Willie Tatum

[Gopher4life15]

Looks like he may decommit from Bowling Green and commit to the Gophers either today or tomorrow according to this . . . http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4491216&name=Midwest_Recruiting

[HopHead]

"I'm still committed to Bowling Green," Tatum said. "But there is a pretty good chance I'll commit to Minnesota."

I hope we get him, but this just made me laugh. :D

[gophertree]

I read that comment too...good stuff.

[KoolAid]

I heard he really liked the co-eds here at Minnesota.

[Firejumper]

Being an Ohio boy, is there any chance Willie Tatum is related to the Ohio State great Jack Tatum??? Anyone know?

[FireCosgroveGuy]

I'm perfectly fine in not relying on star ratings, as many good recruits have been 2/3 stars before, but it seems like we are getting a lot of guys that have offers only from low end schools these days.

[scools12]

Though I think Brewster has upgraded the talent level there seems to be a decline since his first class at least in the "expert" rankings. I know it is early for 2010 but his strong suit was suppose to be recruiting and I just don't know if I have seen it. Going from 3rd 2008 in the B10 to 6th last year according to Rivals and 6th again so far this year and the overall national class dropping each year. Also Scout has Minnesota only ahead of Purdue and Northwestern at this point for 2010.

I know the U probably won't out recruit OSU, Mich & PSU but I guess I expected more in year 3 than this. As FireCosgroveGuy said "...getting a lot of guys that have offers only from low end schools these days".

[Schnoodler]

Though I think Brewster has upgraded the talent level there seems to be a decline since his first class at least in the "expert" rankings. I know it is early for 2010 but his strong suit was suppose to be recruiting and I just don't know if I have seen it. Going from 3rd 2008 in the B10 to 6th last year according to Rivals and 6th again so far this year and the overall national class dropping each year. Also Scout has Minnesota only ahead of Purdue and Northwestern at this point for 2010.

I know the U probably won't out recruit OSU, Mich & PSU but I guess I expected more in year 3 than this. As FireCosgroveGuy said "...getting a lot of guys that have offers only from low end schools these days".

Just a couple of points.

We signed fewer kids last year. If you look at the number rankings of the kids you'll find that the quality of the recruit actually went up last year despite the team ranking going down.

Kids who sign early don't get alot of offers. Wait until the year is done and then judge this class.

[JackiO]

I definitely feel like this class is going to be down a little bit simply looking at all the recruits we have offered on rivals. When you look at the Line backer, wide receiver, defensive lineman, athlete and the defensive back classes all of the upper tier players we were going after have already committed to schools.

Granted, not every class is going to be great like a USC or Ohio State class will and should be every year. At least not yet. All of this could change instantly if we were able to land Henderson and Beau Allen.

[sonnygarcia]

lets not forget the three 4* RBs that had MN as their leader after the AF game, not unreasonable to land 2 of those guys?

[JackiO]

lets not forget the three 4* RBs that had MN as their leader after the AF game, not unreasonable to land 2 of those guys?

True, and at a major area of need. If we could land Dontae Williams I would be ecstatic. If i was Brewster I would promise him the world because he would be an instant starter no doubt in my mind. The kid is a stud. If you watch his video on the ESPN recruiting site he looks tough as nails with break out speed. He would be an even bigger get than Maroney was imo.

[scools12]

Just a couple of points.

We signed fewer kids last year. If you look at the number rankings of the kids you'll find that the quality of the recruit actually went up last year despite the team ranking going down.

Kids who sign early don't get alot of offers. Wait until the year is done and then judge this class.


Good points. I was getting caught up in the ranking and not looking at the overall picture.

[harrys ghost]

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/recruiting/tracker/player?recruitId=92430&season=2010&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncf %2frecruiting%2ftracker%2fplayer%3frecruitId%3d924 30%26season%3d2010

[DiehardGopher]

And he is now committed.

[JackiO]

To me, Tatum has that extremely underrated feel to him. Looking at his highlight film he is very aggressive and plays with a mean side. Good addition.

[Gopherprof]

That region of Ohio generally produces good players. If there is one area where Mason outrecruited Brewster it's Ohio, so it's nice to see us tapping into that region a bit.

[jovs]

To me, Tatum has that extremely underrated feel to him. Looking at his highlight film he is very aggressive and plays with a mean side. Good addition.

6-3, 205, 4.58 40, Linebacker. It would appear he has the size, frame, and speed to play big ten football to me. You recruit on talent and develop.

[DiehardGopher]

That region of Ohio generally produces good players. If there is one area where Mason outrecruited Brewster it's Ohio, so it's nice to see us tapping into that region a bit.

It is true that Mason has out-recruited Brewster in Ohio, but that is because Mason wanted to prove that he could win with Ohio scraps. After all, he was on the staff at OSU.

[calminnfan]

It is true that Mason has out-recruited Brewster in Ohio, but that is because Mason wanted to prove that he could win with Ohio scraps. After all, he was on the staff at OSU.

Because of his past in Ohio, he had good contacts with Ohio HS coaches. It is to bad he did not take MN players seriously.

[sonnygarcia]

nice link, looks like we found a nice diamond in the rough here, that kid is explosive and looks to have incredible strength. ESPN evaluator even mentions how he expects recruiting to pick up for him.

[dpodoll68]

If we could land Dontae Williams I would be ecstatic...He would be an even bigger get than Maroney was imo.

No.

