Demry Croft was the first player asked about when Jerry Kill was interviewed this afternoon on the Big Ten Network’s “Signing Day Special.” Kill said the 6-5, 200-pound quarterback from Boylan Catholic High School in Rockford, Illinois showed him impressive attributes at the Gophers summer camp last year including a “very, very strong arm,” length and speed.
“Very blessed in my opinion (to get him),” Kill said on BTN. “He’s a steal…we got him into camp and we could see what he could do. He had a good senior year. You look around the league, you better have an athletic guy that can run and throw it, and this young man can.”
Gopherillustrated.com recruiting authority Ryan Burns praised Croft in a Sports Headliners’ column last Sunday. He said Croft, who threw for over 2,000 yards last season and had only four interceptions, may eventually be the best of any quarterbacks signed by Big Ten schools in 2015.
BTN program host Mike Hall asked Kill to identify a player that hadn’t been mentioned during a brief introduction of the Gophers recruiting class. Kill answered that he is excited to see running back Jonathan Femi-Cole practice with the Gophers. He noted a lot of people probably don’t know about Cole because he is from Canada but said the 6-1, 218-pound game-breaker has “tremendous upside.”
Last week Burns identified (in addition to Croft) two other Gopher recruits who particularly intrigue him. He said Jasper, Georgia running back Shannon Brooks could earn playing time as a true freshman. Brooks gained 2,223 yards, averaging 9.9 yards per carry his senior year of high school, according to Gopherillustrated.com. Burns said Brooks led the state of Georgia in rushing.
“He’s got a lot of explosive ability,” Burns said. “He’s a really big kid; he’s 5-11, 205. He’s got a lot of good burst, a lot of good speed. I think he could potentially come in and compete right away.”
Ray Buford, from Southfield, Michigan, is a good athlete and another player who has Burns’ interest. He likens the 6-2, 190-pound Buford to Gophers cornerback Eric Murray who probably will be among the Big Ten’s best secondary defenders next fall. “I think if you were to project him, he could be a taller Eric Murray (6 foot) down the line,” Burns said. “He’s got a lot of ability. He can run well. He’s got good length.”
The Gophers’ class of 24 signed recruits that was announced today includes five offensive linemen and six secondary players. Those are two areas of need Kill mentioned on BTN. He believes the staff was successful in signing “big and athletic” linemen who will help in the future. A year from now the Gophers will lose four defensive backs so the secondary received emphasis in recruiting, too. “I think they’re very talented, like the group we have right now,” Kill said.
Offensive lineman Tyler Moore, a guard-center from Galena Park, Texas, drew the attention today of BTN analyst Howard Griffith. “…When he decides to lock on to somebody, you’re not going anywhere,” Griffith said. “He’s going to drive you to the ground. He’s got a lot of nasty in him.”
Kill said on WCCO Radio’s “Sports Huddle” program Sunday that because of increased depth and quality he turned down a prospective recruit at a position he didn’t identify—a first for Kill at Minnesota. “I think every year we have improved in our recruiting classes,” he said.
The Gophers, 8-5 in their fourth year under Kill in 2014, continue to attract more size, strength, speed and length among recruits. Recruiting director Billy Glasscock was recognized last month by national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming as one of five outstanding national directors of operations for 2014.
A player the Gophers didn’t get today is Chicago Raby High School defensive tackle Jamal Milan. He told the Chicagotribune.com today that he chose Illinois (over the Gophers and others) because he was most “comfortable” with the Illini program.
Worth Noting
The Gophers didn’t have any players on Btn.com’s list of the Big Ten’s top 20 recruits but former Cretin-Derham Hall defensive tackle Jashon Cornell who signed with Ohio State was ranked No. 7. Cornell has superb physical skills but will also need consistency to play for the Buckeyes.
Parade Magazine had an interesting selection on its February 1 high school football All-America team. Kellen Overstreet from Penney High School in Hamilton, Missouri is one of the wide receivers and he accepted a scholarship to play for coach Craig Bohl at Wyoming, an obscure program entering its second season led by the former FCS national championship coach at North Dakota State. Overstreet ran for 4,259 yards and 70 touchdowns his senior year, one less than the national record for a single season, according to a February 2 story on Wyosports.net. Overstreet, though, is only listed as a two-star player by Rivals.com and had scholarship offers from Air Force and four FCS schools, according to Wyosports.net.
Sunday’s Super Bowl drew a record 114.4 million viewers and during the regular season the NFL dominated television numbers with the most watched programming. But you can be sure there were Sunday viewers who wondered about football’s future. Youth football participation has been trending down nationally because of safety concerns, most notably the potential for concussions.
Awhile ago PBS’s “Frontline” program offered a sobering look at the results of blows to the head caused by football. The media attention to the problem is growing and on January 25 the Los Angeles Times published a front page story headlined: “The hits that loosen NFL’s grip—Effects of football violence threaten its status as America’s game.”
Gophers women’s basketball center Amanda Zahui B. has 16 double-doubles this season in 22 games. Her most recent effort was 13 points and 15 rebounds on Sunday when the Gophers (17-5, 6-4 in the Big Ten) lost to Northwestern. Monday she was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week after averaging 14.5 points, 14 rebounds, eight rebounds and 2.5 steals last week.
Last week espnW included Zahui B. on its midseason All-America team. The website referred to the Gophers as the midseason’s “biggest surprise,” and coach Marlene Stollings as a coach of the year candidate.
The men’s basketball Gophers had an announced crowd of 13,253 for last Saturday night’s game against Nebraska. In 15 home dates this season, the Gophers haven’t sold out a game after having four capacity crowds at Williams Arena last season.
The Gophers, with a disappointing 3-7 Big Ten record after going 11-2 in nonconference games, likely will sell out one game when Wisconsin plays here on March 5. As of yesterday several hundred tickets remained for the game in Williams Arena, capacity 14,625.
The 20th annual Minnesota Vikings Arctic Blast Snowmobile Rally to help raise money for the Vikings Children’s Fund will be Friday-Sunday in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. The event features current and former Vikings players along with team executives. Among current players scheduled (subject to change) are Brandon Fusco, Charles Johnson, Everson Griffen, Phil Loadholt, Kyle Rudolph, Harrison Smith and Adam Thielen.
Former Twins marketing executive Patrick Klinger has helped organize the new Capital Club featuring local sports authorities as speakers. The club meets on selected mornings at Town & Country Club in St. Paul. Twins manager Paul Molitor speaks on February 11. The event will include a buffet breakfast from 7 to 7:30 a.m. and is open to the public. For more information contact patrickklinger@klingercompany.com.