Who are you and what did you do with Coach Brewster?

After some morning reading here are some of thoughts and links following the Gophers first day of practice.

Did Tim transfer with Clint? - there are multiple reports of a "calmer" and "more relaxed" Coach Brewster. While this is hard for me to believe, it must be flabbergasting for others to comprehend. But it is true and I have the quotes below to prove it. Not only is the head coach more comfortable in his surroundings but rather than hyping everyone up with talk of what may or may not happen after Jan. 1st, 2009 he's preaching one play at a time.

There are more quotes below but Kent Youngblood summed it up best...

"In one year, Tim Brewster has gone from talking Pasadena to preaching one play at a time, from pie in the sky to feet on the ground."

Adam Weber - "There is a calmness about him."
Willie VanDeSteeg - "He's taken a little step back"

Personally, I like the willingness to admit winning more than the Sun Bowl is a goal worth striving for, but exuding some form of calm and in control demeanor is exactly what a young team needs to see from their head coach.

New Guys I'm Excited to Watch

• Cedrick McKinley is getting more and more ink that he is a physical specimen who will help out that defensive line immediately.
• Simoni Lawrence is currently listed at a starting LB and he should really add some speed and coverage skills to the mid level.
• All defensive backs - pass defense was so bad last year that I'm really excited to see how Tramaine Brock, Traye Simmons and Keanon Cooper help us out in the backfield.
• David Pittman did not make the initial 2-deep but I'm excited to see how he is utilized as a play maker in this offense.
  

Working Hard Enough? - The Gopher Athletic Communication Dept is putting out a daily blog of summer practice. Andy Seely (Associate Dir of Ath Comm) is the primary typer of information and it looks like John Romo (Dir of Internet Services) will also contribute. But the most interesting piece of info they provided us with from Day 1 was this...

Each player weighs in at the beginning and end of practice to keep track of hydration and other health measures. Nobody dropped double-digit pounds, but it was close. Two Gophers lost nine pounds, while a handful of others were in the seven- and eight-pound range.

One afternoon's practice led to the loss of 7-9 pounds?!? Of course that is water weight and most of it will be put back on after some hydration and a healthy meal, but I found it rather interesting.

How the athletic training staff takes care of the athlete's bodies is incredibly high tech and is vitally important to the success of the team, I truly believe that. They and the strength training staff are two of the most unheralded but critical elements of preparing the athlete to perform at the highest possible level.

Missing Some of that 2008 Class - When all was said and done Brewster delivered nearly all of his massive recruiting class. But a couple of the key guys are not going to be Gophers this fall.

• Sam Maresh was our best defensive recruit and is not playing due to open heart surgery. Clearly not Brewster's fault, but I was looking forward to seeing him play in 2008.
• Spencer Reeves is one of the Skyline 4, which currently is only the Skyline 3. The LB has not yet qualified and the staff is anticipating he'll be at the U in January.
• Vincent Hill was expected to at the very least add depth to the WR position and possibly moved to DB to help out that thin area of need. Who knows how effective he would have been but he was a 4-star recruit and his inability to gain entrance is disappointing.
• Tim McGee was going to be a defensive line addition and also did not qualify. This one doesn't concern me as we knew at least a couple kids were not going to make it and JUCO transfers are always a bigger risk, but I'm listing him as one that got away.
  

Official Gopher 2-Deep (FINALLY)

Practice has begun today and at Brewster's 1 pm news conference the official depth chart was revealed. What is remarkable is that only seven players on the first or second string are seniors. I'll help you out with the math. 7/44 = 15.9% of the relevant roster are seniors meaning 84.1% will be returning next year. I know we thought we were young last year and this year would see some improvement but we are a VERY inexperienced team. 10 are true or redshirted freshmen with more not listed who many think will contribute in 2008 (Tate and Jacobs come to mind)

First of all click HERE for a very quick clip of Brewster's press conference.

Let us remember that there has not been a practice yet so this will surely change over the next 3-4 weeks. There are plenty of young players and newcomers who will likely have a chance to move up the list.

First year players in maroon.

OFFENSE			DEFENSE
QB	Adam Weber		DE	Willie VanDeSteeg
	Tony Mortenson			Derrick Onwuachi
RB	Duane Bennett		DT	Eric Small
	Jay Thomas			Jewhan Edwards
WR	Eric Decker		DT	Garrett Brown
	Xavier Brandon			Barrett Moen
WR	Ralph Spry		DE	Cedrick McKinley
	Broderick Smith			Lee Campbell
WR	Brandon Green		LB	Simoni Lawrence
	Ben Kuznia			Kevin Manion
TE	Jack Simmons		LB	Deon Hightower
	Nick Tow-Arnett			Rex Sharpe
RT	Chris Bunders (rFR)		LB	Steve Davis
	Ryan Ruckdashel			Nate Triplett
RG	Ryan Wynn (rFR)		CB	Marcus Sherels
	Jason Meinke			Ryan Collado
C	Jeff Tow-Arnett		FS	Tramaine Brock
	Trey Davis (rFR)			Tim Dandridge
LG	DJ Burris		SS	Kyle Theret
	Ned Tevale			Keanon Cooper
LT	Dominic Alford		CB	Traye Simmons
	Ryan Orton (rFR)			Troy Stoudermire

SURPRISES...

No David Pittman - but my assumption he is #3 at WR, CB, QB, C, LS, LT and DT (maybe I should have listed with / instead of ,)

Redshirted Freshmen missing - Anthony Jacobs and Andre Tate are not on the 2-deep and personally I was hopeful to see their names, time will tell if they contribute much this season.

Offensive Line - most notable was Ned Tevale backing up LG when many thought he'd be starting at RG. Looks like the entire right side of the line is up for grabs but currently has two freshmen starting while the left side and center are locked down.

Defensive Backfield - the big shocker is Marcus Sherels starting at CB over returning starter Ryan Collado. Sherels was hyped coming out of spring ball but I'll still be shocked to see him starting in week 1. Maybe he was made for corner and it just took some time for him to find a home. Of the top eight players in the defensive backfield 3 are new starters and 3 backups are new to the program. Looks like a wholesale effort to get that pass defense turned around.

Defensive Starters - FOUR starters who were not a part of the program in 2007 (five if you count Sherels who moved from WR to CB) and five back ups who are new to Gopher football. The battles will be fun to watch from a distance and be sure to have your roster handy for week 1 vs. Northern Illinois.

That, Gopher faithful, is your 2008 Golden Gopher initial depth chart.

Brewster at Big Ten Media Day

Here is the video of Brewster's Big Ten Media Day press conference...



