#10 Minnesota Golden Gophers

Summary - Minnesota finished the 2005-06 season with a 7-5 record. The Golden Gophers came out of the gates quick but stumbled at the end, losing back-to-back football games including a season ending loss to Virginia in the Music City Bowl. Mason and his staff put together a respectable recruiting class that fills many needs for the Gophers.

Minnesota did very well once again in their own back yard but there home away from home has become the Buckeye State. The Gophers will sign four solid Ohio football players including the crown jewel of the recruiting class, Jamar Howard.

Big Fish - Jamar Howard, WR, 6-5, 210, 4.6, Cincinnati (Ohio) Withrow

Howard transferred to Minnesota after his junior year and was lost in the recruiting shuffle last spring and summer. Jamar had 708 yards receiving and 15 touchdowns as a senior. Howard averaged 12.2 yards per catch. Minnesota had to hold off a late surge by West Virginia for Howard’s signature. Jamar is a long strider with deceptive speed and huge hands. Howard creates mismatches in the red-zone with his size and he’s also very good after the catch. Howard is a three-star rated wide receiver, according to Scout.com, and he’s the No. 7 rated prospect in the Midwest according to Scout.com.

Key Players - Minnesota will gain the signatures of defensive end Sean McWhirter and quarterback Adam Weber today. McWhirter, a 6-foot-4, 245-pound, from Long Lake (Minn.) Orono, has a tremendous first step and he plays the game with reckless abandon. Weber, a 6-foot-2, 205-pounder, from Arden Hills (Minn.) Mounds View, is mature beyond his years. Weber was one of the most talked about quarterback prospects during the combine and camp circuit last summer. One of the most underrated prospects in the Midwest is linebacker Mike Wey. The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder, from Oak Creek, Wis., has the potential to be better than his former All-American teammates from a couple of years ago, Travis Beckum and Raymond Henderson. Wey is a relentless linebacker that is one of the biggest hitters I’ve seen on film all year.

One That Got Away - This is a tough one. Is it the No. 1 rated in-state prospect, Matt Carufel? Is it another in-state prospect, Brandon Hoey, who will sign with Wisconsin? Or is it Ohio tight end Jeff Cumberland? I feel that Minnesota probably had the biggest chance of landing Cumberland since he visited the Gophers in December. Carufel was always Notre Dame’s to lose and Hoey always liked the idea of playing for the Badgers. Cumberland ending up signing with Illinois and he’ll probably be headed to a prep school before he plays a down of football for Ron Zook.