Minnesota Football Recruiting: Breakdown of Gophers Commit LB-Mariano Sori-Marin

(*Editor's note...What the heck does "Commitment to Eight" mean? It is our new recurring title for recruit commitments referencing a commitment to work towards the Gopher's Eighth National Championship.)

The first LB commit to the Minnesota Golden Gophers under Coach Fleck is a lightly recruited linebacker from the suburbs of Chicago. I know what you’re thinking...a solid player with a weak offer list, how good can he be? Well the answer is, we don’t really know. Sori-Marin has had injury issues and has played in just a handful of games over his sophomore and junior seasons. Back to back broken collar bones has really limited his exposure.

But this Spring at a camp in Chicago, Sori-Marin put up some really impressive metrics (40-time, shuttle time, vertical, etc) and the staff decided to be the first major program to move from a “let’s see” approach to offering him a scholarship. Injury concerns are there, but if he can stay healthy, this may be a fantastic early get.

Quotables

Ryan Burns of GopherIllustrated ($cout).

"My Minnesota interest started back a month or two as I actually visited for their Junior Day. Then things picked up even more after my performance at the Chicago Nike camp and then defensive coordinator Robb Smith and my recruiting area coach Brian Callahan came and watched a workout. Then said they loved what they saw and we setup a personal Minnesota visit on Monday with my parents, they offered and then I committed on Friday night, so it's been a crazy week."

and this...

“Minnesota took a chance on me when a lot of other schools wanted to wait and see me at camp, and I'm very grateful to them for that, and I'll be loyal. I want my teammates, parents, coaches and everyone that's helped me to get where I am today to know that I'm so thankful for them. Go Gophers!"

Measurables

Height: 6’ 3"
Weight: 223 lbs.
40 Time: 4.77

Big 4 Ratings:

Power 5 Offers - none, but Ivy Leaguers Harvard, Yale, Penn, Colgate, Brown, Columbia, Cornell with interest from Northwestern

• Scout - 3 stars
• Rivals - 3 stars (5.5 rating)
• 247 - 3 stars (82 rating)
• ESPN - n/a

Junior year highlights:

TDG Analysis

In Two Words - if you have to remember just two things about this player...

• Smart
• Big

Absurd Comparisons

I’ll take the lazy take on this comparison and go with Jack Lynn. Lynn came to the Gophers from the NW Chicago Suburbs and came with a reputation as a smart kid and a good leader. Turned into a multi-year starter and a very solid linebacker on some pretty good Gopher defenses. Sori-Marin is a bigger version of Lynn, built more like Kamal Martin, but with a faster 40-time.

Scheme Fit

Good tackler, smart kid (which may or may not actually translate to being a smart player on the field) who may or may not have elite athleticism. How he fits into what the new staff wants to do on defense is TBD, but they saw fit to offer him in the Spring and accept his commitment before other P5 schools decided he was worth a scholarship.

Impact on Other Prospects?

The first linebacker taken and there will likely be a couple more, with a priority at MLB.

Recruiting Map