Gopher Football Recruiting Update

The Gophers just received another verbal commitment from running back Deleon Eskridge, a 3-star recruit from CA. This brings second year Head Coach Tim Brewster's recruiting class, ranked 22nd nationally, showing vast improvement heading towards National Signing Day on Feb. 6, two weeks from today. Recruits which have already signed letter of intent to play for Brewster include: Tramaine Brock, 3-star Dback; David Pittman, 4-star JuCo transfer athlete; Rex Sharpe, 3-star linebacker and 4-star Dback from CA Traye Simmons.

Other verbal commits that would make a large impact on the maroon and gold opening TCF Bank Stadium by signing on the dotted line two weeks from today include 4-star QB MarQueis Gray, 4-star WR Brandon Green from Chi-town accompanied by another 4-star wide out Vincent Hill from NY. Sam Maresh from Champlin a 4-star linebacker is also expected to commit.

It looks as though Brewster is starting to live up to his "recruiting guru" status and the question now remains whether he can coach and develop these players. I was never a big fan of Glen Mason from day one but you have to give credit where its due meaning he did pull some nice recruits (without a new stadium to sell and only the inflatable toilet aka Metrodome) and developed them nicely to play in the NFL. (i.e. soon to be Superbowl MVP Laurence Maroney and Cowboys fantasy football stud Marion Barber) Right now as it stands the Gophers are 4th in the Big Ten in recruiting behind Ohio State, Michigan and Ron Zook's Illini.

The challenge for Brewster following his 1-11 start to his head coaching career is to bring in his style of players that fit his spread offense and develop them in that system. What a lot of people don't understand about this past season besides the teams record is that Brewster was trying to run the spread offense with Mason's traditional Big Ten run-the-ball players. Defense was also a huge problem for the Gophers last year not being able to stop teams (see Bowling Green and NDSU!) and improvement on the that side of the ball needs to start immediately.

Gopher fans give Brewster three years and then start to judge (I will of course judge, don't get me wrong being the rube that I am). I think the Gophers and the Big Ten are in for a huge change in their style of play offensively after two embarrassing losses in a row by Ohio State in the National Championship game to superior athletes and teams in the SEC and with the hiring of Rich Rodriguez at Michigan and Brewster in Minnesota, its time for the Big Ten to look in the mirror and adjust to the competition via the spread offense!

Now whether Brewster can get it done on the field...that remains to be seen!

-S