In typical Brewster fashion he used the word tremendous within the first two sentences! In fact reading the transcript I was able to find usage of said word nine times. I'm a big fan of Brewster and his optimism but when I meet him, I am going to give him a thesaurus.

Main Entry:	tremendous
Part of Speech:	adjective
Synonyms:	amazing, astounding, colossal, deafening, enormous, extraordinary, fabulous, fantastic, giant, gigantic, great, huge, immense, large, mammoth, marvelous, mighty, momentous, monstrous, overwhelming, powerful, stupendous, terrific, titanic, vast, whopping, wonderful

After his initial optimism and coach-speak about last season's competitive yet unsuccessful squad, Brewster pretty quickly got down to business...

"last year we were pretty solid on offense, did some pretty good things, scored some points and ran the ball fairly well. What we didn't do was stop anybody. We were a very poor defensive football team. From the head coach to the defensive staff to our team."

"And as you look through the years at the University of Minnesota, Minnesota has had good offensive football teams for a long time where we would come up short on the defensive side."

While I enjoy Brewster's optimism, the thing I most appreciate is that he isn't afraid to speak some of the truth. He wasn't afraid to say "Rose Bowl" when he first started and he isn't afraid to tell everyone that "yeah, we stunk on defense last year." While this fact is clear and anyone who paid attention knows this, most in the coaching world would pussy foot around this issue and say things like "we need to improve defensively" or "it is a total team effort" but Brewster wasn't afraid to call out his staff, the players and take some responsibility for not bing able to "stop ANYBODY."

Brewster also talked a little about our new defensive coordinator, Ted Roof (Roof received a double "tremendous")...

"Again, as I said, the key in our improvement without question is our development as a defense. I'm really excited about Ted Roof, our new defensive coordinator, comes to us with tremendous experience, not only as a defensive coordinator but a head coach. Tremendous calmness about him, understands, has been in the heat of battle, and his imprint on our defense was strong this spring. I thought that he came in and really got after those kids and let them know exactly the style of play that we want to play, and again, it just goes back to our commitment to playing great defense."

We really don't know a lot about Roof or what kind of style or personality he'll bring to the defense. But I like hearing that he got after kids a little bit. I'm sure as the season draws near we will hear more about how Roof wants to play an aggressive defense that flys around the field and swarms to the ball, but show me a defensive coordinator who doesn't want that and I'll give him directions to the unemployment center. The best thing that Roof can bring to this defense is his ability to teach. We have young guys who are going to have to contribute and they need to learn their responsibilities quickly.

Now on to the Q & A

Q. I know you. You mentioned about the emphasis on defense and trying to improve it and all that. How are you changing the defense in terms of style or scheme from last year?

COACH BREWSTER: You know what, I don't think it's at all about style. I don't think it's at all about scheme. I think it's about players, players having an attitude to swarm and attack. We talk about alignment, assignment and tackle, those basic premises which lead to playing good defense.

I know this is kind of a cop out answer, but for the Gophers this is completely true. If you have the tape, watch last year's Iowa game. The Hawkeye RBs would take a false step towards the Gopher sideline then cut back the other way in a designed counter play. Holes were massively huge because our linebackers would sprint three steps in the wrong direction before they realized the play was coming right at them. That is just bad defense of watching the ball and not reading the play. It doesn't matter how fast you are or whether or not you can tackle, if you take yourself out of the play you are a non-factor.

Then go and watch any other game on the schedule to see how awful we were at tackling. I thought Kyle Theret and Dom Barber were a solid tacklers but that was about it.

Q. Hearing from you and having just heard before from Mark Dantonio and Bill Lynch, a number of young coaches who are taking over programs who aren't traditionally the Ohio State do you feel like you and these younger coaches can continue to balance the power in the Big Ten?

COACH BREWSTER: You're a young guy, right? You don't realize that the University of Minnesota has won six national championships and 18 Big Ten Championships. University of Minnesota is truly one of the top schools in the Big Ten. Now it's been a long time since we've won a championship, but without question we believe that we can make an impact in the Big Ten, and that's why we're here.

I believe that HE believes he can make an impact on the Big Ten. Whether or not he can actually accomplish this is another question, but I still like the attitude and tremendous optimism.

Maresh to play in 2009 ???

Adam Rittenberg of ESPN posted yesterday that Sam Maresh believes he'll be practicing with the Gophers in the spring of 2009!

But when Maresh talks about returning to the football field for Minnesota, it's hard not to believe him. Most people, including doctors, will attach the word "if" to Maresh's football future, but the talented linebacker who headlined the Golden Gophers' highly touted 2008 recruiting class speaks with a tone of certainty.

Obviously Maresh is being a little optimistic, but he was fortunate that the doctors were able to do the procedure without a "full incision of his sternum." Not completely breaking the bone that protects the heart and holds your ribs together significantly reduces the recovery time. So maybe, just maybe Maresh's optimism has some validity.

Currently he is unable to do any sort of exercise, "lift anything heavier than the remote" and has lost 15 lbs. But he will be at camp in August watching from the sidelines.

"It's going to be pretty hard to sit on the sideline, but it will be good to be a part of the team," he said. "For me to sit back and watch and learn from other people, it's going to help me when I start playing again."

As fans it would be great to see Maresh come back strong to lead the 2009 Gopher defense, but most importantly it is incredible that he not only survived open heart surgery and encouraging that all signs point to Maresh being strong, happy and healthy. Playing D1 football for the Gophers is just icing on the cake.

Ranking the Big Ten QBs as NFL QBs

The cool thing to do now is put out your own ranking of Big Ten Quarterbacks and as a blogger you are required to do a comparison list at least 4 times a year. Since Weber was one of our few bright spots in 2007 and is one of our few positions of "strength" heading into 2008 I too will take part.

The Best

1. Curtis Painter (Pur) - Painter threw a lot of passes a year ago (1st in B10), completed a high percentage of them (2nd in B10), threw very few INTs (just 11 in 569 attempts) and also threw a lot of them for 6 pointers (1st in B10). Is Curtis Painter the Tom Brady of the Big Ten? He doesn't have quite as much to work with, but his ability to be consistently accurate and able to find the endzone more than anybody else does draw some comparison. The biggest difference? Painter hasn't show he can win big games against good teams. In his last collegiate season this is his chance to give a big boost to the Boilermakers and put his name on the map.

4. Kellen Lewis (Ind) - Could Kellen become the Daunte Culpepper of the Big Ten? Mr. Lewis losses his primary offensive weapon in WR-JJ Hardy who accounted for 29.8% of Lewis' completions, 37% of his yards and 57% of his TD completions. When DC lost Randy Moss his numbers dropped substantially. TD:INT ratio went from 3.5 : 1 to 1:2. Injuries came along to shorten his season but prior to that he dropped 70 yds per game and was on pace to throw 60% fewer TDs than the year before. I don't know that Lewis will fall victim to essentially seeing his career tailspin into oblivian, but it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to losing the best that offense had going.

