Minnesota Football Recruiting: Colton Beebe Commits

This pledge has some deep roots with Coach Kill

I have made my decision to go to the University of Minnesota next year. #gophers #BrickByBrick pic.twitter.com/FwHfAf03Qb

— Colton Beebe (@CBeebe56) December 18, 2014

Golden Ticket Two days in a row! Special player that can play anywhere! #BrickByBrick #Gophers

— William Glasscock (@BillyGlasscock4) December 18, 2014

Kansas City (KS) Piper HS athlete Colton Beebe verbally committed to Minnesota this evening, the second prospect in as many days and one that's a sort of legacy: Colton's dad played for Coach Kill at Pittsburg State. Beebe is a 2 star prospect according to 247Sports' Industry Composite, choosing Minnesota over offers from Kansas, Air Force and Army. Beebe is the 19th member of the 2015 class, the second Kansas prospect of the cycle and a prospect that could project on either side of the ball.

Quotables

ESPNU eval ($):

Beebe comes across as a tough football player. Has experience playing in the backfield on offense as well as with his hand down on defense. He has some limitations athletically that could limit his contributions some, but whether as a battering ram type blocking FB on offense or as a downhill run stuffer on defense and a solid special teams player he can contribute to a roster and his lunch pail style of play could gain him some looks from a few of FBS programs.

Beebe with Gopher247's Kyle Goblirsch with Beebe after his official visit last month ($):

"I have talked to the coaches quite a bit, so we mainly had conversations about hunting and fishing stuff. Coach Kill coached my Dad at Pitt State, so he knows him pretty well. They did have some good stories, only the ones they wanted me to hear though (laughs)."

(Likely Fraudulent) Measurables**

** The section title is a bit. It's intentionally facetious comment on how recruiting sites (and even some college coaches) notoriously exaggerate traditional combine measures -- especially the 40. No offense is meant.

Height: 6'2"
Weight: 252 lbs.
Fake 40 Time: 4.70s

Highlights

Senior Year:

Thoughts

Absurd Comparisons

Tough to make ridiculous comparisons (like some I've seen roll across the Twitters, like Mike Alstott) when I really don't know on which side of the ball Beebe ends up playing. If he's a fullback, the truly absurd thing to say is he's akin to a cinderblock fired from a cannon. As a defensive tackle, he's a really mean tough guy type -- not unlike Cameron Botticelli.

Scheme Fit

If you've paid attention to the Limegrover scheme the last two years after they morphed the NIU offense by stealing borrowing heavily from NDSU run concepts, the fullback is an incredibly valuable cog not only as a lead blocker but also a key check-down option in the flats. Football Study Hall's Ian Boyd ran a feature on the NDSU Power O, which included a great quote from (then) head coach Craig Bohl on his recruiting strategy:

It's a challenge to find the old pro-back fullback or H-back. Those guys run counter-culture to what's going on in football. But you have a kid that grew up on a ranch, drives a pick-up, and has a belt buckle, he doesn't mind bashing his head into a DE 15 to 20 times a game.

Now I haven't examined too closely to see if Colton wears a belt buckle because that's creepy, but I can say from examining the nearly 10 minutes of blocking porn that doubles as a highlight reel, Mr. Beebe will have no trouble crashing into defenders on the various wham, kick-out and iso blocks he'll be asked to execute as a Gopher fullback. Miles Thomas and Mike Henry are/were very important parts of paving the way for David Cobb to rush for over 2700 yards the last two seasons, and Beebe is bigger and more physical than both. He's also more athletic too, evidenced by the different ways the Piper coaches used him in their offense: from blocking, rushing as a dive back, swing passes lined up out wide(!) and at receiver.

Colton is just as tenacious as a tackler, though he'd project more as a developmental defensive tackle than a linebacker, the position he predominately played in high school.

Impact on Other Prospects?

Spots are getting limited now, though that matters less if Beebe was slotted at fullback versus defensive tackle. Colton was always viewed by this staff as an athlete they'd make room for and would find a spot to play him later, so he really doesn't impact any other recruits specifically.