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Lakeville offensive lineman and preferred walk-on signee Eric Rousemiller wants to win a championship for the Gophers

By RYAN BURNS, 02/13/17, 3:00PM CST

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Lakeville (Minn.) South offensive lineman and new Gopher signee Eric Rousemiller is the latest Gopher to sign in the 2017 class and he went in-depth with GopherIllustrated.com to share more about his reasons to sign with Minnesota.

GopherIllustrated.com: What is your current height and weight? What weight would the Gopher staff like you to report at this summer?

Eric RousemillerI'm 6'4" and around 320 lbs, and I'll probably reporting a little lighter for camp.

GopherIllustrated.com: What are your individual and team goals you hope to accomplish during your college career?

ER: Individual Goal: Play, start, and earn a scholarship before I'm done there.Team goal: Big Ten champs and National champs!

GopherIllustrated.com: What are you looking to work on the most this spring to prepare yourself for Big Ten football?

ER: This spring I'll be working on lateral movement, speed, core strength, and overall physical endurance so I can compete in practice.

GopherIllustrated.com: What future moment are you looking forward to the most as a Gopher?

ER: The future moment I'm looking most forward to is when we win that National Championship!

GopherIllustrated.com: What was the main reason you chose to attend the University of Minnesota?

ER: I chose the U of M because it's my home. I've bled Maroon and Gold since I was a baby and everything fit academically and athletically. I can't wait to get there.

GopherIllustrated.com: What team do you want to beat the most as a Gopher and why?

ER: Obviously I want to beat teams like Michigan and Wisconsin for the trophies, but the team I want to beat the most is the one we play in the championship when we get there.

GopherIllustrated.com: Is there any unfinished academic business or are you all set to enroll at Minnesota?

ER: I'm all set to enroll! 

GopherIllustrated.com: If you don't make it to the NFL, where do you see yourself in 10 years?

ER: In 10 years, I see myself becoming an orthopedic surgeon working with athletes and doing what I can to get them back in the game.

GopherIllustrated.com: What is it about Coach Fleck and the coaching staff that makes you want to play for them?

ER: The energy and passion that these coaches bring is unparalleled by any staff I've met. I can't wait to get up every day and work my butt off for them because I know they will do the same.

GopherIllustrated.com: What is something you learned about University of Minnesota that surprised you during the recruiting process?

ER: Despite having 52,000 enrolled, the support they have for each individual student there is amazing!

GopherIllustrated.com: What position do you expect to play at Minnesota? What other position did the Gopher staff mention as a possibility?

ER: I'll probably play center. I haven't talked with the coaches about that yet, but I'd imagine they'd keep me there since I played four years of it in high school and know it well.

GopherIllustrated.com: What have the coaches told you regarding how they plan to utilize your strengths as a player?

ER: Using my power and explosiveness to move bodies and open holes, but then my savvy for the game to run play action and more dynamic plays with some zone type blocks. I'm excited to learn how I'll fit in with everything!

GopherIllustrated.com: Have you had any communication with other Minnesota recruits and if so what?

ER: I've had some communication with the other recruits, I know that there's a big group message with all of us in it and everybody is super excited for this fall!

GopherIllustrated.com: What player do you model your game after and why?

ER: The players I want to model myself most after are Jeff Saturday and Mike Webster. Both of these guys are tough as nails, blue collar centers that use there power and ferocity to get the job done--and they're the smartest guy on the field.