National Signing Day
by GopherNation on Feb 4, 2009 9:30 AM CST
in Recruiting - Football
32 comments
This is national signing day. Below is an UNOFFICIAL list of the players that we fully expect to officially sign to a letter of intent. As the day goes on I will update any new names or if anybody comes off the list.
| Pos | Player | Home | Rivals Rank | Scout Rank | ESPN Rating | Status |
| WR | Hayo Carpenter (JUCO) | CA | 4 | 5 | n/a | signed |
| RB | Hasan Lipscomb | TX | 4 | 3 | 76 | signed |
| QB | Moses Alipate | Minn | 3 | 3 | 81 | signed |
| ATH | Bryant Allen | MO | 3 | 3 | 79 | signed |
| OL | Josh Campion | Minn | 3 | 3 | 40 | signed |
| DE | Matt Garin | Minn | 3 | 4 | 78 | signed |
| ATH | Kendal Gregory-McGhee | CO | 3 | 3 | 78 | signed |
| TE | Ra'shede Hageman | Minn | 3 | 4 | 79 | signed |
| DB | Kerry Lewis | TX | 3 | 3 | 79 | signed |
| DT | Joey Searcy | TX | 3 | 2 | 74 | signed |
| WR | Victor Keise | FL | 3 | 2 | 74 | signed |
| OL | Ed Olson | Minn | 3 | 3 | 73 | signed |
| LB | Brent Singleton | FL | 3 | 3 | 77 | signed |
| DB | Kenneth Watkins | MI | 3 | 2 | 77 | signed |
| OL | Brooks Michel | IN | 3 | 72 | signed | |
| OT | Jeff Wills (JUCO) | PA | 3 | 2 | n/a | signed |
| ATH | Nike Rengel | Minn | 2 | 2 | 76 | signed |
| K | Dan Orseske | Chicago | 2 | 2 | 75 | signed |
| CB | Michael Carter (late switch) |
FL | 4 | 3 | 79 |
signed |
| OG | Eric Jacques (late aditn) |
FL | 3 | 40 | signed |
Today doesn't have the same thrill that it did a year ago when Brewster was signing a consensus top 25 recruiting class that had Gopher fans awfully excited. We were getting signatures from seven 4-star kids and a deep class that on paper was without question the best in Gopher history. This year we are lacking the top end names and some are less than thrilled with this recruiting class. In one sense this is accurate. 2008's class was incredibly top-heavy landing certain caliber players that we were not used to signing. 2009's 18 likely signees has a very different flavor, it will not be ranked and it will not have the buzz that surrounded 2008.
But just because it is not as sexy as last year does not mean this is class is "bad" or "weak" or even "as good as your average Mason class." On paper it is still very good, just not great. I'm not going to comment on all of them but here are my thoughts...
- Brewster did a much better job landing Minnesota kids. We missed out on WR-Bryce McNeal but after him Brewster was able to land every kid he made an offer to. This was very different from a year ago where we had a great overall class but were unable to keep four of the top five in state kids. This year? We are keeping five of the top six. This is much better.
- This is a need based class. Take a look at our current roster, we are very young at nearly every position. But we do have some needs. Another threat at WR, someone talented enough to step up and grab the tailback position, offensive line and athleticism. A lineman heavy class is not sexy but the four offensive linemen, a TE or two and at least two defensive linemen are necessary for future depth and potentially major contributors.
- Fewer JUCOs is a good thing. We received a nice boost of talent with our JUCOs last year but the lifeblood of a program are the high school recruits. This year we are brining in just two JUCOs at key positions. This really is the way to take care of it building your program.
- You may see one of these guys playing at The Barn next year. Bryant Allen is a candidate for Mr. Basketball in Missouri this year and by all accounts this speedy PG will play for Tubby next season. A two-for-one and some walk on depth at PG for a hoops team that will be making a deep NCAA Tournament run next year! :)
- Pipelines are forming. Three more Texas recruits and four from Florida in this class. Brewster is making headway into the states where the talent pool is deepest. Not all will pan out but landing seven kids from TX/FL is usually better than landing seven kids from Iowa and Wisconsin. If Brewster can get a third of his class from Minnesota, a third from TX/FL/CA and a third sprinkled from around the country that should be a solid formula for building a team with deeper talent.
