Minnesota Football Program Announces Nationally Ranked Recruiting Class

It’s no secret that recruiting is a passion for Minnesota head football coach Tim Brewster. Wednesday, the first day of the 2008 football letter of intent signing period, he proved that hard work and focused energy can pay big dividends, unveiling a recruiting class that many are ranking among the nation’s elite.

Brewster announced the addition of 26 student-athletes to the Golden Gopher football program. The group joins a collection of five student-athletes who signed either national letters of intent or scholarship agreements with Minnesota in December, raising the total number of new additions to 31.

“It’s very rewarding to see the results of a lot of hard work,” said Brewster. “It was a great effort by the staff and we were able to accomplish a lot of our goals, especially in the area of upgrading the overall athleticism on the team. I just can’t say enough about the job the staff did. I think they proved they are the best recruiting staff in America.”

The class includes 21 student-athletes who rank among the top 100 players nationally either at their position or overall, causing many recruiting services to herald the list of commitments among the surprise classes of 2008.

One of the most geographically diverse classes in school history, Brewster and his staff scoured the country in order to construct the class. The 31 student-athletes that comprise Minnesota’s class of 2008 literally hail from sea to shining sea. A total of 16 states are represented among the group, ranging from Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Mississippi in the Deep South to California in the Far West.

Minnesota and Texas produced the largest number of new additions, with each state contributing five members to the class. Several Big Ten states are also represented, with Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Pennsylvania all sending at least student-athlete to Gold Country.

“There are 16 states represented in this class and the exciting thing is that the tremendous reception we received from kids from all regions,” Brewster said. “These players are excited about what’s going on here at Minnesota.”

On the field, every non-special teams position group is represented, though the class is weighted toward defense. Fifteen of the 31 additions are projected to play on the defensive side of the ball, including seven backs, four linebackers, two tackles and two ends. Minnesota also added five “athletes” in the class, many of whom also project as defensive contributors. On offense, the class includes four wide receivers, three running backs, two quarterbacks, a tight end and an offensive lineman.

“Obviously we placed an emphasis on defense in this class and rightfully so,” said Brewster. “We believe this is a group of special players that can come in and fill immediate needs in our defense.”

The majority of the class - 22 of the 31 - are out of the high school ranks, while seven are junior-college transfers. The class also includes one prep school addition and a four-year transfer.

Noting Minnesota’s Class of 2008

Keep ’Em Home
Head coach Tim Brewster has emphasized his desire to keep the best players from the state of Minnesota at home. And the Gophers certainly struck gold within their own state. Four of the top 10 players in the state of Minnesota are included in the Gophers class of 2008, including linebacker Sam Maresh (Champlin Park), running back Shady Salamon (South St. Paul), quarterback John Nance (St. Paul) and athlete Ryan Grant (Eden Prairie). Maresh, the No. 3-rated player in the state and a member of the Rivals 250, is the crown jewel of the group and is considered to be one of the top linebackers in the country.

Go North, Young Man
Minnesota’s class of 2008 features several student-athletes from the talent-rich South. Head Coach Tim Brewster and his staff went into SEC and Big 12 country and secured commitments from 15 players. The state of Texas is providing the largest contingent of players (5), with Mississippi (3), Georgia (2) and Kentucky (2) contributing multiple student-athletes as well. Minnesota’s class of 2008 also a player from Alabama, Florida and Virginia.

Ranking with Best
With a national ranking of No. 16 and a Big Ten rank of No. 3 by Rivals.com on the eve of signing day, Minnesota’s class of 2008 just may be the most highly rated in school history. Individually, 11 new Gophers are ranked among the top 50 in their respective position group or classification by various recruiting services, with another 10 figuring in the top 100 at their position. Add it up and nearly 68 percent of Minnesota’s class has received a top-100 rating by at least one recruiting service.

