Tim Brewster Disappoints, Golden Gopher National Signing Day Wrapup

For the first time in years, one of the top players in the nation was considering the Gophers.  It didn't pan out, and that stings more than not being considered at all.  To steal a line from the highly, highly underrated Oak Ridge Boys :  "The closer you get, the further I fall."

I never really thought Seantrel Henderson would commit to the University of Minnesota, but until he eliminated them from contention, there was always the possibility.  Even if it was one in a million.  "So you're telling me there's a chance.  I read you." 

Technically that chance is still there, since Henderson didn't bother to sign his letter of intent after committing to USC.  According to Henderson's father, they want to wait until the Trojans go before the NCAA to answer sanctions later this month.

If I had to guess, I'd put money down that Henderson never plays for the Trojans. Pete Carroll has had several opportunities to leave USC in the past.  He had the world on a string; you don't just bolt on a job like that.  Sneaky Pete read the writing on the wall.

If you give away houses and cars (allegedly), no matter how thoroughly you cover your tracks, someone's going to notice when things just don't seem to add up.

With Henderson basically out of the picture now, what does that leave the Gophers with?  By most accounts, it's a recruiting class that's average at best, and many consider it disappointing for Tim Brewster, who was hired in large part for his ability to get recruits.

I don't put too much stock into "star" ratings, but they do count for something.  Most college football fans will never have heard of the vast majority of these kids, but when a website puts five stars next to their name, they become much more recognizable.

Seantrel Henderson had a five-star rating, the highest you can get.  To the best of my knowledge, he would have been the highest-rated player ever to commit to the Gophers.  But that didn't happen.

In fact, the Gophers only signed two four-star prospects:  native Minnesotans Jimmy Gjere and Lamonte Edwards.  But they had two other four-star players back out on their commitments to the U and sign elsewhere, so that hurts the public perception of this class.

Brewster was brought in to improve talent and recruit better players, and he's done that.  One recruiting service ranks this class as the worst in the Big 10.  Another ranks it sixth.  Even if you meet in the middle, it's still on par with the majority of the classes Glen Mason brought in.

The fact of the matter is that this class might very well be irrelevant anyway.  If Brewster can't coach up the kids he's already got, this "lesser" class will be someone else's mess to clean up.

Tim Brewster got a contract extension before this class was announced, but it doesn't matter much in the grand scheme of things.  The extension is structured so it doesn't really hurt Brewster or put the University on the line if they need to let him go.

The schedule is brutal next year.  But this team needs to show more progress.  They need to beat the teams they should beat, and they need to start beating teams they aren't supposed to compete with.  If they can't do that, they won't reach .500, and Brewster will be gone.

Brewster's best recruiting class was in 2008.  Those kids got some experience last year and are continuing to develop as collegiate players.  I think with a few breaks, this team could be very, very special.  Big 10 title contending special...in 2011. 

The question is whether or not they can do enough in 2010 to give Brewster the chance to get to the Rose Bowl.