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With plenty of open scholarships the Gophers have been able to a much needed offensive linemen to the roster. Donnell Greene committed to the Gophers a couple weeks ago (apologies for not publishing this sooner but I was waiting on another JUCO transfer to announce and was going to post them together, but that is lingering). Greene comes to the Gophers from Coffeyville CC in Kansas.
This is pretty huge commitments due to the fact that the offensive line struggled last year in production and came into this year with depth being a significant concern. Adding Greene allows the younger linemen to mature without being forced into action too quickly and provides a major boost to the 2016 line.
Here is a little information on your newest Gopher...
Donnell Greene - OT
Donnell Greene is a lineman with tremendous size at 6'7" and 345 pounds. He comes to the Gopher program from Coffeyville CC where the Gophers have had some recent success recruiting. Here is a brief analysis of Greene from Scout.com. (link with quote)
He's got a big, long, athletic frame that entices many programs. Greene is a picture perfect tackle from a physical standpoint. He's technically sound, keeping his hands tucked inside of defenders and getting into their bodies, while maintaining a forward lean to create leverage. Greene is athletic and moves well but one area for improvement is his quickness out of his stance. He needs more of a burst in his kick-step out in pass protection.
Two Things To Know
1 - He has 3 years to play. I LOVE getting JUCO's that have 3 years left to play. Boddy-Calhoun, Poock and Campbell are good examples of this in recent years.
2 - Greene is huge. You have to love his size at 6'7" and a big 345. I haven't seem the young man in person but I will imagine that trimming that body up is probably a good idea but as he adds strength and gets his body in shape he is going to be a nice sized tackle.
Now put the two together. Three years to clean up that massive body and three years to improve his technique, Greene could be a great addition and a fixture at tackle for two years.
What to Expect
I suspect he will be a depth guy this year behind Pirsig and probably Vincent Calhoun. And next year may be starting at tackle for two years.
TWEET
Next Stop 〽️innesota pic.twitter.com/bv9fqRdqZL
— Donnell Greene (@ITSME_DONNELLG) June 25, 2016
This really is a huge for the Gophers, particularly if Greene is in uniform on Saturday's this Fall. Three JUCO offensive linemen coming into the program this Fall and it is very possible that you see three of them starting very early in the season. Vincent Calhoun and Garrison Wright have the advantage of having been here throughout the Spring, expect those two to be integral from Day 1. Greene is an additional body that will certainly add depth and very likely will be starting in 2017, 2016 is pending. Impressed that the staff added so much girth to such a position of concern.