Suddenly, it looks like Minnesota's unprecedented collapse at the Insight Bowl has become the greatest thing to happen to the Gophers since Bronko Nagurski.

OK, that's a little rich on the hyperbole, but Minnesota's program appears on the upswing after Glen Mason's hasty firing shortly after the Insight Bowl and the mid-January hiring of Denver Broncos tight ends coach Tim Brewster.

With essentially two weeks to put together a recruiting class, Brewster turned on his considerable charm and lured five players in the 22-man group announced Wednesday.

While most of the recruits (including five junior-college transfers already on campus) committed to Mason before his firing, the fistful that Brewster brought in showed he plans to take a back seat to no one in years to come.

For starters, Brewster stole a four-star quarterback from Illinois less than 72 hours before signing day. Yes, the quarterback happens to be his son, Clint, but the youngster said even after his father's hiring that he was 100 percent solid with Illinois.

Brewster also gave the Gophers' athleticism an upgrade when he brought in 5-foot-8 Harold Howell from Jacksonville, Fla. Howell can be a cornerback, slot receiver, kick receiver -- or a combination of all three.

"Harold Howell is one of the most dynamic high school football players in the country today," Brewster said. "He can do some unbelievable things with the football and has great speed. He is absolutely electrifying."

Minnesota addressed every position on the field, but it's intriguing to note that seven of the recruits could be ticketed for the defensive backfield.

That's one of the places where the Gophers suffered all of last year -- never more so than during Texas Tech's 31-point comeback in the Insight Bowl.

TOP RECRUITS:

--QB Clint Brewster, Denver -- We're not saying Brewster was the greatest prep quarterback in the country. But when the four-star recruit switched from Illinois to Minnesota in the days leading up to national letter of intent day, the Gophers' pair of quarterback recruits quickly uncommitted. In his senior year, the new coach's middle son completed 63 percent of his passes for 2,257 yards and 27 touchdowns. While it's not likely he'll overcome redshirt freshman Adam Weber for the quarterback job, it's not out of the realm of possibility.

--RB Andre Tate, Mendota Heights -- Minnesota might be switching to a spread offense, but there will still be plenty of opportunities to run the ball. This Minnesota product has the size (6-2, 215) to be a workhorse and he piled up 2,800 rushing yards in his final two prep seasons.

--ATH Harold Howell, Jacksonville, Fla. -- Though just 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, Howell sounds like a kid with an unbelievable nose for the end zone. In his senior year, Howell scored 7 touchdowns on offense while returning four punts, three kicks and two fumbles for scores. Look for him to contribute immediately.

--When first-time head coach Tim Brewster took over on Jan. 17, he decided to bring in an entirely new staff with him.

He pulled in people from all across the country and from all levels of the game, including Cal offensive coordinator Mike Dunbar (to serve in the same role) and Tennessee Titans defensive backs coach Everett Withers to be defensive coordinator.

Dunbar will install the spread offense that worked so well at Northwestern with Brett Basanez at the controls, while Withers expects to be the 4-3 to be his base defense with lots of tricks up his sleeve.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "If he's good enough to play, he's going to play. If he's not good enough, it will be very obvious to everybody and he won't play. He will earn his ability to get on the field just like everyone in this program." -- Coach Tim Brewster on his son, Clint, an incoming freshman who'll be one of four quarterbacks vying to replace Bryan Cupito.

GLANCE AT 2007: With a new system to learn and several holes to fill on offense -- including a gaping one at quarterback -- it seems likely Minnesota must endure some struggles before getting up to speed. On the other hand, there are nine starters returning from a so-so defense. Maybe their experience can get the Gophers enough wins early that they can somehow reach a bowl game again.

PRO POTENTIAL: The NFL invited just two Gophers to its combine later this month -- and one of them didn't play for Minnesota last year. Running back Gary Russell, who was academically ineligible, declared for the draft and apparently piqued the pros' interest.

--TE Matt Spaeth received an invite to the combine, but he's still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery and figures to go to Indianapolis solely to interview with the teams. As the John Mackey Award winner, Spaeth doesn't need to prove his abilities to anyone. Look for him to be long gone when Day 1 of the draft ends.

ROSTER REPORT: LB Logan Uu was part of the 22-man recruiting class that signed Wednesday, but he's going to be behind his classmates. Tim Brewster announced Uu recently underwent knee surgery and will miss spring practice.