Teammates Again
Minnesota’s 2008 recruiting class includes five sets of teammates. The largest contingent hails from Dallas Skyline High School, where Keanon Cooper, Da’Jon McKnight, Spencer Reeves and Troy Stoudermire, Jr. combined to make the Raiders one of the top programs in the state of Texas. Other prep teammates who will reunite on the college level include Terrell Combs and D.L. Wilhite from Bryan Station High School in Lexington, Ky., Brandon Green and Johnny Johnson from Robeson High School in Chicago, and John Nance and Shady Salamon from Cretin-Derham Hall right here in the Twin Cities. From the junior college ranks, Tramaine Brock and Cedrick McKinley teamed up to help Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College win a share of the 2007 NJCAA national title.

Getting Defensive
Though Minnesota’s class of 2008 does have a measure of balance to it, there remains a clear emphasis on the defensive side of the ball. Of the Gophers’ 31 new additions, 15 are currently pegged as defenders. In addition, a number of Minnesota’s “athletes” could also wind up on the defensive side of the ball before it’s all said and done. Jewhan Edwards (Philadelphia, Pa.), ESPN.com’s No. 7 defensive tackle, owns the highest position rating among the group. Other highly-rated defenders include Sam Maresh (Champlin Park, Minn.), a member of the Rivals 250; Keanon Cooper (Dallas, Texas), an ESPN.com 150 selection; Spencer Reeves, Scout’s No. 25 weakside linebacker ; Traye Simmons (Marrietta, Ga.), Rivals’ No. 29 junior college player; Troy Stoudermire, Jr., ESPN.com’s No. 33 athlete; and Tim Dandridge, ESPN.com’s No. 37 cornerback.

The Need For Speed
Head coach Tim Brewster has emphasized the importance of being a fast team in his time at Minnesota and the Gophers certainly added plenty of speed in its 2008 recruiting class. A total of 22 newcomers have been clocked with times of 4.6 or better, including 13 with times of 4.5 or faster. Defensive back Traye Simmons (4.4) and safeties Keanon Cooper (4.45) and Simoni Lawrence (4.45) have the quickest published 40 times, followed closely by wide receiver Xzavian Brandon (4.48), defensive back Tim Dandridge (4.48), quarterback MarQueis Gray (4.48) and athlete Vince Hill (4.48). Outside of the speedsters at the skill positions, linebackers Spencer Reeves (4.5) and Rex Sharpe (4.5) and defensive end Gary Tinsley (4.6) have all been timed at 4.6 or better.

What They’re Saying...

“Minnesota has proven with their 2008 class that their recruiting net is capable of reaching far and wide in areas they have not been to before with great success. This class is fast, athletic and could be one that Gophers fans look back on and say this class is what helped us get over the hump. They have upgraded at significant positions of need at QB, offensive skill and defensive front seven players.”

Tom Luginbill
ESPN Scouts Inc.
National Recruiting Director/College Football Analyst

“This class is phenomenal. Minnesota has to be one of the biggest stories nationally. I believe Tim is one of the Top 10 recruitersI’ve ever seen, and he’s showing why in the class. Recruiting is all about perception, and nobody does it better than Tim. I’ve been covering recruiting for over 30 years and this is by far the best class Minnesota has ever signed and may be the best ever in school history. Tim has shown that you can recruit Nationally by signing players from 16 different states.”

Tom Lemming
CSTV
National Recruiting Advisor

“Even better news is the way Minnesota is recruiting. Brewster gives recruiting the highest priority each and every day of the year. He and his staff work as hard as anyone, combing the country for future Gophers. To be successful, you need to recruit well consistently over time and that’s exactly what he has in mind.”

Jamie Newberg
National Recruiting Analyst
Scout.com

“There’s no question that Minnesota’s class goes down as the biggest surprise in the nation for me. We knew he could recruit when he was at Texas and other places, but the job that he did this season with the results on the field is amazing. He’s suurounded himself with great assistant coaches that work just as hard as he does, and the end result is a class chock-full of impact guys that should help them out right away.”

Jeremy Crabtree
National Recruiting Analyst
Rivals.com

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