There he is again. This time cover boy James Laurinaitis is one of three Ohio State Buckeyes on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s college football preview issue. The former Wayzata High School linebacker and other Minnesota stars that chose to leave the state to play college football elsewhere are an unpleasant reminder of a Gopher football program that long ago went haywire.
Laurinaitis is the latest poster boy for the Gopher problem. When he finishes his career at Ohio State after this season he will be a three-time All-American. That’s extraordinary but he was so good even as a sophomore that he won the Nagurski Award as the nation’s best defensive player and last season earned the Butkus Award given annually to America’s best linebacker. Although his chances are minimal because of the position he plays, Laurinaitis is even considered a possibility to win college football’s ultimate individual prize, the Heisman Trophy.
Earlier this year two of Minnesota’s top three in-state recruits, wide receiver Michael Floyd of Cretin-Derham Hall and tackle Willie Mobley of Eden Prairie, chose to leave the state to play college football at Notre Dame and Ohio State. Only Champlin Park linebacker Sam Maresh signed with the Gophers and his football future is uncertain now because of recent heart surgery.
In the 2008 NFL draft, John Carlson of Litchfield was drafted as a tight end by Seattle on the second round. Trevor Laws of Apple Valley was chosen as a defensive tackle, going to Philadelphia in the second round. Carlson and Laws played collegiately at Notre Dame.
Go back a few years and you can find standout players like tight end Dominique Byrd who played at Breck before attending national powerhouse Southern California where he was a starter. Chris Weinke, another former Cretin-Derham Hall player, became a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback at Florida State in 2000.
Tim Brewster’s critics scorched him for turning in a 1-11 record last season but I can’t remember any of them pointing out the sub-par talent pool left behind by the previous coaching staff. Attracting talented high school football players from various parts of the country to Minnesota has been and remains a challenge, but even more difficult to accept is that for years now the Gophers have lost their pull in signing up the very best players from the state, the kids who can choose most any school to attend.
Until that changes, the Gopher program will under achieve. For Exhibit A to support that statement, look east to Wisconsin where the Badgers have built a program with a nice mix of local and national standouts. Premium high school players are about as rare in Dairyland as they are in the state of 10,000 lakes but when they surface, the Badgers get them to Madison.
The Wisconsin program, once more dreadful than the Gophers, was resurrected in the early 1990s and has been gaining momentum since. January 1 bowl games are routine and wins over Ohio State and Michigan fall under the category of possible, not impossible. This year Wisconsin is predicted to be a top 15 team and the most likely school to take the Big Ten Conference title away from Ohio State.
The Badger offense showcases the nation’s best tight end, Travis Beckum from Milwaukee. Two years ago the offense was built around offensive tackle Joe Thomas from suburban Milwaukee , a player who was the third pick in the 2007 NFL draft.
The Badgers keep the great ones home while we watch our locals become cover boys in other uniforms. I will wager more than a pound of premium cheese that Brewster, the best recruiting head coach the Gophers have ever had, changes the paradigm and with it the Gopher program.