OT- Fleck steals all (a lot) of WMU's recruits

Submitted by PutInPeters18 on
PJ Fleck and the Gophers just had their own commit-apooloza of sorts as Fleck flipped 6 Western Michigan commits in one night and looks likely to add a few more. 3* QB Tanner Morgan (KY) 3* OG John Schmitz (IL) 3* DT Noah Hickcox (IL) 3* WR Chris Bell (IL) 3* DE Esezi Otomewo (IN) 2* LB Trenton Guthrie (MI) Glad to see the Big Ten continuing to add high quality coaches. Can't wait for the first ever Harbaugh-Fleck matchup this next season in Ann Arbor.
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PutInPeters18

January 7th, 2017 at 6:04 AM ^

Well considering that before this night Western Michigan was a higher ranked recruiting class than Minnesota, yes they're moderately excited. Minnesota doesn't produce that much in state talent, they usually have classes of mostly 3* players and have to rely on player development similar to Wisconsin. So they don't see much difference between the guys they get and these guys. They're not gonna be their highest ranked commits, but most of them have as much a chance of playing as the rest of their class. They fit Minnesota.

Joined: 12/27/2014

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OwenGoBlue

January 7th, 2017 at 9:59 AM ^

Of course they were last in recruiting 1) their coach was fired, 2) over a recruiting related group sex act that may or may not have involved consent 3) and current and former players are threatening to leave 4) because nobody trusts the administration due to how they reacted. All of those kids don't follow Fleck to a new destination during the dead period (without seeing it in person) unless this is the first committable B1G offer for most. His Western class was ranked what, like 60th before this? Wow! The guy may well be successful but this flip parade isn't really great for anybody.

Joined: 04/03/2016

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OwenGoBlue

January 7th, 2017 at 12:48 PM ^

On the net, I don't see how these guys really help Minnesota compete in the B1G. The actual score difference between 3 stars in the composite is incredibly marginal so PJ didn't really improve the class with this he just filled it out with more of the same (an uncommonly bad Minnesota class). Bad recruiting classes are bad for Minnesota football. I will acknowledge that the cult of PJ on this board has turned me against him. I can't wait for him to get destroyed by M.

Joined: 04/03/2016

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Brodie

January 9th, 2017 at 11:34 AM ^

Minnesota won 9 games last year and has won at least 8 games for the past 4 years, they just hired a guy with a reputation for coaching up talent and who is at least familiar with Jerry Kill's general philosophy and playbook. They are on the upswing generally and dismissing an influx of higher rated recruits is silly. The Gophers seem poised to compete with Iowa, Wisconsin and Nebraska in the West for a long time. 

Joined: 11/19/2008

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wildbackdunesman

January 7th, 2017 at 5:36 PM ^

I am not part of the "cult" of Fleck as you say.  However, you illustrate a lot of negativity surrounding Minnesota right now.  Shouldn't they be happy to get a new coach coming off of a 13-1 season and some new recruits above their average?

You keep saying that thes players didn't have commitable offers from BigTen schools, but that is not true.

The QB that Fleck is bringing with him to Minnesota had offers from Louisville, Cincinnati, and Wake Forest - that isn't horrible.  Other players show offers from Illinois, Louisville, Purdue, and Syracuse.  No these players aren't great prospects, but I don't blame Minnesota fans for being excited to go from all bad news to some level of positive news.

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BassDude138

January 7th, 2017 at 9:59 AM ^

They are mostly 3* players. The bottom seven teams in the 2017 B1G recruiting rankings combined have two players ranked as 4*. Outside of the top four ranked classes in the Big Ten, the next highest team has three 4* recruits and the rest 3* or lower. They are right there in the mix with most of the conference.

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redhotjabrillpeppers

January 7th, 2017 at 1:30 AM ^

Just saw on 247 composite that they jumped up a few spots in the B1G recruiting rankings to #12 from the previous #14. Does not mean much now, but if the dude could recruit that well at a MAC school, he will do alright at a B1G school. I think a few years from now you could see them recruit in the 6-10 range in the B1G which would be nice for them. 

Joined: 11/20/2015

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MaizeMN

January 7th, 2017 at 1:34 AM ^

Minnesota is currently ranked dead last in BIG recruiting. The good news for MN is that Fleck got a bunch to jump ship. The bad news is, they are all MAC level talent. I doubt PJ has the crootin chops to win many battles against Meyer and Harbaugh, at least in the next few years.

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rob f

January 7th, 2017 at 2:55 AM ^

against Harbaugh and Meyer---after all, recruiting is largely about relationships and though this is one of Fleck's strengths, he is starting from scratch here. But yeah, he'll still lose more than he wins, being that Michigan and OSU carry far more clout in the CFB world than Minnesota. Relationships can't change this fact.

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