Unless Seantrel Henderson accepts a scholarship offer, the Gophers aren’t likely to move up much in the rankings that list the college football recruiting classes for 2010. Rivals.com has the Gophers at No. 48 while Scout.com ranks Minnesota No. 66, the lowest of any Big Ten Conference school.
Henderson, the offensive tackle from Cretin-Derham Hall, has consistently been ranked among the top five prep prospects in the country by recruiting sources. He told Sports Headliners about a week ago that he will choose Miami, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Ohio State or Southern California. The opinion here is the Gophers are unlikely to be his final choice.
Rivals.com and Scout.com use a five star rating system. Henderson, of course, is a five star and Rivals has two four star players on the list of Minnesota verbal commitments, offensive tackle Jimmy Gjere of Irondale and running back Lamonte Edwards from Woodbury.
While the Gophers rank low in the recruiting rankings, that doesn’t mean the class of 2010 won’t help Minnesota become a winning program. There’s not a one-to-one correlation between the best recruiting classes in the country and who wins football games a few years later.
It’s something like the big shot who brags about having an expensive car to drive around town. Some schmuck drives a junker but can still arrive at the same destinations as the big shot.
In Sports Illustrated’s preview of the top 10 football teams for next season the magazine (January 18 issue) ranks Boise State No. 2, Iowa No. 5 and Wisconsin No. 10. Annual recruiting rankings seldom, if ever, have any of those programs in their top 20 listings.
The most hyped recruits often are big contributors to their college teams but other factors determine whether a program wins. Lesser publicized players frequently become extraordinary, too. Sometimes their college coaches find new positions for them that allow their talents to emerge, or players may develop late physically and emotionally.
Whether a school has winning teams is impacted too on how effectively the collective roster fits together. Is the sum better than the parts? A roster of good players that fill every need and get along with each other is a better bet to win than a team with a couple of stars, glaring needs in several positions and a grouchy locker room.
Gophers coach Tim Brewster told Sports Headliners he expects to “add” a couple names to the verbal commitment list before Wednesday. “We battle until the final whistle,” he said.
Under NCAA rules coaches can’t leave their campuses after midnight on Saturday for further recruiting. Brewster was at the end of recruiting last Friday when he spoke with Sports Headliners.
“I am finishing up one of the wildest weeks I’ve ever had,” he said. “I am exhausted.”
During five days Brewster’s destinations were Dallas, Houston, Detroit, Indianapolis, Miami, Atlanta (twice), St. Louis and Minneapolis. All of that is just a blip in all the time and energy Brewster, his staff and other college coaches spend recruiting. On Friday Brewster gave some hint about what he will detail on Wednesday at a news conference when he said about his 2010 recruits: “I feel really good about this class.”
For more on Rivals.com and Scout.com visit https://rivals100.rivals.com/teamrank.asp?Year=2010&Page=2&PosType=0&Sort=0