2009 Minnesota Recruiting

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Recruiting Hot Board: Offense

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ESPN - Pep Rally: First-year coaches hit the ground running - Insider

Minnesota Continues To Build Off 2008 Class

By Billy Tucker

It might be early, but Tim Brewster is certainly off to a great start on the recruiting trail in '09 and building off his surprising No. 23 class from a year ago. The second year head coach with a reputation as a fierce recruiter has landed another talented offensive prospect who by most accounts, was a reach for the Golden Gopher program that went 1-11 in 2007.

Running back Hasan Lipscomb (Houston/Cypress Ridge) chose Minnesota over Nebraska, LSU and Iowa State and has the physical makeup in our opinion to be a very productive college running back, a guy who could potentially carry the load for the Gophers. Lipscomb has the lateral quickness and perimeter speed to hurt a defense on the outside and we feel he will develop into a great runner who can become a one cut and go downhill runner at the next level. With great upside, he forms a great offensive nucleus with Under Armour All-American quarterback Moses Alipate (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson).

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ESPN - On-field success fuels Gophers' recruiting machine - Big Ten

October 28, 2008 11:46 AM

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

As the head coach of arguably the nation's most opportunistic team, Tim Brewster knows that timing and momentum can be everything in college football.

Brewster has a good thing going at Minnesota right now. The Gophers are 7-1 and ranked 17th in the BCS standings after a historically bad 1-11 season in 2007. Their new outdoor, on-campus facility, TCF Bank Stadium, is set to open next September. They have a ton of talented underclassmen. The enthusiasm around the program is building at a rapid rate.

Minnesota's next phase seems clear. Accelerate and improve recruiting. Go after the top prospects while the team is winning. Canvass the state for top talent and tap into familiar spots like Texas and California.

Slam on the gas.

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ESPN - Midwest Recruiting Blog

This weekend will not be a big recruiting weekend for any of the Big Ten schools. The next big weekend will be Nov. 8, a weekend Tim Brewster has targeted as a key one for his Minnesota Golden Gophers since the top two prospects in the state of Minnesota, wide receiver Bryce McNeal (Minneapolis/Breck) and tight end Ra'Shede Hageman (Minneapolis/Washburn), are among close to a dozen prospects who will make their official visits. Defensive back Michael Carter (Pompano Beach, Fla./Ely) is also scheduled to visit; Carter is one of the top cornerback prospects in the South and it would be a huge coup if Brewster can land him.

Minnesota plays Michigan Nov. 8.

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ESPN - Midwest Recruiting Blog

Big weekend dawns for Minnesota

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Posted by Bill Kurelic

Though the Minnesota Golden Gophers were tripped up last weekend in their last second loss to Northwestern, it has been a very good season for Tim Brewster and his troops. They stand 7-2 and are bowl eligible.

Brewster is hoping to capitalize on the recruiting front, and this coming weekend will go a long way toward determining how strong Minnesota's 2009 recruiting class is. With Michigan headed for the Twin Cities, Brewster is set to host several outstanding prospects on official visits.

The top two in-state prospect, wide receiver and former Michigan commitment Bryce McNeal (Minneapolis/Breck) and tight end Ra'Shede Hageman (Minneapolis/Washburn), will be on hand. McNeal does not seem likely to return to his Michigan commitment, and the Gophers may have the edge over several other schools on his list. In the case of Hageman, he has already made official visits to Ohio State and Wisconsin and plans to visit Florida in addition to Minnesota. It would not be surprising to see Hageman's decision come down to the Gophers or Buckeyes.

Defensive back Michael Carter (Pompano Beach, Fla./Ely) is another key prospect making an official visit to Minnesota this weekend. The 5-foot-11, 165-pound Carter is one of the top cornerback prospects in the talent-rich Sunshine State. Carter has three interceptions and two touchdowns in nine games this season.

"I've never been to Minnesota," Carter said. "I want to meet all the coaches and see the new things they are building there. I want to see how I would be involved there."

Carter has previously made an official visit to West Virginia. He is also considering Florida, Georgia, Kansas State and Miami.

"I'm still talking with my dad about whom to visit," Carter said. "I think I'll take all five visits. I don't have a favorite right now."

The state of Minnesota's top junior, offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson (Minneapolis/Cretin-Derham), will make an unofficial visit to Minnesota this weekend. The 6-foot-8, 310-pound Henderson reports scholarship offers from: Minnesota, Florida, Ohio State, LSU, Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Georgia, Michigan, Iowa, UCLA, Oklahoma, North Carolina and others.

"Minnesota has a nice coaching staff," Henderson said. "They have a pretty good team. And I know some of the players there."

Whether it is this weekend or sometime down the road, if Brewster can land the top two seniors and the top Class of 2010 prospect in his home state, it would be huge for the Minnesota program.

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ESPN - Pep Rally: Smith's commitment a big one for West Virginia - Insider

Brewster, Minnesota Clean Up In-state

The Minnesota Golden Gophers have been one of the college football's Cinderella teams this year, and that momentum has translated to the recruiting trail. To boast seven wins following a 1-11 campaign is truly remarkable, but with Tim Brewster leading the recruiting charge, perhaps we shouldn't have expected anything less.

Brewster's reputation as an outstanding recruiter was a major reason Minnesota hired him. The university knew it was getting a guy who could reignite a dormant Golden Gopher football program by winning over fans and, more important, recruits.

Brewster has done an outstanding job recruiting nationally in his short tenure (more than 10 states were represented in the 2008 class) while also sealing the borders of the Gophers' home state -- in his eyes, a vastly underrated region for quality football players.

Last year, Brewster was in contention for a few of Minnesota's upper-tier prospects -- such as current Notre Dame standout receiver Mike Floyd -- but lost out on three of the state's top five recruits. This time around, however, Minnesota is in strong contention to sign each of the top five prospects in the state.

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