Official 2015 Recruiting Updates Thread: Links, Tweets, Videos, Stories, Rumors, etc.

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mcal24 said:
You guys probably know more about recruits than I do at the moment - do you think Demry Croft will compete for a starting job right out of the gate? I'm pretty excited about this kid, but still think it would take something special to start over Leidner as a FR
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I probably know as much about recruits as you do, but I'd be shocked if Croft had any real chance to start from Day 1. I have no trouble believing that it will be an open competition, but it seems very likely that we'll run with Mitch for the next two years, with Croft being the likely starter as a RS Sophomore when Mitch graduates. By all accounts, Croft seems to be a very nice pickup but I don't think he's a true freshman starter material.
 


I just watched the Demry Croft highlight again. Yeah - we need him. That cat can really ball. I seriously wouldn't be surprised to see him win the Q job earlier rather than later. Not saying he will - just saying it wouldn't surprise me. And if he wins the job early, it only means the Gophers are getting that much better. By the end of his college career I predict he will be regarded not just as "good", but "really good". Very exciting recruit!
 

But at least

Spoofin said:
First we fly him in on spirit. Now I hear we charged him $25 to get his pic with Goldy. We are screwing this up!


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we didn't charge him $25 to get his picture with the Badger mascot. He could sue us for that.
 






Originally Posted By Navin's Avatar Navin

Quote Originally Posted by John Galt
So we're down to Jamal Milan and McKinley Whitfield to wrap up this class....
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The ESPN blog had this reference to Milan in their Illinois recruiting breakdown yesterday ...
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Who they want: There are still a few holes left in this class, and one of the bigger one is at defensive tackle. Jamal Milan is a prime target, and he recently took a visit to Illinois. He plans on announcing his decision on signing day and has the Illini in his top four. It's realistic to think he ends up in this class, which would be a big deal.
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Strong Illini lean at this point? It will be interesting which way he turns on NSD.

I have always hated it when plyers wait until NSD to announce. This means Kill & Co. have to scramble to find a Plan B.

You never know if a quality replacement falls from the SEC due to over-signing and will fall in the GOpher's lap.
 




247sports.com currently has the Gophers 2015 recruiting class ranked 12th in the Big Ten. However 8th-13th are all bunched together. Wanted to mention this because I think some of you have said we are much higher on rivals. Of course take all of this with a grain of salt. Maxx Williams was only a 2 star recruit.

247sports.com

8. Illinois 169.50
9. Rutgers 169.41
10. Indiana 168.60
11. Iowa (boo) 167.30
12. Minnesota 164.32
13. Purdue 162.77
14. Michigan (only 9 recruits) 144.97
 


mcal24 said:
You guys probably know more about recruits than I do at the moment - do you think Demry Croft will compete for a starting job right out of the gate? I'm pretty excited about this kid, but still think it would take something special to start over Leidner as a FR
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Talent aside, Croft is too small (light) to play this year. A RS season is best for all parties here. This is NOT a shot at DC. I just don't see any way he plays this year.


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Spoofin said:
Talent aside, Croft is too small (light) to play this year. A RS season is best for all parties here. This is NOT a shot at DC. I just don't see any way he plays this year.
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Plenty of 200lb qbs in ncaa footbal, including Mauk from Missouri

And if he can throw the ball 60 yards he already has a strong arm for college football
 

Oregon Gopher said:
Not exactly a scientifically based correlation


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No, but my point is that if you're taking one QB in a class, you better be certain that he's inking with you on Signing Day. Don't want to be left scrambling for a QB if he flips. Getting guys to enroll early in previous years had taken that off the table.
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
No, but my point is that if you're taking one QB in a class, you better be certain that he's inking with you on Signing Day. Don't want to be left scrambling for a QB if he flips. Getting guys to enroll early in previous years had taken that off the table.
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If he flips, should the "other guy", Easton Bruere, be looked at? I don't think he quite fits the Gophers offensive scheme, but you never know. That kid probably has a lot of fire under his belly for not being offered by anyone. He is worth a peak.
 

GopherOhana said:
Plenty of 200lb qbs in ncaa footbal, including Mauk from Missouri

And if he can throw the ball 60 yards he already has a strong arm for college football
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Exactly. He's not going to sit because of his size, or because he's not physically mature enough. There are literaly hundreds of guys who play skill positions at a smaller stature than Croft in the power 5.

He's going to sit because Leidner will likely be the better all-around option that the coaches trust. Besides, why swap a 5th year senior year of eligibility for a learning on the job year of eligibility? Red-shirting is always a good idea if you're not totally desperate for an upgrade at the current time. I'm of the opinion that Mitch will be good enough that we can wait on Croft to mature and really refine things. He did just lead the Gophers to a historically (at least in my lifetime) great season as a Soph, and showed great improvement as a passer. No reason to get cute.
 

GopherOhana said:
Plenty of 200lb qbs in ncaa footbal, including Mauk from Missouri

And if he can throw the ball 60 yards he already has a strong arm for college football
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Matty Mauk is 6-0, 200. Demry is 6-6, 200. I would like to see what his arms look like now but this is a picture from his junior year and those look like twigs. Either him, Rashad Still or Isaiah Gentry is probably the skinniest guy on the team.