There will be dozens of websites with info on National Signing Day, I'll do my best to keep things up to date as soon as I hear anything concrete. There is a U of MN press conference at 3:00 so by then we should have a complete list of who has signed.
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"A lineman heavy class is not sexy"
While it may not be sexy, it is our biggest need.
So far, I am very impressed with Brewster. He has made efforts to fix things that are broken with personnel (assistant coaches), system, and positional needs. It is clear he understands what we do.
Sexy ain't the most important thing.
You can hold a conversation with the fat kids, and they have great personalities. That means a lot, long term.
by WhiteSpeedReceiver on Feb 4, 2009 10:36 AM CST up reply actions
I still don't know how...
Brewster gets these kids to come to Minnesota after the end of the season breakdown last year. He’s more of a “miracle worker” than Obama.
Solid class
I knew due to the youth of our team it would be hard to get lots of great players like we did last year… Getting Carter last minute was huge. You can tell we filled needs (OL, Punter) and added depth.
Next year is different – we need another top 25 class next year because there may be more positions up for grabs or available with JUCOS leaving after their two years and some seniors (Decker, Sherels) finishing their eligibility. So to me the 2010 class will be the key indicator to Brewster’s true long-term recruiting ability. I don’t think there is any doubt he is a better recruiter than Mason… Mason had Ohio, but he could never keep top players from MN.
Better than Mason
Shouldn’t be the measuring stick though. Everyone knows we need better recruting to ever make it out of the middle tier. Plus who cares whether he’s better than Mason. In the end he needs to be better than Bielema, Zook, Ferentz … :)
Visit my D2 Baseball Blog - Northern Sun Baseball
Good luck...
….being better than Zook. He basically recruited the 2007 Florida national championship team.
I agree the Mason comparisons need to stop
from both sides. This is a “down” year from last year but still better than anything Mason ever brought in. But you are right that needs to stop and I did my best to avoid comparing.
And he did out-recruit the Zooker last year. Brewster has had a significant role in recruiting a national championship team as well (Vince Young anyone?).
what you say here can, and will, be used against you
by GopherNation on Feb 4, 2009 12:04 PM CST up reply actions
The 2009 season
…is the key to Brewster’s future success. The contract extension talk has stopped, and so far he has 1-11 and 7-6 with an implosion on his resume. We can’t point to a track record of turning around programs because, he has none. So, his new hires have to work out in 2009.
If the worst case happens and Minnesota goes 4-8 next year, how likely are top recruits like the CDH kid and others going to stick around and play at Minnesota? I’m not so sure. And, if Brewster was brought in specifically to recruit and he can’t get it done, well, I don’t know why Maturi wouldn’t hire an experienced head coach (Patterson, Brady Hoke, Brian Kelly) and have Brewster be recruiting coordinator.
Most Important Recruit
The most important recruit is also the lowest rated recruit. Orseske is the only guy who is guaranteed to start next year.
Laughable
Calling a K/P the best recruit? As far as the 2009 season, Carpenter is the most important, and it’s not even close.
Long term? Either Carter or Hageman.
Keep laughing.
Ohio State won a national title in 2003 largely because they had a stud running back, a great field goal kicker (Nugent), and a fantastic punter who placed the opposing team in repeated terrible field position, thereby giving OSU’s defense a terrific advantage.
The downgrade of kickers and punters by the average fan is ridiculous. Having a good kicker and punter can give your team at least 2 – 3 wins a year.
Remember San Diego’s win against Indy in the playoffs this year? It was because of Sproles…..and their punter, who pinned Indy in their own territory all game long.
Last Year Had More High-End Talent?
How many of them (7) 4-stars helped us this year. answer 2 (Simmons, Green)
May help us this year: (Maresh, Cooper, Gray)
Academic Casualties: (Hill)
Non Factor: (Pittman)
Lawrence, Edwards, Brock, Eskridge, and Stoudermire were 3 stars or lower, same as this year’s class.
that is misleading though
Brock and Lawrence were older players who were more ready to play at the B10 level, Eskridge only played because of Bennet’s injury, and Stoudermire contributed but it was special teams. You can’t really judge a class based on how many freshmen contribute. On paper last year’s class had more top level talent than this years. Clearly the ultimate grade we give these recruiting classes is incomplete for a few more years.
what you say here can, and will, be used against you
What about Simmons?
