College Football Insider: Big wins haven't yet lured elite recruits to Gophers

Nothing sells a football program better than marquee victories, and the Gophers have had three of them — knocking off Nebraska, Penn State and Michigan — within the past 12 months.

In Jerry Kill's fourth year, Minnesota's program keeps gaining momentum, but that success has yet to translate into big national recruiting splashes.

The Gophers have another chance next Wednesday, when East Ridge quarterback Seth Green announces his college choice. Ranked as the nation's No. 8 dual-threat quarterback in the 2016 class by Rivals.com, Green would be a perfect fit for Minnesota's offense.

He narrowed his list to the Gophers, Oregon and Michigan State, but all signs point to him breaking Minnesota's heart and picking the Ducks.

Last summer, Cretin-Derham Hall defensive end Jashon Cornell — once ranked as the nation's No. 1 recruit in the 2015 class by ESPN — announced he's heading to Ohio State.

It's hard to fault the Gophers for losing recruits to Oregon and Ohio State, even in-state kids. Those are elite programs, steeped in recent success and featuring practice and training facilities that put Minnesota's to shame.

Eight months ago, the Gophers signed Jeff Jones, the highest-ranked player in Minnesota and the No. 7 running back in the nation, according to Rivals.com. Jones was proof the Gophers could reel in a big fish, but he was also academically ineligible coming out of Minneapolis Washburn. He is enrolled at the university and working to gain eligibility by spring semester.

Jones' four-star rating helped the Gophers climb in recruiting rankings. Rivals.com ranked their class eighth in the 14-team Big Ten after ranking them last the previous two years.

Less than four months from signing day, the Gophers' 2015 class currently ranks 11th in the Big Ten. They still have about 11 spots to fill. They have 14 known commitments, and none ranks as a four-star recruit.

Now, anyone who has followed Kill over the years knows the mockery his teams have made of recruiting rankings. At Northern Illinois, his classes ranked 112th, 91st and 83rd nationally, and that team went 11-3 in his third year and is 39-8 since he left.

The Gophers roster is filled with under-the-radar recruits who have turned into big contributors, including Maxx Williams, Mitch Leidner, Damien Wilson, Eric Murray, Theiren Cockran and Cedric Thompson.

This year, several true freshmen are playing big roles. Steven Richardson, from Chicago's Mount Carmel High School, is starting at defensive tackle. Other true freshmen playing key snaps on the defensive line include Owatonna's Andrew Stelter, Gaelin Elmore from Somerset, Wis., and Gary Moore from Mobile, Ala.

Craig James is returning punts and a "rising star" at cornerback, Kill said. Brandon Lingen is playing at tight end. Jonathan Celestin and Everett Williams are second-string linebackers. All of them could help the Gophers improve again after finishing 3-9, 6-7 and 8-5 in Kill's first three seasons.

In September, ESPN.com polled the nation's coaches, asking which coach they would want their son to play for, other than themselves. Kill finished in a tie for third with Stanford's David Shaw, behind Georgia's Mark Richt and Oklahoma's Bob Stoops.

"Recruits don't look at the current state of the program as much as they look at, 'Where's this program going to be in the future?' " said Josh Helmholdt, Midwest recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. "So what they want to see is sustained success, and I think what Jerry Kill is building there is positive, and recruits see positive momentum within the program.

"But challenging for Big Ten championships and being consistently at the top of the heap in the Big Ten is going to be when they turn that corner and are able to compete nationally for recruits."

BIG TEN POWER POLL

1. Michigan State (4-1, 1-0): Cruised to a 27-3 lead against Nebraska despite a subpar game from QB Connor Cook.

2. Ohio State (4-1, 1-0): Braxton who? J.T. Barrett has 14 TD passes and one interception in his past three games.

3. Nebraska (5-1, 1-1): Outscored Michigan State 19-0 in fourth quarter. Keep that in mind if they meet for Big Ten title.

4. Gophers (4-1, 1-0): The 30-7 loss to TCU looks better, with Frogs ranked No. 9 after upsetting Oklahoma.

5. Iowa (4-1, 1-0): Hawkeyes are gaining momentum, but lone loss was a three-pointer to lowly, 1-4 Iowa State.

6. Northwestern (3-2, 2-0): Defense must be for real after holding Penn State and Wisconsin to a combined 20 points.

7. Wisconsin (3-2, 0-1): Gaping holes at wide receiver aren't helping QB issues for Tanner McEvoy and Joel Stave.

8. Penn State (4-1, 1-1): Had bye week to recover from 29-6 Northwestern loss. Big opportunity Saturday at Michigan.

9. Rutgers (5-1, 1-1): Tied for third in the nation with four sacks per game. Bye week, then at Ohio State.

10. Maryland (4-2, 1-1): The Terps rank second-to-last in the Big Ten in total defense, allowing 451.2 yards per game.

11. Indiana (3-2, 0-1): Jekyll-and-Hyde Hoosiers play at Iowa on Saturday. Team that beat Missouri is dangerous.

12. Michigan (2-4, 0-2): The Wolverines are 1-9 in past 10 games against Power 5 conference schools and Notre Dame.

13. Purdue (3-3, 1-1): Boilers rushed for 349 yards against Illinois. Senior Akeem Hunt carried 30 times for 177.

14. Illinois (3-3, 0-2): Purdue loss might have sealed Tim Beckman's fate. Third-year coach is 1-17 in Big Ten games.