The latest CBS Sports Mock Draft from Chris Trapasso has Minnesota fifth-year senior offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery going 32nd overall to the Kansas City Chiefs. Other draft insiders have also projected Ersery as a first-round choice.
While there is a long way until April, the fact that Ersery is being discussed as an early-round pick is proof of how far he has come since giving football a try in high school — and it’s a testament to the Gophers for finding and developing him.
AIREONTAE ERSERY’S LATE FOOTBALL START, EARLY RECRUITING ATTENTION
The story of a lifelong basketball player coming over to football in high school and earning a scholarship is becoming more common. High school coaches are pulling forwards off the hoops teams regularly now with the promise of college offers in football.
Ersery was a basketball player, although at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, he was not the typical longer the 6-foot-6-framed post player whom coaches see future millions in as an offensive tackle or edge rusher.
However, 6-foot-1, 220 pounds is still a good-sized freshman. That is why the coaches at Kansas City (Mo.) Ruskin pushed Ersery to try football after seeing him in the weight room.
First-round left tackle was not the thought at the time, though. A kid who could help them on defense? That was more likely.
So Ersery went out for football and embraced it. He took coaching, was in the weight room, worked out at home and worked to learn the game.
He changed his social media avatar to one in a football uniform. He was all in.
Following his sophomore season, Ersery was now 6-foot-3, 235 pounds and ready to for recruiting attention. He attended third-party camps like 810 Varsity’s in Kansas City and repped as a defensive lineman.
At his first college camp, Iowa State, the Cyclones had him rep on both sides of the ball. The clips are still available. He was clearly learning. His offensive tackle reps are raw, even in just his stance.
The idea that that raw, 240-pound kid in the blue helmet would be a first-rounder would have seemed like a leap to anyone at these camps. But leaps happen.
Ersery camped at Kansas. The Cyclones and Jayhawks kept tabs on him and invited him back for games.
His junior season was the next step of the leap. The bulk of that tape was on defense, but he also started at left tackle. Now 6-foot-5, 270 pounds and more comfortable with the game, Ersery looked like a scholarship prospect.
He was invited to The Opening Regionals — now defunct but, at the time, one of the more prestigious third-party events. He wrestled and threw for the track team, and college attention continued to pour in.
What he needed was an opportunity to showcase himself in front of college coaches. Lindenwood’s Mega Camp provided just that.
HOW THE LINDENWOOD MEGA CAMP CHANGED THE TRAJECTORY OF AIREONTAE ERSERY’S LIFE AND RECRUITMENT
As the concept of satellite camps took off, Division II, III and FCS programs took advantage. High-major FBS programs would never have their conference rivals attend their prospect camps, but a regional Division II program could be neutral ground for them.
Lindenwood was one of the first schools to host such an event, and it continues to this day. The camp is split into multiple sessions and by position groups. It happens typically at the end of May or right away in June and, a lot of years, kicks off the college camp season.
In 2019, that is exactly what it was — the beginning of the season. Hundreds of college coaches came to St. Charles, Missouri, for it, hustled through two days in the heat and then many flew right back to host their own prospect camps or to whatever the next mega-camp was.
Minnesota was one of several Big Ten schools that brought multiple staff members. For many of these schools, the challenge is to sift through who’s whom. The field is littered with players. The linemen are padded up and wearing their high school’s helmets and practice jerseys.
There was coach P.J. Fleck with a list Lindenwood’s staff prints out for all the coaches, keeping his eyes on the players whom the Gophers knew they wanted to evaluate going in while looking for anyone unknown risers who may catch their eyes.
Then-offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca recruited quarterbacks. But with one committed for that cycle already and another committed for the following cycle, he was able to roam and help evaluate at the other positions. Plus, this session was linemen only.
He saw something that he liked in Ersery, although he didn’t know his name at that time. Ciarrocca just called him “blue shorts.” Offensive line coach Brian Callahan took notice as well.
Soon enough, several Gopher coaches watched 1-on-1 drills — unique at this event, because they are padded — where Ersery excelled. He made 247Sports’ top five offensive performers.
Just prior to the camp, Northern Iowa had offered Ersery, becoming his first scholarship. He left Lindenwood with eight more. None were from schools that are now called Power Four, but those programs all wanted to keep in contact and some wanted him to come to their own camps on campus for further evaluation.
Couple clips of Kansas City (Mo.) Ruskin OT Aireontae Ersery from Lindenwood. He received several offers that day, then #Minnesota, who saw him there, offered today. https://t.co/uPIgz6qgcd @GobieMN @RyanBurnsMN pic.twitter.com/YZNtKb07xm
— Allen Trieu (@AllenTrieu) June 4, 2019
Minnesota knew that it wanted Ersery. Ciarrocca told Fleck that they needed to offer and get “blue shorts” committed.
But hoping to not tip their hand either, the Gophers went back to campus and wanted to offer and get an official visit set up in one go. They did that, finalizing an official visit for Ersery to come visit campus two weeks later, the Gophers’ “Summer Splash” weekend.
The day after the Gophers offered, Kansas and Kansas State both offered. While those schools were closer in proximity, Minnesota had gotten a 24-hour head start. That, coupled with Ersery’s experience with the Gopher staff at Lindenwood set the table for his official visit.
