Dunlap and Faalee Commit!!

For all of you that think Faalele is a long ways off from being ready, have you seen any of his film? It will change your mind.

By film, do you mean highlights? The videos where they only show the good plays and don't show the bad plays? Or have you actually watched full game film?
 

For all of you that think Faalele is a long ways off from being ready, have you seen any of his film? It will change your mind.

All I know is both Ruiz (MI - 9 games) and Hainsey (#2 on depth chart @ Notre Dame) were 2017 IMG grads and did not RS. Not saying that will or won't be the case here with our 2 OL but they are coached well there. Again, the level of talent they have and on the teams they play is incredible. I wish them great and productive careers here!!
 

The QB they were protecting has pretty amazing film too. Watching the film it doesn't take long to realize just how good that team was.
 

Let's try this: if you are so excited about a player saying he plans to play for the Gophers - mind you, this is a verbal commitment - they haven't signed yet -

will you give me a 100% guarantee that they will go on to have productive careers at MN?

No, you won't - because you can't. There are no guarantees in sports.

It was pointed out that Dunlap is the highest-rated OL commit for the Gophers since Jimmy Gjere. Gjere played one year with the Gophers, then retired from FB due to concussions. No guarantees.

If, 2 or 3 years from now, these guys are playing for the Gophers and helping the team win games, I will be very happy. I'm just not going to jump up and down and throw a party before they play a single game in a college uniform.

50 years of "we're going to be so much better next year with the new recruits."

As to the lottery comparison - sure, you can be excited about the possibility of winning the lottery - but if you go out and buy a new car before the drawing, and you don't win, then you're hosed. And the wedding comparison - unless the bride and groom have never met before, then there is a pre-existing relationship on which to base the wedding. Recruits are like a blind date - you don't know what you're going to get. And you sure don't book the church and the reception hall for a wedding before the 1st date.

But "we're going to be so much better next year with the new recruits." Yah, sure. I've never heard that before.

You are absolutely correct that it is silly to get overly excited about any recruit because there are no guarantees. Doesn't change the fact that it is exciting to see the program get commitments from guys that have high level offers from helmet schools that we have not historically beaten out for many players in the past.

Early signing day will be very interesting to see which guys sign and which don't. Hopefully the vast majority of our commits will sign and end all doubt about their college plans. Then it is just a matter of getting them on campus and seeing what they can do.
 

It's just encouraging to see kids choose us over other helmet schools.

If kids from other states are doing it, maybe someday more of our own kids will decide to do it as well.


With that said of this class, none have signed yet.
None have showed up for practice yet.
None have played a down yet.
None have graduated.
None have been drafted by the NFL.
 


You are absolutely correct that it is silly to get overly excited about any recruit because there are no guarantees. Doesn't change the fact that it is exciting to see the program get commitments from guys that have high level offers from helmet schools that we have not historically beaten out for many players in the past.

Early signing day will be very interesting to see which guys sign and which don't. Hopefully the vast majority of our commits will sign and end all doubt about their college plans. Then it is just a matter of getting them on campus and seeing what they can do.

We have to be excited about the offensive line recruits - Faalele, Dunlop, and Dickson. I hope Bateman sticks.

We all know how Seth Green was rated high and Antoine Winfield was rated lower. We lost a bunch to expulsions and transfers. Winfield played really well until he was injured. Seth is just occupying a spot on the roster and has not blossomed or is willing to. So who knows what can happen in a recruiting class.

Gopher football history is littered with players that are rated high coming out of high school whose careers did not pan out due to injuries, academic, or character issues. For some like Hayo Carpenter, the ratings people totally missed.

But, we do get players that are legit talent like the Barbers, Carter Coughlin, Eric Decker, Maxx Williams. For every one of those guys you'd have a Sam Maresh, Andre McDonald, Moses Alipate, or a Jeff Jones.

The important thing is that PJ Fleck is recruiting a 2018 class whose overall average rating of 0.8602 with a standard deviation of 0.02 which means that this class oozes quality from top to bottom. If a couple of higher rated recruits don't pan out, you have the rest of the class pretty solid that can contribute. For many positions, you have good team role player guys that can go through development and do their jobs really well and will not show up a whole lot in the game stats necessarily. When the Gopher can have that consistency in recruiting and player quality control, it will be difficult for me to believe they cannot challenge Wisconsin, NW, Iowa, and Nebraska year in and year out and get out of their average 5th place perch in the division.

