Annexstad Named Starting QB for NMSU Game

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Please stop feeding the troll. Ignore GString_4life and he'll go away.
 

Anyone who wants serious discussion, is free to converse with me.

Anyone who wants to think and say only as the old guys here tell you too, also free to do as you please.
 

Gophers_4life said:
I'm frankly shocked that PJ hasn't had to defend this point, already. How can it be that no one has pressed him on this?

Reporters, if you read this site for ideas .... ask him that! "Coach ... how is it possible that your best QB recruit thus far in your recruiting tenure, came here and you didn't even offer him a scholarship??"

I would like to hear the words out of PJ's mouth on that one. Hopefully wouldn't be gobbledygook, hope he has an honest answer.


For the record, I don't think anything dirty happened. Highly doubt it. I'm just plain ol' curious. Morbidly curious. This type of thing, usually, doesn't happen ... kids, good players, usually just don't throw themselves at you for free ...
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Defend what point? He offered him a walk on spot and ZA accepted it. You act like this is some high crime or something.

And you can say "I dont think anything dirsty happened" but your posts say otherwise. You want there to be something behind this, you want to go after him over good news for some reason. (hence you saying he should have to "defend" himself over this) That is really funny considering your crusade against "tabloid journalism" in the Urban Meyer thread. So which is it, should reporters look for things and go after the coaches for even when there isnt anything to go after or not?

As for you getting all defensive about being called a troll...if it walks like a duck, it quacks like a duck and it swims like a duck it tends to be a duck. You are welcome to your opinions but people arent just going to let it go when you feel the need to stamp out any form of optimism or get all snarky and weird because a player might be better than you think he is. No one is going to make you change your opinion, but they arent just going to let you spout off either and they will call you out when you beat a dead horse like you are seemingly doing here. A player took a walkon spot, that player was good enough to win the starting spot. End of friggin story. I am not sure why you dont like that, or why you feel the need to downplay ZA (or PJ for getting him) but my guess is you are the guy in the stands who assumes any time the Gophers win the opponent stunk.
 

Gophers_4life said:
"Hey guys! This guy over here is posting too many times and asking hard questions..."
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No. You're not asking hard questions. You're asking stupid questions while looking like an asshole.

Possible Scenario:

-Coach- I'd love for you to be on the team. Is this a team you can see yourself playing for over the next 4 years?
-Player- Yes. This feels like the right place for me.

Now the fork in the road.

Option 1
-Coach- Great to hear. We can offer you a spot as a Preferred Walk On, which means that you have a roster spot, but we can't offer you a scholarship.
-Player- Yes. That works for me and my family.
-Coach- We will reassess over time, and it is possible for you to earn a scholarship at a later date.

Option 2
-Coach- Great to hear. We can offer you a spot as a Preferred Walk On, which means that you have a roster spot, but we can't offer you a scholarship.
-Player- Sorry coach. I will need to opt for one of the schools that is offering me a scholarship.
-Coach- Whoa. Not so fast. Let me see what I can do, but I can't make any promises right now.

Is that so hard to imagine? I know you want to listen to the tapes, or watch the video of the encounter, but they don't exist. And no, you won't get the unvarnished "truth" that you think is out there by asking reporters to read Gopher Hole and hold their feet to the fire.
 

Gophers_4life said:
Anyone who wants serious discussion, is free to converse with me.

Anyone who wants to think and say only as the old guys here tell you too, also free to do as you please.
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Yeah...you arent making yourself out to be a troll AT ALL!
 


Gophers_4life said:
I never said that wasn't the case, and I never said that I think that's wrong to do. I'm also not suggesting PJ should have turned him down or said something like "I appreciate the offer, but I only want you here if I have a scholly to give you". No. None of that.

I'm just CURIOUS about it. I think it's a rare thing. But everyone else here seems to be acting like this: "holy crap! This actually happened! Let's all scurry away as fast as we can, and never talk about it, or else it might un-happen somehow".
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It's been talked about many, many times here. The conclusion is we don't know and probably never will know for sure why it happened the way it happened.

I think that the IMG guys were 3 of the last 5 guys to commit in the class. It's possible that when Annexstad really started to play a lot last year in HS, the Gophers weren't able to offer him a scholarship at that point. Just speculation though.
 

