Andre McDonald is Reconsidering Minnesota
by GopherNation on Jan 9, 2012 4:01 PM CST
in Recruiting - Football
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The top high school player in the state of Minnesota has reopened his recruitment and is once again considering the Gophers.
Last February McDonald committed to Jerry Kill and was the first member of the class of 2012. Throughout the late spring and summer there were rumors that he was softening on his Minnesota commitment and then in September he made the surprise commitment to Vanderbilt. McDonald went on to become the highest rated player (according to Rivals.com) and the only four-star ranked recruit in the state after catching 60 passes for 1,200+ yards and 17 touchdowns for Hopkins.
Well, McDonald's primary recruiter at Vandy left the Commadore's staff and is now on the Illini coaching staff. That has caused McDonald to drop Vandy and take a look around (again). He will be giving Minnesota an official visit this coming weekend and was quoted in this GopherIllustrated.com story from Ryan Burns as saying Minnesota never stopped recruiting him throughout the process.
"With Minnesota, they never stopped recruiting me," McDonald told GI. "I talk with Coach Z and Coach Anderson all the time over Facebook and Coach Miller came and talked with me at school right before Christmas break. I talk with Coach Z the most just because he uses Facebook the most, but Coach Miller just told me how much I mean to the program and how I'd have great success on and off the field. He also kept telling me how great of a place Minnesota could be for me."
He is still considering Vandy, though the smart money is not on him returning, and he is also taking a look at Minnesota (Jan 13) and Illinois (Jan 27).
Were McDonald to re-committ to Minnesota he would instantly be one of, if not the, top recruit to sign his name on a Gopher letter of intent on national signing day.
| Stars | Overall Rank | Minneosta Rank | WR Rank | |
| Rivals.com | 4 | 219 | 1 | 35 |
| ESPN, Scouts Inc | 4 | NR | 2 | 32 |
| 247.com | 3 | NR | 2 | 61 |
According to ESPN's evaluation of McDonald we can expect a good sized receiver who lacks top-end speed but is very good and using his body to create separation and catch anything thrown his way. His 6-3, 200 lb frame is impressive for a high school senior.
McDonald is a big, physical receiver that may lack great speed and a second gear as a vertical threat, but he makes plays on the ball with size, strength, savvy and great hands. He is a very good athlete that works to get open and off the line.
...
He is at his best in one-on-one match-ups on the jump ball as well as on underneath routes where he can use his frame to shield the ball for the defender. Is very good versus press off the line in terms of getting back on top of the DB and controlling the stem to give him a two-way go. Can stab and cut versus tight coverage and give himself just enough separation to use his frame and wide catch radius. Possesses strong hands that can fight for the ball in traffic.
Based on his skill set and the desire to land the best of our instate talent McDonald would be an outstanding get and a great recruiting recovery.
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I hate to always be the negative guy...
…but this sounds like a PR move like Henderson pulled to make his senior year easier. Keep the locals optimistic that you’ll stay home and such. String everybody along knowing you don’t want to stay in-state, but make your life easier and more friendly to avoid conflict or hard-feelings.
I guess we’ll see…perhaps the other in-staters are starting to build momentum for the program…sort of vowing to go at it together to make the team/program relevant again. That would be pretty sweet.
If he's Googling himself
And really, who wouldn’t be?
Son, come to Minnesota. That fans will love you. We’ve got a great new stadium. And you’ll be a a stand out on a team that needs talent. Plus, trust on this because I did it myself: it will feel right to stay home and go to the U.
I think he is seriously considering MN
my negativity is really about whether or not we really want him. He is pretty talented but rumor has it that he has an attitude. Based on some of the rumblings I’ve heard I was convinced we’d be better off without him.
But of course if he signs I’ll be happy we got a talented player!
what you say here can, and will, be used against you The Daily Gopher
I'm not particularly concerned about attitude problems
On Coach Kill’s teams. I suspect they will be corrected or removed. And for football, you can burn a scholarship on talent that doesn’t pan out.
Agreed on that.
Kill is the kind of guy, based on my interactions with him and things I’ve read, who will get rid of a single guy no matter how good he is, if he doesn’t fit the program in all aspects.
I think it’s easier for a guy to give the locals hope and string them along than it is to state disinterest. Sentreal is a perfect example…he was worshiped because he kept Minnesota on his list. He never had any intention of coming to the U…as witnessed by his transfer, etc…so I’m hoping this guy is different (though I am doubtful given he already committed, then pulled….now is back interested again). Guess we’ll find out in time.
That being said, I did admit maybe the MN high school guys are buying into the excitement that they could be the first class that changes the future of Minnesota football. Maybe they’re pulling together. That is best case scenario. So I’m not 100% negative…just like…75% negative…ha ha ha…and I’m high on the other guy who committed to us who will fill the same position. But having both….now the future is looking bright if we can spread the ball around enough.
Attitude Schmattitude
The kid can play football.
