It's been a long held joke, especially since the end of the Glen Mason era and start of the Tim Brewster era that Minnesota was in-state recruiting for Wisconsin. However, the hire of Jerry Kill, a very underrated and hard working recruiter has begun to change a lot of that. You could even say that once again the battles off the field for recruits is becoming as big as the on the field battle for the axe between these two schools.
Currently Wisconsin has six members of their team from Minnesota, which includes defensive line starters Brendan Kelly (Eden Prairie) and Beau Allen (Minnetonka).
On the flip side Minnesota's roster has thirteen players from the state of Wisconsin, with four of them being starters. Those four are Cameron Botticelli (Milwaukee) at defensive tackle, Zac Epping (Kenosha) at offensive line, Jake Filkins (Prescott) at long snapper, and David Schwerman (Kettle Moraine) at holder.
So, despite the 8 game winning streak there's a lot at stake for players who've "crossed the border" so to speak. But looking to the future the state of Wisconsin is becoming a huge battleground for players both at the scholarship level and the preferred walk-on level for the Badgers.
That status has been a huge draw in getting in-state talent to stay in the state while also allowing scholarships to go out to players from other areas of the country. UW has always been good at taking care of it's business in the state of Wisconsin on the scholarship front as well, locking down the top rated players in the state on a nearly annual basis.
However, with the increased profile of high school football and the numbers of teams becoming interested in Wisconsin state prospects the battles are heating up, sort of.
The results aren't there currently as the Gophers haven't been able to steal a lot of players out of the state that Wisconsin has been high on itself, but Kill has been working hard to plant the seeds in fertile recruiting areas like the Milwaukee and western Wisconsin.
Minnesota has been smart in going after players Wisconsin would've liked to add as walk-on's and offer them scholarships from time to time. One such player is current Gophers commit Owen Salzwedel, a defensive end from Beaver Dam. He could've been a walk-on for Wisconsin but the offer of a Big Ten scholarship sent him across the border to the Gophs for the 2013 class.
But the more interesting thing on the recruiting trail is how quickly Kill has circled the wagons inside the state of Minnesota and really taken root with some of the biggest recruits the state has had to offer. While the results aren't great for the 2013 class as the top prospects are all leaving for other Big Ten schools or Notre Dame, it's about planting seeds with high school coaches and that takes time thanks to Brewster's masterful relationship in recruiting circles.
Just because the fence is being built doesn't mean it's fully constructed, and Wisconsin has still been very active in the Land of Less Lakes than Wisconsin. They grabbed a verbal commitment from one of the top rated players in the state in defensive back Keelon Brookins for the 2013 class.
The one player that could really be telling is actually in the 2014 class and that's Jeff Jones, a running back from Minneapolis, MN. He's got interest and offers from just about a who's who list of Big Ten and Big 12 schools including the likes of the Gophers, Badgers, and Michigan State. His recruitment could be hugely telling as to the success that Kill is having with the home state kids.
Jones has camped at Wisconsin this past offseason and has taken two unofficial visits to Minnesota in the month of September. Not exactly shocking since he is from Minneapolis and all, but clearly both schools could be high up on his list with those types of things occurring.
One thing is for sure, Jerry Kill is a heck of a football coach and a relentless worker, so while it's only year two it's clear that both sides will have to work harder than ever to get players to cross that border in what's sure to be a battle that's as heated on the recruiting trail as on the field. It's something to really keep an eye on if for some reason the Gophers actually become more than a fringe bowl team under Kill's leadership.
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