the same conference as Southfield, which was Dior Johnson and Ray Buford's old stomping grounds. Clark's Hudl is here.
Houston commit Nygel King told me he's hearing from Sawvel fairly regularly. He's well aware of Sawvel's success producing corners and said he'd be very interested if Minnesota were to offer. You can watch his Hudl here.

Safety has a few less names that the staff is definitely in on, but part of that is because the recruit they really want is a local.

Tyler Johnson is the big target here, although he could also end up as a corner. Tyler is definitely taking his time with his recruitment and will take officials this fall. I still believe Minnesota is the favorite, and I don't see that changing soon. Josh recently spoke with Tyler here.
Sawvel was late to join four star Collin Wilder's recruitment, but is trying to make up ground now. Wilder plans to take an official after his high school season's over. That's big news as before, Minnesota was the seventh or eighth school he'd list. I'd still be somewhat surprised if they flip Wilder from Houston, though.
Louisiana-Lafayette commit Edward Hayes told me that he's had some contact with Sawvel since committing to Lafayette but not much. Then later in the interview he went on to tell me that they've talked about a September official visit and that Minnesota might be the best fit for him after all. So what I make from Hayes recruitment is that it's not over if Sawvel doesn't want it to be, but right now the top priority seems to be Tyler Johnson.
Olathe North (KS) safety Isaiah Simmons remains a mystery to me. I talked to him once, and he said that Minnesota was talking to him, but not as much as other regional schools. The only two visits he took this summer were to Oklahoma State and Arkansas, and I think he may have observed the Emporia State/Minnesota camp. Simmons doesn't plan to make a decision for a while, so Minnesota has time here to make a push for Simmons if they want him.
Largo (FL) free safety Brandon Simmons put Minnesota in his top ten, if that's worth anything. He holds seven power five offers right now, and has visits officials set up to Miami and Iowa. Simmons isn't talking to media, so the biggest indicator of interest will be setting up an official to Minnesota.
Texas State commit Desmon Smith told me that he hasn't heard from Minnesota much since his commitment.

There's a long list of unoffered safeties that Sawvel is talking to in case no one above works out. Sawvel's really been a monster this recruiting cycle and seems to have all bases covered.

Nearly every unoffered safety target is from Alabama, and the list starts with Daniel Thomas of Montgomery. He told me that he hears from Sawvel "everyday." Thomas really wanted to camp here but couldn't make it because of the money. He told me that Minnesota is the school talking to him the most other than Middle Tennessee State, which is his only offer. You can watch his Hudl here.
Next up is Jacqez Payton from Georgiana, Alabama who told me that he hears from Sawvel every two days. Payton doesn't plan to commit until November or December, so Minnesota has plenty of time to keep evaluating him. Payton is a playmaker, and you can watch his highlights here.
Kyle Harrell from Calera, Alabama who told me that Minnesota was talking to him a lot. Sawvel has developed a good relationship with Harrell, who holds offers from Alabama A&M and Army. His Hudl highlights are here.
Darius King from Phenix City, Alabama heard from Sawvel weekly earlier this summer but interest has since backed off a little bit. King told me that he still hears from Minnesota ocassionally. His lone offer is from Alabama State.
Sawvel has kept tabs with Charlotte commit Ernest Kenty from Birmingham, but not quite as in-depth as Thomas or Harrell. You can watch Kenty's Hudl here.

counselor56065 · Jul 29, 2015