Did you see my Gopher Hockey Preview of the Defenders? (yes, the wingers and centers are Offenders. Get over it.) Are you too lazy to scroll? You're lucky - click here.
(1) I posted this yesterday, but I want to touch upon it again because the timing is interesting. Totino-Grace QB J.D. Pride committed to Minnesota this past weekend. He's well known because he's chums with Seantrel Henderson, his uncles are the Barber kids, his Dad was a Gopher, and he traveled with Seantrel to a number of camps this past summer. In fact, for a while the thought was, offer Pride, maybe you get Henderson.
Only one school took the bait. He admitted in an interview that Minnesota was his only offer, and that he sat on the offer for the entire summer while trying to drum up more national interest. He even name dropped Kentucky and Michigan in the article linked above as schools "really interested in him." But, no offers meant he took the one he got.
Well, what's to make of this? Pride wants to play QB. He's got Gray, Alipate and based on star ratings, Parish in front of him. He's a 2 star recruit with no other FBS interest. Repeat: no other scholarship offers. And he admitted that his commitment now has nothing to do with where Henderson will go to school.
Pride obviously has every opportunity to succeed at Minnesota and it could very well happen. However, this is yet another situation where the Gophers had the right to be picky with their scholarship offers. Just because they give an offer does not mean they have to confirm/accept the commitment. Yes, that's a little slippery, but that's recruiting - if kids can hold schools hostage until Signing Day and have stupid hat ceremonies at all-star games, coaches can tell a high schooler to wait until Signing Day before committing. Minnesota could "slow play" recruits (such as Pride or Ragoo or Mitchell) in the hopes of getting a better prospect, because it's pretty obvious Pride, Ragoo and Mitchell would pick up the phone on Signing Day. Accepting Pride's commitment right now makes complete sense for Pride (in that there is likely no other offer to get), but it makes no sense for the Gophers, unless this gets them Seantrel's signature. That's unlikely this weekend, as he has confirmed he'll be in South Bend for the USC/Notre Dame game.
Other Nugz?
(2) Yet another Grant at Minnesota? Yes, it might be Eden Prairie's Taylor Grant.
(3) The Big Ten has a new bowl line-up, and I don't care what anyone says, there will be no shame for whoever finishes 8th and gets a little PIZZA PIZZA in Detroit this winter.
(4) The second ranked Minnesota womens' hockey team did just about the greatest thing possible other than winning a national title - last weekend they bludgeoned Ohio State.
(5) Well, we've got Penn State this week, and Black Shoe Diaries actually cares enough to call it HATE WEEK. Believe me, this may warrant a response with Anthony Morelli front and center.