Jan. 19, 2007: Brewster faces tough recruiting test in state

The class of 2008 will offer a true measure of the new Gophers football coach's sales skills.

By John Millea, Star Tribune

Last update: July 12, 2007 - 2:04 PM

At his introductory news conference Wednesday, new Gophers football coach Tim Brewster stood in front of a brick wall inside the McNamara Alumni Center. That's fitting because of Brewster's vow to keep the best Minnesota high school players from going over the wall at recruiting time.

"Our success will be determined by our ability to recruit the state of Minnesota, and I'm going to personally do that myself," he said. "I want each and every kid to know I'm going to be in touch and talk to them."

They are waiting for the phone to ring, because the previous regime didn't have the same philosophy.

Among Brewster's first duties is to deal with the Class of 2007. He needs to make sure those who have verbal commitments to the Gophers follow through on signing day next month. He also will try to sway some of those who have verbally gone over the wall to reconsider the Gophers.

Brewster's first major recruiting test, however, will be the Class of 2008. His recruiting of Minnesota's current high school juniors will set the tone for his Gophers career. And he has some work to do since former coach Glen Mason didn't exactly wow those kids.

The top juniors in Minnesota are Cretin-Derham Hall wide receiver Michael Floyd, Eden Prairie defensive lineman Willie Mobley and Champlin Park linebacker Sam Maresh.

Was it a coincidence that, the day before Brewster was introduced as the new coach, Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis was in St. Paul to visit Cretin-Derham Hall and watch Floyd play basketball? Maybe, but that's the kind of competition Brewster faces.

The list of schools that have offered scholarships to the 6-1, 175-pound Floyd includes the Gophers, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Iowa, Southern California and Michigan. As Eden Prairie coach Mike Grant said, Floyd "can anoint whatever school he wants as his choice."

Mobley told me his top three schools are Wisconsin, Florida and Iowa. Maresh's top two are Wisconsin and Iowa. Both of those players said they are leaning toward those schools because they have had face-to-face contact with coaches from those schools.

Mobley and Maresh said they never had a face-to-face chat with Glen Mason or any of his assistants.

"I wasn't really getting recruited by the Mason-era Gophers," said Mobley, 6-2, 250 pounds. "I wish my own hometown school was more interested."

Warning to Brewster: Ohio State visited Mobley's school Tuesday, adding another ladder to the brick wall.

The 6-3, 250-pound Maresh, who was a state wrestling champion last year as a sophomore, said he has received letters from the Gophers. On the other hand ...

"Iowa and Wisconsin have been looking at me a lot," he said. "They've been coming to my school and visiting a lot. Those two have been on top of my list for the last year."

If Brewster fails to land Floyd, Mobley and Maresh, it will be a disaster for the new coach. And if they sign with, say, Ohio State, Wisconsin or Iowa, it will be a Big Ten-caliber triple disaster.

While Brewster's news conference was unfolding, I Googled the word "horoscopes." I clicked on the first entry to pop up and inserted Brewster's birthday (Oct. 13, 1960). His reading from the stars for Wednesday, his first day on the job, was this: "Your current story line might need some plot tweaks, especially when it comes to your work. Sit down and draw up a goals sheet. Think about how you'd like to see your future unfold. A change of scenery might be just the thing."

The change of scenery has happened. We will see how the future unfolds. But that goals sheet better contain these three words: "Floyd. Mobley. Maresh."