Gopher Football Recruits

[Coach1310]

Not that many people care...but I found this quite interesting... Just read a story yesterday about the top recruits in the country and this is what it had....

Of the top 300 recruits listed by a scouting HSOforum, the Gophers have interest from 2! The number one recruit in the country.. the big OL from Cretin and another lineman is committed to MN, also from a Twin Cities school and he is ranked like 230th.... What was this about Brew being such a good recruiter????

[&JAG]

Brewster is all talk no coaching...

[mrklean]

i think he WAS a good recruiter and people saw how bad he was at a coach, i dont think the kid from cretin will waste his time here, i sure wouldnt if USC and all those other schools wanted me

[so haaad]

There is no chance that SH will be a gopher, it's more of a courtesy thing than anything really. He will definitely be at a big school. My guess is he will be a Buckeye, Irish or Gator. Gjere is the other Gopher prospect that is committed and is a legit player. He's got size and pretty quick for his size. Actually plays hockey. Brewster may have even more trouble now...his O coordinator Fisch just left.

[zepman]

That's the best news out of the U all year.

[JBMasterAngler]

We might actually score some touchdowns next year now...oh wait a minute, yep, weber is still the QB Well, we'll at least make it into the red zone alot, only to have him throw interceptions into the end zone

That extension has yet to be finalized, correct? Not looking good for brewster.

[TR21HP]

As far as Brewster recruiting. You can only sell what you have. So you have a new stadium - so what. You have to have a winning program to attract top recruits and the Gophers just don't have what it takes to get those guys. You can sell the University and its Fortune 500 companies with all the post school opportunities but most kids want the glamour of playing at an SEC or other succesful conference and have a better chance of making it to the pros. Plus most kids now days can look right through the baloney about Gopher Nation and the spew that Brew spews.

[SkunkedAgain]

Not hard to sell recruits on Mack Brown and Texas....selling a Gopher team that has gotten worse under watch....next to impossible.

[CJH]

Its do or die time for Brew!!!!

[so haaad]

Numerous outlets are reporting that Jeff Horton, who spent the 2009 season coaching quarterbacks in Detroit under offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, will be Gophers coach Tim Brewster's new offensive coordinator.

Ladies and gentlemen...we got 'em.

[CJH]

Sounds like a solid hire, surprisingly!!

Here's the article:

Jeff Horton enters revolving door to run Gophers' offense

Horton is Brewster's third coordinator

By Marcus R. Fuller

[email protected]

Updated: 01/23/2010 12:33:32 AM CST

Jeff Horton

Jeff Horton of the Detroit Lions. (NFL Photos)

Detroit Lions quarterbacks coach Jeff Horton is the University of Minnesota's fourth offensive coordinator in the past five seasons — and the third for Gophers football coach Tim Brewster since he arrived in 2007.

But Brewster, who lost Jedd Fisch to the Seattle Seahawks after one season, said the transition would be very "player friendly" this time with the hiring of Horton, a 22-year college coaching veteran and former Wisconsin assistant.

"Jeff will have a little bit of a learning curve to get on the same page as far as the verbiage," said Brewster, who switched from a primary spread offense under Mike Dunbar to a multiple pro-style system under Fisch last season. "But he's an extremely well-thought-of teacher of quarterback play. He's coached a lot of outstanding quarterbacks. He was coaching (No. 1 draft pick) Matthew Stafford in Detroit. But I just think he's a perfect fit for the University of Minnesota. He understands Minnesota, and wanted very badly to be here. That was important to me."

An Arlington, Texas, native, Horton started his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Lou Holtz at Minnesota in 1984. He later had a 20-48 record as a head coach at Nevada-Las Vegas and Nevada for six seasons in the 1990s.

Horton made a name for himself as Wisconsin's quarterbacks coach under Barry Alvarez from 1999-2005. He tutored Badgers quarterbacks Jim Sorgi, Brooks Bollinger and John Stocco, who are among the top passers in school history. Horton also

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worked with current Gophers co-defensive coordinators Kevin Cosgrove and Ronnie Lee and offensive line coach Tim Davis on Alvarez's staff.

"He had a good experience in the NFL," Bollinger said of Horton, who also coached with the St. Louis Rams. "But he's great handling college kids. I know he made a big difference in my life. He has a great demeanor to work with quarterbacks. He's able to communicate very well.

"It takes a special person to be a truly good quarterback coach, because it's different than a lot of other positions. Good quarterbacks have to be even-keeled and handle the highs as well as the lows. He always did a great job of helping with that."

Bollinger, a former Vikings quarterback, said Horton prepared him to play in the NFL. Another former Vikings signal caller Daunte Culpepper had high praise for Horton despite the short stint with him in Detroit.

"He is a very good play caller and really pays attention to detail," Culpepper said an in e-mail. "He will do a great job for the Gophers."

Horton's experience with quarterbacks will be critical because the Gophers return three players who will be battling for the starting position this spring. Senior-to-be Adam Weber, sophomore MarQueis Gray and freshman Moses Alipate are all in the mix for the No. 1 job. But the development of Weber and Gray, who struggled last season, will be a big factor in Minnesota improving an offense that ranked last in the Big Ten Conference for the second straight season.

"We want to continue to improve as a physical run team and be able to play-action pass," Brewster said. "But the quarterback will be throwing the ball from multiple launch points, moving in the pocket."

Horton joins the Gophers at an awkward time with two weeks before the start of the football signing period in February. But Brewster said his new coordinator would start meeting recruits who will be visiting this weekend, as well as participate in Minnesota's camp for high school juniors.

"I'm really excited about the opportunity (Brewster) is giving me here at Minnesota," Horton said in a statement. "I started my college coaching career here 26 years ago. I'm coming back to a great city, a great university and a program that is really starting to take off. I'm proud to be a part of it."