24 officially signed letters of intent.  This class is getting mixed reviews depending on which Gopher fan you talk to or which recruiting sight you prefer.  This class has a handful of players expected to be significant contributors down the road, a couple key JUCOs and a number of lower rated players that will need to be developed.

I'm going to give you quick profiles on your entire 2010 class (special thanks to Tomahawk Nation for the table).  As it turns out there were 10 Midwest kids, 11 non-midwest kids and then 4 JUCOs.  I'll begin with the kids from the Midwest. 

Minnesota - 3
Illinois - 1
Ohio - 1
Wisconsin - 3
Missouri -
Indiana - 1

Jimmy Gjere
	Position: Offensive Line (probably tackle) Measurables: 6-7 / 275 Videos: [1] Rankings: - Rivals: #17 OT, #161 overall, (4*) - Scout: #21 OT - ESPN: #19 OG Notes: Any other year this would be a recruit Gopher fans would be ecstatic about.  But this year he is the runner-up to Seantrel Henderson when it comes to Offensive Tackles from our state.  But Gjere projects to not dissapoint.  Big frame, good footwork, very good athlete.  Should be noted that in 2009 Gjere threw more touchdown passes (2) than MarQueis Gray!  Also plays hockey and baseball.  I'm confident that Gjere is going to be a very good Gopher and longtime starter at LT.
Lamonte Edwards
	Position: RB / LB (very likely RB) Measurables: 6-2 / 218 / 4.48 benches 305 lbs Videos: [1] Rankings: - Rivals: #29 ATH (4*) - Scout: #86 OLB - ESPN: #89 RB Notes: The other significant local product to sign with the Gophers.  Edwards is athletic and has the potential to be a very good running back in what is a wide open Gopher backfield.  He may have the best shot at contributing as a true freshman.  Brewster believes had Edwards played his high school FB in Texas or Florida he would have had more offers than he would have known what to do with.
Tom Parish
	Position:QB Measurables: 6-3 / 200 / 4.6 Videos: N/A Rankings: - Rivals: #15 dual-threat QB (3*) - Scout: #67 QB - ESPN: # 114 QB Notes: Good size, accurate and mobile though not exactly finished product.  Parish will very likely red-shirt and will have the opportunity to battle with Moses Alipate for the Gopher QB in a couple years.  Had an offer from Iowa, did not however have an offer from his home-state Wisconsin Badgers.
James Manuel
	Position: Safety Measurables: 6-2 / 200 / 4.5 Videos: N/A Rankings: - Rivals: #79 S (3*) - Scout: #56 S - ESPN: #37 S Notes: Manuel projects to be a hard-hitting safety.  His ESPN eval says over and over that he is an aggressive tackler who also has good cover skills.  Could potentially play CB or even LB but seems best suited for the safety position.  With the depth we have a S, Manuel may get the benefit of a red-shirt year and then a long and hopefully productive Gopher career.  Manuel has some very good tools to be be an excellent Big Ten Safety.
Marquise Hill
	Position: Athlete (likely WR) Measurables: 6-0 / 165 / 4.49 Videos: [sophomore highlights] Rankings: - Rivals: #85 ATH, (3*) - Scout: #141 WR - ESPN: #95 ATH Notes: St. Louis product who could be a real playmaker.  Like most of this class, very little is expected in the 2010 season especially with guys like Troy Stoudermire and Bryant Allen ahead of Hill on the depth chart.  But a fast, play-making WR is always a nice addition.  Hill had offers from several other major BCS schools.
Willie Tatum
	Position: LB Measurables: 6-3 / 205 /  4.58 Videos: none found Rankings: - Rivals: #NR (3*) - Scout:  #150 LB - ESPN: #74 LB Notes: The Pickering, Ohio native had a great senior season which, according to Rivals, led to several BCS schools coming on strong for Tatum.  But fortunately the fast linebacker stuck with his commitment.  Natural pass rusher, very quick first step, needs to add bulk.  Could be very well suited to be the next in line of the Simoni Lawrence, Keanon Cooper lineage.
Marek Lenkiewicz
	Position: OT Measurables: 6-5 / 240 Videos:  [1] Rankings: - Rivals: #76 OT (3*) - Scout:  #62 OT - ESPN: #96 OT Notes: Has ideal height, needs to add bulk.  But Lenkiewicz is an agressive lineman with very good feet.  I'd be shocked if he didn't redshirt, but projects as a potential starter as an upper-classman.  The RT bookend with Gjere for a few seasons.
Matt Eggen
	Position: OL (probably Tackle) Measurables: 6-5 / 290 Videos: [1] Rankings: - Rivals: #53 RB (3*) - Scout:  #96 OT - ESPN: #73 OT Notes: LaCrosse native who fits the mold of the taller and longer athletes that dominate this 2010 class.  Eggen is also a virtual certainty to redshirt and will get his chance to compete down the road.  Eggen played defensive line as well in high school but is considered to be an offensive lineman in college.
Zach Epping
	Position: OL (likely a Guard) Measurables: 6-2 / 274 Videos: [1] Rankings: - Rivals: #NR (3*) - Scout:  #112 DT - ESPN: #122 OG Notes: Like Eggen, Epping plays both ways.  Another Wisconsin lineman who will redshirt and then get his chance to compete beginning in 2011.  This is a class heavy along the offensive line but Epping projects at G or C while most of the others are likely tackles.
J.D. Pride
	Position: ATH (DB or WR or ??)   Measurables: 6-1 / 190/ 4.52 Videos: none found Rankings: - Rivals: #NR ATH (2*) - Scout:  #NR QB - ESPN: #243 ATH Notes: Pride was a QB in high school but will end up playing another position in college. Another virtual certainty to redshirt as he learns the details of playing defensive back.  Pride is related to the Barber family.

Up next will the 11 players from outside the Midwest.

After 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.

When Seantrel sticks his head up out of his recruiting hole, will he see a Gopher for his shadow?