3. Todd Boeckman (OSU) - Boeckman is a big QB, with a strong arm and lacks mobility. Peyton Manning anyone? Sorry Buckeye fans, but it would be irresponsible of me to put a former SEC QB here, lets go with Ben Roethlisberger. He's also big with a strong arm, plus he's more of a midwest guy. But I'll end the comparisons there. Everything is ripe for Ohio State to win the Big Ten and roll into the BCS Championship game. Boeckman needs to be just a little improved. Believe it or not, but TB has the highest INT per attempt % of any returning Big Ten QB (even higher than Juice's). Painter threw INTs on 1.93% of his attempts and Lewis 2.26%. TB? He threw an INT on 4.68% of his attempts. That needs to improve and is the primary reason he is where he is on my list.

Next Best

4. Adam Weber (Min) - Vince was Brewster's guy, Vince is probably the best rusher on his team, does not have many weapons on his team and tends to have higher INT%. Check, check, check and check for the Weber comparison. I know I'm a homer but its my blog so screw you. I really think Weber flew under the radar on his way to a very good season last year. Mistakes were high and I've not hidden my thoughts that Weber was directly responsible for the Florida Atlantic and Northwestern losses. But with that said he also put up great numbers in his rFR year while learning a brand new, complicated offense. Of course mistakes will have to be reduced and steady improvement must be shown but this list is not about last year and more about where they will rank in 2008. I think Weber is poised to have a breakout season and will have every opportunity to be near the top of this list in 2009.

5. CJ Bacher (NW) - Jon Kitna threw the ball a LOT last year, was on a losing team and threw about as many TDs as INTs. Bacher threw for a lot of yards with a lot of attempts, but he has the lowest TD% of any returning B1o QB throwing TDs on just 3.65% of his attempts. The next lowest among returning QBs is Jake Christensen at 4.60%. That is kind of an alarming number for Bacher. For those who don't pay attention to the lower half of the Big Ten it would be easy to confuse Bacher and Weber as both are on teams trying to improve but that all depends on fewer mistakes from their QB.

6. Juice Williams (Ill) - I am NOT a fan of Juice Willaims as a QB. He is an incredible athlete and to be fair improved in the last several games last year. BUT, in multiple games last year I watched him completely miss guys who were wide open. Twice in their Indiana game he had certain TDs to WRs who had no defender within 10 yards. On both instances he missed the WR by 5 yards. Completion % was better but his INT% was still really bad. He should probably be higher because his value is in his legs (hence the Michael Vick comparison). Like I said, Juice is an incredible athlete, but I think he will have a very disappointing season with Rashad Mendenhall playing on Sunday's this year.

Solid Starters

7. Brian Hoyer (MSU) - Hoyer quietly is solid. None of his numbers stand out but he threw 20 TDs to 11 INTs and 2,700+ yards. Jeff Garcia was the best I could find as a solid but unspectacular NFL QB. Hoyer is losing WR-Devin Thomas so, like Kellen Lewis, it will be interesting to see how he responds.


8. Daryll Clark (PSU) - I chose Rex Grossman for two reasons. One, nobody is certain who will be starting for the Bears but conventional wisdom suggests that the more experienced Grossman should be the guy in week 1. Secondly, in Chicago if they are going to win it is because of the defense. I guess the fan base's frustration with their team's offensive coordinator factors into this decision as well. Clark should be the man in the new "Spread HD". Nobody is sure yet but

9. Jake Christensen (Iowa) - Cleo Lemon was on a bad team. He wasn't terrible but had a low completion percentage which stalled drives and lacked other offensive weapons. Having an experienced, returning starter is big in NCAA football. Christensen is solid who threw the fewest INTs of any returning QB. But like Lemon was on a bad team, was an unspectacular QB who isn't hurting his team but isn't exactly helping them either. The hopes of the Hawkeyes rest on the shoulder pads of Christensen.

The Rest?

Wisconsin QB (Allan Evridge, Dustin Sherer)- Just hand the ball off, don't worry about throwing the ball. Hand it off and let your defense give you good field position. If you are not familiar with why this comparison is apt or who Tarvaris Jackson is. He is the QB of the Minnesota Adrian Peterson's. Jackson is an unknown but all he has to do is hand the ball off to a super talented RB.

Michigan QB (Steven Threet, ??)- I should lead with the fact that this comparison has NOTHING to do with stats or individual success on the field. The comparison here hinges on teh fact that whoever starts for the Wolverines will probably put up big numbers but we all know they won't beat their more talented rivals.


Terrell Pryor (OSU) - MAKE UP YOUR MIND WOULD YOU? Plenty of talent and the tools to help lead his team to a championship. But probably won't play this year.





If you want some of the other Big Ten QB rankings you can go here...

ProFantasySports.com
ESPN Big Ten Blog
Big Ten Network
Lake the Posts (NW Blog)

Gopher Sports 2007-08 Recap

Chances are pretty good that if you read this blog then you are already aware how the football, basketball and hockey teams fared this year. (Ugly, improved, disappointing in case you didn't know). But lets take a moment to recap all of the 23 Golden Gopher sports...

Big Ten Champions
Women's Cross Country
Women's Swimming and Diving
Women's Indoor Track & Field

I guess it was a better year for the women's side of the athletic department but here is a brief sport-by-sport run down.

Fall Sports

Football (1-11) - Tim Brewster's first season was highlited by his recruiting class while we suffered through a season as bad as any in memory. The football team has received enough coverage so we'll leave well enough alone.

Volleyball (18-13) - 11-9 which was good enough to be tied for third in the Big Ten. A streaky season for the Golden Gophers who started out 12-3, went on a seven game losing streak, split their next two and then finished the conference season winning five of their last six. Minnesota was the only team in the country to face all four participants of the Final Four (Cal, Stanford and the National Champs from Penn State). Heading into next year we return two very talented freshmen (Brook Dieter and Lauren Gibbemeyer) and currently sit as the 9th winningest volleyball program in the country.

W Cross Country (finished 12th at NCAA Championships) - Big Ten Champs (five runners in top 17) and NCAA Midwest Region Champs highlited a rather successful season for the women runners. SO-Jamie Cheever was the highest finisher at the NCAA meet finishing 33rd overall. We do return six of our top seven runners so 2008 could be another highly successful season for the women long distance runners.

