The future of Gopher football was on the sidelines as well as the field Friday night when Minnesota finished spring practice with its annual intra-squad game. Some players who are part of the 2008 recruiting class were at the Metrodome to watch the team they will join this summer. Among them was home town linebacker Sam Maresh, rated a four star prospect by rivals.com.
On a night when the offense managed two touchdowns and the defense wasn’t too impressive either, it was evident why the Gophers were a 1-11 team last season. And clear, too, was the need for help from a recruiting class that some evaluators think is among the 20 best in the country.
Maresh, the all-stater from Champlin Park High School, said he was told by Gopher coaches he has an opportunity to play as a freshman. The look in his eye indicated to a stranger Friday night that he’s targeting a starting position.
Maresh told Sports Headliners he’s excited to be part of a “bunch of top recruits” who hopefully will help turn around a Gopher program that was winless in the Big Ten Conference last season. Although there were rumors last fall that Maresh wouldn’t keep his verbal commitment with Minnesota, he said that wasn’t true.
His decision was influenced by the opportunity to play in front of friends and family. He likes the idea of people approaching him, shaking his hand and saying they’re happy he stayed home to play with the Gophers. “It’s a good feeling to have people come up to you and give you that recognition,” he said.
Another player on the sidelines before the game was defensive back Simoni Lawrence from Valley Forge Military Academy, a college prep school in Pennsylvania. He will have three years of eligibility with the Gophers after playing two seasons at Valley Forge where he was twice the Seaboard Football Conference Player of the Year.
Lawrence said his three final college choices were Brigham Young, Pittsburgh and the Gophers. Coach Tim Brewster helped sell him on Minnesota because of the opportunity for playing time. Coming out of high school Lawrence said Penn State recruited him but not after he finished at Valley Forge. The reason? The storied Penn State program doesn’t like to recruit junior college players.
Counting junior college players and freshmen, the Gophers are expected to have several newcomers starting on defense next August. These are players who weren’t enrolled in school Friday night but will be in the summer and ready to chase their dreams of making Minnesota a better football program.