Kelly spends two days at Minnesota

Minnesota has been a favorite for Oak Park, Mich., athlete John Kelly for several months, and this weekend the three-star athlete was in attendance to see the Golden Gophers host Northwestern.

"It pretty much is the best campus I've ever been to," Kelly said. "There are so many things to do there, then Minnesota has so many landmarks. There are a lot of things that would make somebody fall in love with the campus going up there for the first time."

Though this was not the first time Kelly had visited Minnesota, it was the first game he has attended at TCF Bank Stadium. The 5-foot-10, 191-pound Kelly could play either side of the football in college and Minnesota has not specified which side of the ball they prefer him at, s he was watching the offense and defense on Saturday.

"I liked how their DBs were getting after it," Kelly said. "At one point they had about seven DBs on the field at once."

Besides the campus and play of the defense, Kelly also enjoyed his time with the Minnesota coaching staff.

"I have been keeping in contact with pretty much the whole coaching staff," Kelly said. "They have been in contact with my head coach for a long time, so they have had a good relationship with us the whole time."

Kelly drove to Minnesota with his teammate, Junior McMullen, and one of his Oak Park coaches. They stayed in Minneapolis Saturday night, which gave Kelly the chance to spend time with the Minnesota players.

"We actually got a chance to hang out with basically the whole team because they all stay so close together," he said. "They were pretty cool - all of them."

One of the reasons Minnesota has been an attractive place for Kelly is that his father lives nearby, and they connected for part of this weekend's visit.

"My dad met us at the complex today and he and Coach (Jerry) Kill got a chance to kick it," Kelly said. "He said that wouldn't have a problem with me picking that school."

With his senior season off to a strong start, Kelly has had new teams showing interest. Two schools remain atop his list, however.

"It's still Michigan State and Minnesota," Kelly said. "I am definitely trying to take all my official visits."

A return to Minnesota is definitely in the plans for Kelly as part of his future official visits.