M Cross Country (finished 8th at NCAA Championships) - JR-Chris Rombaugh finished 29th and FR-Hassan Mean finished 43rd to lead the Gophers. Mead and Rombaugh finished 2nd and 4th respectively in the Big Ten Championships as the Gophers finished 2nd to Wisconsin. We return three of the top five runners for next year.

Women's Soccer (9-8-2) - The season was nothing special but did manage to pull off the biggest upset in the program's history when the Gopher women knocked off nationally ranked (#8) Penn State 1-0 in double OT. The team finished 6th in conference and lost to Illinois in the first round of the B10 Tourney. With their sophomore and freshmen classes ranking top 50 nationally when they were recruited, it would appear that the next couple seasons could be improved.

Winter Sports

Men's Basketball (20-14) - again well chronicled on this particular blog. Much improved, incredible recruiting class and some new coach who given time just might make a name for himself.

Women's Basketball (20-12) - 11-7 was good enough for 3rd in the Big Ten. More importantly the women earned a their 5th bid into the NCAA Tournament in coach Pam Borton's six seasons. They return their best player in cup stacking champion, PG, Emily Fox who earned First team All-Big Ten honors in her junior season.

Men's Gymnastics - finished 5th (out of 6) in Big Ten Championships. SR-Mitchel Mays claimed an individual title on the vault. Mays was actually the heavy favorite to win an NCAA title on the vault but he "landed short on his Tsukahara double pike for a score of 15.625 and an eighth-place finish."

Women's Gymnastics - finished 6th in Big Ten Championships, but managed to finish the season with a #16 national ranking. Apparently the Big Ten was loaded as seven teams finished in the top 30 (6 in top 20).

Men's Hockey (19-17-9) - a disappointing season as the Gophers began the season with hopes of a Frozen four appearance but reality brought them down to a 9-12-7 WCHA record (7th place). Freshman Goalie, Alex Kangas, went on an unbelievable run during the WCHA tournament and Minnesota fell just short of their 15th conference tournament championship. The Gophers did manage an at large bid into the NCAA's but lost in their first round match up at Boston College.

Women's Hockey (27-7-4) - a more successful regular season than the men ended in much the same fashion. After finishing 2nd in the WCHA to Wisconsin, the Gopher women advanced to the championship game but lost to Wisconsin. They did of course make the NCAA tournament and were given the opportunity to avenge their previous 3 losses to Wisconsin but once again they lost to the Badgers to end the Gopher season.

Men's Swimming and Diving (3rd in Big Ten) - continued their streak of a Big Ten top 3 finish each and every season since 1989. The men scored more points this year in the NCAAs than they did a year ago when they finished 10th, but the added points this year were enough to garner an 11th place finish.

Women's Swimming and Diving (Big Ten Champs) - setting 14 team records and five events the women swimmers (and divers) won their third conference championship. The women continued their successful season and went on to finish 13th at the NCAA meet. Jillian Tyler earned Big Ten freshman of the year.

Wrestling - The Gopher grapplers followed up their 2007 National Championship season with their worst finish in the NCAA meet since 1996 finishing 10th. Not so bad, right? But when you have standards set as high as the Gophers', who have finished top 3 in nine of the last 11 seasons, 10th isn't exactly something to write home about. Second in the Big Ten, their best wrestler returning and the nation's top recruiting class on it's way there is no reason to believe the Gophers will not be back to their usual top three finish.

Spring

Baseball (20-35) - the baseball team is likely the biggest disappointment of the Minnesota athletic department. A decent showing in the non-conference season beating Tulane, Pepperdine and Missouri (all NCAA Tourney participants) turned out to be fools gold as the Gophers struggled mightily and finished last in the Big Ten. I'm planning to cover this in more detail soon, but it was their worst season since 1950. A very young pitching staff and much of their lineup potentially returning (depending on draftee decisions) should mean the Gophers will return to the top of the Big Ten soon.

Softball (29-16) - 4th place finish in the Big Ten. This was the highest Big Ten finish since 1999 and with only four seniors on the team 2009 could be a very successful season for the softball team.

Rowing - With the finest facilities around and a breakthrough season in 207, the women's rowing team finished 4th at the Big Ten Championships and 6th in the Central Region.

Men's Tennis (7-17) - 16 of their 17 losses came to ranked opponents and this young squad finished 4-6 in the Big Ten to cap their season. They will return 3 of their top 4 singles players and should be in fine shape to return to the NCAA tournament where they have been 13 of the last 15 years.

Women's Tennis (15-11) - a winning season and much of their roster returning this may have been a learning season. #1 singles was freshman Alessandra Ferrazzi from Brescia, Italy who will anchor the team in the next few seasons. Looking at the roster you see that the women's tennis team hails from exotic locations all over the world as Italy, Russia, Brazil, Australia and Neenah, Wisconsin are all represented. Bonus points to anyone who is actually reading this and can guess which of those locations I have actually been to.

Men's Track & Field - 5th place in Big Ten Indoor and Outdoor Championships. The premier outdoor event, the 100m, was won by a Gopher for just the second time as Ibrahim Kabia established himself as the fastest man in the Big Ten (would have been 8th in SEC for those of you keeping track). Three other men won individual titles. Five Gophers will participate in the NCAA Meet (June 11-15 in Des Moines, IA). All five are underclassmen.

Women's Track & Field - This may be the most successful team in Gopher athletics this season. Big Ten Indoor Champs and 3rd place in Outdoor Championships. Eight individuals will be participating in the NCAA Meet next week.

Men's Golf - Big Ten runner ups to Michigan State with two golfers finishing in the top 10. JR-Victor Almstrom finished tied for 5th and SR-Clayton Rask finished 10th. Like several other sports this team was young and will return four of their top five golfers. Rask and Almstrom also participated in the NCAA Central Region Tournament finishing 11th and 41st respectively.

Women's Golf - While young squads has been a theme here, the women's golf team is the youngest of them all. The Gopher women finished 8th in the Big Ten (shooting their second lowest B10 score in team history) and the team was led by two freshman. Teresa Puga finished sixth individually at the Big Ten Tourney and Mary Narsizi finished 23rd. Essentially the entire roster returns (one senior who was not usually within the top 5), while this does not guarantee success they will have every opportunity to improve.

That covers all 23 sports that you can support in Gopher Athletics. As a group the University of Minnesota athletics finished 22nd nationally in the NACDA Director's Cup Standings. I do not believe that all of the spring sports are included in the most recent rankings so I would expect a little drop depending on how well our track athletes perform. A year ago we finished 20th but with the poor showing by football and baseball, coupled with slightly down years in hockey and wrestling the drop cannot be all that unexpected. How Notre Dame could even think about hiring away an athletic director from a team not in the top 20 of the Director's Cup Standings is beyond me.

