Friday Randomness Talks Brewster's Recruiting

Grandpa Sid Hartman had an interesting tidbit in his column this week on Tim Brewster's hyped 2008 recruiting class.

The big question about the Gophers football team's highly ranked recruiting class is how many of the players haven't passed their entrance tests or don't have the credits to gain admission to the university. The scholarships given to recruits include money for enrolling in summer school. Some people, who should be in the know, report that coach Tim Brewster is not happy with some of the decisions that the school's admissions office could make. More than a couple of
the top recruits might not be admitted.

That's the first indication that Tim Brewster's top-20 national class might not be all he's spun it to be. On its face it is impressive that Brewster was able to lure as much talent as he did to Minnesota after a 1-11 season. But, as Papa Sid reports, this recruiting class might well take a step or two backward before the first game is played this fall.

I'm no expert on college football recruiting and on the kinds of things that are offered to these kids (like money for summer school), but it would seem to me that doing such a thing is a measure taken by a coaching staff or administration that values winning way too highly above academics. Didn't Brewster learn anything from the Harold Howell experiment? Every other college passed on Howell because of academics (and also probably because his football skills were poor) but Brewster bit at the opportunity to bring in an athlete despite academic issues. The result? Howell struggled on the field before being unceremoniously booted for academic reasons.

So, the question is who is this year's Howell?

*** So, the SEC is considering starting its own network. You didn't see much ranting here against the Big Ten Network, because living out in Northern Virginia and having DirecTV, I absolutely loved having it. I was able to watch every Gophers basketball game. How sweet that was.

But for the blog Coaches Hot Seat to opine about how grand the BTN was, well, they obviously weren't paying that close of attention. Basically, I'm nitpicking' here as much of the rest of the piece is spot on. But here's the' line that I couldn't help but add my two cents on.

Overall the Big Ten network programming is very well done, and the studio shows and play-by-play/color commentators are practically network/ESPN quality

Yeah, um, the production on the BTN, the commentators, the color analysts, the booth guys especially, were close to downright horrible. Gene Keady, while aesthetically pleasing, is not cutout to do booth work or color commentary. Gary DiNardo and Howard Griffith? I couldn't stand to watch them, and I don't think I was alone.

*** Highschoolhoops.com ranks Royce White as the #2 small forward in the 2009 recruiting class. Of the Minnesota commit, the Web site states: "White is one of those rare players who mixes superior talent with hustling. The Minnesota bound forward also finishes around the basket with ease." That sounds good to me.

*** If you weren't aware, Minnesota AD Joel Maturi seems to be a prospect to fill the same position at Notre Dame. Maturi has only stated (that I've seen) that he's happy at Minnesota. But one has to think an opportunity to go to his alma mater would be appealing. Goldhelmet.com did a rundown of ND AD candidates and listed the good and bad on Maturi. On the good side was his effective lobbying to get the football stadium passed and his hiring of the late Terry Hoeppner when Maturi was at Miami (Ohio). The bad? You guessed it, the "questionable" hiring of Tim Brewster.

Your New Gophers: Brandon Green

PJS Note: In an effort to prepare you for the myriad new faces on Tim Brewster's 2008 Golden Gophers, we're going to methodically brief you on each newcomer. To Brewster's credit the Gophers compiled their best recruiting class in recent memory (17th best in the country by Rivals' rankings).

Your New Gophers: Brandon Green

Probably the most hyped wide receiver in Tim Brewster's Class of 2008, Brandon Green picked Minnesota over his home-state school Illinois, as well as Wisconsin, West Virginia and most every other Big Ten school, except the one he really wanted to attend.

Growing up, Green reportedly rooted for the Ohio State Buckeyes. And in this Rivals interview, Green openly admitted he wanted an offer from the Buckeyes. It never came, and the Chicago Robeson, 4-star wideout will now have a chance to compete against his boyhood team when he suits up for Tim Brewster and the Golden Gophers this fall.

Green's decision to come to Minnesota seemed to be swayed by two things. First was playing time. He told the Chicago Tribune that had he attended Illinois he likely would have been redshirted and would have had to battle other wide receivers for playing time. At Minnesota? Green said, "Tim Brewster said I would have a chance to start right away. That had a big impact because I didn’t want to red-shirt my freshman year. It looks like they could use a little help on offense."

