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.

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Brewster has been spending the Christmas holiday in a two bedroom apartment in Denver where his family, wife Kathy and three sons, are in a housing transition.

Brewster was an assistant coach for Denver’s Mike Shanahan before accepting the Gopher job in January.  He described his former boss as “maybe the most prideful man I’ve ever met.”  Brewster expects Shanahan to have the Broncos well prepared for the Vikings on Sunday, despite the Broncos’ disappointing season and 6-8 record.

Former Notre Dame star Ryan Harris, who was born in Minneapolis and attended Cretin-Derham Hall, is an offensive tackle for the Broncos. He was a third round draft choice earlier this year.

In last Sunday’s loss to Washington the Vikings were held under 100 yards rushing for the first time this season.  Although they gained only 87 yards, the Vikings still rank No. 1 in the NFL in rushing per game at 164.1.

In his three last games rookie Adrian Peterson has gained a total of 108 yards. The defenses have made adjustments to stop Peterson and the team’s other runners but the question here is whether the knee injury he suffered on November 11 has impacted his explosiveness, physically and/or psychologically.

Quarterback Tarvaris Jackson’s performance has been among the more scrutinized in the NFL this season, certainly in this town.  What’s he like with the media?  He’s a personable 24-year-old who has had to learn how to deal with reporters.  Soft-spoken with a southern accent, Jackson is approachable and cooperative but cautious about what he says.

In Jackson’s last three games he has thrown two touchdown passes and five interceptions.  On the season his totals are seven and 12.

Former Gopher center Joel Przybilla had 16 rebounds for Portland on Tuesday night in the team’s 11th consecutive win.  He averages 7.3 rebounds and 5.1 points while playing about 21 minutes for Portland. The Timberwolves are at Portland tonight (Friday) playing the Trail Blazers.

Coach Tubby Smith signed five players to National Letters of Intent in the early signing period in November but none are from Minnesota.  Iowa and Wisconsin each signed two Minnesota preps.  Forward Andrew Brommer from Rosemount High School and guard Anthony Tucker from Minnetonka High will be at Iowa next season.  Wisconsin recruits include forward Jared Berggren from Princeton and guard Jordan Taylor from Benilde-St. Maragaret’s.

Smith is new this season to the Big Ten Conference as is Todd Lickliter of Iowa.  Those two, plus Tom Izzo of Michigan State, Bo Ryan of Wisconsin, Kelvin Sampson of Indiana and Bruce Weber of Illinois give the Big Ten six former national coach of the year winners during their careers, more than any conference in the country.

High scoring Indiana freshman Eric Gordon, averaging 23.5 points per game, may lead the Big Ten in scoring this season.  He may also set the league record for highest average ever by a freshman in conference and non-conference games.  Former Ohio State star Michael Redd holds the record with a 21.9 average, while ex-Gopher Kris Humphries is second at 21.7.

The Gophers are off to their best start since the 2000-01 season with an 8-1 record.  A year ago the team was 3-6 playing under interim coach Jim Molinari who had succeeded Dan Monson earlier in the season.  Monson, now head coach at Long Beach State, was featured in an article in the Los Angeles Times on Wednesday.  The story contrasted his high visibility at Minnesota with the relative obscurity of coaching a mid-major program like Long Beach State. His team is 3-6.

Starting tonight the Gophers play their next three (and final) non-conference games in the Duel in the Desert tournament in Las Vegas.  The first opponent is Nicholls State, 4-8 and a member of the Southland Conference.  Nicholls State is located in Thibodaux, Louisiana. There will be no telecasts here of the Gopher games this weekend.

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With a victory on Sunday against the Broncos in Denver possibly sending the Vikings into the playoffs for the first time since 2004, the Purple will take a final exam in not only execution on the field but in leadership.  A loss by Washington to Dallas and a win by the Vikings on the final Sunday of the 16 game season means an NFC wild card entry in the playoffs.

Last week, before Washington stopped a Vikings’ five game winning streak and Minnesota lost control of its playoff fate, there was conversation about the team’s leadership.  Place kicker Ryan Longwell, a 10 year NFL veteran, said every locker room is different year to year.

“We have a good mix of veteran leadership and young guys,” Longwell said.  “A group that likes to work and that’s what you need.”

It’s been documented that the Vikings, coaches and players, made improvements after the 34-0 loss to the Packers in Green Bay, then went on to win five straight before being dominated in the 32-21 loss to the Redskins on Sunday night.  Longwell was asked last week if the locker room atmosphere was different before and after the Green Bay milestone.

“I would say yes and no,” he said.  “Yes, we’ve put together a streak so our record looks better but I think even at 2-5…this was a different locker room than last year’s group.  Just more resilient, a closer knit group of guys. …I don’t think we get too high after the win streak.  I don’t think we were giving up on the season after the Green Bay game by any stretch.”

Reserve defensive tackle Otis Grigsby said last week a team that’s winning and has something to play for late in the season has an advantage in mental approach over a team with no playoff prospects. “If a team believes in what they’re doing, why would you go out there and be tight?” he asked.  “If you’re winning, you’re going to go out there and play ball. …”

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