Directors Cup Standings
Big Ten Teams
2	Michigan
3	Ohio State
4	Penn State
18	Wisconsin
22	Minnesota
23	Purdue
25	Michigan St.
29	Illinois
30	Indiana
32	Northwestern
50	Iowa

Take that Iowa!

And we have a fronterunner for a new Def Cord...

Chip Scoggins is reporting that Ted Roof is the likely front runner for he gopher defensive coordinator position. Scoggins reports that the former Duke head coach was on campus today and I would assume the smart money is on Roof being introduced within hours as your new DC.

Roof as a head coach doesn't exactly wow you with his 1-23 record in the last two seasons (or even his 6-45 overall record). But he did figure out how to beat Northwestern (take that LTP) so at least we have that going for him (us). As an assistant Roof has had some success, which you can read about in Scoggins' story.

Here is Roof's resume (courtesy of Rivals.com)...

current	LB Coach	Louisville
2003-2007	Head Coach	Duke
2002	Def Coord	Duke
1999-2001	Def Coord	Georgia Tech
1997-1998	Def Coord	Western Carolina
1994-1996	Ast. Coach	Massachusetts
1990-1993	OLB Coach	Duke
1989	LB Coach	West Georgia

This seems like a solid hire. Roof is experienced as a head coach and as a defensive coordinator. I'm sure he will be a great fit. Two questions pop up to me...

1-Is he a recruiter? 5 seasons at Duke and it doesn't appear the talent level improved (or even plateaued).

2-Will he leave for another head job soon? He has the experience so another school will conceivably give him another shot. But his record Duke was so bad that he probably won't get another shot until he really proves himself as a Gopher coordinator and that would be good for us.

Nothing is official and we will all know more tomorrow but Roof is here and my gut tells me that he'll be the guy.

DC-Whithers to leave us for North Carolina

So if you are checking Gopher Nation for your breaking Gopher news then let me be the first to tell you that our defensive coordinator, Everett Whithers is leaving the U to take the same position with Butch Davis in North Carolina.

This appears to be in the dream job category for Whithers. He is from North Carolina and family and you get the idea. I'm disappointed with this move as Whithers had a solid reputation and I looked forward to seeing what he could do with the influx of young talent. So far I have not read any internet vitriol calling him a traitor or worse a Holtz.

So rather than lament his departure let us look forward to potential replacements. Before we talk names lets talk about what kind of a coach we want. Defensive Coordinators seem to be rather aggressive people. Every new coordinator comes in and says we are going to play like mad dogs, we are going to be aggressive and we are going to make plays flying around the field. That is code for we are lacking talent and we have to use controlled chaos to disrupt the offense.

What I want more than an aggressive coach is a teacher and a recruiter. We have a group of talented kids but they need to be taught. I want to see someone who will pay great attention to detail. Teach these kids to make reads, to react and then fly to the ball to make plays. What killed me last year was watching all three linebackers take 2 steps to the left when the opponent was running right. Making the wrong reads and reacting too late killed this defense more than lack of talent (although that was a massive contributing factor).

All right lets throw out some names, this is total speculation but it is a start...

Kevin Cosgrove - is the early favorite. Cosgrove was most recently defensive coordinator at Nebraska and is said to have a lengthy relationship with Brewster. Cosgove was also DC at Wisconsin and was dangerously close to coaching the Vikings linebackers after Brad Childress was hired to lead the Purple. This hire may be OK but it wouldn't do anything to excited the fan base. Nebraska's defense has been very gopher-esque in recent years so his results don't do anything to get me excited.

DeWayne Walker - Walker would get my endorsement. His resume is impressive and he is a former Golden Gopher. Even after the coaching change at UCLA, Walker was retained by new head coach Rick Neuheisel to stay as defensive coordinator. But can he be convinced to come back to his alma matter? Or does he bide his time as a Bruin until the job opens up here again. But really he has demonstrated success in recent seasons, he has deep recruiting ties to California and he is a former Gopher. If he is willing to listen this is a no brainer.

Ron Lee - currently the Gophers secondary coach. Lee has coached at Michigan & Wisconsin, and he has two years of DC experience at San Jose State. The possibility of a promotion exists.

Oscar Giles - currently DE coach at Texas. Giles coached on the Texas staff with Brewster, then found work at a couple other Texas schools and has been back on the Longhorn staff since 2005. Giles would help us to continue a Texas pipeline as he landed four 4-star recruits for UT. And last year he successfully recruited a 5-star and three 4-stars. Other than being a solid recruiter, coaching on the defensive side of the ball and knowing Tim Brewster I couldn't tell you much about him.

Tony Dungy - just kidding, but you tell me which is crazier. Landing Tony Dungy to play DC at his alma matter before he retires or that the Gophers would land a coach like Tubby Smith? For the record I am totally kidding by putting this name on the list. Please don't tell me how Dungy wouldn't want to recruit, this is a pay cut, or just plain how retarded I am. I am aware of all of these facts.

Tim Tibesar - originally from Minnesota and currently DC at Kansas State for one season. Tibesar has the experience and he is from here. But can he recruit? Does he have any relationship with Brewster? Is taking the Minnesota job a step up? I'm guessing that this would be a good move for Tibesar but the real key is whether or not Brewster knows him and trusts that he is an outstanding recruiter. Stole this name from internet message board so if he gets hired I won't take credit for you hearing it here first.

Greg Mattison - Florida C0-DC who has landed a number of top notch recruits for the Gators (anybody heard of Tim Tebow?). Mattison would give us a larger foot in the door to Florida recruits. Why would he come to Minnesota? I'm not sure but he is from the midwest. Originally from Madison, WI; undergrat at LaCrosse and masters at Illinois. Mattison would be a total steal but don't hold your breath.

Ed Orgeron - has popped up on message boards. Head coach at Ole Miss 2005-07 and assumed DC role the first two seasons as well. Also coached at USC for several season coaching the DL where he won a recruiter of the year award. I'm sure Orgeron is a great candidate with experience but as a former SEC head coach I don't know that we want someone who will bolt in a year or two to take another head job. Also, I'm not sure what would draw him to Minnesota.

Lance Thompson - fits the exact profile that Brewster seems to be drawn towards. Thompson is an excellent recruiter (named 2007 Rivals recruiter of the year), he is young and appears to be a tireless worker who is on his way up the college coaching ladder. Currently Thompson is OLB coach at Alabama with DC experience at Central Florida and was recruiting cord at LSU. This is a total shot in the dark but maybe Brewster makes a call to see if Thompson is interested in a DC job.

Donnie Thompson - coached with Brewster in North Carolina coaching the DLine, then was LB coach at Illinois and is currently Ast. Head Coach / DL coach at Eastern Carolina. Not very exciting, I know but it's a name. I'm sure Brewster has a list and if Thompson is on that list it will be on the B-list.