That is the key to Wisconsin's dominance. Their average rating is consistently higher for every class than the rest of the B1G West except for Nebraska. Nebraska is an anomaly for as many four stars that they have.

To be successful, IMHO the Gophers need to have at lease two legitimate 4 star players in each class, and keep the average rating ~ 0.86 +/- 1.5.

To outrun the knife wielding polar bears, they have to run faster than the rest of their B1G West brethren or carry a much bigger knife.
 

The important thing is that PJ Fleck is recruiting a 2018 class whose overall average rating of 0.8602 with a standard deviation of 0.02 which means that this class oozes quality from top to bottom. If a couple of higher rated recruits don't pan out, you have the rest of the class pretty solid that can contribute. For many positions, you have good team role player guys that can go through development and do their jobs really well and will not show up a whole lot in the game stats necessarily. When the Gopher can have that consistency in recruiting and player quality control, it will be difficult for me to believe they cannot challenge Wisconsin, NW, Iowa, and Nebraska year in and year out and get out of their average 5th place perch in the division.
I think this is the point most people forget when they just assumed we were only highly rated because of the number of VCs and that we would plummet back down to the 40s and 50s once all the classes were filled.

For one thing, everyone assumed these other programs would only sign higher rated guys while we would fill ours out with bottom-barrel ratings. Right now Nathan Boe is our lowest-rated commit (0.8235). Last year, there were 9 rated lower. In 2016, 5 rated lower. In 2015, there were 8 rated lower. Low ratings doesn't equal low production on game days, just like high rankings don't equal high production. However, higher player ratings do equal higher recruiting rankings.
 

I think this is the point most people forget when they just assumed we were only highly rated because of the number of VCs and that we would plummet back down to the 40s and 50s once all the classes were filled.

For one thing, everyone assumed these other programs would only sign higher rated guys while we would fill ours out with bottom-barrel ratings. Right now Nathan Boe is our lowest-rated commit (0.8235). Last year, there were 9 rated lower. In 2016, 5 rated lower. In 2015, there were 8 rated lower. Low ratings doesn't equal low production on game days, just like high rankings don't equal high production. However, higher player ratings do equal higher recruiting rankings.

I think it’s important to specify you’re referencing 247 ratings. The services will generally rate recruits differently, sometimes significantly. I’m also not certain the thousandth and ten thousandth digits are significant when comparing recruits. These are not scientific, repeatable measurements. They are subjective assessments arrived at through different criteria. One area where people might disagree is how important future NFL “draftability” is, or protypical build. For example, Winfield did not have height but his tape showed he had impressive ability. His rating was not close to commensurate with his impact on a college football team.

For those interested in non-247 numbers:

Rivals recruit ratings: https://minnesota.rivals.com/commitments/football/2018

ESPN recruit rankings: http://www.espn.com/college-sports/football/recruiting/school/_/id/135/class/2018
 

We have to be excited about the offensive line recruits - Faalele, Dunlop, and Dickson. I hope Bateman sticks.

We all know how Seth Green was rated high and Antoine Winfield was rated lower. We lost a bunch to expulsions and transfers. Winfield played really well until he was injured. Seth is just occupying a spot on the roster and has not blossomed or is willing to. So who knows what can happen in a recruiting class.

Gopher football history is littered with players that are rated high coming out of high school whose careers did not pan out due to injuries, academic, or character issues. For some like Hayo Carpenter, the ratings people totally missed.

But, we do get players that are legit talent like the Barbers, Carter Coughlin, Eric Decker, Maxx Williams. For every one of those guys you'd have a Sam Maresh, Andre McDonald, Moses Alipate, or a Jeff Jones.

The important thing is that PJ Fleck is recruiting a 2018 class whose overall average rating of 0.8602 with a standard deviation of 0.02 which means that this class oozes quality from top to bottom. If a couple of higher rated recruits don't pan out, you have the rest of the class pretty solid that can contribute. For many positions, you have good team role player guys that can go through development and do their jobs really well and will not show up a whole lot in the game stats necessarily. When the Gopher can have that consistency in recruiting and player quality control, it will be difficult for me to believe they cannot challenge Wisconsin, NW, Iowa, and Nebraska year in and year out and get out of their average 5th place perch in the division.

That is the key to Wisconsin's dominance. Their average rating is consistently higher for every class than the rest of the B1G West except for Nebraska. Nebraska is an anomaly for as many four stars that they have.

To be successful, IMHO the Gophers need to have at lease two legitimate 4 star players in each class, and keep the average rating ~ 0.86 +/- 1.5.

