MINNEAPOLIS WASHBURN'S RA'SHEDE MAKES PROGRESS

This is a story I found on Gopher Hole by Nadian Babu about Minneapolis Washburn's Ra'Shede Hegeman. The road to becoming one of the nation’s premier high school TEs hasn’t been a typical one for Ra’Shede Hageman. From playing at Washburn High School in Minneapolis as opposed to transferring to talent-rich Eden Prairie or Wayzata, to thriving in a nontraditional home life, Hageman has used hard work, a close family and life experiences to put him in position to choose where he wants to play college football and pursuit an education. At 6-6, 260lbs, Hageman has worked his way to becoming one of the most coveted TEs in the nation and touts an offer list that few can match including Ohio State, Florida, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and of course his hometown Golden Gophers among many other options.

But the road to elite national recruit wasn’t easy. In a detailed and in-depth two part interview, GopherHole.com profiles Hageman through the eyes of his father, Eric Hageman, and Ra’Shede himself. Eric discusses Ra’Shede’s recruitment and the factors that are going into their decision-making process, the easy decision to stay at Washburn HS, as well as detailing Eric and his wife’s decision to adopt Ra’Shede and his younger brother Xavier when Ra’Shede was seven years old.

Few interviews get this in-depth through the eyes of both parent and recruit, but it reveals the incredible relationship that families have and how love and support are imperative to an individual fulfilling a life dream and one’s fullest potential.

GH: What is your association with the University of Minnesota?

EH: I went to the U for law school. My wife went there for undergrad, and went there for law school as well, so that’s where we met.

GH: Where did you go to undergrad?

EH: Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. I played defensive back on the football team there in the late 80’s.

GH: So, are you a big Gopher fan, or do your root for your undergrad?

EH: It’s hard to root for Ivy League football, so I am a Gopher fan. I grew up listening to Ray Christensen so I’ve been a huge fan all of my life.

GH: Would you love to see Ra’Shede wear maroon and gold?

EH: Yes. Absolutely, that would be my preference.

GH: What kind of influence do you have over his decision?

EH: I don’t know. He will take it into consideration, and I think ideally he’d like to stay home and go to the University of Minnesota. That’s not the only consideration for him; it’s one. He wants to go somewhere that has a strong football program. I think the biggest thing right now that’s been holding him back, is he wants to wait and see if the Gophers truly have turned the corner. I keep telling him that they have and their program is on the upswing, but he needs to see that with his own eyes and not just listen to the hype from me and Coach Brewster.

GH: Do you think that’s the only thing that’s prohibiting him from committing to the U? Do you think if Minnesota does well this year, that will be the deciding factor?

EH: I don’t know if it’s the only deciding factor, but it’s a big one; it will go a long way to help him decide. I am pretty sure that if the Gophers on-field performance was on par with those other schools (Florida, Ohio State, and Wisconsin), he already would’ve committed to the Gophers.

GH: On the flip side, how important is it to him to get playing time right away? He could probably make an immediate impact at the U, where as at a program like OSU, he may have to sit out for a few years.

EH: I don’t think he really looks at it like that at all, I think he’s confident enough in his abilities that he feels he can be able to come in and play fairly quickly. I don’t think it’s a huge factor.

GH: There have been some rumors about him possibly not passing NCAA Clearinghouse, can you comment on that?

EH: We don’t know yet, he does have his whole senior year ahead of him. I think he’s going to work hard his senior year, and hopefully that won’t be a problem. Obviously, the coaches feel that he’s going to be a qualifier, and I think that helps him to know that if the coaches think he can do it, he’s just got to do it.

GH: Is the problem mainly with the ACT and having to re-take that?

EH: Yes, but like with anything, it is a combination of grades and the ACT. He’s got to bring up one or the other, or both, preferably. Hopefully that will happen; I think it will.

GH: As far as academics go, what kind of tools has Minnesota told you about to ensure that he is academically successful when he gets to college?