That is my list of candidates. Chances are that none of them will end up with the job but we will see.

Looking ahead to 2008 Football - Minnesota

January is an interesting time for college football and much of what happens now affects what will happen next fall.

Around the Big Ten underclassmen are deciding whether or not to declare for the NFL Draft (they have until Jan. 15th). The Big Ten looks to be stronger next year as many schools are brining back plenty of very good starters. Will the Gophers be able to take a step forward in a conference that should be stronger? Can they get a win this year?

The gophers don't have to worry about anybody leaving for the draft. Recruiting is a KEY for next season's team. 2007 was more than forgettable so 2008 can't come soon enough. Let's take a look at the 2008 roster and schedule...

OFFENSE - the offense loses 2 on the OL and 2 skill position players. All 4 were solid, but the experienced gained by the younger players should compensate for any losses. If Weber improves and cuts down in his interceptions this unit should be better in 2008 than we saw in 2007. A full season of Dunbar's offense under their belt should allow this offense to grow in complexity and be harder to defend. Here's hoping at least.

QB - Adam Weber
RB - Duann Bennett
TE - Jack Simmons
WR - Eric Decker
WR - Brandon Green - 1st yr starter (shown right)
WR - Ralph Spry
RT - Matt DeGeest
RG - DJ Burris
C - Jeff Tow-Arnett
LG - Ned Tavale
LT - Dominic Alford

2nd String Offense
QB - Clint Brewster - rFR
RB - Jay Thomas
WR - Tray Herndon
WR - Vincent Hill - FR
WR - Marcus Sherels
TE - Nick Tow-Arnett
OT - Anthony Brinkhouse
OT - Roszell Gayden - FR (may redshirt)
OG - Ryan Ruckshadel
C - ???

Notables
QB - MarQueis Gray - redshirt
QB - Tony Mortenson - likely transfer
QB - John Nance - redshirt
TE - Eric Lair - my guess is redshirt or pass Tow-Arnett on depth chart
Most 2-star recruits - redshirt


DEFENSE - this unit was BAD last year. There will be several new starters or regular contributors in 2008. I don't have high expectations for this unit, but it can't be worse so I guess it can only get better. We lose a DT, 2 LB's, CB and S to graduation. That may seem like a lot but only Barber at S is going to be difficult to replace. Starters are harder to predict here. There are a number of talented kids coming in who may push last year's regulars. This depth chart may end up being completely wrong but it is my best guess. Again, don't have too high of expectations here other than it has to be better.

LE - Anthony Jacobs - 1st yr starter
DT - Jewhan Edwards - 1st yr starter (pictured right)
DT - Garrett Brown
RE - Willie VanDeSteeg
WLB - Spencer Reeves -1st yr starter
MLB - Sam Maresh - 1st yr starter
SLB - Deon Hightower
CB - Traye Simmons - JUCO 1st yr starter (pictured right)
CB - Ryan Collado
SS - Curtis Thomas
FS - Tramain Brock - JUCO 1st yr starter

2nd String Defense
DE - Lee Campbell
DE - Derrick Onwuachi
DT - Eric Small
DT - Otis Hudson
LB - Andre Tate - rFR
LB - Steve Davis
LB - Rex Sharpe - incoming JUCO
LB - Kevin Mannion
CB - Jonothan Dandrige - FR
CB - Troy Stoudermire - FR
SS - Kyle Theret
S - Simoni Lawrence - FR

Notables
LB - Gary Tinsley - FR, will redshirt
ATH - David Pittman - could be too much of an impact player to redshirt, but I don't where he'll end up (WR, DB, PR, QB)
DL - Brandon Kirksey - could push for PT, but my money is on redshirting

I see up to six new starters on defense. That is a major overhaul but for a unit that was dead last in the world of D1 football it is probably exactly what is needed. Last year they were often out of position, couldn't tackle, couldn't put pressure on the QB and were just not as athletic as their competition. Adding some athletic youth who hopefully can tackle will take care of half of the problem. And then we can hope that Jacobs, Edwards and a healthy VanDeSteeg can give us improved play on the defensive line. Don't expect miracles or a unit that dominates anything. But maybe we'll be able to force a few more punts and make a couple more big plays throughout the season.

SCHEDULE - Overall this should be an improved team. The offense with experience and the defense with added athleticism/talent. Will they be making a trip to Pasadena next year, um not likely. It is a light non conference schedule and it is favorable for home/away match ups. Here is my VERY early schedule prediction...

MAC Opponent TBD - W (1-0)
@ Bowling Green - W (2-0)
Montana State - W (3-0)
Florida Atlantic - W (4-0)

@ Ohio State - L (4-1) - 1% chance of winning
Indiana - W (5-1) - we can win this one, 68% chance of win
@ Illinois - L (5-2) - I think UI will struggle this year but on the road this is a loss, 20% chance
@ Purdue - L (5-3) - winable, 45% chance
Northwestern - W (6-3) - both units are better for us, they bring new coordinators 81% win
Michigan - W (7-3) - this is my upset pick, they are losing a LOT and will go through the pains of new systems as we did without the right personnel 50.1% chance
@ Wisconsin - L (7-4) - 19% chance, but road game = loss
Iowa - W (8-4) - very winable at home, 73% win

8-4 seems pretty aggressive. The Michigan game is probably a loss but that is my upset special. Indiana, Illinois and Purdue could all go either way. So officially I think 4-0 non conference is reasonable and should be expected this year. 4-4 in conference is aggressive but 3-5 isn't crazy. I expect us to be more competitive with a defense that will occasionally stop (or at least slow down) somebody.

I am excited already. Fortunately I have a competitive basketball team to watch through March April.

Welcome to Gopher Nation kid

1st off, Wednesday is kind of a big day. JUCO kids can sign with D1 programs beginning on Wednesday. Since the Gophers have commitments from several JUCO transfers this will be a big day.

JUCO Commitments - transfers usually don't have a huge impact on college football programs. But a handful of these kids might play immediately or at least give us some quality depth.

CB - Traye Simmons - 4-STAR - I expect will start at CB from day 1.
Ath/C - David Pittman - 4-STAR - great QB at JUCO level
DB - Tramaine Brock - 3-star
S - Simoni Lawrence - 3-star - also a good chance to start as S or smallish LB
LB - Rex Sharpe 3-star
RB - Maurice Greer - 2-star - was highly recruited out of high school

Jewhan Edwards - DT

I am really excited about this one. We needed help on the D-Line in the worst way. His talent level really varies depending on what site you look at. He is big and quick off the line. Personally I think based on our lack of talent or any impact on the defensive line that he will play immediately.

