Two of the Gophers' most memorable players through two games this season were mostly forgotten on the 2014 recruiting landscape.
Running back Rodney Smith, of Jonesboro, Ga., said he casually communicated with Georgia, Virginia Tech and Auburn before he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in his knee as a high school junior.
"After I tore it, they all fell off," Smith said.
Smith stuck with Minnesota after a late scholarship offer from Georgia Tech. Now, he is the Gophers' leading rusher with 37 carries for 196 yards and a touchdown.
Defensive tackle Steven Richardson of Chicago was under-recruited because of his height, which is generously listed at 6 feet.