Maybe most importantly, however, was Brewster's willingness (or perhaps desire) to recruit Green's teammate Johnny Johnson. The same Chicago Tribune report indicated that it wasn't a package deal, and even if Green had picked the Illini, for instance, the Gophers still wanted to sign Johnson, a two-star quarterback/defensive back. Johnson would play in the defensive backfield with the Gophers.

To be thorough, Green also indicated he liked the U's diverse campus and its computer graphics program. It is nice to see a heavily recruited college athlete consider academics.

Coming off a 1-11 season, Brewster's sales pitch was obviously important. While Green isn't considered the premiere talent that someone like Michael Floyd is, getting a relatively highly coveted wideout from your conference foes was somewhat of a coup for Brewster. He clearly sold Green on an ability to contribute now and playing time, something West Virginia, Illinois and others couldn't provide.

So, what are are Gophers fans going to see next year? Well, Green could well move into a starting role alongside senior Eric Decker and will almost assuredly battle fellow four-star wideout newcomer Vincent Hill for a chance to see vast minutes on the field. The Gophers were so thin at wideout last season that there is room for both athletes and others.

Green is described by ESPN Insider as "one of the better athletes in this class at wide receiver." He would seem to be the ideal wideout for the spread coast offense Brewster and Mike Dunbar want to install. He's described as a deep threat and an "explosive threat with the ball in his hands after the catch, which is why he is so dangerous on screens and underneath routes." Green is also described as a wideout with good leaping ability, solid hands and a toughness that doesn't preclude him from running routes over the middle.

That last trait, speculates ESPN Insider, might make Green a prototypical slot receiver. He also could see time at punt returner, given that Harold Howell has been recently dismissed from the Gophers.

Essentials: Height: 6'0

Weight: 160-185 pounds

Position: Wide Receiver

High School: Chicago Robeson

Eligibility: Freshman

Rivals Ratings: 4-stars, #6 rated player in Illinois, #39 wide receiver nationally

Your New Gophers: Vincent Hill

PJS Note: In an effort to prepare you for the myriad new faces on Tim Brewster's 2008 Golden Gophers, we're going to methodically brief you on each newcomer. To Brewster's credit the Gophers compiled their best recruiting class in recent memory (17th best in the country by Rivals' rankings).

Your New Gophers Wide Receiver: Vincent Hill

If Tim Brewster is going to be successful at Minnesota, and specifically with his desire to install a spread offense, he is going to need play makers at the wide receiver position. While losing Michael Floyd stings, Brewster landed his fair share of talent at the wide receiving position.

Brewster added two Rivals 4-star wide receivers, including Vincent Hill graduated high school in Fort Washington, Md, and subsequently attended Milford Academy Prep in New York. Hill's eligibility will be that of a true freshman, and could be red shirted, but with the dearth of talent at the wide receiver position that is unlikely.

The 5'11", 185 pound wide out was pursued by Syracuse, Temple, Utah, Virginia and Illinois, though it appeared that his two top choices were the Gophers and Illini, both of which offered scholarships. For the Gophers to win a battle with the suddenly tough Illini is a good sign.

In this Rivals article, Hill calls himself a speed guy, stating that before he had knee surgery he ran a 4.35 40. Now he says he's in the low 4.4s. In that same article, Hill indicates the Illini were his favorites at that time. Brewster and wide receiver coach George McDonald began recruiting Hill relatively late in the game but were able to secure a commitment without Hill ever visiting the Minneapolis campus.

While Hill was recruited as a wide receiver, Rivals speculates here that Hill could potentially be used in the defensive backfield, an area where we all know the Gophers desperately need help. We'll know more about this once camp battles begin, but Hill seems to like the idea according to this article.

"One of the things I really liked about Minnesota is that they are going to give me a chance to play both ways. Defense is where I have always played and it is really where my heart is. I pretty much played quarterback on offense up until my sophomore year, but he already had a good quarterback and my coach asked me to be a weapon at receiver. So I have not really been playing receiver for very long. I am really excited that they want to give me a shot to play on both sides of the ball. They have some young guys at corner back who look good, but they still need some help back there and I know that I can do that."

Talent is talent, and if Hill can contribute in the defensive backfield, and he excels there, then maybe he can be a two-way player.

