Local college football recruiting authority Zach Johnson told Sports Headliners the Gophers already have nearly 20 verbal commitments for 2012 but most of the players don’t have offers from BCS schools other than Minnesota.
Rivals.com includes 18 players on the Minnesota commitment list and none are rated with more than three-stars on the five-star system. There are eight prep players rated as three-star performers including Blue Earth offensive tackle Jonah Pirsig, the prize among the commitments so far.
Pirsig is one of only four players who have offers from other BCS schools, according to Rivals. The others are offensive tackle Isaac Hayes of St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights, defensive tackle Jordan Hinojosa from Miami and defensive back Dinero Moss of Sunrise, Florida.
The lack of four or five-star players doesn’t catch Johnson’s attention as much as the absence of competition the Gophers had for most of their commits.
“This is probably odd coming from me since I work for Rivals and Rivals is built on the star system, but I typically don’t look at the stars when I look at a kid who is committing,” Johnson said. “I’ll take a look at what other schools have offered the kid. So I guess I would be more concerned (with Gophers commits) that a good chunk of these kids didn’t have any other BCS offers other than their offer from Minnesota.
“Now granted, the other thing you gotta look at, too, is (coach Jerry) Kill is recruiting kids that fit his system. No one knows his system more than he does. Still, you need talent to win.
“I know he had mentioned a few times before that he doesn’t buy into the star system. And I can agree with that, but there’s 11 other coaches in the Big Ten that passed on these kids…and that might be an indicator as well.”
There’s a trend in college football for programs to have a large number of commitments from high school and even community college prospects several months in advance of the winter signing date for scholarships. The Gophers’ total of 18 is high compared to past Minnesota totals and the number tops that of all other Big Ten schools except Michigan at 23. Minnesota neighbors Wisconsin and Iowa have eight and nine commitments respectively.
Johnson, whose expertise on the Gophers often has him quoted, said a lot of prospects like to verbally commit to their first college choice in the summer but as the holidays and signing date approaches in February another school frequently looks better. Committing early enables a prospect to hold a scholarship spot at a favorite school.
“Recruiting is a long game but it could be interesting to see exactly how many of these kids (the 18 verbal commits) sign with Minnesota,” he said.
It will be interesting also to see who the additional players are that fill out Kill’s eventual 2012 recruiting class, a total number of scholarships that will be somewhere in the 20’s. What’s evident already is Gophers’ assistant head coach Bill Miller, who has coached at several other big time college programs, will play a major role in determining this recruiting class.
The Gophers’ list of 18 commits already includes four players from Miami Central High School. “That’s all Bill Miller,” Johnson said. “Bill Miller knows that Miami area like the back of his hand. I would expect as long as Bill Miller is here, you’re going to see Minnesota very active in that southwest Florida recruiting hotbed.
“Right now he’s the one guy on this staff that has BCS coaching experience ─ Michigan State, Kansas, Miami, Arizona State, and Minnesota (previously). So he’s been around the block in a lot of high profile jobs. Right now when you look at their commitment list, Bill Miller’s got his signature on that thing.”
Kill and his staff have a national reputation as excellent teachers but they know their success at Minnesota will be determined by talent, too. That search begins in the state of Minnesota where three of the best players remain uncommitted, Osseo tight end Will Johnson, Minnetonka wide receiver Andre McDonald and Eden Prairie offensive tackle Nick Davidson. Rivals rates Johnson three-stars, McDonald and Davidson four-stars.
Because of NCAA rules college coaches like Kill can’t talk specifically about recruits until after the signing date for scholarships.
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