Ronnie Wingo Visit set

[SDGopherFan]

He would be the big bruising back we are looking for in the new style offense.

[go4rube]

His visit is set for 1/16

[Gopher07]

Big, bruising, and FAST. This kid is an athletic freak and would be the biggest get in the class of 2009, for sure.

[Gold Vision]

Do we have a realistic shot at this kid? Was he always planning on visiting here?

[BBShopGo4]

Assuming that this is true, that means that we got a visit over Tennessee and Oklahoma. That's a major accomplishment for Brewster and his staff! Rivals has him going to Illinois the next weekend as his last visit.

Go get him, Brew!

Go Gophers!

[harrys ghost]

Do we have a realistic shot at this kid? Was he always planning on visiting here?

We used to be low on his interest listing at Rivals. Now we are medium with one of five official visits. How do you define realistic? If you can get them to visit you always have a shot. :)

[Gopher4life15]

This would be great! We need some positive mojo!

[sonnygarcia]

If Brew would somehow pull this kid into MN out of nowhere, and against those types of programs........... I will name my first born Tim (thats probably a lie, but you get my point). Go get him Brew!!

[cheeseheadgophfan]

Where are all the people who were saying we had "no chance." "He'll never visit here..." Blah, blah, blah.

[runningopher]

Oh boy, this is big. Brew needs to pull out all the stops on this kid. Comparing him to Beanie Wells when he came out of high school, Wingo Jr. is a little lighter (212 compared to 228) but faster (4.4 to 4.5) and taller (6-3 to 6-1). Definitely the biggest 'get' of the class if Brew can reel him in IMO.

Go Gophers!!

[TheDinkytowner]

If we get him, it will be because of Brew+Minneapolis. Wingo is from STL and his other 4 visits are to schools in the boonies. Let's hope for a heatwave. Think Mason would have gotten this guy in for a visit?

[sonnygarcia]

"lets hope for a heatwave".............. hilarious, I was thinking the same thing, except the heatwave I was imagining was 32 degrees. Not sure what whether in STL is like, but he hopefully doesn't mind a little snow!!

[FiveStarFan]

WOW! Brew is getting a kid that looked awesome at the AA game to make his last visit here. This is really good news obviously cuz he has been debating where to take his 5th and final visit for a couple weeks now.

[dbaldrich1]

How is it possible that Brew could get this kid to agree to a visit, since everyone knows he's such a terrible coach now that Dunbar and Roof left on the same day??? I think that Maturi should self-report the program to the NCAA for violations, since Wingo's visit is obviously evidence of major infractions by Brew & Co.

:cool:

Go Gophers!!!

[sonnygarcia]

dbaldrich1...... Explain to us how Brew escorting Dunbar out the door in favor of someone better able to run our offense, and Roof leaving to make twice as much closer to home make Brew a "terrible coach". Your one of the depressing Minnesotans who can't stand we have a coach who is excited to be a part of the program and is making is better. I know how you will miss your .500 records we've encountered the last 2 decades under our prior coaches.....

[FiveStarFan]

How is it possible that Brew could get this kid to agree to a visit, since everyone knows he's such a terrible coach now that Dunbar and Roof left on the same day??? I think that Maturi should self-report the program to the NCAA for violations, since Wingo's visit is obviously evidence of major infractions by Brew & Co.

:cool:

Go Gophers!!!

The only fishy thing is maybe the new OC is Chuck Long who coached A.P. and Brew has told Wingo that he would be our A.P.!!

[Hates Monikers]

dbaldrich1...... does that stand for *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!# Bag Aldrich is #1???? Explain to us how Brew escorting Dunbar out the door in favor of someone better able to run our offense, and Roof leaving to make twice as much closer to home make Brew a "terrible coach". Your one of the depressing Minnesotans who can't stand we have a coach who is excited to be a part of the program and is making is better. I know how you will miss your .500 records we've encountered the last 2 decades under our prior coaches.....

Sonny, maybe I'm wrong, but I think you should re-read dbaldrich1's post again, this time with the special glasses that allow you to see satire.

