Basketball coaching legend Tubby Smith recruited over the summer like a man possessed and landed one of the best Gophers recruiting classes for his mens’ basketball team, possibly in Gophers history. However, Smith had a longstanding reputation to fall back on; no matter where he coaches, his name is nearly a brand name for quality coaching, just like Nike is a brand name for athletic footwear.
Gophers football coach Tim Brewster, not to be outdone, has worked tirelessly recruiting for the U as well, but with fewer advantages. First, Brewster’s a first-time head coach, not a living legend or a brand name coach. Second, in his first season as Gophers coach, his team posted a miserable 1-11 record. Nevertheless, Brewster proved hard work, enthusiasm and never taking no for an answer can produce results; depending on who’s doing the ranking, Brewster’s first recruiting class is a beaut.
Rivals.com ranks Brewster’s recruiting class for next fall as 16th in the nation and third in the Big Ten, while Scout.com ranks the Gophers class 24th nationally and fourth in the conference. Either way, it’s probably the best recruiting class any Gophers coach has put together since 1984, when Lou Holtz put together a great recruiting class following a 1-10 season.
The fact that the Gophers are set to debut in a brand-new on-campus football stadium in the fall of 2009 played a factor, I’m sure; recruiting top-notch football classes is about a lot more than handing out customized cheap pens. So a tip of the hat to Tim Brewster; with a lot fewer assets to work with and a much larger recruiting class to fill, Brewster has shown he can recruit right along with the best of ‘em… including Coach Smith of the basketball Gophers.
