And the winner of the Seantrel Henderson Sweepstakes IS...
by GopherNation on Feb 3, 2010 4:33 PM CST
in Recruiting - Football
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PrintAfter months of unofficial visits, official visits, phone calls, texts, interviews, rumors and speculation; the nation's top player (or really close to it) has finally make his decision.
Seanrel Henderson is going to attend...
USC
Apparently the draw of southern California, the Kiffins and Ed Orgeron were too much to pass up for the Hendersons. From a Minnesota perspective this is disappointing but who can blame a kid for wanting to be a Trojan and live in LA. Hopefully someday soon that attitude will cease and desist but for now it is the reality we face. The other "silver" lining in this is that Henderson did not choose to go to another Big Ten school (Ohio State). Good luck Seantrel.
"I just felt I was the most comfortable at USC. They had a great recruiting class coming in so they have a lot of players that's going to be around me."
Was there a second place school? "Yes there was a second place school, it was Ohio State."
Conquest Chronicles - USC SBN Blog for reactions - no Henderson story up, he's part of a great class; but not the story of the class.
NY Time story on the USC commitment
LA Times article...? nothing up yet. Henderson isn't the story in that town at this point.
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I don't get it
if I was choosing and didn’t choose Minnesota, it would have been ND or OH ST.
USC would have been last. Lane Kiffin is a moron.
"they're calling insane hogs???"
Cash and Cars
“Who can blame a kid for wanting to be a Trojan make some money and live in L.A. have an amazing car “lent” to him."
/Fixed
It's fun that we can always count on MN sports
to disappoint us even when they aren’t in season…
My only question is
who is he hoping will be the coach in 2 years? It’s not like Kiffin will still be there.
It never gets to be easy
The big name MN recruit gets away again.
Can’t blame the kid at all though. Good luck to him.
Maroon and Gold Headquarters: The Daily Gopher
Fine. You take the high road. But I’m blaming kids like him for our school’s lack of competitiveness for the past 50 years. Where is his state pride? If he’d rather go strengthen the Yankees of college football, that really shows some great character (sarcasm). I refuse to support him and his journey through life conveyor belt to the NFL.
It's not the Kid
Its the moron head coach…You do every thing you can to get the #1 recruit in your state to sign with your school..same thing happened with Michael Floyd 2 years ago…Brewster should be Fired..not signed to a damn contract extension.
Also agreed
Brewster is a wreck of a coach and a fake as a recruiter.
But when it comes down to it, the local kids need to have some pride for our fine state. Why do you think Kiffin was able to lure kids like him to USC? It wasn’t because he was a good coach. Hell, he was fired from the Raiders after a typically dreadful season and then mired in a 7-6 season for a talent filled Tennessee, not to mention his horrible public relations. No, he got them to USC because people take pride in that school. They love the school and state, not the coach. USC could hire Darrell Bevel and still recruit the way they do.
Well
that and they pay players.
Ahem…excuse me allegedly pay / give perks to players
It never gets to be easy
by chitownhawkeye on Feb 3, 2010 7:23 PM CST up reply actions
How long ago did the Vikes
come to town? How many NFL cities have successful college football teams? Just seems odd to me. I can’t think of one outside of University of Miami.
by TheEvilProfessor on Feb 3, 2010 8:11 PM CST up reply actions
If you count the Bay Area as one.
The 49ers and Cal Berkeley. Or even Oakland – they’re closer.
Normally, Boston College is a good team.
Now, the Bengals and Bearcats are good in Cincy.
Washington (rebounding) and the Seahawks.
Pittsburgh.
Atlanta (Ga. Tech).
Tampa (South Florida).
Though those are decent schools, I think his point was none of the major powerhouses come from NFL cities. And I think he has a good point there.
But if you want to go even further, how many of even the ones you listed are in cities with not just NFL but all four major pro sports? I’d wager that would reduce the number even further, leaving Minneapolis pretty unique (in a bad way, I guess).
Don't blame the kids for not picking Minnesota ...