To outrun the knife wielding polar bears, they have to run faster than the rest of their B1G West brethren or carry a much bigger knife.

I have appreciated your enthusiasm throughout this thread and I think I've read most of your posts. Keep up the good work.
 



Q&A: Gopher commit may have a show with Coach Fleck one day

So take me through the end of your recruiting, it seemed like Minnesota came in later there.
They had been recruiting me throughout. I had been talking to Coach Fleck throughout. He wasn’t sure about how interested I was in Minnesota. Once I de-committed from Florida, he was the first person I talked to. We talked for a long time, we had great conversations. The opportunity presented is great. I can come in and play right away, compete – we’re going to be competing for championships soon, really soon – with the class we’re bringing in, the best class Minnesota [has had]. It’s perfect timing. I’m a Jacksonville native, went to IMG Academy, always been in the heat, but something about the snow, I just fell in love when I went up. The atmosphere, everything just fit.

Was that your first time in the snow like that?
Yes sir

First time ever?
First time ever.

So what did you think of that?
I always used to play with mom and my dad and told them if it snowed in Jacksonville for Christmas, that was all I’d want, and now to have the opportunity to go play in the snow and all types of weather and get training from one of the best offensive line coaches and it’s just great because I was just looking at it, when offensive linemen go high rounds from some of those up north schools, Big Ten and I feel like it’s a great opportunity for me.

When you went up there, were you able to see a lot of new places, maybe find some of the better places to eat up there?
Yes sir, we experienced a lot. It was just a great time. Zach [Annexstad]’s from there, so he knew places to go in Minnesota. He’s from an hour and 30 minutes away from there, so we knew places to go. It was fun.

Was it important to have guys you knew go there?
Importance… it was not a big factor. I was going to go where I was going to go regardless because of the opportunity presented -- it just makes you more comfortable. The opportunity fits. Since they are going, it just makes it a lot more comfortable. I’ll be up there with Daniel [Faalele], Daniel’s going to be my roommate, Zach’s going to be my roommate, it's just definitely something that makes me feel a lot better.

Being a Jacksonville kid, was it pretty tough to de-commit from Florida?
It really wasn't pretty tough because I look at what I want for the future. I want to be great, so why not go to the Big Ten and be a great offensive lineman?

Have your parents already made a plan for getting up to games?
Yes, so with my stipend check, I'll be able to get my mom up to a couple games, we'll start off with two or three my freshman year and go from there. As I save more, we can get more, and she’ll be working and be able to get tickets and then just go from there.

Coach Fleck is a head coach that gets a lot of attention --
Haha, a lot of attention.

As a recruit though, you get to know him away from the cameras, what was he like away from all that?
Crazy. I watched Coach Fleck on his ESPN special, and you expect every coach to act a certain way in front of the camera, but camera’s off, Coach Fleck is the same way. And I love it because that energy is what you need as a player because if a coach doesn’t have energy, why would you want to be out there? But if you have the energy... he's out there racing with us sprinting, doing everything we're doing, it makes it better. He understands. He knows what we're going through is hard and is not taking us for granted, and we're not taking him for granted either.

Did you watch that show before or after Minnesota started recruiting you?
I watched it before. I watched it with Zach because Zach’s my roommate, so he kept it in my ear for me. It was nice and he’s the exact same.

https://247sports.com/Article/QA-Go...ave-a-show-with-Coach-Fleck-one-day-113121533

Go Gophers!!
 

"Once I de-committed from Florida, he was the first person I talked to. We talked for a long time, we had great conversations. The opportunity presented is great. I can come in and play right away, compete"


Nope. Fleck would never say that. Stop making **** up!
 

"Once I de-committed from Florida, he was the first person I talked to. We talked for a long time, we had great conversations. The opportunity presented is great. I can come in and play right away, compete"


Nope. Fleck would never say that. Stop making **** up!

Did anyone ever argue that Fleck might have told a recruit something like "hey, we need offensive lineman, it's a position of need"?

Do you not see how that is completely different than promising or guaranteeing playing time?
 

Did anyone ever argue that Fleck might have told a recruit something like "hey, we need offensive lineman, it's a position of need"?

Do you not see how that is completely different than promising or guaranteeing playing time?

Not real hard to imagine PJ saying to Dunlop something along the lines of "Our offensive line loses both starting guards from last years team in Calhoun and Wright, we have some OL on the team who could fill those positions and we believe that you can also be in the mix to fill one of those positions. You will have to earn the spot just like anyone else would, but if sign with us, work hard, and beat out the others, you can and will play right away."
 