Rivals - 3-star, 40th best DT
ESPN Insider - 8th best DT and highest rated gopher recruit
Scout - 3-star and not ranked among DTs.

So that pretty much covers the spread on Edwards. Either he is going to be one of the best DTs in the country or he'll be very average and won't play for a year or two. Edwards essentially picked Minnesota over Syracuse and West Virginia


The Gopher staff continues to rack up recruits, in spite of their awful regular season. Bringing in talent is the first step, then we'll see what Brewster and his staff can do with this talent.

I Love the BCS

and by love I think that it is an absolute joke and sucks beyond anything college football people can come up with.

I've mentioned before that each and every year I want the worst possible scenario to happen for the BCS. I want the computers to put in a non-BCS school in the top 2 spots or I want a matchup of teams that nobody wants to watch. Unfortunately that will never happen as the system will always be manipulated by the human voters to get the matchup that everyone wants to see.

This year has turned out to be a great scenario for BCS haters. In the last weekend of games you have the top 2 teams both losing. So the next in line is Ohio State, who is probably overrated and from a Big Ten that most consider "down." They are IN.

Next in line you have a team that wasn't even in their conference championship game. So 1 week ago they were "ranked" higher than LSU which by my definition means the voters assumed they were better and all things being equal would probably beat the Tigers. Does that mean Georgia will get a BCS Championship game opportunity? I doubt it (but we'll know in hours).

After Georgie you have #5 Kansas. The Jayhawks are the only other team with only 1 loss. But again they did not even play in their conference championship game. Do they get to move up and play Ohio State in the championship game? Don't bet on it.

Then we have #6 Virginia Tech. The Hokies played today and beat #11 ranked Boston College. Surely if anybody is going to leapfrog Georgia or Kansas it would be the Hokies right? Wrong, they lost in a head to head game at LSU.

#7 is LSU. This will be your OSU opponent in Arizona this January. Why? Because that is the match up people want to see. Are they more deserving than the now 2 loss teams that were just ranked #1 and #2 (Missouri, West Virginia)? Are they any more deserving than USC, Oklahoma, Georgia or Virginia Tech (all 2 loss teams, three of which won today)? No, but that is the sexy matchup and I am certain that when the new BCS standings are released tomorrow they will move from #7 to #2.

This is good for all BCS haters. In the past there is often 1 maybe 2 teams who feel they were denied their rightful spot in the championship game. This year I count no less than 5 teams from 4 conferences who have a legit argument to be the team that beats plays Ohio State.

How much fun would a playoff be this year with USC, LSU, VTech, OSU, OK, Pitt, and a couple at large teams like Georgia and Kansas. Really a semi-final round of USC, LSU, OSU and OK would be amazing this year. But instead you can watch those teams in meaningless random bowl games then watch two teams that were "given" a chance at the national championship (not recognized as an official NCAA Championship).

UPDATE: Add Hawaii to the list of teams who think they should be in the national championship game. The only D1 school who has not lost and they won't get a sniff of a championship trophy. Maybe they should and maybe they shouldn't but they did everything they could and people will them that they'll never get a chance to prove it. Why not let them decide these things on the field?

Welcome to Gopher Nation kid

Well there have been a few common themes for the 2007 gopher football team.

1. The defense is terrible each and every game. Holding a team to under 500 yards was something we got excited about and looked at as an improvement.
2. We lost. A LOT. We lost games and we lost by a lot of points usually.
   
3. Following a home loss, we would usually land a significant recruit or two.

Last week was no differentPublish Post. The gophers lost to Wisconsin. It was a close game and we held them to under 450 yards (WoooHOOO!). And then we followed up the loss with a string of recruits committing to the program.

Please take the time to welcome the following kids to Gopher Nation

Hey-Hey, We've got Big Play Traye!

CB - Tray Simmons (pictured right)is our fourth, 4-star recruit. BPT is expected to come in and be an immediate starter. I couldn't be happier that we are landing highly ranked kids at key positions. This was one of they key guys that gopher fans (who are paying attention) wanted Brewster to land. He is a more experienced than a high school kid and should be ready to contribute immediately. I'm afraid that I'm heaping too many expectations on him but he should be an upgrade over the current group of corners. This a big signing!

ATH - DaJon McKnight - The potential Skyline-4 is up to the Skyline 3 (just waiting on Keanon Cooper)! McKnight is clearly the lowest rated of the 4, but he is big (6'3") and fast so I'm sure he'll be able to help us out. I don't know yet where he'll play, my guess is WR, but there is speculation he'll play defense.

McKnight's Skyline Raiders have won their first game of the Texas big division playoffs (5A) and are in the final 16 remaining teams. They won @ Tyler Lee 28-10 with Troy Stoudermire having another great game rushing for 171 yards and 2 TDs. Next up the Raiders will play against Rowlett (6-5) @ Texas Stadium. Rowlett upset previously undefeated Allen (#3 in Texas) 37-32.

RB - Maurice Greer (pictured right)- another Denver Mullen kid. Greer is a JUCO transfer who was a highly rated RB out of high school. In fact he was the #1 rated player in Colorado as a senior and committed to the University of Colorado. Fans in Gopher Nation are pretty excited about this one. Personally I am a big fan of Duane Bennett but if Greer comes in and brings more to the field than Bennett who am I to complain.

WR - Xavier Brandon - a 2-star recruit out of the Atlanta area, and is actually a classmate of basketball recruit Ralph Sampson. Brandon is 6'2" and runs a 4.48 40. Brandon makes 3 WRs in this recruiting class with the potential for a few of the "athletes" to eventually be a WR. A position that once was very thin on depth (and talent) now looks to be a position that will be a strength over the next several years.

Newcomers I anticipate will be immediate starters...

• LB - Sam Maresh
• LB - Spencer Reeves
• S - Simoni Lawrence
• CB - Traye Simmons
• CB - Troy Stoudermire (also PR and maybe WR)
  
• WR - Brandon Green
• DE - Anthony Jacobs (currently redshirting)

My Top 5 remaining Uncommiteds...

1. DL - Willie Mobley - immediate starter
   
2. DT - Jewhan Edwards - immediate starter
   
3. QB - MarQueis Gray
   
4. S - Keanon Cooper - could start
   
5. CB - Prentiss Wagner - could start
   

Wisconsin @ Minnesota Preview (albeit brief)

This game is always fun. Gopher fans can cling to the fact that we have actually won the ax in recent years (2001 and 2003) and 2005 we had it were it not for a punting gaffe. Here is how it works...