Can’t really say that about most of the team at this point.
"Believe in the system. For it shall bring light when there is dark, food when there is hunger, and shots when there are passes. This is the divine process." Yeo 4:18
by NorthernStar on Jan 10, 2012 11:32 AM CST up reply actions
Christmas
Please Santa, I’m still waiting for that 4 star recruit signing as my Christmas gift. I was such a good little boy all year long. Basketball sucks, bring some cheer into my life.
Don't forget Harbison
Based on ratings and high school production (for what they’re worth), Jamel Harbison is just as talented as McDonald and has already committed to MN (back in Sept). If McDonald ends up in Minny, that would be a pretty positive sign for the offense. Shortell and Nelson are two high-upside guys at QB, and we already have a number of very solid young O-lineman in the program (freshman/redshirts). So, getting these two WRs would seem to fill the only remaining glaring hole on offense. If you have a good O-line, QB, and decent WRs, it shouldn’t be too difficult to get production out of a RB, whoever it may be.
Journalism. Enhanced.
However
I can buy the argument that McConald’s commitment would be more significant (at least symbolically) given his appointment as the #1 recruit in Minnesota.
Journalism. Enhanced.
I think just as a symbolic signing it would be a big deal for Kill and his staff
It would mean they’ve locked up all the top prospects in Minnesota this year (McDonald, Persig, Nelson and Shaft), which looks good for the state high school coaches and players, and also has to send a message to Sconnie, Iowa and others in recruiting that Minnesota is serious about locking down the state. Maybe it’s trivial and means nothing, but I think it’d be great. We need more talent on this team, and McDonald is definitely a talent.
The Daily Gopher
This kid is foolish
If this kid understood the inherent value of a college degree from Vanderbilt, he wouldn’t be re-opening his commitment. Any kid lucky enough to get a full ride from Stanford, Vanderbilt or Northwestern should realize the gift landing in his or her lap, and take advantage of it to set him or herself up for life.
Not necessarily....
….well…Stanford maybe…but NW, Vandy…..doesn’t set him up for life unless he’s looking at a serious MBA or med school. I don’t know many athletes who are at this point (hell, I wasn’t either at their age)…
I’m doing just fine with my Minnesota CSOM undergrad!
I disagree with this
Vanderbilt is a good school, but an undergrad degree from any top research university (the U included) is pretty much interchangeable. If he were going to medical or law school, or a doctoral program for something I would think differently.
"Our attitude is we look at ourselves and we grade ourselves. And even if we don’t like what’s happening on the other side, we don’t make a — it’s not our business" - Tony Larussa
Agree 100%.
And 1 in 10,000 kids think that way. So Vandy was a football play to follow his favorite guy. The only exception I made was Stanford…or NW if for med school. The rest…meh….a good degree is a good degree, especially with the “special interview opportunities” any decent athlete would get with alumn or other relations with the school.
Right
A extra value of a prestigious degree is that network opportunities it creates. A top-level athlete will get similar network opportunities via sports.
depends what you want to do
if you want to go to Medical School and play D-1 football, you’re not going to beat one of the excellent private D-1 schools (Stanford, Duke, Northwestern) or one of the major public research universities (Washington, Michigan, UCLA, Pitt, Vandy, UNC)
Why? Because those school are associated with top med programs and have D-1 Football. (And yes, Minnesota is a perfectly fine option for that path too)
If you want to be a football coach (which is likely the path that many players are best qualified for), then it doesn’t really matter if you went to Harvard, and you’re probably better off going to Alabama, Florida State or Boise, because they’re a lot better at playing football than Duke is.
The best school is the one that works for your goals.
How many D-1 football players
Go on to medical school?
I really don’t know anything about med school admission, but I’d be rather surprised if going to the same school as an undergrad conveys much of an advantage. It does not for law school.
But yeah, goals matter to school choice.
some
my school has 3 D-1 football players, they went to Columbia, Notre Dame and Georgia Tech. You’ve gotta get orthopedic surgeons somehow.
with a side discussion that it’s not so much that you go to the same school, but that you have the opportunity to do shadowing, research, getting good letters of recommendation that allow them to be a good applicant, and that’s a lot easier at a school with a lot of pre-meds and lots of those kind of opportunities.
I'll agree with JG (kind of)
If a kid ends up living and working in the Twin Cities then it may not matter much. But if he applies for a job on the east or west coast then having a Vandy or Standford degree will hold more water than a Minnesota degree. Of course job experience and how well the interview and references from Sid will all factor in, but having a degree from a school recognized for their academics is important.
With that said what 17 or 18 yr old kid is thinking about that.
what you say here can, and will, be used against you The Daily Gopher
by GopherNation on Jan 10, 2012 4:59 PM CST up reply actions
My original objection
Was to including Vandy as a school with national pull. I don’t think it is.
Stanford, yes. Northwestern, yes. Michigan, yes. Cal, yes. Notre Dame, yes, although for slightly different reasons.
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