Rosemount WR Jonathan Mann commits to the Gophers

I like this kid!

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Nice commitment and who knows where his ceiling is. Power 5 offers starting to rain. As far as size some guys max out young, some older so hard to really know. He’s probably 6 foot 2 something; maybe he gets to 6 foot 4+ in a year or two.

If people are comparing him to a young Andre McDonald that’s impressive. Agree with Oleboy McDonald as a senior seemed more athletic but obviously not a fair comparison as a 10th grader. If he’s good enough for Fleck then have to assume he’s the real deal. How nice will a big bodied, sure-handed WR be?
 

No info to back this up, obviously. But, I'd be shocked if Suggs picked football over basketball. That is, unless things change fairly drastically. He could very easily be a one-and-done caliber guy in basketball (or at least buy that hype from somebody sleeze ball like Coach K or Callipari). Who knows, maybe the rule is changed then and he enters the NBA draft.

He may not reach those heights, but it's certainly a possibility.
 


I really have no idea how well he'll turn out, but the top level DBs in MN are OK. If he wasn't getting separation and he played in lower football, it would be problematic, but the highest level of football in the state of MN is absolutely not as bad as you're making it sound. It's not a large amount of teams and there are plenty of examples of recent MN HS athletes, especially those who played against the better competition, who were good college skill players/DBs.

As far as DaJon McKnight - - he is already almost the size of McKnight when McKnight graduated. McKnight is also one of the top Gopher receivers of all time (he is in the top 10 in just about every statistical category).

Yeah, probably not a huge worry here, until college.

Necessity is the mother of invention. He's 6'4, athletic, and fast enough to excel on a varsity football program as a sophomore. once he gets around the older guys, and the coaches he'll learn how much more he can get from technique. That kid of thing tends to work in a positive feedback loop.

You Have to love speed in the hurdles. The one leg drive it takes, for a kid that young, to run that fast, is impressive power output.
 


I really have no idea how well he'll turn out, but the top level DBs in MN are OK. If he wasn't getting separation and he played in lower football, it would be problematic, but the highest level of football in the state of MN is absolutely not as bad as you're making it sound. It's not a large amount of teams and there are plenty of examples of recent MN HS athletes, especially those who played against the better competition, who were good college skill players/DBs.

As far as DaJon McKnight - - he is already almost the size of McKnight when McKnight graduated. McKnight is also one of the top Gopher receivers of all time (he is in the top 10 in just about every statistical category).

the difference in speed between an average CB in MN, even at the highest levels, and a B1G CB that's actually playing is huge. Its not all that much better in other midwest states. I coached a kid here in IL that was flying by DBs like they weren't there but still ended up playing D2 ball. First thing I look at when I watch these highlight films is how fast they are compared to the DBs they're playing against. A guy that could be considered fast for B1G play is typically completely pulling away from kids easily. This kid is outrunning guys and is clearly faster than them but he's not pulling away like the faster guys do. Again, it's fine. He's a big body and I'm sure he'll get faster with age too, but he's not a burner. Of course 6'3" burners are the Michael Floyds of the world and get recruited by everybody.
 

No info to back this up, obviously. But, I'd be shocked if Suggs picked football over basketball. That is, unless things change fairly drastically. He could very easily be a one-and-done caliber guy in basketball (or at least buy that hype from somebody sleeze ball like Coach K or Callipari). Who knows, maybe the rule is changed then and he enters the NBA draft.

He may not reach those heights, but it's certainly a possibility.

Agreed. A kid on his level is almost guaranteed (sans injury) to be able to make a good living playing basketball for a long time. Even if he doesn't become an NBA vet there are 6 figure salaries in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America just waiting for him.
 

No info to back this up, obviously. But, I'd be shocked if Suggs picked football over basketball. That is, unless things change fairly drastically. He could very easily be a one-and-done caliber guy in basketball (or at least buy that hype from somebody sleeze ball like Coach K or Callipari). Who knows, maybe the rule is changed then and he enters the NBA draft.

He may not reach those heights, but it's certainly a possibility.

I'd be shocked as well, but maybe he will try to play both somewhere. Owen King was the #1 FB recruit in the state for 2018 and he simply stopped the recruiting in football and from what I understand asked all recruiting services to take him off their sites for football. The longer Suggs continues to allow recruiting in both tells me that he doesn't know what he wants to do yet.
 