EH: I think almost any Division-one program has academic support programs in place, and it’s hard for me to differentiate between them all. All of them offer lots of help; however much you need basically. If you need more intensive one-on-one tutoring, they can offer that, if you just need study group time, they offer that. I feel confident that wherever he goes, there will be academic support for him, and it’s reassuring to know that as an athlete you get more academic help than the average undergraduate.

GH: There aren’t many top football players that come out of the city of Minneapolis public schools, most are in the suburbs and private schools. Did you ever think of transferring Ra’Shede to one of the football powerhouses?

EH: No way! No way! We are committed to the city, and certainly, we want to help support the city of Minneapolis, and Minneapolis public schools. My wife is a Minneapolis South graduate, we live in the city, and we think this is important. We thing it’s unfortunate that people have felt like they need to leave the city of Minneapolis to have opportunities because it’s just a matter of making the most of what’s there. We want to make the situation better, not make it worse by leaving. A lot of people had given up on the quality of play in the city, both in football and basketball, but we think that Washburn is poised to be a strong contender in both sports this year. Hopefully we’re going to help the resurgence of Minneapolis!

GH: Ra’Shede excels in both football and basketball, why didn’t he play in the Howard Pulley league this summer? Was it to focus on football?

EH: He played Pulley the past three years, after his 8th, 9th and 10th grade years, he but not this summer. It was a really intense commitment; Pulley involves a lot of travel to a lot of different places and long bus rides. He really, truly loves playing basketball; it was just daunting to have another summer of that much travel when he wanted to be doing some other things. He wanted to be able to work out at Game Speed Academy and be part of the training program at Washburn.

GH: Ra’Shede’s friends with a lot of the other top players in the state, has their decisions on where to attend school influenced him at all?

EH: I don’t think so at all. They are friends in the sense that they are friendly with each other and they all communicate on Myspace or text each other and talk a little bit, but they’re not the kind of friends that spend a lot of time hanging out together. I think he’s known Moses (Alipate) for a long time, they played basketball together, and they’re certainly friends, but it’s not the kind of intense friendship that would influence a college decision.

GH: You have a very unique family situation, in that you have adopted Ra’Shede and his brother. Do you mind answering a few questions on that?

EH: I suppose so, Ra’Shede is a little reluctant to talk too much about that because he doesn’t want to highlight that aspect of his life too much. Obviously, he’s adopted, he’s never been able to hide the fact that he’s adopted, his parents are two white lawyers and we don’t look like him (laughing).

GH: How old was he when you adopted him?

EH: He was about 7 and a half, and his brother (Xavier) is a year and a half younger.

GH: How did you and your wife come about the decision to adopt?

EH: We wanted to adopt first, and integrate children into our family before having biological children (they have 3 biological children ages 6, 2, and 10 months). We wanted to make a difference. There are tons and tons of kids that are in foster care in Minneapolis. I mean, you see pictures on bus stops all the time, 348-ADOPT, they all need homes. We wanted to do something that would help make a difference in people’s lives. When my wife was in law school, she worked for an organization called the American Council on Adoptable Children. It basically works with kids that are considered “special needs” adoption, or hard to place kids because they’re older, or sibling groups, people tend to want to adopt only babies, or just want to adopt one kid. If you’re older, and there’s two of you that need adopting, it’s very difficult. Ra’Shede and Xavier had been in 12 different foster care placements. Then they actually entered an adoptive placement that failed, and that was a disaster for them. Then they got sent back into foster care. We just wanted to do something to make our lives more meaningful.

GH: That’s quite a challenge to take on.

EH: Well, Ra’Shede is 6’6, 263 pounds, the grocery bill is going to be a little heavy these days (laughing)!

GH: At least you didn’t adopt Michael Phelps, he consumes 12,000 calories a day!

EH: I don’t know, Ra’Shede could give him a run for his money. He seems to gain weight at a rather rapid pace, a little out of control.

GH: I know you’ve made it to Wisconsin and Ohio State, have you made it Florida as well?