[Gopher4life15]

No.

lol

[JackiO]

lol

Dontae Williams has been offered by the likes of Ohio State and California. Please tell me the last time we beat out Ohio State for a running back and get back to me. Thanks. Never did I involve anything statistical in my statement. From a pure recruiting standpoint, he would be the highest ranked running back we have recruited since as long as I can remember.

[Gopher4life15]

Whoa whoa whoa . . . All I was laughing at was comparing a recruit prospect, to one of the best backs in Gopher Football history. Maybe we land him and he turns out great who knows, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

[JackiO]

I am saying that *****PRIOR***** to their careers, Williams is and would have been more highly regarded than Maroney if they happened to be in the same class. That is all.

[dpodoll68]

Dontae Williams has been offered by the likes of Ohio State and California. Please tell me the last time we beat out Ohio State for a running back and get back to me. Thanks. Never did I involve anything statistical in my statement. From a pure recruiting standpoint, he would be the highest ranked running back we have recruited since as long as I can remember.

So you're more concerned about fantasy recruiting rankings than actual production? I would very much enjoy signing Dontae Williams, as he is a good player and we need all of those we can get, but comparing him to Maroney is just dumb.

I will bet you my house, both of my cars, and all my other worldly possessions that Dontae Williams will be a lesser college football player than Laurence Maroney. I don't care that Williams is a higher-rated recruit than was Maroney. He was one of the top 15 or 20 college RBs of the last decade, at minimum. Considering hundreds of RBs are signed each year, the odds are overwhelmingly against Williams achieving anything even remotely resembling that status.

Let's settle down a bit. It's not like this kid is Adrian Peterson or something.

[Winnipegopher]

"He was one of the top 15 or 20 college RBs of the last decade"

I dunno. Maybe top 10-15 in the Big Ten but not the NCAA. MB3 was a clearly better college back. Maroney had flash but lacked something that could have made him great.

Q: If you need 2 tough yards- who gets the ball Barber, Russell or Maroney? Maroney is my thrid choice of that group.

[WAGopher]

Maroney didn't lack much, but he did wear down his last year here. That year he started out strong, but then faded as the season went on, and after a few weeks rest, came back strong for the bowl game. If you recall, Mason was touting him as a Heisman candidate and may have overused him early on, and the competition did get stiffer in the Big 10, both leading to him wear down. He was one of our best running backs ever, and he may have been better under our current strength and conditioning program. I sure wish he would have stayed one more year.

[grunkiejr]

"He was one of the top 15 or 20 college RBs of the last decade"

I dunno. Maybe top 10-15 in the Big Ten but not the NCAA. MB3 was a clearly better college back. Maroney had flash but lacked something that could have made him great.

Q: If you need 2 tough yards- who gets the ball Barber, Russell or Maroney? Maroney is my thrid choice of that group.

Maroney was a different runner than Barber or Russell. Maroney was a home run hitter. He was a danger to take it to the house every time he touched the ball. I strongly disagree with the comment that MB3 was clearly a better college back. They were each studs and complemented each other well for one of the best backfields in the modern history of the NCAA.

In no particular order:
USC: Charles White/Marcus Allen
SMU: Eric Dickerson/Craig James
Ok St: Thurman Thomas/Barry Sanders
Minn: Marion Barber III/ Laurence Maroney
USC: Reggie Bush/LenDale White
Auburn: Cadillac Williams/Ronnie Brown

Big Ten running backs in the last decade (off the top of my head):
1. Ron Dayne (Wis)
2. Larry Johnson (PSU)
3/4: Barber/Maroney take your pick
5. Shonn Greene (Iowa)
6. Rashard Mendenhall (Ill)
7. Chris Perry or Mike Hart (Mich)

There is no way you could only rank Maroney in 10-15. That would put him behind guys like Perry, Hart, Sutton, Ringer, etc and Maroney was a much more dynamic running back than any of those guys.

[dpodoll68]

"He was one of the top 15 or 20 college RBs of the last decade"

I dunno. Maybe top 10-15 in the Big Ten but not the NCAA. MB3 was a clearly better college back. Maroney had flash but lacked something that could have made him great.

Q: If you need 2 tough yards- who gets the ball Barber, Russell or Maroney? Maroney is my thrid choice of that group.

I will second what grunkiejr has already said. MBII is unquestionably the better pro back, but Maroney was a better back in college. The question isn't, who was the better short-yardage back, but who was the better overall back.

There was a reason Maroney was first-round and Barber was fourth-round.

[Winnipegopher]

The reason Maroney went first round and Barber fourth was Maroney had better measureables.

That doesn't really answer who was the better back.

I'd be interested to hear Mason's take on this.

[grunkiejr]

There was a reason Maroney was first-round and Barber was fourth-round.

Agreed. To spell it out for anyone that doesn't follow the NFL draft, the difference between a 1st round pick at RB and a 3rd or 4th round pick is speed. If Maroney has a hole he can break it for an 80 yard TD but if Barber has the same hole he will probably get run down by someone with an angle after 30 yards. What Barber has that makes him special is great hips and balance.

[calminnfan]

About the only thing that eases my mind concerning Barber not being drafted by the Vikes when they clearly had a chance for him is the current RBs they now have. I place Barber on the same level as Chester Taylor.

If they had not gotten AP, even with Taylor, I would still be angry. Instead of drafting Barber, they took Fason.

BTW - from what I understand, some scouts had rated Barber higher then Maroney, though obviously the draft did not play out that way.