It is a very rare thing for the state of Minnesota to lay claim to the nation's #1 prep football player.  Having a player of his caliber in our own back yard is kind of fun and what has added to enjoyment is the intrigue and mystery surrounding Henderson's final college destination.  There are apparently 6 schools still in the hunt.  Ohio State, USC, Notre Dame, Florida, Miami and the hometown University of Minnesota.  Each of the schools listed has been "rumored" to be a silent commitment or the current "school to beat."  He even had Michigan and Iowa fans believing they were in (or near) the driver's seat for the nation's top offensive tackle.

• Ohio State -the current favorite according to internet rumors.  ESPN Scout's Inc also projects Henderson to the OSU.  This one makes the most sense based on what many perceive to be the factors that matter the most to Seantrel.  Ohio State is still in the Midwest, it is a quality school academically, they are in the hunt for BCS games every year, they turn out NFL talent every year and they have a stable coaching staff expected to be there throughout Henderson's time there.  It makes sense and most would believe they are the favorites.
  
• Notre Dame - is always listed as Henderson's supposed top-3.  The Irish have cornered the market on Cretin-Derham Hall kids and SH is also friends with current Irish wide receiver, Michael Floyd; which may or may not affect his decision.  While nobody is predicting Notre Dame (this week), nobody would be surprised if this is where he lands.  Also worth noting, Tom Lemming is often accused of being a Notre Dame lackey who pushes kids to sign with the Irish.  This accusation may or may not be fair but it is out there and Henderson is going to announce his decision on Lemming's signing day show. 
  
• USC - Bill Kurelic believes USC has the slight advantage, but he's guessing like everyone else. I was convinced throughout this process that USC was the favorite but that was before Pete Carrol left for the NFL.  Now Henderson has to establish a new relationship in a short amount of time with the Kiffin staff. What the Kiffin staff has in their favor is a rock-star staff.  Given another month to woo him, I would imagine USC would put themselves back in the driver's seat but I'm not sure where they stand as of Feb-3, 2010.
  
• Florida - nothing has been rumored here for a few weeks.  Not that they are out of the running but nobody is "predicting" the Gators (this week).  In fact due to the lack of any news surrounding Florida, JG thinks this will be the Henderson school of choice.  The "no-news is good-news" theory is what Gator fans are hoping for.
  
• Miami - The Henderson's just returned from Miami which was their final official visit.  I'm not convinced they are in the realistic list of schools to land his services, but you never know.  "It's definitely an advantage for Miami that this is my last visit," Henderson said. "I just want to see what the campus is about and see how I relate with the players and coaches."  Who wouldn't take a free trip to Miami, in January, during the week of the Pro Bowl.  Henderson could be the next Bryant McKinnie, hopefully with a better attitude.
• Minnesota - no actual rumors of committing here but the message boards will occasionally have the poster who has a friend who knows Henderson's uncle who told him that Henderson loves Brewster and wants to be a Gopher.  Actually I think he is Joe Mauer's cousin and the two of them are going to sign with the Gophers at the same time (Mauer has eligibility left doesn't he?) and they are going to lead the Gophers to the Super Bowl (or something).  Seriously though the Gophers have made a strong pitch to Henderson.  One can make the argument as to why he should stay here but the reality is that he's very likely to go to a place where he'll have a chance to play in a BCS bowl.  Miami was the final official visit, but the Gophers were the last ones to spend time with Henderson as they hosted him at TCF Bank Stadium Sunday night.
  

There is so much speculation and the Henderson circle of trust has kept their intentions incredibly tight-lipped.  The elder Henderson, Sean has been willing to talk to whoever asks but he has never indicated where Seantrel will end up.  Bucknuts questions the integrity of Sean Henderson (if he chooses to sign with USC or Notre Dame), based on the numerous comments in the past about coaching stability being a major factor.

There have been a couple local interviews in recent days and here are a couple highlights. 

Bob Sansavere interview - this talks a lot about what it is like to be the father of the #1 recruit in the country and the influence he's had in Seantrel's decision.  There is more in the link, but these were some of the highlights.

BS: Has Seantrel made his decision about a college, and is he just holding off announcing it?

SH: No, he hasn't made a decision. I can honestly say, 100 percent, he hasn't made a decision yet.

BS: Has Seantrel made his decision about a college, and is he just holding off announcing it?

SH: No, he hasn't made a decision. I can honestly say, 100 percent, he hasn't made a decision yet.

BS: Is the University of Minnesota still very much in the running?

SH: We were just with the Gophers last (Sunday) night. We were at TCF Bank Stadium until 11 p.m. A lot of people think we may be leaving because of the weather here. Seantrel is making his decision based on relationships and comfortability with players and coaches.

BS: So, will you be moving with Seantrel if he leaves Minnesota?

SH: Definitely, 100 percent, if he chooses to do that (and attend a school other than Minnesota).

BS: There's a rumor out there that Snoop Dogg has told you that if Seantrel goes to Southern Cal, he would help you launch your rap career. Any truth to that?

SH: Emphatically, no. I've never met Snoop. I've never ever, ever comprised anything so that what I'm doing with my life has anything to do with Seantrel. I've never initiated a conversation about music into Seantrel's career at all. My career and music, and Seantrel's career never have been discussed. Three schools said, "You rap." They brought it up at the University of Florida. It came up this weekend at the University of Miami. They said they heard, "Blah, blah, blah." My mother saw it on the Ohio State Buckeyes' (Web) site. I don't know where it's coming from. I never talked to Snoop ever in my life. Nobody talked music and my situation. I've heard people say, "Oh, there are great studios here." I told Seantrel how uncomfortable that makes me. I'm not interested in combining my music with Seantrel's career. He has a tough decision. I'm just doing whatever a dad would do. I think people — because they're so concerned with (his decision) and there's so much emotion in where Seantrel is going — they want to find different variables of why he'd go here, or why he'd go there. In case he doesn't pick their school, they can say, "Oh, it's his dad." Or, "It's his mom and dad." It's his decision 100,000 percent. We don't want to cloud his decision-making process.