1999 - Wisconsin by 3
2000 - Wisconsin BIG
2001 - Minnesota by 11
2002 - Wisconsin BIG
2003 - Minnesota by 3
2004 - Wisconsin BIG
2005 - Wisconsin by 4 (a Glen Mason special)
2006 - Wisconsin BIG
2007 - ?

Apparently odd years are kind to Minnesota, or at least home games. The badgers are coming off a huge win over Michigan and have a chance to finish 4th in conference. They also are inline for a Jan. 1 Bowl (maybe Capital One Bowl vs. Tennessee). So they have reason to play this game.

The Gophers actually played well for 3 quarters last week on the road in Iowa City. Unfortunately I don't know if that will translate into anything today.

For Minnesota to win?

• Wisconsin needs a big let down
• PJ Hill can't play, leaving the Badgers with their 3rd string RB only as the backup can't leave Madison for legal reasons.
• Minnesota has to play inspired on defense and hold the badgers to under 400 yards of offense
• Minnesota offense can't have turnovers
• Minnesota offense needs first downs - 3 and outs are poison to our defense

Here is what I desire to see...

• A competitive game
• A competent offense
• Consistent improvement - I hope the Iowa game wasn't a fluke. I'll be able to sleep at night if I know that this team actually got getter in the last month of the season.

Ultimately the Ax will likely stay in Madison (for now).

Welcome to Gopher Nation kid

Wednesday, November 14th is the start date of the early signing period for basketball and hockey. While Tubby is in Georgia to witness the signing of Ralph Sampson, the football team continues to rack up significant verbal commitments (although they can't sign on the dotted line until February).

We have 4 recent verbal commitments, the first 2 Skyline player have a very good chance at starting.

Troy Stoudermire - We got our first Dallas Skyline player! This is exciting. If you have been paying attention to this blog you know that I've been paying attention to Skyline's season. The Raiders have had 2 major story lines all season. The first being their dominant defense which has pitched 4 shutouts and has had 7 (out of 10) games allowing fewer than 10 points. The other storyline has been Stoudermire on offense.

• 665 yds rushing and 6 TDs
• 260 yds receiving and 3 TDs
• 275 yds passing and 2 TDs
• 2 punt return TDs
• 11 total TDs scored and 2 passing TDs

Although "only" a 2-star athlete according to Rival, I expect Troy to be the real sleeper in this recruiting class. A potential starter at CB next season and down the road I would not be shocked to see him as a WR and play both sides of the ball at times. Stoudermire is a playmaker and you get the ball in his hands as often as you can.

Spencer Reeves - I haven't seen a hard confirmation that Reeves is also set to join Gopher Nation, but Stoudermire has indicated that he and Reeves will be coming together. This 3-star linebacker has a very good shot at starting immediately at LB. Reeves has been leading the Skyline defense that has been absolutely dominant. Skyline is 2nd in the state of Texas (behind #1 ranked Katy) for points allowed at 6.8 per game.

So we have 1/2 of the Skyline 4, but to be honest these were the 2 that I most wanted us to land. Getting Cooper and McKnight would just be gravy at this point. LB and CB are areas of greater need than S (with Lawrence, Theret, Thomas and maybe Brewster) or WR, in my opinion. Reeves and Maresh as 2 of our 3 starting LBs is an upgrade. Then Stoudermire starting opposite Steib will also be an upgrade in the pass defense.

Terrell Combs - 2-star, Athlete. Combs is another low rated kid who could be a real sleeper. He received scholarship offers from schools like W.Vir, Aub, FlorSt, L'ville, Mich, etc. So don't get hung up on the 2-star ranking too much. Combs is listed as an ATH and has played QB, RB, S, DE, WR and LB for his high school team. He racked up over 1,000 yds and 13 TDs as a receiver this season. Indications are that this big and fast kid will line up at LB for the gophers but time will tell.

D.L. Wilhite - 2-star, Athlete and high school teammate of Combs. Another big kid with speed who has been primarily a RB or LB and is expected to compete at LB. Like Combs, Wilhite is only a 2-star kid who was getting attention and offers from major college teams like West Virginia, Kentucky, Auburn, Michigan and Louisville.

People can continue to knock Brewster but he has landed the best gopher recruiting class in my lifetime while leading a team that is 1-10 (soon to be 1-11). That is flat out amazing, imagine the kids he'll land when(if) we are actually winning. I anticipate that no fewer than 5 true freshmen will start next year for the Gophers.

• MLB - Sam Maresh
• S - Simoni Lawrence
• OLB - Spencer Reeves
• WR - Brandon Green
• CB - Troy Stoudermire

DB-Jonathan Dandridge, WR-Vincent Hill and TE-Eric Lair also stand a chance to play right away. And this is before the recruiting class is done.

Here are the remaining players that we have a good chance at landing who would make an already great class into a top 20 class...

• S - Nolan Brewster - committed to Texas but there is still time
• DE - Willie Mobley - #1 target, would start from day 1
  
• CB - Traye Simmons - Big Play Traye, is a fast, 4-star JUCO
  
• CB - Prentiss Wagner - 6'2", fast and puts up big numbers
• DT - Jewhan Edwards (pictured right) - BIG and would also start immediately (imo)
• QB - MarQueis Gray - 4-star kid with speed would look great in the spread coast
• RB - LaMichael James
  

There are many others who would be great to have on board, but landing any of the kids listed above would be a coup and be a great base for future gopher football squads.

It's Iowa Week

I'm talking football folks, not wrestling or basketball.

I'm trying to not completely ignore football, but it is hard. If I had any indication this defense could stop Eden Prairie, then this would be a week to look forward to. Iowa is terrible and beatable, but Minnesota would have to put together their best game of the year and I just don't see that happening.

Winning this game would go a long way towards salvaging this season from the worst ever to really, really bad but at least we kept Floyd!

So rather than post any brilliant information from my own fingertips, here are some interesting links regarding the football team and this week's game @ Iowa.

Black Heart Gold Pants - interviews Tim Brewster. " I'm a good interviewer, man! My bro Drew told me I should apply for the Minnesota job, just for a laugh, you know? It was a prank! I was never supposed to get the job! And then they ushered me to this news conference, and they gave me a million dollars!" Who Knew?

Chip Scoggins - at least somebody is still covering the football team. Here are a number of records (individual and team) that the gophers have a chance to break. The dubious defensive records are certain to be broken, but Weber and Decker have a chance to set some single season records on the offensive side of the ball.

Injuries - Pioneer Press gives a rundown of the injury bug that is sure to kill the gophers season :).

The MN blogging world is quickly moving on to basketball, or hockey if you are into that sort of thing. 2 weeks left for Brewster to pull a rabit (win) out of his hat (butt). I'll be watching on Saturday, but not holding my breath.