Now who is being misleading? Simmons was a JUCO as well and more ready to play, if you throw him out then the only 4-star that had any impact was Green and it wasn’t a major impact. Last year’s class would not have been ranked nearly that high if you only counted the players that actually were on the team last year. I don’t think this year’s class will suffer as many academic casualties and I believe it will be a better overall recruiting class than last year’s when all is said and done. Unfortunately it will take about 4-5 years to find out for sure.
I beg to differ
A punt is a key play in a football game. Suppose Hayo screws up on 30% of his plays and runs the wrong route or drops the ball. Then, also suppose Orseske shanks or gets his punt blocked on 30% of his punts. What would have the bigger impact on the game?
Also...
For a pass play to be a success, Hayo does not necessarily even have to touch the ball. Same thing cannot be said about a punt with Orseske.
Really...
I am sorry but unless this kid has NFL potential, he isn’t going to be a game changer. He is definitely NOT our most important recruit. We could just as well grab a player off of the club rugby team for all I care.
Ridiculous.
See my comment above. We especially need a good punter and kicker now that the controlled indoor environment is gone. I’d enjoy watching the club rugby player trying to kick a 40 yard field goal into a brisk wind.
I didn't mean FG Kicker
I meant punter… and I do believe that unless the guy is a Todd Sauerbrun talent, they aren’t game changers. If this Oreske guy is a Todd Sauerbrun talent, than I will agree with you that he could change games with his foot. I don’t think we should waste scholarships on foot jockeys unless they have some serious skills, that is all I am saying.
Special teams is important...
…but I don’t know how he stacks up against other punters in the recruiting class or to our past punters. Yeah, he will get more playing time right away, but I’m not sure that his INCREMENTAL contributions will be what other players in this year’s class will be. I think that is how we would judge importance.
I am happy that someone is pumped up about the punter, though!
A great punter...
…gets your team out of trouble. Do you remember Todd Sauerbrun from the early 90s? I think he played at West Virginia. I remember a game against Nebraska where he averaged 60 some yards a punt.
You all can discount special “forces” all you want. Winning teams take advantage of field position. Winning teams make field goals. Winning teams play defense on the other team’s 5 yard line because their punter backed the other team up. Winning teams receive punts in the opposing team’s territory.
Watch Ohio State if you want to see a team that wins on field position, defense and putting points up regularly on its possessions. Hopefully that’ll be Minnesota some day.
Special "forces"
I don’t think anyone said even once that special teams is not important. And no, you can’t just put any schlub in either kicking position and expect to do well. However, if you’re hanging your recruiting hat on that “great kicking/punting prospect” you locked down, your program is in deep sh*t.
Who is discounting special teams?
I dont’ think anyone on here has. It certainly is important.
I’m just saying that a two start punter is probably not our “most important recruit”. Admittedly, I don’t know anything about the kid, but I’m willing to bet that the incremental value over Kucek is not as great as some of the other players compared to what we currently have ont he squad. Nor do I think that this kid is any better than the average punter signed by the aggregate of all D1 football teams.
If you have any information that offers evidence of this kid being the second coming of Ray Guy, I would love to see it.
That being said, I hope he is and I wish him well. I’m just hoping our other recruits limit the amount of times he actually has to take the field.
Orseske fills a position of need
but lets not get carried away here. I’ll even give 50/50 odds that a walkon who has been with the team a year or two will be the first string punter next year.
what you say here can, and will, be used against you
me too
that was a great steal. He may never be a major contributor but we can say that about any recruit for any school. On paper he is a highly rate player at a position of great need. From day one I wanted to see a highly ranked DB who could step in when Simmons/Sherels graduate, Carter has delivered for me.
what you say here can, and will, be used against you
Just found out about Carter: not gonna lie..
I think I just pissed my pants a little…
"If we got to we're going to crawl in this locker room. And on our back is going to be an axe..."
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