GopherHole interview- this much more Gopher-centric.  Again, there is more in the link if you want to read more, click there.

GH: Will he tell the coach that he's going to be committing to before he announces it publicly?
SH: No, we'll be doing it on TV.

GH: How was your visit to the University of Minnesota last night?
SH: It went well, we had a nice time. We spent time with Coach Brewster and the rest of the coaches. We got back from Miami at about 3:30p.m. and went over there about 7pm. I specifically told them that we wanted to come and meet with them last out of all of the schools because that was the only right way to do it. They were first out of all of our visits, and we wanted them to be last as well.

GH: I heard they put on a special evening for Seantrel, what did that entail?
SH: Not anything special, they just got us together, and we watched the Pro Bowl and he played video games. It was just good for everybody to be there and come by, they brought their wives and a couple of them brought their kids so they made it real comfortable.

GH: Did they make a huge cut-out of Seantrel?
SH: They had a cutout of Seantrel in a Gophers' uniform, and stuff like that. It was nice. They're recruiting and that's what they do.

GH: Was that the first time Seantrel was able to meet the Gopher's new Offensive Coordinator, Jeff Horton?
SH: No, we met him the Saturday before at the Michigan State/Gophers basketball game.

GH: What are your thoughts on him?
SH: He was okay.

GH: There have been a lot of rumors as to what happened with Seantrel's Iowa offer, when did you eliminate them?
SH: Iowa eliminated themselves when they found out that they couldn't be our 5th official visit. I thought that was a poor choice on their part, but it just makes it a little easier on us.

GH: Even though he went down there for an unofficial visit?
SH: He went their twice, so I really don't get why they needed us to have a "official visit." The only difference is basically that they'd be paying for us to stay in the hotel, other than that, I think they're too concerned with how people will view them in the media, and maybe what they read in the paper and on websites. I think it was more about that, if it's not known that we weren't going to take an official visit there, then it didn't pull as much weight. I don't know - I would think that if Seantrel had taken his own particular interest to go down there twice on his own, they would be able to see that he was somewhat serious.

The Case for Minnesota - we are a Gopher blog, we are pretty well convinced that Henderson will go somewhere else for his college football career, but I do believe we are in the running.  Clearly the University of Minnesota is not at the competitive level of the other schools on Henderson's list.  We are a middle of the pack Big Ten team that hasn't accomplished anything significant in decades.  The case for Henderson staying in Minnesota is that he could be the catalyst to change that.  It comes down to how badly (if at all) he wants to be known as a legend.  The state of Minnesota is very provincial and LOVES their local athletes.  Were Henderson to stay here and were the Gophers to make a Rose Bowl (or even a top 3 finish in the Big Ten), he becomes a legend.  Those of you reading who do not live here, this is no exaggeration.  He would go down as an instant Gopher Great.  He would go on to an NFL career and be able to move back here and do whatever he wants in the business community.

Even before he plays a snap at the college level he instantly becomes one of the three most recognizable names in a very crowded local sports arena.  Joe Mauer, Adrian Peterson and Seantrel Henderson would arguably be the three biggest sports names in town.  This is really the only angle and legit reason a player of his caliber would (or should) choose to be a Gopher.  Instant Joe Mauer status if he is a Gopher.  At USC, Ohio State or Notre Dame he is still a great player who would be vital to their teams' success.  But he is not the only 5-star recruit on the roster and not the only 5-star recruit in this 2010 recruiting class.

This point was only solidified to me this morning.  I get in my car ready for a long commute through the snow.  WCCO is the station playing when I start the car.  What are they talking about?  Seantrel Henderson and what he would mean to the Gophers.  I only catch about 10 seconds of the conversation before commercial. So I switch over KFAN.  Guess what?  They are talking about Seantrel Henderson and the impact he would have on the Gopher program.  Literally within 2 minutes I hear him being talked about on two major radio programs on the AM dial. 

No offense to the rest of the 2010 class.  I am really excited about Jimmy Gjere and Lamonte Edwards, but I am certain the KFAN morning show knows very little about these kids (if they've even heard of them).  Sid Hartman probably knows we are signing a big kid from Irondale but I guarantee he doesn't know his first name.  But everyone knows about Seantrel Henderson.  When I say instant "rock-star status" I mean it.

There are a lot of IF's surrounding the case for Minnesota.  Primarily Henderson goes down as a legend "IF" the Gophers start winning while he is here.  But convincing the #1 player in the country helps in recruiting, especially around the state.  For the other schools Henderson brings a great skill set that will help them a lot along the offensive line.  For Minnesota he would be more than that.  He would be a cornerstone and a reason for other great athletes to commit to Minnesota.  This would easily the biggest success Brewster has had as a head coach at Minnesota. 

I'll reiterate that none of us here believe Henderson will choose Minnesota.  But drinks are on me tomorrow (figuratively, not literally.  SBN doesn't pay well enough) if Henderson gives the biggest shocker of the year tomorrow by putting on a Gopher hat on national signing day.

TDG Predictions

Photo is property of Rivals.com. 2009 Four-Star receiver, James Green.

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All of the Seantrel conversation this week reminded me that there are other recruits out there to be had.  The last week has seen a couple of our higher profile recruits decommit and head elsewhere.  Kip Smith couldn't resist the lure of UCLA and Josh Huff is having trouble making up his mind, as of today he is going to TCU.  Those losses sting a bit and the 2010 class is becoming less and less impressive, but we are not going to dwell on what we aren't getting. 

This past weekend saw the Gopher commit class grow by three more moving the total up to 24.  This was a large official visit weekend and we received three "non-traditional" verbals.  James Green is the highlight of the group.  Green committed to Tennessee a year ago but had some academic issues, took the year off and will enroll as a freshman in January.  The other two were JUCO commits.  TE, Tiree Eure and DB, Hershel Thornton give us a coupe more experienced players to bolster the 2010 roster.

