Nearly every team in the Big Ten boasts double digit commits by now. The only exceptions, Minnesota and Purdue, sit at the bottom of the conference recruiting rankings due to sparse classes.
Minnesota recruiting 2014: A good start, but lots of work to be done
With only six commitments so far, Minnesota trails every other B1G team in the 247Composite.
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However, Minnesota is doing far better than that its ranking would show -- the Golden Gophers’ average recruit grades out at 86.32 on the 247Sports Composite, which beats six teams currently ranked ahead of them. What they do lack in quantity, they have made up for in quality.
Running back Jeff Jones is the star of the Gopher class so far -- the Minnesota native is a top-10 back in the class of 2014 and a consensus four-star player according to 247Sports. In fact, with Jones in the fold, the Gophers actually have more four-star commitments than Michigan State, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Purdue put together.
Behind Jones, five three-star players have pledged verbals to Minnesota: dual-threat quarterback Dimonic McKinzy, center Connor Mayes, tight end Gaelin Elmore, defensive end Andrew Stelter and defensive tackle Steven Richardson. Keep an eye on Mayes in particular -- the 6’5, 320-pound Texan is widely considered a top-five player at his position this year.
On target
Minnesota seems to have the inside track on two quality prospects:
Deron Thompson, a three-star running back from Wichita (KS) Northwest High School. Thompson also has interest from Kansas State and Colorado State.
Khari Blasingame, a three-star safety from New Market (AL) Buckhorn School, has a lot of interest in Minnesota.