Blame the various coaches, athletic director’s and university presidents for not putting the University in a position to compete at the highest levels. The most recent decision to hire Tim Brewster was clearly a horrible decision. Just think about that, we handed over the reigns to a Tight Ends coach whose only head coaching experience was at the high school level.
Maroon and Gold Headquarters: The Daily Gopher
by PJS on Feb 4, 2010 7:22 AM CST up reply actions
for a further face-palm
watch how Charlie Strong develops the Louisville program in the next few years.
Sigh.
i bet...
he gets booed when they play USC at the bank this year. not saying it should happen, but i bet it does.
I think you're probably right.
Maroon and Gold Headquarters: The Daily Gopher
by PJS on Feb 3, 2010 4:49 PM CST up reply actions
Garnett didn’t ask to be traded. Neither did Moss or Santana. None of them deserve boos for leaving us behind. (Torri Hunter on the other hand…)
But this kid had every reason to come play for his home state and help revive the program, while still having an excellent shot at being a 1st round pick. But instead he choose to further solidify what many already consider the most popular state in the country. Why? Do you really think you’ll receive any love and support there? In the land of a million celebrities?
Development of the players sets the elite schools apart from the rest, Minnesota is not an elite school when it comes to player development, let alone the football program in general.
What if one of his reasons for choosing USC was a better shot at winning a national title? Can you honestly say he had a shot at that with the Gophers?
USC players in LA are celebrities, yes, he will receive love and support there, along with other things.
yeah, if it were my I’d be asking where I could develop most as a player. Let’s not forget that he’ll be playing against fantastic players every day in practice. I hate to say it, but if I were one of the best players in the country, it would have been hard not to make the same choice.
I'm feverished, or the way you want to spell it
by plinytheelder on Feb 3, 2010 8:38 PM CST up reply actions
You might be right
But if it’s true that all players usually want is a chance to compete for a championship, how do schools that aren’t currently competitive get better? If it’s true (and I’m not saying it’s not) the atmosphere of college football would stagnate to the point where the good teams are permanently good and the bad teams are permanently bad. But yet you see schools rise and fall every year. Why is that?
You get a coach
who: (1) kids want to play for, and (2) has built a track record where if he brings in his players and installs the scheme, the players can see that if they buy in and play hard the coaches will put them in a position to win.
Examples: Kelly, Brian; Rodriguez, Richard; Saban, Nicholas, Tressel, Jim Bob.
Ok
And where do those coaches come from? If they’re really that good, why would they be on the market? Of the coaches listed above, only big name schools with previously solid track records could even entice them to come. How does a sucky school like Minnesota stand a chance if they can’t get RichRod, Saban, or Kelly? I’m not trying to argue anything here. I’m actually just truly confused.
...........
Kevin Sumlin is out there.
Troy Calhoun is out there.
Bronco Mendenhall is out there.
Look out as well at Doc Holliday at Marshall. He’d be a fine choice.
Brian Kelly was at Central Michigan before going to Cincy, just waiting his turn.
They’ll come if they have an opportunity and a paycheck.
+10 million on the Torii Hunter reference.
Maroon and Gold Headquarters: The Daily Gopher
by PJS on Feb 4, 2010 7:23 AM CST up reply actions
how does the class rank
Gjere seems like a good prospect
Edwards seems like a good prospect
otherwise not much impact, i guess we will have to hope that the underclassmen really improved in the offseason.
this appears to be Brewsters weakest class interms of talent, but maybe they picked the right players.
Surprised?
Don’t think anyone should be surprised Henderson chose USC. If your kid was, for example, an elite mathematician, you might encourage them to attend MIT instead of Minnesota. Would probably be a better fit. If you possess the skills to be a pro football player, you might want to attend an institution that gives you the best chance to be successful. I would’ve been surprised if he hadn’t chose USC or Florida.
I doubt anyone is surprised
We just had our hopes up because of all it could have done for the program.
"they're calling insane hogs???"