Who actually is still committed to the Gophers and where will they fit into the team next year?

The Minn Kids - one of Brewster's recruiting goals was to lock down the border and stop the exodus of Minnesota D1 football players to places like Wisconsin, Iowa and other schools around the country.  In my opinion he has not done this nearly as well as I would have liked.  In his tenure guys like Willie Mobley, Michael Floyd and Bryce McNeal come to mind as top rated players who left for other programs.  You can't fault him for 2007 since he barely had time to pull a class together.  In 2008 he received commitments from exactly one of the state's top five players.  2009 was much better as he kept five of the top six in state, but still lost WR-Bryce McNeal, who was the states highest rated player, to Clemson.  The bleeding is coagulating and it is nice to see that we are at least in the running for a player of Seantrel Henderson's stature, but I'd like to see the top five or six commit the U each and ever year.  Here is who we have from Minnesota this year.

• Jimmy Gjere - OL (6-7, 275 lbs) - The #2 ranked Minnesota player and the forgotten OL out of our fine state.  In a year where Seantrel Henderson wasn't also graduating and picking a school, Gopher Nation would be thrilled about this commit.  Gjere has been invited to the US Army All-American game, he should be a long time starter after likely red-shirting his first year.
  
• Lamonte Edwards - ATH (6-2, 215) - The #3 ranked local from Woodbury projects as big RB or LB once he gets on campus.  Once again there is very little buzz around this four-star, likely due to the focus on Henderson and Edwards' early commitment.  In years past we would be pretty excited to have two, four-star recruits; especially if they were both local.  Edwards may provide depth at LB, but if he contributes in 2010 it would likely be on special teams if at all.
  
• J.D. Pride - ATH (6-1, 190) - Pride is a two-star prospect and currently not in the state's top 10.  QB at Totino-Grace, friend of Henderson and hopefully gem of a prospect.  The most likely red-shirt candidate in this class.
  

The Offensive Linemen - this class a class heavy on heavy kids.  After not signing one offensive linemen in 2008 and five in 2009, this class already has six verbal commitments along the offensive line.  And hopefully a seventh will follow. I would be shocked if we see any of these guys contribute in 2010 or even 2011.

• Josh Allen - OL (6-2, 256) - Texas kid who is a borderline four-star (which means he's a three-star) recruit.  Allen could end up playing at a number of potential positions.  OT, OC, DT or even DE have been on the table.
  
• Mark Lenkiewicz - OL (6-5, 250) - likely a tackle once he arrives on campus.
  
• Johnathan Ragoo - OL (6-7, 342) - Big kid from Florida who had an offer from Miami.  If anybody contributes early Ragoo would be the most ready, physically.  He may need to trim down a little and I'm not sure how nimble his feet are.  But he posts a high SAT and is a large body so maybe he'd be ready mentally and physically to play early.
  
• Matt Eggen - OL (6-5, 290) - Wisconsin kid is the 7th highest rate player to come from Cheeseland. 
  
• Zac Epping - OL (6-2, 274) - #10 ranked player out of Wisconsin who also saw the light and is headed to Minnesota.

Offensive Skill Position Players - over the last few years we have brought in some potentially exciting offensive skill position players, this class is incredibly light in this area.  Nobody in the class of MarQueis Gray, Brandon Green or Hayo Carpenter type recruits are on the board this year.  Fortunately there are not many positions of significant need in this area, with RB being the glaring exception.  Next year should focus on this area much more.

• Chris Hawkins - WR (6-2, 175) - Texas receiver who appears to be the next in line to decommit.  Hawkins would be a nice addition to continue adding quality depth to the WR corp.  With Stoudermire, McKnight, Green, Carpenter and Allen returning I don't see Hawkins playing a lot in 2010 but you can't have too many quality receivers.
• James Green - WR (6-2, 200) - Green was a four-star, 2009 recruit who had committed to Tennessee.  Due to some academic issues (similar to Gray and Reeves) he was unable to attend Tennessee.  He sat out this past year, is apparently on track to enroll somewhere in January, visited Minnesota and is our newest verbal.  I have yet to see a first year WR do much of anything in a Gopher uniform but he is probably our best skill position recruit and will have the spring to get acclimated prior to August camp so maybe he'll contribute in 2010. 
  
• Tom Parish - QB (6-3, 200) - big and strong Wisconsin native.  Parrish is the #3 ranked prospect out of the state.  Parrish will likely red-shirt unless he is able to pass Alipate, Gray and Weber on the depth chart.  Good size and a pocket passer, don't be surprised if he is under center for a few year assuming Fisch and his pro-style offense are around through his career.
  
• Marquise Hill - ATH (6-0, 165) - Missouri native and three-star prospect had a number of very good other offers.  UCLA, Neb, Iowa, Wis, Ark, Kan, K St and others.  Good offers but I'm not sure where we will see Hill.  Hill had 77 carries this year, 31 receptions, 14 offensive TDs, 2 interceptions and 37 tackles so who knows where he will end up playing for the Gophers.  Lemming ranked him the #1 receiver in St. Louis so my guess would be he ends up outside, but who knows.  May be talented enough to contribute in 2010.
  
• Donnell Kirkwood - RB (5-10, 197) - Kirkwood is the 91st rated Florida prospect and chose the Gophers over offers from Pitt, Rutgers and K State.  With our struggles at RB he very well could step up and earn some PT as a true freshman.  I think he'll be burried on the depth chart this year.  Given some time he very well could bulk up to be a bruising RB.
• Tiree Eure - TE (6-7, 240) - JUCO transfer, with other offers from Syracuse, Purdue, UConn and Colorado.  This kid is big!  It will be interesting to see how he fits into the picture at TE where we have Hageman, Hughes and Lair who project to get a lot of PT next year.
  

Defense - the glaring needs in the immediate future are at nearly every position on the defense.  I like a lot of our potential starters for 2010 but would struggle to fill out a second string that I'd feel comfortable with.  With that in mind here are the incoming commits on the defensive side of the ball.

