Brewster said the recent national letter of intent signings of four outstanding junior college players is just a prelude to his first recruiting class that will be completed by February 6 when high school players can commit to colleges.
Last week the Gophers signed safety Tramaine Brock, quarterback David Pittman, linebacker Rex Sharpe and cornerback Traye Simmons. Brewster described the foursome as “the cream of the crop” among junior college players.
Brewster said the junior college players are expected to make an immediate impact. He doesn’t recruit junior college players to provide depth. All four will have two years of eligibility and can participate in spring practice starting in late March.
Pittman is a versatile athlete who may play defense and that would mean all the junior college recruits are helping to rebuild one of the nation’s worst defenses. The task is made more difficult by the loss of star senior safety Dom Barber but Brock and Simmons will help in the secondary. Rivals.com rates Simmons the no. 4 junior college defensive back in the country.
The Gophers recruiting is rated No. 24 in the country by rivals.com. Among Big Ten Conference schools only Ohio State, Michigan and Illinois rank higher.
Brewster can’t talk specifically about recruits at this time, including those who have made verbal commitments and players who are likely to do so. “It will be a tremendous recruiting class,” Brewster said.
Among those players interested in the Gophers but not committed is quarterback MarQueis Gray, from Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis. Gray is likely to commit to Minnesota or Oregon within the first several days of January. He is rated by rivals.com as the No. 2 dual purpose quarterback in the nation.
Brewster has a few scholarships remaining for this recruiting class but he declined to say how many the Gophers will use in 2008. No doubt other schools are aware of Brewster’s recruiting success and wondering who he may close his recruiting class with. His son Nolan, among the nation’s best prep safeties, is verbally committed to Texas but speculation continues that he may sign with Minnesota.