NCAAF Team Report – Minnesota – INSIDE SLANT
Coach Jerry Kill did most of his latest recruiting business outside his home state.
The Gophers landed 19 high school seniors in this year’s class, but only one — linebacker Chris Wipson — came from Minnesota. Kill chose to look outside the state as he tries to rebuild the program and improve on last season’s 6-7 record.
“I thought we did a great job a year ago,” Kill told the St. Paul Pioneer Press about the in-state recruiting. “This year, we probably needed to do a better job. It just happens to be one of those years. This year, am I disappointed there’s just one kid (from Minnesota)? You bet. It’s always hard to recruit your hometown. Some of those kids want to leave. If a kid wants to get away and experience something different, you’re not going to beat that.”
One of Kill’s big goals in the recruiting period was to load up on linebackers, where the Gophers lost starters Keanon Cooper and Mike Rallis, along with backups Ryan Grant and Spencer Reeves, to graduation. A season ago, Kill placed an emphasis on the secondary where the Gophers lost seven players. He thinks the Gophers hit the jackpot again by improving the linebacker position.
“Our linebacking corps, I really feel good about addressing that need,” he said in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “On our board, we had eight or nine linebackers. We’re very fortunate that we were able to get five of those young men.”
The day’s most shocking news came when junior college linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, who had given a verbal commitment to Kansas State, changed his mind and signed with the Gophers. Campbell, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound sophomore, visited Minnesota in December, but gave an oral commitment to Kansas State in January. He also had scholarship offers from Tennessee and Texas.
“De’Vondre Campbell’s a young man I didn’t know if he would commit today or not,” Kill said.
Campbell made 83 tackles with eight tackles for a loss of yardage and 3 1/2 sacks last season at Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College. He also had 17 tackles in one game and a 34-yard interception return for a touchdown in another.
The most intriguing signee is 6-foot-6, 260-pound punter and kicker Ryan Santoso from Pace High School in Pace, Fla.
“He’s got a big-time leg,” Kill said. “I think in high school, he kicked off the tee and I think they had one return. He kicked it between the uprights most of the time. He has a huge leg. I don’t want to ever have to see a dang kickoff ever returned again. I want him to kick it out of the end zone, period, and he’s got the leg to do that, and I also want him to be able to punt the football. I think he has the capabilities of doing that.”
Kill is happy to land Wipson, who starred at Wayzata High School in Plymouth, Minn.
“Wipson is exactly what we want as a football player,” Kill said in the Star Tribune. “He comes out of a great program. He’s smart, intelligent. If you’re a linebacker coming into our program now, it’s great timing. I like everything about him. He’s my type of guy.”
TOP OF THE CLASS
DE Owen Salzwedel (Beaver Dam High, Beaver Dam, Wis.) — The 6-foot-6, 235-pounder is considered a steal by some recruiting services. Salzwedel, who flew under the radar in his high school career, is an athletic player who has good speed for a player of his size.
RB Berkley Edwards (Chelsea High, Chelsea, Mich) — The 5-foot-9 speedster could give the Gophers a speed complement to Donnell Kirkwood. In two years as a starter, Edwards rushed for 2,849 yards and 39 touchdowns. Edwards’ brother, Braylon, and father, Stanley, both played in the NFL.
QB Chris Streveler (Marian Central Catholic, Marion, Ill.) — Streveler could give Philip Nelson a battle for the starter’s job. He enrolled at Minnesota in January and is going through workouts. Streveler, who is 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, had a stellar final season in high school. He threw for 2,662 yards and 26 touchdowns with only four interceptions. Streveler also ran for 1,124 yards and 22 touchdowns.
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NCAAF Team Report – Minnesota – NOTES, QUOTES
–C Brian Bobek and LB Damien Wilson, who have both transferred into the program, will compete for starting jobs in spring practice. Bobek is a transfer from Ohio State while Wilson played at Jones County Junior College (Miss.) last season.
–Several players who ended last season with injuries are hoping to be ready for spring practice, including OL Zach Mottla (broken leg), DL Roland Johnson (torn ACL) and WR Jamel Harbison (torn ACL).
–QB Donovahn Jones, a three-star recruit from Hampton, Ga., changed his commitment from Missouri to Minnesota on signing day. Missouri recruited him as a receiver, but the chance to play quarterback swung him to the Gophers. Jones also had offers from Arkansas and North Carolina State.
–Marc Trestman, who played quarterback at Minnesota from 1974-77, was named head coach of the Chicago Bears in January. He appeared in nine career games and served as Tony Dungy’s backup in 1974.
SPRING SNAPSHOT
Practice priorities: More progress will be expected as coach Jerry Kill opens his third season. The Gophers improved to 6-6 after finishing 3-9 in Kill’s first season, but they need to improve on both sides of the ball to compete with the top teams in the Big Ten.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “We got out there and recruited our tail end off, and it didn’t happen.” — Coach Jerry Kill in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, on the Gophers landing only one player from the state of Minnesota in their recruiting class.
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NCAAF Team Report – Minnesota – STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
KEY LOSSES: WR/QB MarQueis Gray, CBs Troy Stoudermire and Michael Carter, DT D.L. Wilhite, LB Keanon Cooper.
PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2013:
–QB Philip Nelson was going to be redshirted as a freshman, but that plan changed in midseason. He started the final seven games and will have the inside track on the job in spring practice. Nelson completed 49.3 percent of his passes (75-for-152) with eight touchdowns and eight interceptions.
–S Derrick Wells was one of the top playmakers on defense in 2012. He tied for third on the team with 74 tackles, broke up 10 passes and had 11 passes defended as a sophomore.
–RB Donnell Kirkwood was finally able to stay on the field in 2012 after being plagued by injuries in his first two seasons. The redshirt sophomore ran for 926 yards, averaged 4.2 yards a carry and had six rushing touchdowns.
–LB Aaron Hill will be expected to build on his solid junior season. He made 74 tackles, tying him for third on the team. Hill also had two interceptions and forced three fumbles.
PLAYER NOTES
–WR/QB MarQueis Gray played in the Texas vs. The Nation game on Feb. 2. Gray will likely play receiver in the NFL, but could also be used out of the backfield and in the Wildcat formation.
–CB Troy Stoudermire played in the Casino Del Sol College All-Star Game on Jan. 11. Stoudermire led the Gophers with 82 tackles last season. He also became the NCAA all-time leader in kickoff return yards with 3,615 yards.