• Josh Tauaefa - DT (6-2, 265) - a very strong kid who could be a real steal out of Texas.  Edwards and Kirksey are the certain starters but after that Tauaefa could be given every opportunity to get playing time behind them.  Needs to get bigger but having a motor that won't quit but if the rumors of strength are true he could see some time.
• Tyrone Bouie - DB (6-0, 170) - a personal favorite of mine for absolutely no logical reason.  Bouie has good size for a corner, tackles well and is a very fluid player.  DB is an area of need for next year but it is also a hard position to play at the Big Ten level as a true freshman.  I don't see him surpassing Carter, Collado, any incoming JUCO, Dandridge, Lewis, etc. this year.  A year to learn and get stronger would be great for Bouie.
• Harold Legania - DT (6-3, 250) - three-star tackle from New Orleans who had offers from SEC, B12 and ACC schools.  As stated above depth is a real issue at our DT situation so Legania should be given opportunity to earn that right away.
• James Manuel - DB (6-2, 200) - Safety is the likely position for this three-star kid out of Indianapolis. Maybe he's get some PT but with both safeties returning, this is the one position where we do not have any need.  Manuel should red-shirt a year and be ready to step in 2011.
  
• Willie Tatum - LB (6-3, 205) - three-star recruit out of Ohio.  Tatum will be a Golden Gopher next year and could provide some depth at LB but I would expect he'll take a year to put on some weight and get acclimated to the system. 
  
• Dwayne Mitchell - LB (6-2, 220) - This two-star kid out of New Orleans was an all-state LB as a junior and has pretty good size for a high school senior.  Mitchell may not be 100% sold on Minnesota but as of today he is still committed.  Good size, good measurables, may take a year or two before he'd contribute.
  
• Doral Willis - DT (6-0, 330) - A two-star Florida kid who is pretty good sized at what we've determined is a position of great need.  According to the two-stars in an area that is heavily scouted and the lack of any other big schools offering leads me to believe that he'll need some time to develop but you don't get very many 330 lbs incoming freshmen.  Maybe he can plug a running lane or two while Edwards and Kirksey get some rest.
• Hershel Thornton - DB (6-2, 205) - Another JUCO pickup from this past weekend.  Thornton actually graduated high school in 2006, worked for two years to support his family and needed to go the JUCO route to get back to big time football.  Pitt, Rutgers and S Florida were the other pursuers of Thornton.  All JUCO's, especially on the defensive side of the ball, are coming because they think they will get ample opportunity to play.  He'll be in the mix with Royston and Theret.
• Christyn Lewis - CB (6-2, 175) - the first of what I expect will be a few JUCO defenders.  There is so little depth in the secondary it would have been rather surprising had we not landed a JUCO corner.  Lewis is set to enroll in January and will likely be battling with Collado for the starting spot opposite Michael Carter.  Assuming no other JUCO corners come on board he'll be playing a lot.
  
• Allen Veazie - DB (5-11, 165) -does not have a rivals rating, has no other BCS offers.  Veazie is pretty fast but is a prime candidate to red-shirt to add some size to his frame.  

Those are the 23 commits as of 12.14.09.  If you are looking for guys to contribute as first year guys I think it is a short list.  Chrystin Lewis is the strongest candidate to play right away and play the most.  The handful of freshmen DTs will have a shot to get some time on the field but I expect a JUCO DT will find his way onto the roster to give us some more experienced depth.  The incoming receivers, Green and Hawkins, may fight for some PT but the WR depth should be pretty good heading into next season.

Check back in the next day or so and I'll have a little recap of who we are still pursuing and who are the most likely candidates to end up playing Saturday afternoons at TCF Bank Stadium.

There has plenty of activity in the past couple of weeks.  Lot's of activity while nothing is really any clearer.  After winning the state championship, Henderson is now in the mode of collecting individual awards.  Some are nominations to bigger awards and some are just a formality.  He has been named a finalist for the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Player of the Year award.  Former winners of this award include Tim Tebow, Adriane Peterson and Reggie Bush.  This is one of those awards where it truly is an honor just to be nominated.  Not surprisingly Henderson won the AP Player of the Year award for the state of Minnesota.  This was expected, but worth noting.

With the season over and the trophy case filling up, the next order of business is to determine his next football home.  Let's go team-by-team and get to the stories and my intuition on the subject.  Below are his final eight plus Michigan.

Ohio State - Recently video surfaced, form Seantrel's visit to Ohio State.  This is certainly worth the watch as it includes Chris Carter talking with him on the sidelines and the sit-down with Tressel in his office.  Tressel joked about the Henderson's getting a free sneak-peak at USC.

"You got a little sneak-peak at USC here.  That's not fair.  They got an advantage." 

I highly recommend watching the 4 min video.

Not much else new to report other than Shooter reported that Tressel was expected for an in-home visit on Wednesday.  On a totally unrelated and only mildly interesting note, Tressel's daughter is attending grad school at Hamline.  Upon hearing that Gopher's OL coahc, Tim Davis enrolled his son at CDH; I'm sure Tressel sent his daughter to Hamline and had her start tutoring CDH players.  It is unsubstantiated but I believe that Pete Carrol had

USC - The odds on favorite is finally getting their official Seantrel visit.  They've had a couple unofficial-unofficial visits as Seantrel took official visits to Notre Dame and Ohio State when they hosted the Trojans.  Not a lot of info on USC, but expect more next week.

Iowa - this is the surprise new-comer to the Seantrel Sweepstakes.  Iowa received an unofficial visit for the Gopher game.  Who knows how serious this visit is, maybe they are just doing their due diligence.  OR maybe Ferentz has convinced the Henderson's that he's the one player missing to take them to a BCS game next year.  Who knows, all I know is that I might cry if he goes to the Hawkeyes.  I can understand leaving for USC, Florida, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Ohio State; but Iowa?  No doubt they are much more successful than the Gophers in recent years but it's not like they are perennial anything except a good second tier B10 team.  I digress.