The criticisms of Hill mostly center around his diminutive size. ESPN Insider's take suggests he will need to add bulk, but they suggest "Hill is going to be a serious threat in the vertical passing game and his route-running skills make him very productive all over the field."

With the graduation of the enigmatic Ernie Wheelright and the departure of Tray Herndon, Minnesota's already thin receiving corps needs an infusion of talent. Hill, who is probably still learning the position, is one candidate to give the Gophers increased production in the spread offense.

Brewster's Class Impresses

I'm going to comment more on this in the coming days and weeks, but I will just say this for now: Tim Brewster has put together the highest rated recruiting class the University of Minnesota has witnessed in my lifetime.

I don't know how he did it, coming off a 1-11 season. Surely he told recruits they'd have a chance to make an immediate impact. The new staidum could have been a selling point. Or he could have paid them. Who knows.

Pick any recruiting service and the consensus is clear: Tim Brewster put together a top 25-ish class nationally and a top 3 class in the conference. Considering I was one of those heckling Brewster's penchant for rhetorical insantiy throughout the season, it's only fair that I give him credit now. Well done, coach Brewster.

I'm going to take a look at a few of the top recruits individually when the day job slows down in the weeks to come. But for now, go over to Gopher Nation where Tom does an outstanding job disecting the recruiting class.

Mobley Picks OSU Over Minnesota

Acording to Rivals and the Star Tribune's Chip Scoggins, Eden Prairie's Willie Mobley has decided to play college ball at Ohio State instead of Minnesota.

I'm not incredibly surprised by this. How can we be surprised that a standout football player picks the tradition and legacy of Ohio State over playing football for the Golden Gophers? Tim Brewster or Jim Tressel? Right now, it's not even a comparison.

A few months ago I suggested that Tim Brewster's first big test would be to effectively put that so-called fence up around the state of Minnesota and keep the best Minnesota football prospects home. At the time, I suggested that it'd be a victory if Brewster were able to sign two of the top three Minnesota recruits available at the time: Cretin wideout Michael Floyd, Eden Prairie defensive end Willie Mobley and Cretin offensive lineman Joe Schafer.

Floyd is now committed to Notre Dame. Schafer is now commtted to Wisconsin. And Mobley rounds things out with a decision to play in Columbus. To be fair, I should note that the Gophers did sign linebacker Sam Maresh (as pointed out in the comments) who was ranked by some recruiting services higher than Schafer.

All is certinaly not lost with Brewster's first full recruiting class. Tom at Gopher Nation does a nice job here of going through the kids Brewster has been able to get on board.

I've said repeatedly here that I will be judging Brewster by his success or failures in the recruiting department. And the loss of Mobley doesn't make Brewster's first class a failure. But it certainly isn't a positive when out of the top four or five high school football players in the state you have only been able to land one. That tells me the fence Brewster wants to build still has many, many holes.

Floyd Picks Irish

If the loss to North Dakota State University wasn't painful enough for Gophers fans, news that star recruit Michael Floyd has chosen Notre Dame only puts salt on our fresh wounds.

The Star Tribune reports here that Floyd committed to the Irish after visiting this weekend.

As far as recruiting goes, the loss of Floyd isn't completely devastating. The Gophers were able to get 4-star wide receiver Brandon Green to committ recently. While the addition of Floyd would have been fantastic, grabbing Green should help Brewster fill out a receiving corps. Floyd was ranked as the 11th best receiver in the nation by Rivals, while Green was ranked as #39. So, Floyd was clearly the bigger get here, but these rankings are always at least somewhat subjective.

But the loss of Floyd hurts far more symbolically. Brewster came into Minnesota talking a very big game, especially in the recruiting department. He grabbed headlines by touring the state, apparently in an effort to ensure the local kids stay home. Losing the most high profile Minnesota recruit in your first recruiting season isn't going to get restless fans back on the bandwagon. Overall, this is a damaging development for Brewster public relations wise, and he'll need to prove that he can successfully recruit now that the Gophers are at the tail-end of their worst season in recent memory.

Filed In the Unfortunate News Department ...

Highly coveted Cretin Derham Hall wide receiver Michael Floyd doesn't have the Golden Gophers in the top echelon of schools he is considering to attend in 2008.