1308560.jpg


As for arm strength, it's not considered great. From Scout's free evaluation of Croft:

Evaluation

Great height, but must continue filling out before he's ready to compete at the college level. Smooth kid all around both with his release and running ability. He's maybe not high-end fast, but is athletic, elusive and can make plays with his feet. He's an accurate kid who throws a very steady, consistent ball, but must continue to get stronger and improve his velocity. Takes good care of the ball and makes good decisions. - Allen Trieu

Strengths

Decision-making
Running Ability / Mobility
Touch

Weaknesses

Arm Strength

http://recruiting.scout.com/player/185252-demry-croft/analysis

I think he can throw the ball far enough on the deep ball but his velocity isn't great for the 10-15 yard passes, he sort of pushes the ball.


All that being said I believe that he will be an absolute stud and will lead us to a West division title. He is my favorite commit in this class and I haven't been this excited for a QB since Alipate. I just think it's pretty obvious that he needs to redshirt. And everything that he needs to work on is easy to improve on in the weight room.
 

If Croft red shirts, by the time he sees the playing field he'll have a more experienced supporting cast of receivers & running backs behind a beef cake of an o-line to work out of.
 

hungan1 said:
If he flips, should the "other guy", Easton Bruere, be looked at? I don't think he quite fits the Gophers offensive scheme, but you never know. That kid probably has a lot of fire under his belly for not being offered by anyone. He is worth a peak.
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I'd take a long look at that kid even if Croft signs.
 

I agree that he should redshirt to gain weight and learn the offense, not to mention grow a bit since he will be just 17 years old when he enrolls. However, whoever said his arm strength is weak didn't see that throw he made at the offense and defense All-American bowl that he played in right before our bowl game.
 

boofbonser said:
I agree that he should redshirt to gain weight and learn the offense, not to mention grow a bit since he will be just 17 years old when he enrolls. However, whoever said his arm strength is weak didn't see that throw he made at the offense and defense All-American bowl that he played in right before our bowl game.
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Nope, Trieu, the evaluator watched that game and that is why he got bumped up in the rankings. As I stated before, I think he can throw the deep ball far enough but there is little velocity in the 10-15 yard throws as he sort of pushes the ball. Doesn't really rifle it. He does have good accuracy though which is much more important IMO.

Also I noticed that on Scout he is ranked the #26 QB in the country while espn has 36 QBs as 4 stars while Rivals has 32 QBs as 4 stars. On scout the #25 QB is a 4 star and on 247 he is rated the #17 rated dual QB while on Rivals the #17 rated dual QB is a 4 star.
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
No, but my point is that if you're taking one QB in a class, you better be certain that he's inking with you on Signing Day. Don't want to be left scrambling for a QB if he flips. Getting guys to enroll early in previous years had taken that off the table.
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Was Croft in a position to graduate HS early so he could enroll early? Even if he was, maybe he wants to have a normal senior year with his classmates and friends. Not everyone that can enroll early decides to.
 

hungan1 said:
Strong Illini lean at this point? It will be interesting which way he turns on NSD.

I have always hated it when plyers wait until NSD to announce. This means Kill & Co. have to scramble to find a Plan B.

You never know if a quality replacement falls from the SEC due to over-signing and will fall in the GOpher's lap.
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I think the Plan B for Milan is next year, that is the problem.
 

die hard gopher said:
Nope, Trieu, the evaluator watched that game and that is why he got bumped up in the rankings. As I stated before, I think he can throw the deep ball far enough but there is little velocity in the 10-15 yard throws as he sort of pushes the ball. Doesn't really rifle it. He does have good accuracy though which is much more important IMO.

Also I noticed that on Scout he is ranked the #26 QB in the country while espn has 36 QBs as 4 stars while Rivals has 32 QBs as 4 stars. On scout the #25 QB is a 4 star and on 247 he is rated the #17 rated dual QB while on Rivals the #17 rated dual QB is a 4 star.
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I agree with you. I think he can obviously throw the ball far enough, but he needs to be able to put more velocity on it. However, most high school qbs seem to just flick the ball on deep throws. I think it is something that can be fixed as he gains more weight, fills out his frame, and works with Zebrowski. At the college level he needs to rely more on his lower body strength to create that velocity. I don't think his arm strength is a strength at the moment, but I don't think I would list it as a weakness.
 

boofbonser said:
I agree with you. I think he can obviously throw the ball far enough, but he needs to be able to put more velocity on it. However, most high school qbs seem to just flick the ball on deep throws. I think it is something that can be fixed as he gains more weight, fills out his frame, and works with Zebrowski. At the college level he needs to rely more on his lower body strength to create that velocity. I don't think his arm strength is a strength at the moment, but I don't think I would list it as a weakness.
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Also on the 79 yard TD he was leaning on his back foot. Could have thrown it even farther if he stepped into it.
 

die hard gopher said:
Also on the 79 yard TD he was leaning on his back foot. Could have thrown it even farther if he stepped into it.
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Which just makes me all the more excited for how good he could be if he works hard and develops well
 

46Gophers said:
Was Croft in a position to graduate HS early so he could enroll early? Even if he was, maybe he wants to have a normal senior year with his classmates and friends. Not everyone that can enroll early decides to.
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I have no idea. I'm not saying he should have enrolled early. It certainly helps, I think. My point is that this is an absolutely batpoop crazy time for coaches. You've decided you're taking one QB this year. You identify the guy and get him to commit. As long as that commit is solid and signs on the line, all is well. However, if someone else gets to him and you're stuck without a QB, then you're really scrambling for a replacement. When kids enroll early, that takes one worry off a coach's mind. Granted, they still have dozens of other things to worry about.
 

Actually had a chance to meet both Demry and his Dad in Orlando. They are locked and loaded for Gold Country.
 


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