Minnesota's Kill Starts First Class By Signing 22
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- New Minnesota coach Jerry Kill is starting to put his stamp on the program, beginning with 22 players signed to kick off his first recruiting class.
Kill said Wednesday he's pleased with his group, but he acknowledged that until any of them take the field for the Gophers they're all merely "paper tigers."
Rosemount offensive lineman Joe Bjorklund, Edina wide receiver Devin Crawford-Tufts, Eden Prairie safety Grayson Levine and Holy Family Catholic linebacker Peter Westerhaus are the Minnesotans in this class.
It also includes offensive lineman Josh Campion of Fergus Falls, who was originally signed by the Gophers two years ago. He got hurt, played last season at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia and is now enrolled at Minnesota.
Here is a list of players who signed letters of intent Wednesday to play at Minnesota. Included are each player's name, position, height, weight, hometown and school.
Michael Amaefula, de, 6-2, 218, Arlington, Tex., Bowie HS
Quinn Bauducco, lb, 6-3, 225, Moorpark, Calif., Moorpark HS
Joe Bjorklund, ol, 6-5, 285, Rosemount, Minn., Rosemount HS
Foster Bush, ol, 6-5, 270, Menasha, Wis., Menasha HS
Josh Campion (+), ol, 6-5, 320, Fergus Falls, Minn., Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy
Theiren Cockran, de, 6-6, 210, Homestead, Fla., Homestead HS
Devin Crawford-Tufts, wr, 6-2, 180, Edina, Minn., Edina HS
Drew Goodger, te, 6-5, 234, Shawnee Mission, Kan., Northwest HS
Ge'Shun Harris (+), wr, 6-3, 210, Corona, Calif., Arizona Western College
Chris Hawthorne (+), k, 6-4, 180, Raleigh, N.C., North Carolina State
Marcus Jones (+), db, 5-8, 170, Wake Forest, N.C., Rolesville HS
Quentin Gardener, wr, 6-0, 190, Denton, Tex., Guyer HS
Grayson Levine, db, 5-11, 195, Eden Prairie, Minn., Eden Prairie HS
Jephete Matilus, lb, 6-1, 218, Delray Beach, Fla., Atlantic HS
Kyle McAvoy, ol, 6-5, 293, Bloomington, Ill., Bloomington HS
Luke McAvoy, ol, 6-5, 278, Bloomington, Ill., Bloomington HS
Steven Montgomery, db, 5-10, 184, Miramar, Fla., Miramar HS
Tommy Olson, ol, 6-4, 275, Mahtomedi, Minn., Mahtomedi HS
John Rabe (+), te, 6-4, 245, Iowa Falls, Iowa, Ellsworth Community College
Max Shortell, qb, 6-6, 215, Shawnee Mission, Kan., Bishop Miege HS
Derrick Wells, db, 6-0, 180, Lehigh Acres, Fla., Lehigh HS
Peter Westerhaus, lb, 6-3, 205, Chanhassen, Minn., Holy Family Catholic HS
(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)