According to this article from Gator Country, Floyd lists Florida, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Michigan as the leaders in the quest to land the Minnesota standout. He told the publication what stood out to him about those four traditional football powerhouses.

Notre Dame- “They throw the ball and I like Coach Weis. He’s a cool guy.”

Ohio State- “I like all their coaches up there. They’re all really cool.”

Michigan- “Their wide receivers coach is real cool. I know a lot of guys that are on campus and they’re great people.”

Florida- “I haven’t been there yet, but I know they want to win. They’re only looking for the best players to do that. Their goal every year is a championship.”

It's hard to fault a kid for looking real hard at playing for these four schools. All of us rooting for the Gophers would love to see him suit up in the new spread offense in TCF Bank Stadium. But unless TIm Brewster pulls off a big upset, the propsects of Floyd staying home, and helping to resurrect the program, are beginning to look bleak.

UPDATE: The Pioneer Press weighed in this afternoon after talking with Floyd. Apparently Floyd soured on Minnesota somewhat after a recent unofficial visit. He also told the paper Minnesota is in his second tier of candidates with Iowa and Wisconsin. Here's an interesting line from the PiPress article. I'm not exactly sure what to make of it.

Expressing concern about the "atmosphere" and about the talent level of the defensive backs who would challenge him in practice at Minnesota, Floyd told the Pioneer Press today that his top four choices are Florida, Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State.
...
Floyd, who also took unofficial visits last month to Wisconsin, Michigan, Notre Dame and Ohio State, said, "It was just so different when I went to those places. It wasn't what I expected at the U. I didn't like some of the people I met. Some people said they really wanted me to come. Other people I met just seem to be saying it."

Brewster Lands Texas Tight End

Football coach Tim Brewster took a step forward in his 2008 recruiting class, landing Houston Lamar High School tight end Eric Lair, a three-star player and the No. 36 player at his position in the country according to Rivals.

In landing Lair, the Gophers outworked Oklahoma, Baylor, Oklahoma State and Nebraska, among others, according to Rivals.

Lair is 6'3, 215 pounds and can run a 4.46 40, which makes him perhaps a nice fit for Mike Dunbar's spread offense.

The Rivals article, which is subscription only, includes among other good tidbits this quote from Lair's high school coach.

... He is a big kid who can split out and create some mismatches in the passing game. He is also a very strong kid who can put his hand down on the ground and block for you. I believe he bench pressed 185 pounds 25 times and can max out at 320 pounds."

"I think Eric's game will be something that the Big Ten is naïve to, besides maybe Purdue, in that they will be splitting out some bigger guys to create those mismatches with linebackers and corners.

This seems to be good news for Brewster and his coaching staff. A tight end who can operate in the open field would be a welcome addition to the spread offense, especially with the reasonable concerns about the squad's lack of depth at the receiver position.

This is the first good recruiting news in a few weeks. A couple weeks ago we saw the first coveted Minnesota recruit in the Brewster era, Joe Schafer, leave the state. He picked Wisconsin over Minnesota. And we saw Matt Scott, a three-star dual-threat quarterback decide on Arizona over Minnesota.

The Lair verbal comes as somewhat of a surprise, considering the recruit has never visited campus. But it's a pleasant surprise.

Bucky Wins A Battle; First Bad News For Brewster

First it was Matt Scott, a dual-threat quarterback out of California that Tim Brewster and Mike Dunbar were recruiting to come play Gopher football. Scott, while he said great things about Minnesota, picked Arizona. Now, Cretin-Derham Hall's Joe Schafer opted against suiting up for the fiery Brewster. His choice is more troubling: Wisconsin.

Schafer is ranked as the 4th best player in Minnnesota's class of 2008, according to Rivals, and is a 6-5 265-pound offensive lineman, ranked as the No. 38 OT prospect in the country. Rivals has it's write-up here ($). The Schafer-to-Wisconsin news is bad for Minnesota football and ends Brewster's aim to keep every Minnesota kid home.

While that may have been an impossible goal, fans were expecting Brewster to at least bring home the state's top prospects. A recent Associated Press article highlighted Brewster's expectations.

In May, Brewster and his assistant coaches made sure one of them stopped by each of the state's nearly 400 high schools. Brewster personally visited more than 100.

