DB Austin Winfield commits to the Gophers

DanielHouse

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The Gophers have received a commitment from The Woodlands High School defensive back Austin Winfield. Winfield is the brother of current Gophers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. He was offered a preferred walk-on opportunity from the team on Oct. 23. Winfield's dad, Antoine Winfield Sr., played 14 seasons in the NFL with the Vikings and Bills.

A safety in the Class of 2019, Minnesota was the first offer Winfield received from any college programs. A 5-foot-5, 155-pound defensive back, Winfield is a fantastic athlete and physical tackler around the line of scrimmage. He also has experience in the return game and could develop into a solid player with more physical growth. Perhaps he will be more of a natural nickel cornerback due to his size. However, with more work in a strength and conditioning program, he could develop into a safety at the next level.

Winfield will likely receive a few additional offers after a strong senior campaign, but Minnesota would give him the opportunity to pair up with his brother at Minnesota.



 
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Let’s hope he’s not falsely accused while having his face plastered all over the paper like his brother.

No way I would let my kid play under this spineless A.D. if I was the family.
 
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Happy to have another Winfield.
 




Can he suit up for the 2nd half?
 

This speaks well of what the family thinks about the program. And maybe they have inside information on Robb Smith's future with it....I hope.
 

Looks like he won defensive MVP of his district which is in 6A, the highest class size in Texas and has 9 total teams. I was looking at the 247 composite rankings of players in Texas and that district has a 3 star DE committed to Baylor, a 3 star DT committed to Army, a 3 star CB committed to Louisiana Monroe and a 3 star LB committed to Houston Baptist.

<iframe src='//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/8051829/5c0542c25cb3d00de8ba7671' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe>
 

Looks like he won defensive MVP of his district which is in 6A, the highest class size in Texas and has 9 total teams. I was looking at the 247 composite rankings of players in Texas and that district has a 3 star DE committed to Baylor, a 3 star DT committed to Army, a 3 star CB committed to Louisiana Monroe and a 3 star LB committed to Houston Baptist.

<iframe src='//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/8051829/5c0542c25cb3d00de8ba7671' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe>

All he needs is a 5" growth spurt.
 



He plays like a Winfield, I'm sure as hell not going to write him off because of his lack of size.
 

He plays like a Winfield, I'm sure as hell not going to write him off because of his lack of size.

At his size, he has a chance to be a dynamic PR/KR specialist and that would be great. I can't see him being a regular DB at the next level.
 





Yeah, he is short...but his brother and father are plenty short as well and that has worked out just fine. Antoine and Antoine Jr. are both roughly 5-8. If Austin doesn't suceed it will be due to issues other than height. 3 inches is not much.

If Austin is pasionate about the game and a hard worker like his brother, there is no reason to think he can't be a DB for us. I have a feeling that the entire Winfield family have some ideas about making up for lack of height. I predict Austin will be a scholarship player at some point and people will feel silly about worryng about his height.
 

Great fun to watch that, churning legs and incredible ferocity. Like the others I’m not sure how he’d hold up without some size gains but he sure has those Winfield playing traits and instincts. He’s going to need to bring more mass/power and he sure looks quick but I don’t know, not sure about chasing down Big Ten athletes going deep. I’m rooting for him, that’s for sure!
 


Yeah, he is short...but his brother and father are plenty short as well and that has worked out just fine. Antoine and Antoine Jr. are both roughly 5-8. If Austin doesn't suceed it will be due to issues other than height. 3 inches is not much.

If Austin is pasionate about the game and a hard worker like his brother, there is no reason to think he can't be a DB for us. I have a feeling that the entire Winfield family have some ideas about making up for lack of height. I predict Austin will be a scholarship player at some point and people will feel silly about worryng about his height.

Height alone means nothing, if you're fast and can jump up and reach just as high (to knock down passes). The problem moreso, in my lay person's opinion, is weight. The shorter you are, means the less weight you can put on while maintaining a level of quickness. At safety, you need to play run plays like a linebacker. You can only take so much pounding from big Big Ten backs ...