[sonnygarcia]

The only fishy thing is maybe the new OC is Chuck Long who coached A.P. and Brew has told Wingo that he would be our A.P.!!

Would love a Chuck Long hire!! Or Huepel.

[Gold Vision]

dbaldrich1...... does that stand for *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!# Bag Aldrich is #1???? Explain to us how Brew escorting Dunbar out the door in favor of someone better able to run our offense, and Roof leaving to make twice as much closer to home make Brew a "terrible coach". Your one of the depressing Minnesotans who can't stand we have a coach who is excited to be a part of the program and is making is better. I know how you will miss your .500 records we've encountered the last 2 decades under our prior coaches.....

I'm guessing he was being sarcastic Sonny...

[sonnygarcia]

Would love a Chuck Long hire!! Or Huepel.

Sorry Aldrich........... I'm at work, so I'm naturally pissed off :) Today has been a "respond to anti-Brewster quotes" day for me.... I think I'll quit. Didn't realize you were one of the "good-guys" (ie- Brewster backers), its 50/50 on here.

[FiveStarFan]

Would love a Chuck Long hire!! Or Huepel.

Ya I second that! Chuck Long is my #1 with Huepel as a close #2

[dbaldrich1]

dbaldrich1...... does that stand for *&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!#*&^!# Bag Aldrich is #1???? Explain to us how Brew escorting Dunbar out the door in favor of someone better able to run our offense, and Roof leaving to make twice as much closer to home make Brew a "terrible coach". Your one of the depressing Minnesotans who can't stand we have a coach who is excited to be a part of the program and is making is better. I know how you will miss your .500 records we've encountered the last 2 decades under our prior coaches.....

Hi SonnyGarcia,

If you go back and read my posts, I think you'll see that I'm a big Gopher supporter, and that I tend to see the glass as half-full.

I think that Brew getting Wingo to visit is a major win, and flies in the face of those who seemed to think that the sky is falling since both Dunbar and Roof left on the same day.

I apologize that my sarcasm and humor were a bit to veiled for you. I even left the "cool" emoticon as a clue that I was kidding, but perhaps I wasn't clear enough. Sorry for that.

[STThomasGopherPhan]

If we get him, it will be because of Brew+Minneapolis. Wingo is from STL and his other 4 visits are to schools in the boonies. Let's hope for a heatwave. Think Mason would have gotten this guy in for a visit?

A couple weeks ago there was some speculation floating around that Brew has a "silent" verbal in his back pocket from a 4* running back. This silent verbal would fill our need for a big bruising athletic tailback. At that time the only possibility listed on Rivals and Scout was Wingo and he was listed as low interest on Rivals and no interested on scout - "could it really be that simple?"

[sonnygarcia]

Hi SonnyGarcia,

If you go back and read my posts, I think you'll see that I'm a big Gopher supporter, and that I tend to see the glass as half-full.

I think that Brew getting Wingo to visit is a major win, and flies in the face of those who seemed to think that the sky is falling since both Dunbar and Roof left on the same day.

I apologize that my sarcasm and humor were a bit to veiled for you. I even left the "cool" emoticon as a clue that I was kidding, but perhaps I wasn't clear enough. Sorry for that.

I know, after reading it I admit I am embarrassed I didn't pick up on the sarcasm, it was pretty obvious. I haven't been on here long enough to have remembered the gopher haters by name, obviously you are not one of them. apologies

[FiveStarFan]

A couple weeks ago there was some speculation floating around that Brew has a "silent" verbal in his back pocket from a 4* running back. This silent verbal would fill our need for a big bruising athletic tailback. At that time the only possibility listed on Rivals and Scout was Wingo and he was listed as low interest on Rivals and no interested on scout - "could it really be that simple?"

