Recruiting kicked into high gear for head coach P.J. Fleck and his coaching staff over the weekend, as the Minnesota Golden Gophers snagged six new verbal commitments after bringing an impressive haul of recruits to campus for an official visit. The first recruit to grab on oar was German defensive end Melle Kreuder, whom Fleck and co. extended an offer to earlier this month after watching him perform at a satellite camp in Buffalo.
I'm excited to announce that I committed to the Minnesota Gophers. #gogophers#RTB#SkiUMah pic.twitter.com/ceNik0uS5z
— Melle Kreuder (@KreuderMelle) June 15, 2019
Kreuder is the Gophers’ second international recruit to commit to this class, and I’m going to chalk it up to Fleck turning an untapped pool of talent to his advantage, as opposed to the school of thought that would have you believe he has been forced to look overseas to help compensate for lackluster recruiting stateside. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Get to know Melle Kreuder
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 235
Power 5 Scholarship Offers: None
247 Sports Composite Rating: N/A
Scouting Report
You’re going to have to put your faith in Fleck and defensive line coach Jim Panagos here. There is film to draw from, but there is no comparison between the competition at the high school level in Germany and the level of competition in America. So take his highlight reel with a grain of salt. Kreuder is certainly a physical specimen, and a freak athlete if his measurables are accurate and that 4.6 40 is to be believed. He may require a greater degree of coaching than your average high school graduate, but I have to assume Fleck and co. believe he has the tools to succeed.