Reusse: Eden Prairie keeps producing playmakers football recruiters miss

BleedGopher

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per Pat:

Mike Grant learned several things about coaching from his father, Bud, and the most important was common sense. He told the defense to keep Connelly for the rest of the playoff run.

Shaeffer headed off to St. Thomas, where he was the point guard for an NCAA Division III national title basketball team in 2016. Connelly returned to quarterback for Eden Prairie and the Eagles were state champs again — three in a row — in 2013.

Connelly was 6-3 and 215 or so, with a chance to add pounds. He also was a lacrosse standout, a tribute to the mobility that went with toughness, intelligence and zeal to win.

“Ryan was a terrific athlete,” Shaeffer said. “I wasn’t going to be surprised by anything he accomplished in football.”

Nor was Mike Grant.

“I tried to tell everybody that he was a Big Ten player,” Grant said. “The Gophers kept saying they weren’t sure. Wisconsin was the only one that listened.”

The Gophers’ reluctance was in line with most recruiters. North Dakota State and the rest of the FCS schools surrounding Minnesota weren’t interested in offering a scholarship.

“The only scholarship was UMD [Minnesota Duluth],” Connelly said. “Mike Grant was talking to schools for me. And I had another connection to Ben Strickland, the recruiting coordinator at Wisconsin. The Badgers offered me a preferred walk-on, and I took it on the spot.”

http://www.startribune.com/eden-pra...laymakers-football-recruiters-miss/467964543/

Go Gophers!!
 

Wonder why the Gophers didn't offer a walk on?
 



Of course, Reusse doesn’t mention the walk-on that came to the Gophers from Eden Prairie, Blake Cashman.


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He is the type of kid Minnesota never gets and Wisconsin always gets. Hopefully cashman is a trend...I hope Montero doesn’t end up as a Wisconsin walk on.
 

The headline states, "Eden Prairie keeps producing playmakers football recruiters miss" yet the only example given is Connolly.
 

Of course, Reusse doesn’t mention the walk-on that came to the Gophers from Eden Prairie, Blake Cashman.


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There are actually six players from Eden Prairie listed on the Gophers Spring Roster. Only Carter Coughlin came in as a scholarship player. Blake Cashman earned his.

Anderson, Danny-------LB---6 0----212------RS FR------MN Eden Prairie, Minn. (Eden Prairie HS)
Fuller, Tommy-----------DB--5 10---190------RS FR------MN Eden Prairie, Minn. (Eden Prairie HS)
Novak-Goar, Connor----DL---6 2----280------RS SO-----MN Eden Prairie, Minn. (Iowa Western C.C.)
Witherspoon, Clayton--TE---6 4----235------RS FR-------MN Eden Prairie, Minn. (Eden Prairie HS)
Cashman, Blake--------LB---6 2----235------SR----------MN Eden Prairie, Minn. (Eden Prairie HS)
Coughlin, Carter -------LB---6 4----245------ JR----------MN Eden Prairie, Minn. (Eden Prairie HS)
 

Of course, Reusse doesn’t mention the walk-on that came to the Gophers from Eden Prairie, Blake Cashman.


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It wouldn't fit Reusse's Gopher bashing agenda. Don't ge me wrong...I would be happy to have Connelly but since when did he become the greatest linebacker of all time and is the biggest miss in Gopher recruting history? I have read at least 10 local articles over the last 3 years about how big of a miss this kid was. Unless he improves his stock significantly, Connelly is likely to be a late round draft pick...perhaps Reusse and other local media should write about how we took a chance on Eric Murray and he was shunned by his local badgers.
 



It wouldn't fit Reusse's Gopher bashing agenda. Don't ge me wrong...I would be happy to have Connelly but since when did he become the greatest linebacker of all time and is the biggest miss in Gopher recruting history? I have read at least 10 local articles over the last 3 years about how big of a miss this kid was. Unless he improves his stock significantly, Connelly is likely to be a late round draft pick...perhaps Reusse and other local media should write about how we took a chance on Eric Murray and he was shunned by his local badgers.

Exactly, he isn't the second coming of Ray Lewis. He isn't even head and shoulders better than what we have at linebacker. Every school is going to miss on instate kids every year.
 

As I read the article, the point was not that "the Gophers missed on this kid." I think the point was that Eden Prairie kids in general don't seem to get a lot of love from D1 schools, despite the success of the program.

Now, some of that could be attributed to sour grapes by Mike Grant. But, there is something to be said about coming from a winning program. And, it also points out that there is a grey area when it comes to recruiting. Almost anyone can look at a five-star caliber player and predict that he will be good. The real trick is identifying kids like Connelly who may be a little short, a little light, or a little slow in the raw numbers, but have the heart and the smarts to succeed. You can get a kid in a strength and conditioning program and make them bigger, stronger and faster. You can't make them smarter, or more determined, or give them instincts for the game if they're lacking in those areas.

For whatever reason, it seems like a lot of the Eden Prairie kids fall into that category. And Mike Grant is going to be an advocate for his players. Nothing wrong with that.
 