I think what sealed Wingo picking us over Alabama is that he can come in here and play right away, Maroney was from his area so he knows our school can get him there and "I" feel Brew has told him who our new OC is and that sealed it. Not his commit but a visit

[sonnygarcia]

A couple weeks ago there was some speculation floating around that Brew has a "silent" verbal in his back pocket from a 4* running back. This silent verbal would fill our need for a big bruising athletic tailback. At that time the only possibility listed on Rivals and Scout was Wingo and he was listed as low interest on Rivals and no interested on scout - "could it really be that simple?"

pleeeeeeeeeeeeease let it be that simple...... i remember that discussion

[dbaldrich1]

No problem. We've all probably had a melt-down moment at some point.

Go Gophers!!!

[MRJ]

I'm actually kind of surprised that Wingo decided to visit here with all the turmoil going on.

There are a lot of possible reasons for giving us a look and I would think the biggest would be playing time. He could certainly come here and be an immediate contributor.

Also, the idea of a power running game is probably appealing and I wonder about the whole Cosgrove thing. If Cosgrove is indeed the pick for D-coordinator, that might help, but I'm not sure how much considering Wingo is a running back and Cosgrove wouldn't be coaching him anyway.

the wildcard for me here would be the combination of Bryant Allen and Brandon Kirksey. I'm thinking they may have spoken with Wingo at some point and maybe pointed him north. Again, this is all guesswork on my part, but in any case, the fact that Wingo is even giving us a look is a positive development imo.

[calminnfan]

If Brew does get Wingo to commit here, and hang on to all the other recruits given the changes and turmoil he has gone through, the guy is there with the best of the recruiters.

[Big Play]

If we get Wingo then maybe Richardson will change his mind and come here.

[Digger01]

If we get him, it will be because of Brew+Minneapolis. Wingo is from STL and his other 4 visits are to schools in the boonies. Let's hope for a heatwave. Think Mason would have gotten this guy in for a visit?

Actually, Mason might have. After all, he did recruit 4 star Lawrence Maroney from, where else, St Louis, MO. ;)

[DiehardGopher]

Correct me if I am wrong but I was under the impression that Wingo was going to be moved to OLB in college. Is this changed now and he is going to stick at RB?

[grunkiejr]

Correct me if I am wrong but I was under the impression that Wingo was going to be moved to OLB in college. Is this changed now and he is going to stick at RB?

Most schools have been trying to recruit him as a LB rather than a RB because he is pretty tall for a RB. I could be wrong but I think the Gophers are one of the teams telling him that we would let him try to be a RB and that is one of the reasons he is interested in Minnesota. If he comes here and falls on the depth chart he could still be moved to LB. I'm blanking on his name, and I don't care to look it up, but Purdue did that with one of their 4 star RB's that fell behind classmate Kory Sheets and developed in to a very good LB.

[mckerney]

If we get him, it will be because of Brew+Minneapolis. Wingo is from STL and his other 4 visits are to schools in the boonies. Let's hope for a heatwave. Think Mason would have gotten this guy in for a visit?

Telling him he can play RB and him believing that's the case would likely be another big factor. A lot of the schools after him want him as a LB.

[TWeber]

If we get him, it will be because of Brew+Minneapolis. Wingo is from STL and his other 4 visits are to schools in the boonies. Let's hope for a heatwave. Think Mason would have gotten this guy in for a visit?

To be fair to Mason, he seemed to do alright with a 4 star back from that area, correct?

A certain Lawrence Maroney.


Edit:
Sorry Digger! Didn't see you already posted this!

[sonnygarcia]

i almost forgot that Mason brought in 1 four-star athlete during his 10 years, kind of ironic it was from that area (but not that ironic)

[lawrence21]

Alex Daniels and Brandon Owens were 4 stars

[MNfootballfan]

If we get Wingo then maybe Richardson will change his mind and come here.

I am with you there. With Brewster I believe anything, especially in recruiting.

[grunkiejr]

Alex Daniels and Brandon Owens were 4 stars

Owens was 5 stars (#1 rated Safety) on Rivals and 3 stars (#18 rated safety) on Rivals. Daniels was indeed a 4 star (rated higher than Lauranitis) and Paris Hamilton was the other 4 star under Mason. They didn't have Rivals yet but Tapeh would likely have been a high 3 star or low 4 star too.

