Hartman: Decker doesn't get overlooked anymore

If you want proof that football recruiting websites often miss on identifying the best players in the nation and that star-rating services often neglect great players, look no further than Denver Broncos star and former Gophers wide receiver Eric Decker, who will play a big role in this Sunday's Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks.

Decker was rated a two-star athlete coming out of Rocori High School in Cold Spring, despite having 2,156 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns in his high school career, and then-Gophers coach Glen Mason gave Decker his only Division I scholarship offer.

The first college coach to recognize Decker's talent was John Gagliardi at St. John's, who retired in 2012 with the most victories (489) of any coach in college football history. He said Decker would have played at his Division III school if the Gophers hadn't found him.

"I don't think very many people knew about how good he was here in our back yard at Cold Spring," Gagliardi said. "His high school quarterback [in Decker's sophomore year in high school, Alex Kofoed] was at St. John's, everything was here. He was pretty well set to go here, I think. He didn't register or anything because in the meantime, Glen Mason got a hold of the fact that he was a real good ballplayer and recruited him. That was the end of it for us."

Gagliardi was asked if any other major programs recruited Decker.

"I don't know that for a fact, but I don't think so," he said. "We looked like, he had attended all of our football camps and had his sister at [St. Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn.], they're only 10 miles away from us. It's like I say — his quarterback at high school, Kofoed, was over at St. John's playing for us and it looked like he might join him."

While Gagliardi was surprised no other colleges discovered Decker in high school, he also knows there are a lot of kids that go unnoticed despite their talent.

Decker became a standout for the Gophers in 2007 during his sophomore season when he grabbed 68 receptions for 909 yards and nine touchdowns.

The next two seasons would showcase Decker's outstanding talent despite enduring various injuries.

In 2008, Decker and the Gophers jumped out to a 7-1 record before losing their final five games. Decker had 833 receiving yards and five touchdowns through the first eight games of the season but then suffered a severely sprained ankle. He would total only 92 receiving yards and one TD for the rest of the regular season, though he would recover to post 149 receiving yards and a touchdown in the Gophers' Insight Bowl loss to Kansas.

In 2009, Decker had 50 receptions for 758 yards and five touchdowns through the first eight games. The Gophers were 4-4 overall and 2-2 in conference play when Decker went out because of a sprained left foot that ended his season and college career.

Gagliardi knew Decker could be great at Minnesota.

Decker was selected in the third round by the Broncos (87th overall) in the 2010 NFL draft and has only improved with each pro season.

He caught only six passes for one touchdown in his rookie year, but his workload increased dramatically in 2011 with 44 catches for 612 yards and eight touchdowns.

The Broncos signed Peyton Manning following that season and Decker has thrived working with the future Hall of Fame quarterback.

In 2012, he grabbed 85 receptions for 1,064 yards, a career-high 13 touchdowns and 52 first downs. This season he improved on almost all of those categories with career highs in receptions (87), yards (1,288), and first downs (63).

So here's a story of a player who was not highly rated by any recruiting services, yet developed into one of the best wide receivers in the world, signed a four-year contract for $3.3 million and is a free agent after this season. If the Broncos decide to place a franchise tag on him, a possibility if they can't sign him to a multiyear deal, he would make about $10.3 million next year.

• The Gophers had four football players enroll in the spring semester so they can take part in spring practice, including fullbacks Riley Oharah, and Miles Thomas of Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kan., where they had outstanding years. Gophers coach Jerry Kill said the graduation of fullback Mike Henry left a big hole for the team, so Oharah and Thomas will have a chance to play next season. The other two players to enroll this semester are linebacker Cody Poock from Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs and quarterback Dimonic McKinzy from Wyandotte High School in Kansas City.

• Twins President Dave St. Peter reported that since Target Field opened in 2010, local and national developers including Hines and United Properties have combined to invest more than $460 million in the North Loop neighborhood near the ballpark. … Former Twins chief financial officer Kevin Mather was named president of the Seattle Mariners last week. Mather worked for the Twins from 1989-96.

• The installation of lights at new Siebert Field started last Friday. The Gophers, entering their second year at the new ballpark, are scheduled to play their first home game of the 2014 season on March 26 against St. John's. The Gophers will play their first 20 games on the road.

• Former Gopher Kyle Okposo is sixth in NHL scoring with 23 goals and 34 assists in 54 games for the New York Islanders. … Another former Gopher, Phil Kessel, is tied for seventh in the league with 27 goals and 28 assists in 55 games for Toronto. … Former Gopher Blake Wheeler is tied with Bryan Little for the team lead in scoring for Winnipeg with 22 goals and 22 assists in 55 games. Former Roseau star Dustin Byfuglien is the Jets' third-leading scorer with 12 goals and 28 assists in 55 games.