Really really simple. ZA was not heavily recruited prior to his senior year. He really really wanted to play for the gophers, he's a legacy and a fan. He loves Flecks culture, and his brother is on the team. He looks at the depth chart and thinks it's his best shot to actually play for a power 5 team. Gophers offer him a PWO, which is his best offer to date and he accepts.

Then he beats out (yes, beats out) a 4* at IMG and plays the rest of the year. That earns him some scholarship opportunities at Illinois and Pitt among others. Had he told Fleck, I love the gophers, but I can't turn down a scholly, and THEN Fleck said sorry, we don't have one, and he turned into a star player elsewhere, that would be on Fleck. But Fleck sold him that a scholly would come if he came and did well. Sold him on the culture the program and the opportunity. And he decided to still come as a walk on.

It's a great sales job and it worked. That's the story, Fleck has been asked and that's what he said. There's nothing else. His best long term opportunity in his mind was accepting a PWO from his favorite team where his brother plays.
 

This has got to be one of the dumbest discussions in GH history and that’s saying something
 

Dave H said:
Defend what point? He offered him a walk on spot and ZA accepted it.
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Did he offer that? Did ZA ask for that? Did something else happen? That's all I want to know. Because I'm curious. It's a very interesting story. That is all.

You act like this is some high crime or something.
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No I don't! You're making that up. That's on you.

And you can say "I dont think anything dirsty happened" but your posts say otherwise.
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Your false perception is your problem. Not mine. I only said that, as an honest attempt to head off such misperceptions. Looks like I'm just fanning the flames of those who are going to believe what they want to believe.

So which is it, should reporters look for things and go after the coaches for even when there isnt anything to go after or not?
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There's nothing to "go after" here. So there's nothing to hide. It's a feel good story, that should have some light on it. Is all!

As for you getting all defensive about being called a troll...if it walks like a duck, it quacks like a duck and it swims like a duck it tends to be a duck. You are welcome to your opinions but people arent just going to let it go when you feel the need to stamp out any form of optimism or get all snarky and weird because a player might be better than you think he is. No one is going to make you change your opinion, but they arent just going to let you spout off either and they will call you out when you beat a dead horse like you are seemingly doing here. A player took a walkon spot, that player was good enough to win the starting spot. End of friggin story. I am not sure why you dont like that, or why you feel the need to downplay ZA (or PJ for getting him) but my guess is you are the guy in the stands who assumes any time the Gophers win the opponent stunk.
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I have no idea why you are so compelled to make things up about me, that I've never said or implied.

I have passed no judgements or made any predictions about the success of ZA, this season or in general. Section2 can tell you all about that.

Basically what it comes down to ... if you don't tow the company line around here, that must mean you're a troll and must mean you're a banned poster, back from the grave to haunt again. Well too fricking bad! I will continue express my opinions. You have three options at your disposal: a) put me on ignore list, b) choose to skip over my posts (easily done), c) email/complain to the mods until they ban me. From what I've gathered, the last option doesn't work too well around here. But YMMV. Good day!
 



upnorthkid said:
This has got to be one of the dumbest discussions in GH history and that’s saying something
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Who's dumber ... the people having a dumb argument/discussion, or the poster who chimes in just to say that it's dumb??

I leave it to you, Gopherhole!
 


Section2 said:
Really really simple. ZA was not heavily recruited prior to his senior year. He really really wanted to play for the gophers, he's a legacy and a fan. He loves Flecks culture, and his brother is on the team. He looks at the depth chart and thinks it's his best shot to actually play for a power 5 team. Gophers offer him a PWO, which is his best offer to date and he accepts.

Then he beats out (yes, beats out) a 4* at IMG and plays the rest of the year. That earns him some scholarship opportunities at Illinois and Pitt among others. Had he told Fleck, I love the gophers, but I can't turn down a scholly, and THEN Fleck said sorry, we don't have one, and he turned into a star player elsewhere, that would be on Fleck. But Fleck sold him that a scholly would come if he came and did well. Sold him on the culture the program and the opportunity. And he decided to still come as a walk on.

It's a great sales job and it worked. That's the story, Fleck has been asked and that's what he said. There's nothing else. His best long term opportunity in his mind was accepting a PWO from his favorite team where his brother plays.
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This is a great story, that you've written out of thin air.

Could be exactly correct. But we don't know that. And that's my point .... I just want the official story, straight from PJ and ZA's mouths. Hope they're asked about it.
 
