Minnesota Football Recruiting: Quinn Oseland Commits

Hey, remember the recruiting BBQ last month? Coach Kill just landed arguably the largest (figurative and literal) prospect in attendance.

I am blessed and proud to announce I have officially committed to the University of Minnesota to continue my education and athletic journey

— Quinn Oseland (@Q_Oseland78) August 13, 2014

Gophers just got better

— Coach Brian Anderson (@CoachAnderson15) August 13, 2014

BIG TIME Golden Ticket today! Very Very Fired Up Gopher Staff! #BrickByBrick #GopherFootball

— William Glasscock (@BillyGlasscock4) August 13, 2014

Springfield (IL) Sacred Heart-Griffen offensive linemen Quinn Oseland committed to Minnesota this afternoon, the fourth prospect to attend Kill's Recruiting BBQ in late July and ultimately make the call. Oseland is a 3 star prospect according to 247Sports' Industry Composite, choosing Minnesota over finalists Illinois and Oklahoma State. Quinn listed nearly a dozen offers, including several other Big Ten and national programs, such as Oregon, Michigan State and Louisville. Oseland is the 10th member of the 2015 class and fourth projected offensive line prospect.

Quotables

Local television interview in which Oseland describes why he chose the Gophers. Synopsis: the staff and their relationship with the Sacred Heart-Griffen (SHG) coaches.

Gopher247's Kyle Goblirsh with Quinn after his visit to Minnesota ($):

"The visit was real good. I got to talk with Coach Kill and Lime (Matt Limegrover) mostly" Oseland explained to 247Sports. "I also toured the campus and facilities, and they were all pretty cool. The campus and locker room was all pretty nice. The thing that stood out most to me was probably the city area itself."

Gophers coach Limegrover grades Oseland highly and made sure to let him know how he felt. "The biggest thing that Coach told me is that they really want me there and they’ll take good care of me. Coach sees me as a Home Run for one of the final O-Line spots which is pretty nice to hear."

ESPNU evaluation ($). You should also check out Dan Meyer's film review over at Gophers247 ($) and a Bolt from Clint Brewster (Yes, THAT Clint Brewster) on what he likes about the pickup.

Comes off the ball hard but a little too high at times; does a very good job of getting movement when double teaming. We see a tough battler who mauls defenders but not yet capable of consistently knocking defenders back on their heels when single blocking; flashes the first step quickness needed to reach for leverage; shows smooth technique when trap blocking; can locate and dig out opponents in tight space.

(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: 6'6"
Weight: 300-310 lbs.
Fake 40 Time: LOL NOPE, not the proper metric for a linemen.

Highlights

Junior Year:

Sophomore Year:

Thoughts

Absurd Comparisons

I don't have a good comparison and it's not for lack of trying. Oseland and prospects of his ilk generally haven't pledge to Minnesota in the past, both from a developmental and scheme fit perspective. As a nimble 300 lbs. prospect with an attitude and length, offenses predicated on outside zone running schemes are in hot pursuit of agile tackles like Quinn who can stay on their feet. Sure enough, Oregon, Oklahoma State, Illinois, Indiana and a host of other Pac-12 spread teams all threw their hats in the mix.

Minnesota's most agile tackle of the last decade was Mark Setterstrom, though even that comparison falls short; Setterstrom was a much different type of linemen with less physical tools than Oseland. Glen Mason would have loved what Quinn could do in his system, given his ability to get out in space on the outside zone blocks while crashing down with authority on inside zone.

Scheme Fit

Oseland has played guard and tackle at SHG, though he's most likely a tackle from Coach Limegrover. You could say the same thing about Ted Stieber, Bronson Dovich and a handful of other linemen the Gophers have signed since Kill took over; position flexibility along the offensive line gives Limegrover the chance to put his best five on the field, versus his best at a given spot. As such, it is notable that Quinn does showcase the ability to pull from his high school film and moves extremely well for a well developed, taller linemen.

Still, Oseland is likely a tackle for Minnesota once he arrives on campus. I largely agree with the scouting reports presented above, that Quinn would benefit from a redshirt year and more flexibility in the knees -- something Coach Klein specializes in (especially compared to previous strength coaches). He could also stand to clean up his technique and play with a flatter back, though once he puts it all together I suspect he'll quickly make an impact on the depth chart.

Impact on Other Linemen?

As noted in the listed quotes, Coach Limegrover wanted a "home run" commitment to finish out his crop of 2015 linemen and absolutely thought of Quinn as such a player. Oseland's pledge lets the staff play the role of chooser rather than beggar, since they no longer have to press for an impact-type prospect at the position group. Further, if Signing Day were tomorrow, the staff would be more than satisfied with where they stand. That's how strong of a commitment this was for the program.

Oseland's verbal takes the pressure off the staff with regard to a local prospect as well. While the coaches would absolutely still take Drayton Carlberg, the need to do has substantially diminished. Oseland was their target, and now that he's in hand, the urgency to secure a top flight local prospect isn't there like it was with, say, Frank Ragnow. The Gophers likely won't wait on Carlberg to make a decision and now, they don't have to.