I'd be shocked as well, but maybe he will try to play both somewhere. Joey King was the #1 FB recruit in the state for 2018 and he simply stopped the recruiting in football and from what I understand asked all recruiting services to take him off their sites for football. The longer Suggs continues to allow recruiting in both tells me that he doesn't know what he wants to do yet.

I didn't know that Joey King still had high school eligibility - or that he's a really good football player.
 




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Go Gophers!!
 

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That looks fun.

Doogie gets annoying sometimes with the baity tweets, but at least he's positive at times too.

doc says he could grow to 6'5" or 6'6"

Are croots getting genetic tests now?
 

That looks fun.

Doogie gets annoying sometimes with the baity tweets, but at least he's positive at times too.



Are croots getting genetic tests now?

I don't know that a doctor needs to perform a genetic test to come up with that information. . .
 



STrib: Five high school juniors who lead Minnesota's football class of 2020

Aidan Bouman, Buffalo, QB: A classic pro-style dropback passer who stands 6-5, with a strong arm and off-the-charts football IQ. Committed to Iowa State.

RaJa Nelson, Lakeville North, RB/DB: A jack-of-all-trades who does everything well — run, catch, return kicks, cover receivers and tackle in space.

Craig McDonald, SMB, WR/DB: Good field-stretcher at WR but at his best in coverage, with four interceptions and 16 passes defensed in 2018.

Jalen Suggs, SMB, QB: There are rumors that Suggs, a dual threat with a strong arm and exceptional running ability, may forgo his final season to prepare for basketball.

Jonathan Mann, Rosemount, WR: Long and lean (6-4, 190) with excellent ball skills and the speed to turn short gains into long ones. Committed to Minnesota.

https://www.mnfootballhub.com/news_article/show/978567

Go Gophers!!
 

No Kaden Johnson on that list. Interesting.
 

STrib: Five high school juniors who lead Minnesota's football class of 2020

Aidan Bouman, Buffalo, QB: A classic pro-style dropback passer who stands 6-5, with a strong arm and off-the-charts football IQ. Committed to Iowa State.

RaJa Nelson, Lakeville North, RB/DB: A jack-of-all-trades who does everything well — run, catch, return kicks, cover receivers and tackle in space.

Craig McDonald, SMB, WR/DB: Good field-stretcher at WR but at his best in coverage, with four interceptions and 16 passes defensed in 2018.

Jalen Suggs, SMB, QB: There are rumors that Suggs, a dual threat with a strong arm and exceptional running ability, may forgo his final season to prepare for basketball.

Jonathan Mann, Rosemount, WR: Long and lean (6-4, 190) with excellent ball skills and the speed to turn short gains into long ones. Committed to Minnesota.

https://www.mnfootballhub.com/news_article/show/978567

Go Gophers!!

Think the Gophers will work on flipping Bouman?
 

Think the Gophers will work on flipping Bouman?

I'm sure if he is open to being recruited still they'll show interest but if I was Bouman I wouldn't want to come in behind Clark, Annexstad, Morgan and Kraemer.
 

I'm sure if he is open to being recruited still they'll show interest but if I was Bouman I wouldn't want to come in behind Clark, Annexstad, Morgan and Kraemer.

That is a good point.

At Iowa St, Purdy could be a four year starter (true Freshman this year), so assuming Bouman redshirts in 2020 and is a backup to true senior Purdy in 2021 (assuming he doesn't declare early), that puts him in the competition to start as a redshirt Soph for 2022.

Wonder if Campbell will still be there then, or if he'll be at a helmet school.
 

I watched Bouman and Buffalo play Brainerd this year and he is the real deal. Time will tell how he continues to develop but he has a ton of skills. I agree with others that it might be a tough sell to come to the U with all of our youth at QB but people transfer so a lot can happen in the next year or so.
 

It seems odd we haven't offered Bouman. Iowa St is his only offer. I wonder if he has shut things down and has told other teams to not recruit him?
 

Bouman is good. I watched his dad play at St Cloud State (football AND basketball). But if he is a hard commit to Iowa St I don't blame him. Good conference, good coach. We'll see if he wavers, lot of time between now and next year.
 