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So folks. I did not mean for my post (# 190) to devolve into beating a dead horse. :horse:

I was merely giving an optimistic appraisal of Zack, and the potential for the Gophers.
 



Good god, man.

The Gophers have accepted as walk-ons many athletes over the years who have had scholarship offers to North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota, etc. These players turned down a free ride in order to play for a school they preferred. I look forward to you starting threads on all of them.

My son is now a freshman in college. He turned down a much larger scholarship from another school because he wanted to attend the school he chose. This. Happens. All. The. Time.

This cannot be that hard to understand. Everything has now been asked and answered.
 
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Gophers_4life said:
This is a great story, that you've written out of thin air.

Could be exactly correct. But we don't know that. And that's my point .... I just want the official story, straight from PJ and ZA's mouths. Hope they're asked about it.
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Not thin air, sorry you aren't paying attention. MN already had a commitment from Brennan Armstrong at the time ZA committed as a walk on. Plan was a HS recruit and a JUCO recruit.

What is the ultimate point you're trying to make? That MN should have offered him a scholly? Why would they do it if they didn't have to do it? they should feel bad about it?

Or is your point that ZA shouldn't have accepted the PWO over scholarship offers elsewhere? Happens all the time. he thinks this is his best long term opportunity.

It couldn't be working out better for either party, what's the problem?
 

The once 4* recruit that Annexstad beat out at IMG, Arthur Sitkowski, has been named Rutgers starting QB.
 

Section2 said:
MN already had a commitment from Brennan Armstrong at the time ZA committed as a walk on. Plan was a HS recruit and a JUCO recruit.
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I know you're going to blow a gasket ... but here goes: so why didn't Fleck offer to give the scholly that was already set aside for BA, to ZA, after BA decommitted? I'm sure you have an answer for that.

That MN should have offered him a scholly?
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Not should. I don't agree should. Fleck can run the program any way he chooses. I'm simply wondering why he didn't.

Why would they do it if they didn't have to do it?
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Sure, if you have a guy that has already committed to walk-on, who is good enough to be a P5 starter, then you've essentially made off with the milk without having to pay for the cow.

they should feel bad about it?
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No. Again, Fleck can run the program any way he chooses.

Or is your point that ZA shouldn't have accepted the PWO over scholarship offers elsewhere?
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That's his personal choice. As you've said, he may well have done it because he though he'd get more playing time at Minnesota, faster/easier than Pitt, Illinois, Cincy, etc. Or could've been other reasons.

I'm just asking, man ...

It couldn't be working out better for either party, what's the problem?
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You don't want to believe me, for some reason .... but I really have no problem with it. I'm just asking a question.
 

FYI, the guy he beat out at IMG was named the starter at Rutgers

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Gophers_4life said:
I know you're going to blow a gasket ... but here goes: so why didn't Fleck offer to give the scholly that was already set aside for BA, to ZA, after BA decommitted? I'm sure you have an answer for that.



Not should. I don't agree should. Fleck can run the program any way he chooses. I'm simply wondering why he didn't.



Sure, if you have a guy that has already committed to walk-on, who is good enough to be a P5 starter, then you've essentially made off with the milk without having to pay for the cow.



No. Again, Fleck can run the program any way he chooses.



That's his personal choice. As you've said, he may well have done it because he though he'd get more playing time at Minnesota, faster/easier than Pitt, Illinois, Cincy, etc. Or could've been other reasons.

I'm just asking, man ...



You don't want to believe me, for some reason .... but I really have no problem with it. I'm just asking a question.
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Then go ask PJ or ZA yourself. You're not going to find the answers here so stop ruining threads by posting the same garbage over and over again.
 


GopherWeatherGuy said:
Then go ask PJ or ZA yourself.
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I can't. Reporters can. I hope they do, because I'm curious to know the answer. And there's nothing wrong with that ...

You're not going to find the answers here so stop ruining threads by posting the same garbage over and over again.
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Section2 seems to think he already knows the answer. So hopefully he can put a stop to my "ruining" once and for all, in the next post ...

Is it really garbage to want to know about the team you root for? Good grief ...
 

What this comes down to, IMHO, is that some people have an idea or opinion that goes something like this:

the best players are on scholarship.
players who aren't good enough to get a scholarship become walk-ons.

so, if a walk-on is starting, there must be something wrong, because the better scholarship players aren't starting.

