Florida Defensive Lineman talks Minnesota Football

Minnesota has a lot of talent and depth to their defense in the 2009-2010 season. You can never have to much depth though when it comes to the men in the trenches. With two senior defensive tackles departing at the end of this season the gophers will look to pick up some young talent to fill the depth chart.

Antonio Ford is a 6'3 272lb defensive tackle out of Pahokee High School in Pahokee, FL. As Ford recently kicked off his senior season he had a lot of things in mind including improving his skills. His skill on the field makes him a commodity for many of the division one schools in the NCAA.

We caught up with Ford this week and he had this to say about what makes him such a huge pick up. “I am a really hard worker. I give my all on every play. I never give up. I have a lot to work on though, but I am a very coach able athlete”. This also sparked some interest for ford in Coach Hammock and Cross. “They are really good guys. I enjoy talking to them a lot. They are just really cool.”

When you have the kind of talent that Ford has the list is long for programs with interest. Some of those programs include our own Minnesota along with Wake Forest, Purdue, Oklahoma State, and Louisville. He has not yet narrowed his list down though and is surely keeping his options open.

Ford and the Minnesota coaching staff have not yet come to an agreement on when he will be coming for his official visit. When asked Ford had this to say, “Coach Hammock and I are currently in the process of getting me to Minnesota to see a game and check out the University.” Antonio has however set up official visits with Purdue, Wake Forest, and West Virginia so far this season.

This summer was not to busy for Ford. He would like to have made a few more camps but he was pleased that he got to attend a few in state camps. He attended camps at the University of Florida and FIU. Other than that it was the normal summer practice schedule and lifting.
Antonio has not yet gotten a chance to see the school and the area but he is sure looking forward to it. When we asked him about his opinion on the school and the area from what he has seen so far he had this to say. “It looks like a really nice place. They seem to have a pretty good set up. I cant wait to actually see it in person.”

Ford is a good student as well as an athlete. He held a 2.8gpa at the end of his junior year. Antonio has been looking into the Universities Accounting program which is what he intends to major in wherever he ends up at the end of this long recruiting process.

We look forward to following Antonio Ford on his recruiting path this season as well as the rest of
the 2010 recruiting class of the University of Minnesota. Stay tuned to for follow up interviews and in depth game break downs for your golden gophers this season. Gopherzone.com were you hear it first.

Defensive Line Coach Tim Cross Takes a look into the state of Texas at this diversified athlete

As the 2009-2010 football season kicks off the Minnesota coaching staff will be looking to add talent and depth to their already skilled squad. One athlete out of the state of Texas in particular will be getting a good look from the gopher staff this season.

Josh Allen is 6'3 260 lb athlete from Cedar Hill High School in Cedar Hill, TX. Currently Josh plays center for his high school squad but with the diversity of this kid he could play anywhere on the field. Allen is full of potential and will be a big pick up for any program.

When we caught up with Allen this week and asked him what makes him a key pick up for one of these fine programs and he had this to say “I am a great athlete. I work very hard, harder than anyone. The harder I work the further I will go”.

Although Allen only has one offer from Minnesota at this time, I do not believe that shows any reflection on his skill. Among Minnesota on his list of interests are Kansas, Kansas State, Nebraska, Northwestern Kentucky, SMU, Texas A&M, UNT, and UTEP. Although there is nothing official at this point UTEP and UNT were said to be pushing to offer Allen.

Josh has not made it out to any of his schools of interest so far in his recruiting process. He is however excited for his official visit to the Minnesota on October 31, 2009 to watch the Golden Gophers in their Big Ten match up with Michigan State. When asked about his up coming visit to Minnesota Allen said this “ Im really excited about my up coming visit. I cant wait to see what they have to offer. See what the campus life is like. It will be a great experience.”

Not only will Allen be looking for a good football program to join next season but he will also have his eyes set on schools with a good Mechanical Engineering program. At the end of Allens junior year he carried a 3.0gpa.This gives hope to the coaching staff knowing that he will be attending class and no concern of missed time for grades. Something that can plague a young collegiate athlete.