Michigan - is apparently out of the running.  He did not make the unofficial list of final eight teams.  I'm not all that surprised.   A couple months ago there was a lot of buzz surrounding Henderson to the Wolverines but it never seemed right to me.  I believe it was buzz coming more from Michigan (not necessarily the school but fan sites, recruiting services, maybe the team, who knows) than it was from the Henderson camp.  That's just a hunch but I never really got the impression Michigan was a contender, especially with the last place Big Ten finish.

Notre Dame - this is the interesting team to watch.  For much of the process I got the feeling Notre Dame was pushed on Seantrel by his high school staff and maybe his family.  Now with Weis being fired Notre Dame could fall off the map OR surge to the front of the pack.  Say Brian Kelly gets hired, I would expect Seantrel will move on without considering Notre Dame simply because he has no relationship with Coach Kelly.  But let's say Bob Stoops gets hired.  Stoops has already been working on Seantrel pretty hard and seems to have made some headway.  Put Stoops in South Bend and I think Notre Dame becomes a serious threat to land SH.  Just for fun here is a long-winded take on the coaching decision Notre Dame has to make.

Oklahoma - I think they are the quiet major player.  OU has not yet had Henderson on campus for an official, but it is expected that he will still be taking one.  Stoops was expected for an in-home this week as well.  Assuming Stoops remains with the Sooners I'm starting to believe they have a shot still.

Florida - An official visit is still expected but will have to happen after the season.  There really isn't much buzz around Florida and I've never really believed they were a favorite.  If it comes down to winning, maybe he chooses the Gators who by the time signing day rolls around could be working towards their third consecutive BCS Title.

Miami - listed by Henderson's father, Mr. Henderson, as one of the final eight schools still. 

"Our five was our five for a reason," Henderson's father Sean said. "We had our five plus the Gophers, Miami and Iowa, so with that, everybody is always still a consideration.

I don't believe for a second that they will finish higher than eighth in the sweepstakes, and if all other schools pulled their scholarship except Michigan and Miami; my money would be on Michigan.

Minnesota - Finally we get to the Gophers.  Brewster was the first to offer Seantrel and the first to take his in-home visit this week.

"Minnesota's our home school," Sean said. "Coach Brewster has been following Seantrel since he was a freshman and actually was the first coach to offer him a scholarship. So we'll always have a lot of respect for coach Brewster and the Gophers' program."

The elder Henderson said Brewster emphasized the importance of staying home during the 2 1/2-hour meeting at the Hendersons' south Minneapolis home.

"He said that everything's here for Seantrel and how big and important it would be to the people of Minnesota if he stayed home," Sean said. "He said that the Gophers are building something now and they wanted him with them to win a Big Ten title and possibly a national championship in the next few years."

Much of the Gopher's chances have always and continue to hinge on winning.  Fortunately for the Gophers all other suitors (Florida is the exception) fell short of their preseason expectations.  Ohio St won the conference but once again lost to USC.  USC was unable to win the Pac-10.  OU fell from a surefire top 5 team to nearly out of the polls altogether.  Notre Dame got their coach fired.  Michigan finished last in the Big Ten.  The Gophers finishing .500 and basically meeting expectations isn't nearly as nice as an 8-4 or 7-5 finish but at least nobody else is in the BCS hunt. 

Henderson's high school coach, Mike Scanlan had this to say about whether or not the Gophers have a shot at the stud tackle.

Q  Seantrel Henderson, a top national recruit, made big plays on both sides of the ball Friday. Locally, the million-dollar question is whether the Gophers have a shot at him. What do you think?

A  Yes. I truly do. He's not brought me up to speed in terms of thoughts on a frontrunner, but I think they have as good a chance as anybody right now.

I still think we are quietly in the running as a serious contender pending results of our bowl game.  Another embarrassing loss or lack of competitiveness would not help our cause.  But a win would at least keep us moving in the right direction.  There are some easy sells for Brewster here.  It can't be too hard to sell that we were a stud offensive lineman away from winning a couple more games.  Henderson will be a major haul for whoever he signs with, but at Minnesota he immediately moves into Joe Mauer stardom status.  The one thing Minnesota is missing is that air of a team on the cusp of competing for a Big Ten title.

The completely unofficial and arbitrary leaderboard

1. USC - I'm starting to feel less confident in the Trojans but it is hard to not consider them the favorite. 
   
2. Bob Stoops / Minnesota - I think if USC falls out of the running it will be a virtual tie between the the Gophers and wherever Bob Stoops is coaching next year.  If he ends up at Notre Dame they are #2 and if he stays at OU I think the Gophers have the slight edge.  
3. Ohio State - This could look silly later, but remember that this is a total guess.
4. Florida - I just don't see it, but the hardware they are bringing in would be hard to ignore.
5. Iowa - please God, no!
6. Michigan - not likely, I still believe Rich Rod will make a very strong last minute push.
   
7. Miami - not likely

The Map...updates

View Seantrel Watch in a larger map

Hard to wait till February before we know the final destination of Minnesota's most sought after recruit since Joe Mauer.

The high school football season is winding down for the nation's number one recruit.  Henderson's Cretin-Derham Hall Raiders finished the regular season 7-1and are waiting to find out their first round opponent.  The Raiders are currently ranked 5th in state and their lone loss came to the #3 Stillwater Ponies.  CDH is typically a very strong program so their #5 state ranking and 7-1 regular season record is no surprise to anyone familiar with Minnesota prep sports.  So rather than dwell on Seantrel's current team we want to focus on Seantrel's future team.

There have been two rather significant developments in the courting of Seanrel Henderson. 

The first may or may not be significant (OK, it probably won't be significant at all).  JD Pride, friend of Seantrel and at one time rumored to be desiring the same school, has committed to the only Division I school to have offered him a scholarship.  Pride has verbally committed to Minnesota.  Now like I said this may or may not be significant and it probably will fall into the insignificant column, but it is certainly worth mentioning.  I do believe that this is A factor for Seantrel, but I'm willing to speculate that this does not rank in his top 5 most important things to consider when picking a college.  Ultimately if this becomes a deal-breaker I have no doubt that USC, Notre Dame, Ohio St or whoever will give Pride a scholarship.