"If a kid is deciding between Wisconsin and Minnesota, I expect the high-school coach to step in and help us get that kid ..."

Recruiting, after all, was supposed to be Brewster's strong suit. And, while the loss of Schafer isn't enough to argue Brewster isn't living up to the hype, it's a discouraging development. Schafer is the first in-state recruit that Brewster wanted who decided to go elsewhere, never mind to a school that has harvested Minnesota talent for too long. Hopefully the Schafer committment is a one-time fluke, and not a trend.

The decision of Scott to attend Arizona is troubling in a different way. He was the quarterback that new offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar was trying to land. An Arizona Daily Star article suggests that Minnesota was the toughest competition in landing Scott, and compares Scott's style at quarterback to Vince Young. While there has been no word from Scott about why he picked Arizona after gushing about Minnesota, there is an obvious reason.

Perhaps the biggest coup for Minnesota in the Brewster hiring, was that son Clint, a 4-star QB who was headed to Illinois, decided to follow his father. Clint Brewster could very well compete this year with Tony Mortensen and Adam Weber. Time will tell, but it would seem that recruiting quarterbacks might be difficult for Brewster until it is proven that the field will be even for playing time.

If Minnesota has trouble landing quarterback prospects during the next two years, it will be in part because of Clint Brewster's presence.

Tim Brewster's 2008 recruiting class has been strong. But it's far from over. The loss of Schafer and Scott don't doom Brewster. While we can forgive the loss of a California quarterback, losing many more Minnesota kids to the next door neighbor will be harder to swallow. Brewster's first test was to deliver the top three Minnesota players. Schafer, Michael Floyd and Wllie Mobley. Two-for-three wouldn't be bad.

Brewster's First Test

The best public relations man in Minnesota, new Gophers coach Tim Brewster, is playing host this week to the state's top high school talent, as well as a smattering of athletes from around the country.

This is a big deal for Brewster, who has a chance to take his 2008 recruiting class up several notches. I've discussed previously that Brewster already has caught the eye of some recruiting analysts for his work in landing Sam Maresh, Kevan Walker and others. But much work is yet to be done.

With words, energy and a smile, Brewster seems to have convinced Gopher football fans that he is the man to take the team to higher levels. He's done this despite a total lack of big-time coaching experience (Denver Broncos tight ends coach, Texas/North Carolina recruiting ace). Eventually, Brewster will be judged on his performance. And the Class of 2008 will be his first test. Succeeding will depend a lot on keeping the local talent home.

Three Minnesota standouts--Cretin Deram Hall's Michael Floyd and Joe Shafer and Eden Prairie's Willie Mobley--have been or will be at Brewster's camp. Brewster needs to land two of the three to consider his 2008 class a success. And considering the Gophers are turning to a spread offense under Mike Dunbar, widely recruited wide receiver Floyd needs to anchor that class.

But others are in town too. Father and coach of Rivals 5-star wide receiver Deion Walker of Christchurch, Va. is in town helping out at Brewster's camp. According to Rivals (subscription), the elder Walker is impressed with the facilities and coaching staff. He told Rivals he and his son would be back soon for an unofficial visit. Walker (pictured) is 6-4 and runs a 4.43 40-yard-dash. But while his father says he likes the U, in this Rivals article, the younger Walker doesn't mention Minnesota. Other than Florida schools, the wide receiver says he plans to visit LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, OSU, Colorado, Nebraska, USC, Cal, Oregon, BC, UConn, Michigan, MSU, and Notre Dame.

While the 5-star Walker would be a coup, another high-level wideout plans to be in town as well. Again according to Rivals, which is bar none the best source for Gophers recruiting information, 4-star Robeson, Ill wide receiver Brandon Green is supposed to be in town for this weekend's camp. He's being recruited by every Big Ten school other than Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State and is ranked by Rivals as the 36th best receiver in the class.

There will be others around. Some will be high school kids trying to earn an offer from Brewster. Others will be watching Brewster and his coaching staff to determine if there is substance behind Minnesota's best PR man.

More on the three Minnesota boys:

Joe Shafer:Here is the type of player, while not flashy, that Brewster needs to keep home. At this point, it's pretty much between Minnesota and those pesky Badgers to the east. He's 6-5, 265 and would make a nice pacakage along with classmate Michael Floyd.