We look forward to following Josh Allen on his recruiting path this season as well as the rest of the 2010 recruiting class for Minnesota. Stay tuned to for follow up interviews and in depth game break downs for your golden gophers this season. Gopherzone.com were you hear it first.

Valencia California Native talks Minnesota

Minnesota is pretty set in their defensive back field for this season. However with the departure of senior corner back Traye Simmons coming at the end of this season, the golden gophers are looking to add a little depth to their roster. Coaches Lee and Brewster will be turning their heads to California this season for a couple possibilities.

Brock Vereen is a 5'11 175lb corner back out of Valenica high school in Valencia, California. Vereen starts out his senior season with high hopes. He has already been named to the 2009 All area football team following his defensive player of the year and 2nd team all state awards in 2008.

When asked about what it is that he would bring to the table for these schools Vereen said this “I am a fast and physical player. I am a very coach-able player and I am looking to improve my abilities”.

Offers have not pored in for Brock so far in his recruiting trail but he has seen a lot of attention. At this time he holds only two offers from Minnesota and Stanford. He has however been in constant contact with Arizona, CAL, Oregon, UNLV, TCU, and Washington. They have all requested game film from Vereen after his third game this season.

Vereen was pretty busy this summer with lifting and practice. He did have a little time to make a few unofficial visits to the CAL and UNLV to watch summer practice. At this point Vereen doesn't have any visits scheduled but he has been in conversation with Coach Lee for an official visit to Minnesota. “Coach Lee and I have been talking about me coming up there. Hes going to put together a few games for me to choose from so I can pick which one fits my schedule best.” Vereen said.

It's not always easy these days for coaches to find “student” athletes. That's right I emphasize student because there is not a lot of athletes today that are at the top of their game on the field and in the class room. Verren however is the prototype of it. At the end of brocks junior year he carried a 3.6gpa and was awarded with the Scholastic Award as well. Vereen has not yet made up his mind on a major just yet but has said that he would like to possibly study communications or game productions.

Although Vereen has not yet visited the University of Minnesota he does have a little bit of insight on the area. When asked about the area and what he thought brock said this “ I really like the area. It has a nice feel to it. The campus from what ive seen is beautiful.”

We look forward to following Brock Vereen on his recruiting path this season as well as the rest of the 2010 recruiting class for Minnesota. Stay tuned to for follow up interviews and in depth game break downs for your golden gophers this season. Gopherzone.com were you hear it first.

Colorado Athlete Loves Minnesota

Boulder, Colorado athlete Kenny Bell was recently in Minneapolis to visit the campus of the University of Minnesota and he came away thoroughly impressed by what he saw and experienced.

"It was amazing man," exclaimed the 6-foot-2 inch Bell. "I saw everything. I saw the facilities, which are great. The campus and the student union, I mean everything was just awesome, I loved it there."

The visit was short lasting just under two days, but while on campus Bell says that he got a chance to take in everything that he would want to. Even though the sights and sounds were more than he thought, the people really blew Bell away.

"I love the coaching staff man," said the Fairview High School product. "Coach Cross is technically my lead recruiter. I like him and Coach Brew man is awesome. The work that staff has put in and continues to put in trying to build that program is amazing. They are building something fun and special up there. I can very easily see myself playing there."

The unofficial visit went so well for Bell that he not only thought about committing but he talked to his mother while on the visit about the decision.

"I thought about it a lot when I was there," Bell admitted. "My mother and I talked about it and I decided to wait and see some other schools and see what happens but Minnesota is definitely my number one school by far. My mom can see me going there and I can see myself playing there."

Bell is hearing from other schools beyong the Golden Gophers. Currently Bell holds four offers from Minnesota, Texas Tech, Idaho and Colorado State. In addition to the offers, Bell is hearing from a host of other schools including Pacific-10 Bay Area schools Cal and Stanford and his home state Colorado, who may be close to offering according to Kenny.

"I think CU might be going to offer me soon," he said. "I am going up there to see them and talk and I am also going to see some other schools like Cal and Stanford. I think CU is going to offer but I am not too sure."

Kenny Bell has a 3.23 GPA and is in the process of signing up for an ACT retake.