No Kaden Johnson on that list. Interesting.

Yeah, Jim Paulsen doesn't acquit himself well in that article. How do you write that and not include Johnson (easily the best in-state D prospect since Coughlin) and Aaron Witt? He just comes across as clueless. I follow Gophers recruiting as closely as almost anyone who isn't paid to, and I'd literally never heard of RaJa Nelson until I read that.
 

Yeah, Jim Paulsen doesn't acquit himself well in that article. How do you write that and not include Johnson (easily the best in-state D prospect since Coughlin) and Aaron Witt? He just comes across as clueless. I follow Gophers recruiting as closely as almost anyone who isn't paid to, and I'd literally never heard of RaJa Nelson until I read that.

Yeah, 247 doesn't have him in their top 10 right now...and they are paid to do this.

Top 10:
Kaden Johnson
Jalen Suggs
Aidan Bouman
Jonathan Mann
Aaron Witt
Craig McDonald
Noah Pappas
DeAndre Hill
Carvon Gurley
Cornelius Wooten
 

Well if you want to get nit-picky, he didn't technically claim that they were top five ranked Juniors .... it just says five Juniors who lead the class. "Lead the class" could be argued to mean several different things, without more context or precision.
 

Yeah, Jim Paulsen doesn't acquit himself well in that article. How do you write that and not include Johnson (easily the best in-state D prospect since Coughlin) and Aaron Witt? He just comes across as clueless. I follow Gophers recruiting as closely as almost anyone who isn't paid to, and I'd literally never heard of RaJa Nelson until I read that.

He was arguably the best player on the 6A champs. He's not exactly a no-namer.
 

He was arguably the best player on the 6A champs. He's not exactly a no-namer.

Yep. He started at LNHS as a freshman. That's unheard for elite 6A programs without being ELITE talent.
 

He was arguably the best player on the 6A champs. He's not exactly a no-namer.

I didn't say he was a no-namer, just said that I've never heard of him. He isn't among the top 10 players listed on 247, the top 5 on Rivals, or the top 4 on ESPN. He doesn't even have a profile on Rivals or ESPN, and his 247 profile lists zero offers. Kaden Johnson (not mentioned) is the #129 player in the class on 247 composite and has 8 listed Power 5 offers.
 


Rosemount WR Jonathan Mann ponders senior season, future w/ Gophers

Jonathan Mann didn't want to wait. He was the very first player to commit to P.J. Fleck's Gopher football recruiting class for the Class of 2020.

Recruiting services rate Mann as one of the state's top prospects, and the best receiver in this year's senior class statewide.

Since committing to the Gophers, Mann took on a role as a recruiter himself. He's been in touch with several players who shifted from being recruits to commits, as he watched his fellow incoming classmates sign on.

Rivals.com rates the Gophers current Class of 2020 crop as the 25th-best recruiting class in the nation - 5th best in the Big Ten Conference.

Mann signed on with the Gophers, spurning offers from Iowa, Arkansas and Iowa State.

https://kstp.com/sports/jonathan-mann-rosemount-football-receiver-gophers-commit/5500456/?cat=10564

Go Gophers!!
 

Humble Gopher recruit Jonathan Mann returns to form for Rosemount

Mann, a 6-4, 200-pound receiver with great speed, was the first player from the Class of 2020 to give a verbal commitment to Gophers coach P.J. Fleck. He chose Minnesota over Arkansas, Iowa and Iowa State.

The April 2018 announcement came after a strong sophomore season in which Mann caught 30 passes for 662 yards and seven touchdowns. Extra defensive attention, and internal pressure to be even better, followed. The result: A humbling junior season, with 24 catches for 362 yards and just one touchdown.

This fall he returned to form as the primary game-breaker for Rosemount (3-3) through six games, hauling in 18 passes for 510 yards and five scores. He enjoyed a signature four-touchdown game on Sept. 20 against Farmington.

"It's going pretty well," said Mann, who plays on Friday at Burnsville. "Every route I run, every block I make, every catch, it's about confidence for me. I'm just getting more and more confident in my abilities."

http://www.startribune.com/humble-g...mann-returns-to-form-for-rosemount/562750142/

Go Gophers!!
 




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