There are 25 players from 12 states in the Gophers' 2010 football recruiting class. Seantrel Henderson is not one of them.
So will this class be remembered for who was in it, or for who wasn't? The next few years will provide the answer.
On Wednesday, Gophers coach Tim Brewster talked about a class that filled obvious needs. There is incoming size and strength along the offensive and defensive lines and three productive backs being added to a running game that needs a boost. The class is filled with defensive backs to reinforce a defense losing both starting cornerbacks.
Henderson, the Cretin-Derham Hall offensive tackle who was ranked by some as the best prospect in the nation, chose USC. But Brewster was able to get the next two top Minnesota prospects in Irondale offensive lineman Jimmy Gjere and Woodbury running back Lamonte Edwards.
"I think this is an excellent recruiting class," Brewster said, "a very solid recruiting class. I think we did a really great job of addressing the needs we have. As we all know, recruiting is not an exact science. ... I think this class, as they continue to move forward, is going to be a heck of a class."
This group, heavy with talent in the trenches, does not have the star power Brewster's first two full recruiting classes did, at least not in the eyes of some beholders. According to Rivals.com, the Gophers' class ranked sixth in the Big Ten Conference and 50th in the nation. This compares with the 39th overall class in 2009 and Brewster's 2008 class which, on signing day, was ranked 17th nationally by Rivals.com.
Of course, star ratings for athletes and rankings for teams are a subjective business.
"I don't get caught up so much in stars," Brewster said. "I get caught up in our coaches' evaluation, my evaluation of the kids. And our evaluation of all the kids in this class is a good one."
Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi agreed.
"I don't think any of us can fully judge what this class brings until later," Maturi said. "On paper it looks pretty good. I'm happy that [the coaching staff is] happy."
Gjere and Edwards were both ranked four stars (out of five) by Rivals. Another 18 were given three stars.
Among the highlights of this recruiting class:
• Brewster said one goal was to get bigger -- and taller -- along both lines. Four of the five offensive line recruits are 6-5 or taller. The Gophers also signed a number of defensive linemen with size.
• At running back, Brewster got Edwards, a speedy 6-2, 215-pound back from Woodbury who could turn out to be the big back the Gophers have been looking for. Also added were Devon Wright and Donnell Kirkwood, both Florida athletes with extensive résumés.
• Experience. Four members of the class are junior college athletes, including three from Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa. The four are tight end Tiree Eure and defensive backs Christyn Lewis, Herschel Thornton and Dwight Tillman. The three defensive backs have good size and could vie for playing time right away.
"What's going to be exciting about this group as we move forward is the competition," Brewster said.
There were no big-name late additions to the group. Last year Brewster and his staff got highly-rated Florida cornerback Michael Carter to change his mind and sign with the Gophers rather than West Virginia.
This year there had been buzz that the Gophers might add receiver James Louis to the fold after Louis -- a high school teammate of Kirkwood at Delray Beach (Fla.) Atlantic -- indicated on his Facebook page he might go with the Gophers. Instead, he stayed with his Ohio State commitment. Linebacker Preston Brown and defensive tackle Jamaine Brooks were two athletes who considered the Gophers before signing with Louisville.
In the weeks leading up to signing day, the Gophers had a few players de-commit. Three-star cornerback Antoine Lewis chose to go to Purdue. Four-star running back Josh Huff committed to the Gophers, then Utah, TCU and finally Oregon.
Brewster talked about the need for an early signing day to discourage such reconsidering.
"An early signing day is the answer to the de-commitments," he said. "Hopefully, in the future, we'll be able to create some sanity in the process by having an early signing date. ... There are kids who have committed and de-committed four and five times across the nation. I think it's unfortunate for the school and the kids that so much pressure is being put on kids."
But on Wednesday, Brewster was more interested in talking about the players who were coming to Minnesota than those who were not.
"I think we'll do a good job developing these players into the type of team that we can compete for a championship with," Brewster said. "And that's why we're here."
