5. Hartman chooses dream over other colleges
Tyler Hartman led the state in sacks as a junior defensive end at Andover High School, but an ACL injury shut down his senior season. Hartman has always wanted to play football for the Gophers, and he'll get the opportunity this fall as a preferred walk-on.

4. Lack of recruits in Minneapolis
It's not a secret anymore. Many of the city kids from Minneapolis aren't playing high school sports in their home city. Instead, they open enroll at suburban schools. This has become a major problem, not only on a competitive level, but for the Gophers and other top colleges trying recruit Minnesota's inner-city kids.

3. Hayes and Pirsig ready to block for Gophers
These two larger than life high school football players are two of the keys to Jerry Kill's 2012 recruiting class. Isaac Hayes, a dominant lineman from St. Thomas Academy, chose Minnesota over other high-profile schools like Virginia Tech. Jonah Pirsig, the 6-foot-9 inch 300 pound star from Blue Earth, could make an immediate impact in 2012.

2. Eden Prairie upsets No. 1 Minnetonka
It's going to be very difficult picking a state hockey champion in Class AA this year. For a while it looked like Duluth East was the team to beat, then Minnetonka ... now it looks like a wide open competition. Eden Prairie stunned the top-ranked Skippers last week, making the Lake Conference race very tight.

1. Andre McDonald chooses Gophers
Prep football fans might argue about who the state's top football player is, but according to most, it's Hopkins wide receiver Andre McDonald. He's expected to sign a scholarship offer from the Gophers on Wednesday. Once he puts his autograph on the paper, he'll be the first big time wide receiver to stay home since Eric Decker did more than five years ago.