There are actually six players from Eden Prairie listed on the Gophers Spring Roster. Only Carter Coughlin came in as a scholarship player. Blake Cashman earned his.

Anderson, Danny-------LB---6 0----212------RS FR------MN Eden Prairie, Minn. (Eden Prairie HS)
Fuller, Tommy-----------DB--5 10---190------RS FR------MN Eden Prairie, Minn. (Eden Prairie HS)
Novak-Goar, Connor----DL---6 2----280------RS SO-----MN Eden Prairie, Minn. (Iowa Western C.C.)
Witherspoon, Clayton--TE---6 4----235------RS FR-------MN Eden Prairie, Minn. (Eden Prairie HS)
Cashman, Blake--------LB---6 2----235------SR----------MN Eden Prairie, Minn. (Eden Prairie HS)
Coughlin, Carter -------LB---6 4----245------ JR----------MN Eden Prairie, Minn. (Eden Prairie HS)

About about Carter's brother
 

As I read the article, the point was not that "the Gophers missed on this kid." I think the point was that Eden Prairie kids in general don't seem to get a lot of love from D1 schools, despite the success of the program.

Now, some of that could be attributed to sour grapes by Mike Grant. But, there is something to be said about coming from a winning program. And, it also points out that there is a grey area when it comes to recruiting. Almost anyone can look at a five-star caliber player and predict that he will be good. The real trick is identifying kids like Connelly who may be a little short, a little light, or a little slow in the raw numbers, but have the heart and the smarts to succeed. You can get a kid in a strength and conditioning program and make them bigger, stronger and faster. You can't make them smarter, or more determined, or give them instincts for the game if they're lacking in those areas.

For whatever reason, it seems like a lot of the Eden Prairie kids fall into that category. And Mike Grant is going to be an advocate for his players. Nothing wrong with that.

Detroit Lakes players don't get the love they deserve either.
 




As I read the article, the point was not that "the Gophers missed on this kid." I think the point was that Eden Prairie kids in general don't seem to get a lot of love from D1 schools, despite the success of the program.

Now, some of that could be attributed to sour grapes by Mike Grant. But, there is something to be said about coming from a winning program. And, it also points out that there is a grey area when it comes to recruiting. Almost anyone can look at a five-star caliber player and predict that he will be good. The real trick is identifying kids like Connelly who may be a little short, a little light, or a little slow in the raw numbers, but have the heart and the smarts to succeed. You can get a kid in a strength and conditioning program and make them bigger, stronger and faster. You can't make them smarter, or more determined, or give them instincts for the game if they're lacking in those areas.

For whatever reason, it seems like a lot of the Eden Prairie kids fall into that category. And Mike Grant is going to be an advocate for his players. Nothing wrong with that.

That's how I read it also. And I like to see 'em take a bash every now and then at modern coaches and administrators who value the 4.0 forty and big size so much over guys that make plays.

Like a few years ago when the Vikings drafted a wide receiver in the first round who couldn't catch the ball ;)
 

As I read the article, the point was not that "the Gophers missed on this kid." I think the point was that Eden Prairie kids in general don't seem to get a lot of love from D1 schools, despite the success of the program.

Now, some of that could be attributed to sour grapes by Mike Grant. But, there is something to be said about coming from a winning program. And, it also points out that there is a grey area when it comes to recruiting. Almost anyone can look at a five-star caliber player and predict that he will be good. The real trick is identifying kids like Connelly who may be a little short, a little light, or a little slow in the raw numbers, but have the heart and the smarts to succeed. You can get a kid in a strength and conditioning program and make them bigger, stronger and faster. You can't make them smarter, or more determined, or give them instincts for the game if they're lacking in those areas.

For whatever reason, it seems like a lot of the Eden Prairie kids fall into that category. And Mike Grant is going to be an advocate for his players. Nothing wrong with that.

I would agree if he talked about other kids like Blake Cashman. But he purposely only talked about the kid that went to the Gophers rival and was successful.
 

That's how I read it also. And I like to see 'em take a bash every now and then at modern coaches and administrators who value the 4.0 forty and big size so much over guys that make plays.

Like a few years ago when the Vikings drafted a wide receiver in the first round who couldn't catch the ball ;)

Treadwell is a bad example for your point. He made plays in college, but his lack of speed in a major problem in the NFL.
 

Treadwell is a bad example for your point. He made plays in college, but his lack of speed in a major problem in the NFL.

May have been referring to Troy Williamson?
4.32 40 with 4 career TDs as an NFL WR
 

Mike Grant is a tool. He hypes these kids up like their already playing in the NFL. Gophers have appeared to improve in recruiting with Fleck but only the future will tell the full story.


"We're going to win the Big Ten championship and we're going to take the Gopher Nation to Pasadena. That's my dream, that's my goal and that's my belief. It will happen here sooner rather than later." -- Tim Brewster
 

It can be difficult to evaluate the talent of players on really good teams. EP pounds teams into submission. It takes seeing them at a camp and playing another sport. It will be interesting to see if Fleck evaluates these kids better state wide.
 




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