And, if you want to believe that, more power to you.

the fact is that the vast majority of college FB players need a scholarship in order to attend college financially. There are a few - very few - who come from wealthier families, and don't NEED a scholarship - AND have the athletic ability to play college FB. But you could probably count those players on one hand for all of D1 FB.

If some 4* kid walked into Fleck's office and said, "Hi, my folks are filthy rich, so I don't need a scholarship, and I want to play for the Gophers" - Fleck would be stupid to say "I'm going to give you a scholarship anyway, because players are supposed to have scholarships."

Maybe Fleck and the Annexstads worked out some under-the-table deal. Maybe Michael Cohen negotiated the deal, and the Enquirer bought the story to keep it out of the papers. Maybe I'm going to win the Publishers Clearinghouse Sweepstakes next week. Anything is possible.
 

Urbandale said:
This is a point you have continually come back to, and I admit to being baffled by your persistence.

1. Are you angry that he didn't offer ZA a scholarship? If so, why? Why would that bother you?
2. Do you view it as some kind of evaluative shortcoming? I don't understand that viewpoint either, because Fleck recruited ZA to the U. He wanted him as a player.
3. Do you not see the benefit of convincing a player to walk on and use the extra scholarship on another recruit?

But...there's a dead horse lying there by the side of the road. Pick up your club and keep beating, I guess.
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You can lead a horse to water...

Annexstad recruitment demonstrates to me Zack's strong desire to play for the Gophs and with his brother, as well as Fleck's ability as a recruiter. Fleck saw the opportunity and expertly navigated it to a win-win situation.

You tend to get the feeling G4L thinks Morgan should be the starter...
 

short ornery norwegian said:
If some 4* kid walked into Fleck's office and said, "Hi, my folks are filthy rich, so I don't need a scholarship, and I want to play for the Gophers" - Fleck would be stupid to say "I'm going to give you a scholarship anyway, because players are supposed to have scholarships."
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ZA was a 3*, but point made. Is this exactly what happened?? If so, fine. I'm satisfied. I'm just asking ...


PMWinSTP said:
You tend to get the feeling G4L thinks Morgan should be the starter...
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For the record: No.

Neither ZA or TM have any game experience. So there is zero data to serve as a basis for preferring either.
 


Gophers_4life said:
Is this exactly what happened?? If so, fine. I'm satisfied. I'm just asking ...
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Well, I'll try one more time and then admit defeat.

You want to know exactly what Fleck's and ZA's motivations were. You've rejected everyone's logical conjecture and common sense and have made it clear that you won't be satisfied unless you "know." Because any sane person should be able understand that none of us on this board can "know", why do you keep repeating yourself over and over and over again?

You aren't happy with anyone's answers. So stop asking the same thing.

Advice from a friend.
 

Added someone to the old ignore list, but I won't say who to spur debate
 

Gophers_4life said:
I know you're going to blow a gasket ... but here goes: so why didn't Fleck offer to give the scholly that was already set aside for BA, to ZA, after BA decommitted? I'm sure you have an answer for that.
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Because he already had him committed without giving him a scholarship. We got 25 scholarship players, and we also got two PWOs who were worthy of scholarships. I'll start a Jordan Howden thread so you can spend pages wondering why he didn't get a scholarship when he's good enough to get one.
 

Section2 said:
Because he already had him committed without giving him a scholarship. We got 25 scholarship players, and we also got two PWOs who were worthy of scholarships. I'll start a Jordan Howden thread so you can spend pages wondering why he didn't get a scholarship when he's good enough to get one.
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Did the BA scholarship likely go to Falaale or one of the other late recruits?

ZA was probably telling Fleck, "Hey, if you have two more scholarships, I think I can bring these two guys with" and hold off on mine.

The way ZA recruited these guys to come with, I believe he was highly unselfish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN4Ueu73_ys

At 1:04 in this video Heather seems to be saying something to Zack, and (I'm not an expert lip reader) it appears she's saying "We love you SO much" to Zack.
To me, it seems as if Zack is totally putting the team before himself, and his payoff down the line will be a scholarship, who knows what for a football career, and maybe an assistant job under Fleck someday.
There's a relationship there is which Zack is giving more early trusting Fleck, and he'll get his payoff in due time. Brock getting a scholarship was just a step in that direction.
 


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