Michael Floyd:He's the young man that will immediately be able to make skeptical Gopher fans believe the "Tim Brewster is a recruiting genius rhetoric." Floyd is ranked by Rivals as the 8th best wideout in the coutnry, and he's being treated as such by recruiters. You name a big-time program and they are after Floyd. Florida? Check. Notre Dame? Check. Michigan, Ohio State and Miami? Check. He's more than tall enough, at 6'3, to exploit smaller corners. Make no mistake, Signing Floyd will cement the Gophers in the Top 20 recruiting classes nationwide.

Willie Mobley:This Eden Prairie defensive end may be less heralded than Floyd, but he's equally as important to Minnesota's future. One thing we can all agree on concerning the former regime is that Glen Mason's defense liked to bend and break. No lead was safe against any opponent. Recruits like Mobley, along with 4-star inside linebacker Sam Maresh of Champlin, Minn., who has already committed, will help Brewster turn the defense around. Mobley has some heavyweights--UCLA, Oklahoma and Ohio State--knocking on his door too. But according to Rivals, Mobley has been in constant contact with Minnesota coaches and has been around Brewster's camp this week on a daily basis. That should bode well for Brewster's chances.

Brewster's Recruiting Class Looking Up

College recruiting guru Jim Stefani ranks Tim Brewster's 2008 recruiting class #20 in the nation, next to college football heavyweights such as Virginia Tech, Miami and Texas.

The class, which isn't finished, has gone a long way to demonstrate that Brewster in fact can recruit. The list of recruits includes some well-recruited in-state talent. Brewster has promised to keep the local kids home, and so far, he's doing that. Here's what Stefani wrote about Brewster's first recruiting class.

New head coach Tim Brewster is making an early statement by trying to lock up the in-state talent in an up year for talent in Minnesota. Maresh is the best of the bunch and among the top prospects in the midwest. Kelly has a great frame and runs well. Once he fills out he could be special. Grant is the gandson of former Viking head man Bud Grant.

Landing Maresh was huge, but there are a couple of other huge in-state targets out there in Michael Floyd and Willie Mobley.

1 Sam Maresh LB/DL/TE 6'3 257 4.70 Champlin Park Minnesota

2 Brendan Kelly DL 6'6 222 Richfield Academy of Holy Angels Minnesota

3 John Nance QB/WR/ATH 6'3 165 St. Paul Cretin-Derham Hall Minnesota

4 Shady Salamon RB/DB 5'10 180 St. Paul Cretin-Derham Hall Minnesota

5 Kevan Walker WR/DB/RB 6'1 189 4.50 Arcadia California

6 Ryan Grant QB/DB/LB 6'2 215 Eden Prairie Minnesota

7 Roszell Gayden DL/OL 6'7 240 Cooper Minnesota

Maresh picked Brewster and the Gophers over the likes of Notre Dame, Michigan and Wisconsin. Brewster will have to convince Michael Floyd and Willie Mobley to do the same. Floyd could prove to be the most pivotal challenge for Brewster in his first class of recruits. The local standout wide receiver could go a long way to making the spread offense successful in Minnesota. Floyd, at 6-3, 200, is being recruited by USC, Notre Dame, Ohio State and others. Keeping him home would go a long way to turning around the Gophers football progam.

And Willie Mobley, a 6-3, 265 pound defensive end from Eden Prairie, will be another challenge for Brewster. While he's less hyped locally, Mobley is being pursued by Oklahoma, UCLA and Ohio State, among others. If Brewster can keep both local athletes home, the Gophers will climb up the the 2008 recruiting charts.

There was some worrisome news reported in Sid Hartman's column today. It noted that recruit Kevan Walker from California is considering backing out of his committment to the U.

Kevin Walker, the son of former Gophers defensive back DeWayne Walker, the defensive coordinator at UCLA, apparently still is sticking to his Minnesota commitment, although he told Gopher Illustrated.com that he had received an offer from UCLA and that he could be interested if San Diego State offered him a scholarship because if would give him a chance to play close to home.

Rivals.com, however, which requires a subscription, suggests Walker is comfortable with his choice to follow in his father's footsteps and play at the U. Walker, another star wide receiver, would look nice along side Floyd in 2009, with Clint Brewster tossing them the ball, don't you think?