The saying, “Make hay while the sun shines” could apply to coach P.J. Fleck and the Gophers football program, which annually designate a couple of weekends in June as a “Summer Splash” recruiting event. The hope is that showing off Minnesota at its weather best to players on their official visits will assist in enticing them to pick the Gophers.
The second of the two Splash weekends ended Sunday, and Fleck and his coaching staff ended up with 13 verbal commitments for their 2025 recruiting class during that two-week span. Those pledges give Minnesota 23 for its class, and as of Monday afternoon, the Gophers ranked No. 18 nationally and sixth among Big Ten teams in the constantly-changing 247 Sports composite ratings of major recruiting services. Recruits can sign their national letters of intent during the early signing period from Dec. 4-6.
Here are five takeaways from the two weekends:
1. Stocking the lines was a priority
Brian Callahan and Winston DeLattiboudere III have reason to smile. Of the 23 players who have committed to the Gophers, five are offensive linemen and six are either defensive linemen or edge rushers. That’s 47.8% of the commitments dedicated to the big guys up front, giving Callahan, the offensive line coach, and DeLattiboudere, the defensive line coach, a solid amount of clay to mold for the future. Two of the offensive linemen — Nelson McGuire of Midlothian, Texas, and Mark Handy of Albuquerque, N.M. — weigh in at 300 pounds or more, while all of the defensive linemen and edge rushers are 6-3 or taller.
2. Westward Ho!
The Gophers under Fleck haven’t been known to recruit heavily in California. In fact, only two players from the Golden State — junior college quarterback Vic Viramontes and JUCO offensive lineman Jason Dickson in 2018 — have been part of the Gophers’ early signing group in…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/gophers-football-coach-p-j-184200729.html
Author : Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
Publish date : 2024-06-18 18:42:00
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