What was actually significant was Seantrel's official visit this past weekend to Notre Dame to watch the Irish lose to USC.  Seantrel was one of 18 official visitors for last weekend's massive tilt with the Trojans.  Rival's Mike Farrell talked about Seantrel's visit and there he has some very interesting assumptions...

Let's start with the five-star prospects. The nation's No. 1 player, offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson of St. Paul (Minn.) Cretin-Derham Hall, enjoyed his visit and sources say Notre Dame now is in the top three along with Ohio State and USC. Minnesota has faded in a big way, Florida and Oklahoma are long shots and distance could be a factor with USC. This could come down to a two-team battle between the Irish and Buckeyes. But Henderson still has visits left with USC and others.

It has felt to me (this is pure speculation) like the Notre Dame visit was done as a courtesy.  Many CDH kids end up playing for the Irish and I'm sure his coaches encouraged him to at least check it out.  But I've also felt all along that the Irish were going to finish 4th or 5th in the Seantrel Sweepstakes, I'm sure at least for now they are looked at favorably after the big weekend.  I have been to a few games in South Bend including a USC game (the Bush-Push game), it is an incredible experience.  The Bush-Push game was witnessed by another Minnesota kid who loved the experience enough to choose the Irish.  Matt Carufel eventually transferred out of South Bend and back to Minnesota but the Notre Dame experience was too much to pass up at the time.  If my assumption that the Irish were sitting 3rd or worse prior to the weekend was correct there is a good chance they have moved up the list at least for now.

For Minnesota fans the concerning part of Farrell's quote is that Minnesota appears to be fading fast.  I have also felt all along that the Gophers would need to win and do something significant to land Henderson and to date they have failed miserably to do so.  I wince at the assumption that these kids pick their school based on team A beating team B, I would hope decisions are not arrived at that carelessly.  But it might take a win over Ohio State to get Seantrel's attention again and put the Gophers back into the mix with Ohio State, USC and Notre Dame.

There are rumors that Seantrel will take a visit this weekend to Michigan.  It is unclear if this will actually happen or not and it is unclear if this will be an official or not.  I do think Michigan ranks ahead of Oklahoma and Florida at this point and I fully expect Rich Rod will put on a full court press up until signing day.  Watch for Michigan to get all kinds of rumors leading up to signing day, but in the end I think the team with the most talk around is the team that will lose the sweepstakes.

The completely unofficial and arbitrary leaderboard

1. USC - no reason to think they are not the program to beat.  Farrell thinks distance might be an issue, but Southern Cal will look really good when Henderson visits next month.
2. Ohio State - I wonder how the bad loss to Purdue and the recent ordinary-ness of Pryor looks to Seanrel.  Again, I hope he puts more thought into this decision than losing to Purdue but who knows.
3. Notre Dame - the buzz from the official visit may wear off, especially if the Irish struggle and rumors of Charlie's demise begin swirling.  Go BC!
4. Minnesota - it has been a few weeks of ho-hum-ness out of Minnesota.  They need a spark or something to grab Seantrel's attention.
5. Michigan - the Wolverine hype machine links Seantrel and Michigan almost daily but he is playing everything so close to the vest that all of the Michigan rumors feel like they are trumped up.
6. Oklahoma / Florida - I still don't feel like they are serious contenders and if Michigan gets an official visit this weekend he'll have to drop one of these from his visit list.

The Map...updates will be there with shoe size and everything.

View Seantrel Watch in a larger map

There is a little joke around the press box that Brewster only gets recruits to commit after a loss.  Ohio State in 2007 and Michigan in 2008 are two prime examples of losing a game  but gaining more commitments than home games that we have won.  Much of that may have to do with bringing in more recruits on those weekends, but the trend is continuing.  Last weekend's win over Air Force saw more than a dozen recruits taking their official visits.  None of them have committed (yet).  This past weekend there were only a handful of visits but two of them have given their word to Brewster that they'll be coming here in 2010.

James Manuel - Indianapolis, IN (Warren Central HS) - 6'1", 195 lbs

Currently a corner who will be playing safety for the Gophers in the future.  Manuel breaks the recent trend of getting verbal commitments from kids who's only offer from a BCS school was Minnesota.  He is thwarting offers from the likes of Cincinnati, Iowa, Louisville and Michigan State to come and play for the Golden Gophers.  Manuel is a three-star prospect and according to Rivals is the 9th best player in the state of Indiana.

Here are a couple highlights from his ESPN bio...

Manuel is a solid skilled player that can line up as a safety or a corner. He has good size and speed to play in the secondary. Plays the deep ball very well and has good natural talent and instincts. Demonstrates good timing when going up for the ball or deflecting the pass. Seems to play with a lot of confidence and savvy.

Does keep excellent inside body position on the receiver from the cornerback position. Very solid and aggressive tackler coming up from both the safety and corner positions. Really thrives on full contact; often explodes through the ball carrier or receiver and does a super job of driving his legs to finish the tackle.

All in all this is a solid commitment.  It sounds like he has solid coverage skills and can tackle well enough to be effective at the safety position. 

DT - Josh Tauaefa - Corinth, TX - 6'2" 265 lbs

Rivals currently does not give Tauaefa any stars and his offer list is pretty unimpressive (Houston, UNLV and UTEP are the highlights).  ESPN's eval says he shows flashes of doing things very well but it sounds like consistency is keeping him from excelling.

Tauaefa is a tough kid who can be a little like a bull in a china shop at times. Needs to keep working on some of the little things, but shows flashes of being a tough defender.

Forgive me if I'm not doing backflips over this commit.  We seriously need some depth at this position so good that we are getting something but his resume isn't inspiring.

