ESPN's Coverage of the Gopher Football Recruiting Class

This is from the ESPN analysis of all the Big Ten recruiting classes.

Minnesota

Signing Day Storylines: Signing day is a big day for Gopher fans. After a miserable 1-11 first season, head coach Tim Brewster gets to unveil his first real class. Lauded for his recruiting abilities, he has worked hard to not disappoint, planting roots in Minnesota and going nationwide looking for talent. Minnesota has landed at least one verbal from prep prospects in 11 states outside of Minnesota, spanning from California to Florida. Brewster and his staff have shown a work-hard attitude recruiting the nation as they try to right the Gopher ship.

While strides were made to assemble a good class, Minnesota did miss out on some of the top in-state prep prospects, and this will be an area that needs to improve moving forward. The Gophers did land five in-state verbal commitments in their current class of 21. A possible addition is Under Armour All-American Keanon Cooper (Dallas/Skyline), an athletic defender who could help a poor Gopher defense.

With a strong stable of young quarterbacks, MarQueis Gray should have time to adapt to the college game.

Top Prospect: For the second straight year it looks like Minnesota's No. 1 prospect will be a quarterback. Last year it was Brewster's son Clint, the No. 8 rated quarterback, and this year it is MarQueis Gray (Indianapolis/Ben Davis), the No. 13 rated signal caller. With freshman Adam Weber taking snaps in 2007, Minnesota must be applying the thought that competition is good and you have never have enough talented quarterbacks.

Gray will make for interesting quarterback battles as he has good tools and size. He is a good athlete but is a pocket passer first. He has solid arm strength and flashes good touch. He is also athletic enough to tuck and run and create when plays break down. He still needs to develop his game and improve his mechanics but has good upside. With Weber and Brewster on campus, Minnesota can likely bring Gray along.

Class Highlights: This will be a big class currently with the 21 prep commits and seven JUCO additions in addition to Notre Dame transfer offensive guard Matt Carufel. Four junior college prospects already signed may be able to help right away, especially on defense.

On the prep front, Jewhan Edwards (Philadelphia/Roman Catholic) heads a pair of defensive tackle pledges ready to help a run defense that ranked 114th. Edwards, a big and explosive interior defender, could be a steal if he can take care of the little things on and off the field. The defense also has a verbal from No. 22-ranked inside linebacker Sam Maresh (Champion Park, Minn.), an in-state product. Maresh physically looks ready to play and could also help a porous run defense.

Two outside linebackers -- Spencer Reeves (Dallas/Skyline), a high school teammate of Gopher target Keanon Cooper and Florida native Gary Tinsley (Jacksonville, Fla./First Coast) -- should help. Tinsley could also be used as a rush end and help the Gophers get pressure on the quarterback after ranking 116th nationally in sacks. Minnesota's defensive woes also spread to coverage as they ranked 115th in pass defense and 116th in pass efficiency defense. With that in mind, it has have targeted secondary help. Another Dallas Skyline addition is the athletic Troy Stoudermire, who could play wide receiver or corner, but his talents may be better used on defense. Another solid corner pick-up is Jonathan Dandridge (Detroit/Highland Park).

On offense, WR Brandon Green (Chicago/Paul Robeson) is a speedy, reliable target with good athleticism.

Could See the Field in 2008: Any of the JUCO additions (especially those already on campus), WR Green, DT Edwards, LB Maresh and several others as there are holes to fill, especially on defense.