Not the same at all
The training for math received at MIT is far far better than one would receive at Minnesota. But the training for a football career:
a) doesn’t always vary that much from school to school, unless you consider piling up free wins training
b) matters much less to the success of a person in that profession. Unlike a mathematician, pro football players are usually just the most athletic of their peers, not necessarily the most technically sound or trained. At least not until they reach the pros anyways.
I never really thought we had a chance in landing him
And I can’t blame him for his decision, I attend the U and it’s a great school but if I could go to the University of Chicago or Stanford I would. He’s gotta do what’s best for him and if he wants a national title, his chances are much better at USC than here. Plus, it’s 68 degrees and sunny out there right now, who doesn’t want that?
I don't blame Brewster or Henderson for this
Brewster worked his butt off for three years on this kid. There is nothing he can do to MAKE a kid stay. He was the first to offer and he’s been building that relationship for years. If you want to blame Brewster, blame him for floundering on the field. A couple more wins and a bigger bowl game and maybe things are a bit different. Give Henderson a reason to come here other than “state pride.”
You also can’t blame Henderson. Who wouldn’t love going to USC to play football? There were reasons to stay here but not enough for an 18 year old to pass up the Trojans. I’m dissapointed but it is what it is.
what you say here can, and will, be used against you
You're right on Brewster
read the New York Times article (wow Sean Henderson “made himself available”) about Seantrel’s recruitment the past week. Regarding MInnesota, “he can always go home.”
Oh, and I thought limousine rides provided by universities were secondary violations – Lane Kiffin already picked one of those up, and Miami picked up Henderson in a limo.
One other funny note – the younger Henderson was with Bryant McKinnie last Friday night when McKinnie got so wasted he missed practice the next day and was thrown out of the Pro Bowl.
Some good habits he's picking up early
It never gets to be easy
by chitownhawkeye on Feb 3, 2010 9:32 PM CST up reply actions
This is just another good reason to can Brewster..
How do you let the Top kid in your own state not sign with your school! Same thing happened with Michael Floyd.
Agreed
How often does Minnesota even have 2 five star players in our state within a 3 year period? Pretty much never. And the one time we actually do, we have a buffoon of a coach who can’t even get their attention. With a new stadium. Oh, and did I mention that buffoon’s only strength is supposed to be recruiting? Gez, what a mess.
And the sad thing is, I don’t even blame Maturi for any of this. He saw a program in desperate need of repair and did exactly what I would have done. He got a beautiful new stadium built and hired a super recruiter to run the program. It wasn’t his fault Brewster is a sham and a snake oil salesman.
The finalists
for the job in 2007 were Charlie Strong and Tim Brewster.
Check out Strong’s recruiting the past month with Louisville, and compare it with Brewster’s 2010 class (heck, compare it to any class of Brewster’s).
Face-Palm.
So really we should be talking about firing Maturi so a new AD hires the new football coach ....
Maroon and Gold Headquarters: The Daily Gopher
by PJS on Feb 4, 2010 7:25 AM CST up reply actions
That decision
I think that decision was all about money. And I’m not sure what Strong was asking for.
I think Maturi and maybe Bruininks felt they needed a splash with the basketball hire, so they went and nabbed Tubby Smith for a pretty nice chunk of change. Because of that hire, the football hire was almost defintely going to be for much less. So, we’re getting what we paid for.
I’d also guess that Maturi/Bruininks felt that the football program was getting a new stadium, which they might have reasoned was a significant shot in the arm for the football program.
God, the Brewster hire was awful. Many of us thought that from the moment he took to the podium at his first press conference. I know many of you think he should be able to coach at least one more season, but I just view it as one more season lost.
Maroon and Gold Headquarters: The Daily Gopher
by PJS on Feb 4, 2010 9:15 AM CST up reply actions
part of that money issue was Maturi's own fault
the amount of money paid to Mason because of the contract extension he had signed just the year before had to play a role in this.
what you say here can, and will, be used against you
God, the Brewster hire was awful. Many of us thought that from the moment he took to the podium at his first press conference.