Other Visits who have not yet committed

ATH - Kenny Bell - Three Star athlete with offers from Colorado, Arizona St, Texas Tech and other smaller schools.  He did not commit but accoring to Gopher Illustrated he was very close.

"To be honest I was ready to commit last night. I was very close to telling Brew I wanted to join Gopher Nation, but I wanted to go home and talk it over with my mom. I will do that tonight and then probably sleep on it and I will likely call Coach soon. I might decide to visit Texas Tech or Arizona State first, but I don't know if there is a need to. I came into my visit with a lot of love for Minnesota, the coaches, and the team and my visit only made me love them more. Coach Brew has Minnesota on the rise and I think I want to be part of that."

WR - Chris Hawkins - Three star receiver with offers from a bunch of BCS schools including Cal, Neb, Ark, AZ, AZ St, Kan, Kan St and Kentucky.  The Houston native is going to wait until his senior season is over before committing.

LB - Willie Tatum - currently a Bowling Green commit, but sounds like he could be switching over to the Gophers.  Two star kid out of Pickering, OH.  ESPN's eval makes it sound like the hybrid-LB type is a big under the radar kind of kid who's recruiting may continue to heat up.  "we still feel Tatum has a lot of physical tools, size and athleticism to mold up and develop into a quality BCS level outside backer."

OL - Johnathan Ragoo - BIG kid who's only other offer is Miami (the Florida one).  6'7", 355 lbs!  My money is on this monster being golden when all is said and done.

"I love Minnesota and I could see myself as a Golden Gopher. I just want to talk to my mom and bring her up here to see the campus and meet everyone. We will be back soon so she can see it. I might take a visit to Purdue, but I really don't know right now. I feel like Minnesota might not be able to be beat."

It is odd, isn't it that we get commits after losses and after wins the kids all go home to think about it?  Overall, I'm thrilled with the Manuel commit and it sounds like we'll get a couple more in the near future.

Being lost in all of the hubub surrounding the new stadium and the actual game, there will be a good number of recruits taking official and unofficial visits this weekend.  According to GopherIllustrated.com here is who will be in attendance and considering whether their football future will be in maroon and gold.

Offensive Players

• RB - Ethan Grant (Coconut Creek , FL) - 4-stars, currently committed to Oregon
  
• RB - Josh Huff (Aldine , TX) - 4-stars, currently committed to Utah (for now)
• RB - Dontae Williams (Houston , TX) -4-stars,likes Ore and has offers from all over including Cal and OSU
  
• RB - Wesley Vincent (Houston , TX) - no offer yet
• WR - Toby Durham (Sanford, FL) - teammate of Tyrone Bouie (below)
  

Defensive Players

• LB - Zachary Allen (Pahokee, FL) - 3-stars, currently committed to Wake Forest
• LB - Kevin Kisseberth (Klein, TX) - 3-stars, commitment could come this weekend
• LB - Dwayne Mitchell (New Orleans, LA) - 2-stars and a Gopher commit
• CB - Tyrone Bouie (Sanford, FL) - 3-stars, a favorite of mine!
• CB - Jabari Price (Pompano Beach, FL) - 3-stars, teammate of freshman, Michael Carter, another favorite of mine.
• DT - Harold Legania (New Orleans , LA) - 3-stars, teammate of Michell's with offers from Miss, Miss St and Virginia
• DT - Doral Willis (Pahokee , FL) - 2-star, current Gopher commit
  

Unofficial Visits

• OT - Jimmy Gjere - Irondale - Gopher commit
• DT - Beau Allen - Minnetonka - uncommitted
• ATH - Tobi Okuyemi - Wayzata - uncommitted
• QB - Tom Parrish - Wisconsin - Gopher commit
• ATH - Lamonte Edwards - Woodbury - Gopher commit

Recruiting is picking up significantly and it will be VERY interesting to see what kind of an impact the stadium will have on recruiting this weekend.  It clearly has had an impact in the past but now being able to see the packed stadium and all of the surrounding festivities it can only help that much more.

As Brewster tries to impress the local kids who have not yet committed he has decided it is in his best interest to charter a helicopter tonight so he can watch Irondale, Cretin and Minnetonka all in the same evening.  Kind of crazy but kind of cool.

I haven't posted this in a while but here is my current top 10 recruiting wish list.  And here is the current class of verbal commitments, let's hope we get to add to this list on Monday.

Gopher Nation's (semi-realistic) Top 15 Recruiting Wish List

1. OT - Seantrel Henderson - Seantrel will be at Ohio State this weekend watching USC
   
2. DT - Beau Allen - local, position of need and has very good other offers.  A must get!
   
3. CB - Tyrone Bouie - love the way this kid tackles in his videos, I'd really like to see this Florida native choose Minnesota.
4. CB - Jabari Price - teammate of Michael Carter down in Pompano Beach, FL
5. DE - Tobi Okuyemi - Wayzata native and athletic DE.  May end up moving to OLB at this level but very good player.
6. OLB - Zachary Allen - (new to the list) committed to Wake, visiting this weekend
7. RB - Dontae Williams - (new to the list) - visiting this weekend appears ready to play right away.
   
8. DE - CJ Olaniyan - Four-star, Michigan native with offers from all over (PSU, UCLA, OK, Miami, Big Tens).  Highly unlikely but we are in the running.
9. DT - Harold Legania - (new to the list) offers from Miss and Miss St, teammate of Mitchell's, position of need
   
10. OC - Antonio Ford - (new to the list) position of need, Pahokee native
11. RB - Andre Dawson  - Iowa native and three-star running back
12. OLB - Troy Gloster - grandson of Sandy Stephens, smart kid (looking at Stanford)
    
13. WR - Toby Durham - teammate of Tyrone Bouie, three-star receiver, visiting this weekend
    
14. OLB - Kevin Kisserberth - visiting this weekend and may commit
    
15. OLB - Nduka Onyeali - Colorado native, has us in top 5

OFF the list

• S - Isaiah Lewis - committed to Michigan State