Gophers defensive line coach Jeff Phelps sent a generic tweet after the team received its latest recruiting commitment Sunday. It said, "Life as the DL Coach at The University of Minnesota just keeps getting better, one last piece of the plan remains! #blessed."
Coaches aren't allowed to comment on specific players, but the Gophers had just received a commitment from Winston DeLattiboudere, a defensive end from Ellicott City (Md.) Howard.
That gave the Gophers 24 commitments heading into national signing day on Wednesday. Here's a look at the full list. Phelps comment about "one last piece of the plan" is likely a reference to Jamal Milan, a defensive tackle from Chicago Raby, who plans to announce his decision on Wednesday. Milan's finalists are said to be Minnesota, Illinois and Indiana. He is a consensus three-star recruit.
DeLattiboudere was more under the radar, even though the Baltimore Sun named him its All-Metro Defensive Player of the Year last fall. He did not have a star rating with Rivals.com or 247Sports.com as of Sunday, but he has since been given two stars by Rivals and three stars by 247Sports.
What's interesting is DeLattiboudere didn't turn 17 until last week. He is 6-3, 215 pounds, so there appears to be some real upside there.
Today, on a conference call, ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill continued to sing Gophers coach Jerry Kill's praises.
"I called Jerry Kill the Bill Snyder of Minnesota because he's doing it through development," Luginbill said. "He's doing it through evaluation of not just the immediate guy but what a guy might be two to three years down the road, which is the hardest thing to do."