Sure, if what GFBfan said is what Fleck actually said, then you guys would be correct.


But that's not at all what Dunlap said. He was very clear.
 

Sure, if what GFBfan said is what Fleck actually said, then you guys would be correct.


But that's not at all what Dunlap said. He was very clear.

We have no idea what Fleck actually said and nothing in Dunlap's quote points it in either direction.

He can come here and play right away. This is such an odd debate. If it was a guarantee, why wouldn't he have used to word "will"?

If Fleck went to Dunlap and said "you have a great opportunity to come here and play right away, our line needs help", how is that not exactly what Dunlap said?
 

If Fleck went to Dunlap and said "you have a great opportunity to come here and play right away, our line needs help", how is that not exactly what Dunlap said?

It is.

And it is not a promise or guarantee. I didn't say it was.


But that is merely a fractional step away from a promise or guarantee. All but explicitly saying it. So, I'll take being 90% right. Works for me
 

It is.

And it is not a promise or guarantee. I didn't say it was.


But that is merely a fractional step away from a promise or guarantee. All but explicitly saying it. So, I'll take being 90% right. Works for me

So what is your point, what's your angle? You seem determined to imply that something dirty or underhanded is going on yet have nothing of any substance to back it up.

Coaches are going to sell the opportunity for playing time to high level recruits that might be ready to come in and play right away. They still have to prove they can get it done though. The honest truth with any recruit that signs anywhere in the country is that if they come in and are good enough to play right away they will in almost all cases.

Really can't figure out just what you are trying to prove.
 

It is.

And it is not a promise or guarantee. I didn't say it was.


But that is merely a fractional step away from a promise or guarantee. All but explicitly saying it. So, I'll take being 90% right. Works for me

It's a promise that he'll have a chance to play right away. That's it. You're making it into something more than it is.
 

So what is your point, what's your angle? You seem determined to imply that something dirty or underhanded is going on yet have nothing of any substance to back it up.

Coaches are going to sell the opportunity for playing time to high level recruits that might be ready to come in and play right away. They still have to prove they can get it done though. The honest truth with any recruit that signs anywhere in the country is that if they come in and are good enough to play right away they will in almost all cases.

Really can't figure out just what you are trying to prove.

It's a promise that he'll have a chance to play right away. That's it. You're making it into something more than it is.

I don't think anything dirty, underhanded, or against NCAA rules went on with Dunlap. Nor am I making it out to be something more than it is.


I was merely expressing my vindication, after being told that I was making things up for implying that Fleck was able to convince Dunlap to come here at least partly with the chance to play right away (or early on).
 

If Dunlap is just as good as our current guards, then let him play. If anything he will provide good depth. We get injuries on the O line every year so someone to come in like Dunlap is pretty special.
 

Has anyone brought up the possibility that maybe Fleck didn't say anything about how quickly he'll play? Its possible that Warinner told him he had a good chance.
 

Has anyone brought up the possibility that maybe Fleck didn't say anything about how quickly he'll play? Its possible that Warinner told him he had a good chance.

It makes just as much if not more sense than some of the other things posted in the last few pages of this thread.
 

I think the only thing that was promised is that they are going to use Dunlop tires.
 

Before we are half way through the season we will have true freshmen at LT and LG. That isn't a bad thing. Potential redshirts. Talent plays.
 

I would like to see them trim down some. Dunlap to about 350 and Faalele to 390. They are still growing and maturing. I just hope our weight training and conditioning is better than IMGs. :)
 

I would like to see them trim down some. Dunlap to about 350 and Faalele to 390. They are still growing and maturing. I just hope our weight training and conditioning is better than IMGs. :)

I've heard we have the best strength coach in the country. Have had for 7 straight years now.
 


I was merely expressing my vindication, after being told that I was making things up for implying that <b>Fleck was able to convince Dunlap to come here at least partly with the chance to play right away (or early on).</b>

I don't think that is at all what you were implying to start, but you have become quite efficient at backing off your original points when challenged. We call it a pivot on GH.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

I don't think that is at all what you were implying to start

It's not my fault that folks misinterpret what I am saying. But as happens on internet message boards, people read what they want to read.
 

It's not my fault that folks misinterpret what I am saying. But as happens on internet message boards, people read what they want to read.

When everyone interpreted it that way, maybe the issue was the message.
 




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