But understanding that we couldn’t have landed any of the top name coaches (as stated, even Strong was off limits), can you really fault Maturi for bringing in someone known as a great recruiter? After realizing the hire had to be made on the cheap, I would have done the same thing. Take a chance on a recruiter and hope the talent he brings in can stabilize the program.
Yes
Because being a great recruiter and being a great coach are not mutually exclusive. You can have both. Maturi fell for the Kool-Aid.
It doesn’t matter what you recruit if you can’t coach them up. That’s the problem – I’d rather have a good COACH with crappy / middling recruiting (Kelly, etc.) instead of a good RECRUITER who can’t coach.
You can have both.
Ya, but how many of those “dual threat” coaches are really out there for the taking? And how many are willing to come to Minnesota? We’re like the ugly dude at the party. Unless the hot chick just wants to make her ex jealous (Tubby Smith), we aren’t getting laid by any hot chicks. We have to settle for either a mildly attractive but boring girl (Glen Mason) or one with a great personality but looks like a horse (Brewster). Taking that analogy one step further, we choose the ugly chick (Brewster) in hopes that her personality (recruiting) would overcome her unattractiveness (sucks at coaching), but in the end she turned out to not only be ugly but also a b**** (bad at recruiting). We would have been better off sticking with the boring but stable chick (Mason).
Love your analysis
but I would rather have Brew than the condescending/whining Mason.
"they're calling insane hogs???"
I hope that Sean Henderson got everything he wanted to out of this recruiting process.
That’s not a typo.
Sean Henderson used Tim Brewster for access, for game tickets, for that special pizza party last Sunday night.
Maybe it’s time to let SEANTREL get back to school and qualify, instead of hanging at TCF until 11 on a Sunday night, and after flying to New York to show up on a studio show for 10 minutes.
I feel for Seantrel, only slightly. His Dad is using him.
At least Seantrel is guarenteed a quality win at TCF Bank Stadium
There aren’t many Gopher players able to make that statement.
Have a look at USC's recruiting class this year.
If USC played only their true freshmen at TCF with Matt Barkley at QB, they’d beat the Gophers.
However, half their roster is 4 and 5 star recruits. All their wideouts are 6-8 inches taller than our CBs.
9/18 is gonna be terrible. Today’s decision will only make it worse when we see Sean Henderson hanging with Snoop Dogg on the north sideline.
This shouldn't surprise anyone
The Gopher program has not established anything that resembles consistency, Brewster leaned hard on new excitement and the promise of on campus football to land great recruits, but that hasn’t translated into much on the field. Top line recruits go to the top schools, being in state should matter, but not when your program isn’t winning/producing NFL prospects/bringing a national spotlight to your campus and maintains positive headlines. For a long time Minnesota’s top high school recruits have funneled into top programs in South Bend and other surrounding Big Ten powerhouses. Although Brewster did bring excitement, he hasn’t established a steady rise in winning, bowl performance, or player growth to help woo stars in general, let alone the ones in his backyard.
Do you blame Seantrel? Heck no, he’s going from Minnesota to SoCal. I had a friend that played on the Trojans and was a first round pick for the Bengals. You’re a rockstar when you play for the Trojans and you’re in LA. What did Brewster have to offer him other than enthusiasm and most likely a starting role?
Personally, I’ve become disenchanted with what Brewster is doing with the Gophers, and the fact that his staff hasn’t done much and has changed personnel doesn’t have me too excited for the near future. He opened with a great class but hasn’t built off that, and hasn’t made quality hires to produce on the field, and there definitely hasn’t been too much player progression under his watch (cough Adam Weber cough).
I noticed the Charlie Strong comment, yes, that would have been an outstanding hire in 2007. I’ve seen that man’s defense in person way too many times and they weren’t nice to opposing offenses.
I love the Gophers, but they’ve always been my number two behind my Noles (lifelong fan and current senior at FSU), and thats a team and staff giving me reasons to get excited.
Now all I can start thinking about is if Brewster doesn’t get 8-9 wins this season, who replaces him next year?
Brewster will keep his job with 6 wins
Next year’s schedule is really tough. 6 wins would exceed my expectations.