[lawrence21]

thanks, I now remember Owens was 5 stars. That was really a tragedy about his shoulder.

[Redbeard]

Isn't 6'03" a bit tall for a Running Back?
Especially since a lot of guys grow another inch or two in college?

[Border Gopher]

It is tall. The only tall RB that comes to mind is Eddie George, who was also 6-3.

[eker0016]

Brandon Jacobs is 6'3", I believe.

[Border Gopher]

Brandon Jacobs is 6'3", I believe.

Jacobs is listed at 6-4 and 264 pounds. Dizamn!

[Redbeard]

Alright.
So - it's possible.
Just not frequent.

[harrys ghost]

Hey, if he didn't work out as a RB, there's always safety or OLB. :)

[SelectionSunday]

Don't know if he's any good, but his name just rolls off the tongue. Let's get him.

[WAGopher]

Don't know if he's any good, but his name just rolls off the tongue. Let's get him.

The name's cool allright. And if he ever got the chance to throw some passes, the announcer could say "And Ronnie Wingo'd another one."

[grunkiejr]

Hey, if he didn't work out as a RB, there's always safety or OLB. :)

Exactly. Most schools are projecting him at LB, he played TE at the Army AA game and at times they split him out like a WR. There aren't very many athletes that are 6'3" 212 lbs and run a 4.4 40 yard dash. That is receiver speed in the body of a big safety or undersized LB. In watching him he definitely doesn't look like a WR, I think TE would be wasting his abilities and I would project him at either a big RB or an outstanding OLB that can also play safety. He is similar to Keanon Cooper in last year's class except 2 inches taller, 20 lbs heavier, and .05 seconds faster in the 40.

He wants to play RB and we are going to give him that chance which is why he is considering Minnesota. However, I would rather see him fall down the RB depth chart and end up at LB because I am drooling over the thought of having 4 4-star LB's line up next to each other in 2010 (w/ projected size & speed):
WLB: Keanon Cooper 6'0", 225 lbs, 4.45
MLB: Sam Maresh 6'2", 250 lbs, 4.65
SLB: Ronnie Wingo, Jr. 6'2", 230 lbs, 4.40
On paper this would be the best linebacking corp Minnesota has ever had in my lifetime and if they perform as projected I would put this linebacking corp up against anybody in the Big Ten...including both schools that call themselves Linebacker U.

Even the back ups: Spencer Reeves (OLB) 4.5, Gary Tinsley (MLB/OLB) 4.6, and Brent Singleton (OLB) 4.58, all 3 stars, can fly and would provide great depth and you can add to that list Ryan Grant (MLB?) and Mike Rallis (SLB) who will probably being moved to OLB by then.

If Wingo works out at RB then we still have a deep LB corp and with Lipscomb & Wingo sharing carries we would project to have a running back tandem like Maroney & Barber.

[runner616]

Any info. on how Wingo's visit to Arkansas went? There's an article about it on Rivals, but I know many of us here are not subscribers. Anything wrong with someone briefly summarizing that article?

[WAGopher]

Any info. on how Wingo's visit to Arkansas went? There's an article about it on Rivals, but I know many of us here are not subscribers. Anything wrong with someone briefly summarizing that article?

At http://nwanews.com/blogs/slophouse/, said that Arkansas had 19 recruits in this weekend and Wingo was their top target. They all attended the Arkansas - Mississippi State BB game. Another site http://blogs.arkansasonline.com/recruiting/?p=1264#comments said that Wingo will only consider schools that will give him a real shot at running back.

I think we still have a good shot, especially if we are targeting him as a running back and with our new power running game, we should have enough plays for him. It will help if we have our new OC on staff by the time he gets here.

[Donovan]

Too bad Wingo wasn't here for the Minnesota / Penn State basketball game. The Gophers played their best game in years.

[STPGopher]

It is tall. The only tall RB that comes to mind is Eddie George, who was also 6-3.

IIRC Eric Dickerson was also a tall back. 6'3". Mike Alstott may have been in that range also.

[gopher7]

Jim Brown was 6'2