Exodus of State Stars Haunts U
There he is again. This time cover boy
James Laurinaitis is one of three Ohio State
Buckeyes on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s college football
preview issue. The former Wayzata High School linebacker and other
Minnesota stars that chose to leave the state to play college football
elsewhere are an unpleasant reminder of a Gopher football
program that long ago went haywire.
Laurinaitis is the latest poster boy for
the Gopher problem. When he finishes his career at Ohio State after
this season he will be a three-time All-American. That’s extraordinary
but he was so good even as a sophomore that he won the Nagurski
Award as the nation’s best defensive player and last season earned the
Butkus Award given annually to America’s best linebacker.
Although his chances are minimal because of the position he plays, Laurinaitis is even considered a possibility to win college football’s
ultimate individual prize, the Heisman Trophy.
Earlier this year two of Minnesota’s top
three in-state recruits, wide receiver Michael Floyd of
Cretin-Derham Hall and tackle Willie Mobley of Eden Prairie,
chose to leave the state to play college football at Notre Dame and Ohio
State. Only Champlin Park linebacker Sam Maresh signed with the
Gophers and his football future is uncertain now because of recent heart
surgery.
In the 2008 NFL draft, John Carlson
of Litchfield was drafted as a tight end by Seattle on the second
round. Trevor Laws of Apple Valley was chosen as a defensive
tackle, going to Philadelphia in the second round. Carlson and Laws
played collegiately at Notre Dame.
Go back a few years and you can find
standout players like tight end Dominique Byrd who played at
Breck before attending national powerhouse Southern California where he
was a starter. Chris Weinke, another
former Cretin-Derham Hall player, became a Heisman Trophy winning
quarterback at Florida State in 2000.
Tim
Brewster’s critics scorched him for turning in a 1-11 record last season but I
can’t remember any of them pointing out the sub-par talent pool left
behind by the previous coaching staff. Attracting talented high school
football players from various parts of the country to Minnesota has been
and remains a challenge, but even more difficult to accept is that for
years now the Gophers have lost their pull in signing up the very best
players from the state, the kids who can choose most any school to
attend.
Until that changes, the Gopher program
will under achieve. For Exhibit A to support that statement, look east
to Wisconsin where the Badgers have built a program with a nice mix of
local and national standouts. Premium high school players are about as
rare in Dairyland as they are in the state of 10,000 lakes but when
they surface, the Badgers get them to Madison.
The Wisconsin program, once more dreadful
than the Gophers, was resurrected in the early 1990s and has been
gaining momentum since. January 1 bowl games are routine and wins
over Ohio State and Michigan fall under the category of possible, not
impossible. This year Wisconsin is predicted to be a top 15 team and
the most likely school to take the Big Ten Conference title away from Ohio State.
The Badger offense showcases the nation’s
best tight end, Travis Beckum from Milwaukee. Two years ago the
offense was built around offensive tackle Joe Thomas from
suburban Milwaukee , a player who was the third pick in the 2007 NFL
draft.
The Badgers keep the great ones home while
we watch our locals become cover boys in other uniforms. I will wager
more than a pound of premium cheese that Brewster, the best recruiting
head coach the Gophers have ever had, changes the paradigm and with it
the Gopher program.