Seantrel may be a fraud
Not good enough to carry a line or team.
Or his father got the better deal…I hope someone keeps an eye on his father to see if he lands a sweet gig via USC.
FSU lost a DT recruit to New Mexico today
New Mexico…
Everyone thought it was odd until they found out his dad got a coaching job there, and that their head coach worked under Zook at Illinois… and Zook never did anything shading when it came to recruiting… sarcasm
BREAKING NEWS: HENDERSON NOT SIGNING WITH USC!!!!
Seantrel Henderson, the highly recruited offensive lineman who announced Wednesday that he was going to Southern California, has not signed a letter of intent to play for the Trojans.
According to Henderson’s father, Sean, he will wait until U.S.C. appears before an N.C.A.A. infractions committee from Feb. 19-21 to hear about possible sanctions for the program before deciding whether to sign the letter. Though the Trojans are not likely to hear about any possible sanctions at that time, Sean Henderson said the hearing would give the family a sense of where the process was headed.
Henderson has until April 1 to sign a letter of intent. After that, Seantrel Henderson could find himself in a situation similar to Terrelle Pryor in 2008. Sean Henderson declined further comment.
i think the ncaa will come down hard on usc. it just vacated fsu 12 wins and miami and bama were ......
hit with sanctions. those are all east coast teams too. my guess is usc will have to forfeit scholarships and maybe a one year bowl ban.
I'm all about covering the spread and moneylines. I was building a house, I don't deserve this, deserves have nothing to do with it. Bang. "Unforgiven" I drink your milkshake. I drink it up! "There Will BE Blood"
by wolfmanshowlforever on Feb 7, 2010 10:18 PM CST up reply actions
the miami and bama sanctions were many years ago.
I'm all about covering the spread and moneylines. I was building a house, I don't deserve this, deserves have nothing to do with it. Bang. "Unforgiven" I drink your milkshake. I drink it up! "There Will BE Blood"
by wolfmanshowlforever on Feb 7, 2010 10:19 PM CST up reply actions
SH continued
To follow up on his Dad. Did you guys read where Dad is following SH where ever he was going to school. What 40 year old with a family can pick up and move. So now Dad is moving to Southern California just like that. Don’t most of us need a job, or don’t want to lose the one we have? Have a home to see? Move our family for 3, 4 years? I felt it was a little strange. Did Michale Floyds family move to South Bend?
It's easy to move
When USC will “help” you relocate. I think it’s been shown by now that nothing is below this program when it comes to recruiting.
I'm seeing a ton of Sean Henderson bashing.
I’m not sure if it’s deserved or not, I haven’t read the clippings.
But generally, I’ll take a father who is going to be in his son’s corner then a parent who is absent and not taking an interest. Seantrel seems very grounded and a decent kid. I’d guess his parents have something to do with that.
Maroon and Gold Headquarters: The Daily Gopher
by PJS on Feb 4, 2010 9:17 AM CST up reply actions
You’re making a pretty big assumption about Sean’s role in his son’s life.
I would guess his MOTHER has a lot to do with him being a decent kid, although I have to question the judgment of any parent who allows their children not only to skip as much school as Seantrel has while not qualified, but also, allows their child to hang out with Bryant McKinnie and Willis McGahee at a club, at which event McKinnie got so drunk he was eventually booted from the Pro Bowl.
I wonder
how his grades are? what if he spends too much time TV interviews and his grades suffer?
I would LMAO if he doesn’t graduate, but I’m sure the money USC would donate to CDH to prevent that from happening.
"they're calling insane hogs???"
assumptions
You’re right, I might be making assumptions on Sean’s role in Seantrel’s life. However, many folks are making assumptions as to Sean’s motives in being in his son’s life.
Maroon and Gold Headquarters: The Daily Gopher
by PJS on Feb 4, 2010 1:39 PM CST up reply actions
Dave MN
We’ve got to be completely honest here. There are probably 30-40 schools (I’m looking at the whole SEC, for 12 of them) that provide the same “services” as does USC.
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