By Chris Monter
FOXSportsNorth.com
February 2, 2011
Minnesota head football coach Jerry Kill and his staff will announce their first recruiting class for the national signing day Wednesday. Their first Golden Gopher recruiting class includes three junior college transfer who have already enrolled and 17 high school or prep students.
The following is a look at the Minnesota recruiting class. There is a chance that there could be several additions to this group. Kill has also placed a premium on landing a good class of preferred walk-ons.
Michael Amaefula, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound defensive end from Arlington (Texas) Bowie, helped lead the Vols to a 7-4 record this season as he was named to the 4-5A All District first team and to the All-Metroplex squad. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to Midland. Amaefula finished with nine sacks as a senior.
Quinn Bauducco, a 6-foot-3, 225 pound linebacker from Moorpark (Calif.) High, was named All-Conference in California's Marmonte League. He committed to Minnesota in June. Bauducco is a three-year starter, who started as a sophomore at fullback and linebacker. He stuck exclusively to defense as a junior before playing tight end along with defense this year. He is known for ability to hit. Bauducco also throws shot put for the track team.
Joe Bjorklund, a 6-foot-6, 285-pound offensive tackle from Rosemount (MN) High, will join Minnesota in January as a greyshirt candidate. He helped lead the Irish to a 12-1 mark as they lost to Wayzata 31-14 in the Class 5A Prep Bowl. Bjorklund was named to the Star Tribune and Kare-11 All-Metro teams and the Minnesota Vikings, Associated Press and St. Pioneer Press All-State teams. He was one of ten finalists for the Mr. Football Award.
Foster Bush, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound from Menasha (Wis.) High, changed his mind and committed to Minnesota after having made a similar decision to Northern Illinois this past summer. Bush helped lead the Bluejays to a 10-2 mark, losing to Kimberly 34-27 in the second round of the Wisconsin Division II playoffs. They had also lost to the Papermakers (you have to love that nickname) in the regular season. Bush was named the offensive line MVP and the Bluejays were co-champions of the Fox Valley Association.
Josh Campion, a 6-foot-6, 320 offensive lineman who played at Fork Union Military Academy this season, originally committed to Minnesota in October of 2007. However, his arrival to the Twin Cites was slowed by academics and a back injury. The Fergus Falls native spent the past year at the Virginia prep school and the additional year of experience could allow him to contribute as a freshman next fall.
Drayquan Crawford, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound safety from Arizona Western (Ariz.) Community College, had four interceptions, a team high, for 70 yards and one touchdowns. He had 66 tackles (13 solos and 53 assists), two tackles for losses for 14 yards and tow forced fumbles. The Matadors advanced to a bowl game both years that Crawford was there after a 27 years drought. They finished 9-2 in 2009 and 10-2 in 2010 and back-to-back Western States Football League titles. Minnesota recruited his brother, Frank Crawford, who is at Mississippi. Crawford has already enrolled at Minnesota.
Devin Crawford-Tufts, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound wide receiver from Edina (Minn.) High, caught 32 passes for 475 and five touchdowns as a junior as Edina finished 4-5, losing to Minnetonka 39-0 in the first round of the Class AAAAA, Section 6 playoffs.
Crawford-Tufts also shined for the Edina track and field team, winning the 100 (10.75) and 200 meter (21.83) dash and finishing second in the long jump (21-9 1/4), despite rainy weather at the state championships.
Quentin Gardener, a 6-foot-1, 190 pound wide receiver from Denton (Texas) Guyer, caught 20 passes for 325 yards (16.3 yards per reception) with three touchdowns. He had three rushes for 24 yards for the Wildcats, who finished 13-3 losing to Cibolo Steele in the Class 5A Div II State Championship Game. Gardener has excellent speed with a 4.43 40-yard dash.
Drew Goodger, a 6-foot-5, 234-pound tight end from Shawnee Mission (Kan.) Northwest, was named to the Topeka Capitol-Journal All-State team. He had 103 tackles with 24 tackles for loss as a senior. Goodger also had l 6 sacks, 19 hurries, eight forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He finished his career with 174 tackles, 33 tackles for loss and 10 sacks. He had 18 catches for 185 yards and three touchdowns this season and 30 catches for 369 yards and four scores in his career.
Ge'Shun Harris, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound wide receiver from Arizona Western (Ariz.) Community College, caught 49 passes for 635 yards and eight touchdowns as a sophomore and had 31receptions for 620 yards and four scores in 2009. He is a teammate of fellow JC signee Drayquan Crawford.
Marcus Jones, a 5-foot-8, 162-pound defensive back from Wake Forest (N.C.) Rolesville who had committed to Northern Illinois in June, enrolled at Minnesota in January. Jones helped lead the Cougars to the 4-AA North Carolina state championship game, losing to Matthews Butler 44-0.
Grayson Levine, a 6-foot, 190-pound defensive back from Eden Prarie (Minn.) High, helped lead the Eagles to an 11-1 mark, losing to Brainerd in the Class 5A State Tournament quarterfinals. He finished with 47 tackles and three interceptions, one that was returned for a touchdown. Levine, who is an excellent student with a 3.7 GPA, was named to the Minnesota Vikings, Associated Press and St. Paul Pioneer Press All-State team. He was selected to Kare-11 and Minneapolis Star Tribune All-Metro teams
Jephete Matilus, a 6-foot-1, 218-pound linebacker from Delray Beach (Fla.) Atlantic, originally committed to Marshall. He switched his commitment to Minnesota to play alongside freshman running back Donnell Kirkwood, who was Jephete's high school teammate. Matilus led the Eagles to a 7-5 mark this season.
Kyle McAvoy, a 6-foot-6, 290