Not saying he can't get up to the same weight as his brother and dad played at. Would just be a matter of if he could maintain the same quickness at that weight, as he has now in high school. It could very well be that he can. Just saying that's my concern.


FWIW, here are AW's combine numbers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_Winfield#Professional_career
5-8, 176, 4.41sec 40

Our roster shows AWj as 5-10 205
 
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Height alone means nothing, if you're fast and can jump up and reach just as high (to knock down passes). The problem moreso, in my lay person's opinion, is weight. The shorter you are, means the less weight you can put on while maintaining a level of quickness. At safety, you need to play run plays like a linebacker. You can only take so much pounding from big Big Ten backs ...

Not saying he can't get up to the same weight as his brother and dad played at. Would just be a matter of if he could maintain the same quickness at that weight, as he has now in high school. It could very well be that he can. Just saying that's my concern.

Good summary of the shortest players in the NFL (https://thatonesportsshow.com/shortest-players-in-the-nfl/). Shortest DBs are about 5'8". There's a point where your jumping ability can't make up for lack of height. If you get into a physical battle where you aren't able to fully jump, you can't out-compete a 6'4" receiver.

But if anyone were to prove me wrong, it would be someone with the last name of Winfield.
 

I don't see how you can play defensive back in the Big Ten at 5'5.

Prove me wrong kid!
 

I don't see how you can play defensive back in the Big Ten at 5'5.

Prove me wrong kid!

It will be hard, but even if he's a dynamic player, game-changer, in the kicking game, he'll be a fantastic contributor. I'd bet on him making an impact.
 



Let’s hope he’s not falsely accused while having his face plastered all over the paper like his brother.

No way I would let my kid play under this spineless A.D. if I was the family.
Troll???
The A.D. is part of the Gopher family. If you don’t like it, take a hike.
 


Height alone means nothing, if you're fast and can jump up and reach just as high (to knock down passes). The problem moreso, in my lay person's opinion, is weight. The shorter you are, means the less weight you can put on while maintaining a level of quickness. At safety, you need to play run plays like a linebacker. You can only take so much pounding from big Big Ten backs ...

Not saying he can't get up to the same weight as his brother and dad played at. Would just be a matter of if he could maintain the same quickness at that weight, as he has now in high school. It could very well be that he can. Just saying that's my concern.


FWIW, here are AW's combine numbers: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoine_Winfield#Professional_career
5-8, 176, 4.41sec 40

Our roster shows AWj as 5-10 205

If a tree stump can stop a car, so can Austin Winfield stop an offensive player on his tracks. He's adapted well and has good form tackling form.
 

If a tree stump can stop a car, so can Austin Winfield stop an offensive player on his tracks. He's adapted well and has good form tackling form.

Yes ... once. My point was repeated battering from big backs, over the season. He can hold up with more ballast in the tank, but then can he maintain the same quickness and athleticism, stamina? We'll see!
 

It is only a highlight video I know but the kid looks like he has great play recognition, closing speed, and is a ball hawk. How it transitions to the college game is yet to be seen. But the Winfield family has time and time again proved the doubters wrong.
 

Good summary of the shortest players in the NFL (https://thatonesportsshow.com/shortest-players-in-the-nfl/). Shortest DBs are about 5'8". There's a point where your jumping ability can't make up for lack of height. If you get into a physical battle where you aren't able to fully jump, you can't out-compete a 6'4" receiver.

But if anyone were to prove me wrong, it would be someone with the last name of Winfield.

How many 6'4 receivers will he be facing?
 

As a resident of The Woodlands, TX, I can tell you the Winfield name is highly respected on the football field. When my friends saw that Austin had accepted an offer to play at Minnesota they were all greatly surprised. When I shared with them that Austin is a PWO their reaction was, Oh, well that makes sense. Austin is no Antoine according to my friends that are in the know. They don't anticipate Austin being the same type of player that Antoine is.

BTW, The Woodlands High School is one of the mega high schools in Texas. Each class boasts approximately 1500 kids. The ninth graders have their own campus, so the actual high school is 10-12.
 

Who knows, he may be extra motivated to prove people wrong and may surprise people. Does anybody know what his 40 time is?
 




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