Kill pleased with athleticism of recruiting class

MINNEAPOLIS — Jerry Kill is a straight shooter. He's been that way ever since he took over the job as Minnesota's head football coach in December 2010.

So while every college football coach in the country was likely raving about his 2012 recruiting class Wednesday on National Signing Day, you have to believe Kill was sincere about his fondness for the 31 players he added to the Gophers program, which won just three games in 2011.

"You never know what your recruiting class is until about three or four years from now whether you were good or not," Kill said. "If we turn the program around, I'll be able to say we did a good job. I will tell you this: Athletically, this is the best recruiting class as far as athletic skill level — because I've watched them run, watched them jump, all that — that we have recruited."

Of course, previous classes Kill has recruited while coaching at Northern Illinois and Southern Illinois didn't need to compete at the Big Ten level. This year's class, however, is expected to help turn around a Gophers program that has had consecutive three-win seasons.

It's a challenge Kill has never shied away from, and he reiterated it Wednesday.

"I'm probably not one of those guys that's a good hire to go take a 10-2 team over," Kill said. "I like building things and I like putting the pieces of the puzzle together and moving forward. Right now, we've got a good team."

Included in the pieces Kill added to the puzzle Wednesday are seven of Minnesota's top 10 recruits from the class of 2012. Among the school's haul were highly touted recruits Philip Nelson, Jonah Pirsig and Andre McDonald, all Minnesota products who had offers from other schools.

Of the 31 total players who signed with the Gophers on Wednesday, 10 are from Minnesota.

"What happened here with the state of Minnesota, I can't be more happy with," Kill said. "It's the loyalty of the high school coaches. We had tremendous help in the recruiting process. Our state helped us. I don't think there's any question about that."

Kill also said the ability to land some of the top in-state players meant other Minnesota kids followed suit. Nelson, a dual-threat quarterback from Mankato West, committed to the Gophers shortly after last year's signing day, and Kill said that helped bring several others to Minnesota.

"Our players did a good job of recruiting," Kill said. "When you get the kids on campus and they interact, there was some chemistry involved there. I think once Philip Nelson jumped on board . . . I think it just kind of (was) a domino effect."

Nelson and fellow quarterback Mitch Leidner of Lakeville South High School are two of eight players the Gophers signed who are already enrolled at the university. That gives them a leg up on the competition and means they'll be able to participate in spring practices and Minnesota's spring game.

Joining those two as early arrivals on campus are defensive back Jeremy Baltazar, cornerback Briean Boddy, defensive tackle Scott Ekpe, wide receiver Isaac Fruechte, running back James Gillum and cornerback Martez Shabazz. Most teams don't have so many early enrollees, and Kill is grateful.

"We got lucky with some kids this semester.  . . . We were fortunate," he said. "There is a trend. It seems like there's more — certainly at the quarterback position — that want to come in early."

Kill was asked whether he recruits based more on his team's needs or tries to get the best available players, and he said players are chosen based on the former. For Minnesota, there were plenty of needs after a 3-9 season.

Compared with some of the Big Ten's powerhouses, the Gophers' class of 2012 was enormous. While Minnesota signed 31 players on Wednesday, defending Big Ten champion Wisconsin added just 12 scholarship players and seven walk-ons.

"Right now, where we're at scholarship-wise, we needed to recruit a team," Kill said. "We won't be able to do that next year. We won't have as many scholarships available. But in this case, we could recruit a team."

The Gophers also put an emphasis on adding junior college players, as six from this year's class come to Minnesota via junior colleges. One is a local athlete, wide receiver Isaac Fruechte, who attended Rochester Community and Technical College last season. He redshirted last season, which means he has three years of eligibility remaining.

"There's a couple of those kids that have got three years left. They're not two-year kids," Kill said. "They went to junior college to have the opportunity to play at this level."

Kill also talked Wednesday about Tony Dungy's book "Uncommon." Dungy, of course, starred at the University of Minnesota before playing and coaching in the NFL.

It's not the first time Kill has referenced the book, but he again drove home the importance of it and said he plans to use it as a teaching tool.

"That's going to be my class. I'm teaching that class, because we're going to be uncommon," Kill said. "We're going to be different than anybody in the Big Ten.  . . .

"It's going to take time, but I'm pleased with the direction we're going right now."

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