EH: I sent Ra’Shede down there with his coach in June. They met up with Coach Meyer. I didn’t get a chance to go, but I heard reports on how it went, and it sounds like it was a good visit. All these places, everywhere you go, they have incredible facilities, stadiums, and a lot of it comes down to the people because the facilities are all great.

GH: Where have you been most impressed with the people?

EH: I like them all. Coach Lewis for the Gophers is great. Ra’Shede really likes him a lot as his position coach; that’s been a good relationship. With almost all the coaches that are involved in recurring Ra’Shede, I like them personally. I couldn’t really differentiate too much. The Coach that’s recruiting Ra’Shede at Wisconsin, Bob Bostad, he’s a great guy too. The person you have most contact with is not the head coach, and that’s true of every school. At Florida, it’s John Hevesy, at WI it’s Bob Bostad, at OSU, it’s Dick Tressel, Jim’s brother. Those are the contact people, they’re the ones you know, the ones that come to the school, email you, and send letters.

GH: What’s next for Ra’Shede?

EH: I don’t know the schedule yet, no visits have been set up. I know that he wants do official visits, the issue is the time – whether it will work out during the season or after.

GH: When do you think he may commit?

EH: I’m not sure. I know he wants to feel confident about his academic situation before he commits, and he wants to take the ACT again, and feel better about it. Talk to him, he’s in no hurry to commit. He doesn’t feel any pressure at all. I know a lot of people are exhorting pressure on him, but he’s going to take his time. Ra’Shede is not very caught up in it. He certainly is willing to wait and see.

GH: Have any schools put deadlines on you?

EH: It’s hard to say exactly. So far no schools have put that kind of pressure of him. I know Ohio State has a class that’s almost filled up – yet they still said they have a spot for him, and they’ll wait for him. That could change, if all the sudden, they have some great tight end that wanted to go there, they do already have one. Florida has one tight end that’s already committed too. Now, if they have another tight end commit, they might say “we’re full,” but Ra’Shede doesn’t seem to care about that. If it happens, it happens. I think his feeling is, if a school wanted him enough, they’d make sure they had room for him. The Gophers have been good with that, they have never indicated that they might fill up and there may not be room for him. Wisconsin has also made that very, very clear, that they’ll wait as long as it takes, no pressure, no matter when he decides, there will always be a spot for him.

Ra'Shede Hageman on eating, recruiting and persevering Date: August 19, 2008Topic: Football Recruiting A phone call from Jim Tressel. A voicemail from Urban Meyer. A pat on the back from Tim Brewster. Another letter in the mail from that coach at Wisconsin. Throw in eating two breakfasts’, two lunches, two dinners and at least three snacks – all intertwined between two workouts a day – and there is the life of Ra’Shede Hageman, one of the nation’s top TE prospects, and the recipient of much admiration from Gopher fans. At 6’6”, 260lbs, Hageman is a coach’s dream, and as the former TE coach for the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos, Coach Brewster knows as well as anyone what it takes to get to the NFL, and that is the reason he is one of the Gophers top recruiting targets in 2009...A phone call from Jim Tressel. A voicemail from Urban Meyer. A pat on the back from Tim Brewster. Another letter in the mail from that coach at Wisconsin. Throw in eating two breakfasts’, two lunches, two dinners and at least three snacks – all intertwined between two workouts a day – and there is the life of Ra’Shede Hageman, one of the nation’s top TE prospects, and the recipient of much admiration from Gopher fans. At 6’6”, 260lbs, Hageman is a coach’s dream, and as the former TE coach for the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos, Coach Brewster knows as well as anyone what it takes to get to the NFL, and that is the reason he is one of the Gophers top recruiting targets in 2009. But Brewster’s goal of working with Hageman like he did Antonio Gates won’t be easy as two of the nation’s premier programs – Ohio State and Florida – have visions of the Minneapolis product playing in Columbus or Gainesville.

In a Part 2 of GopherHole’s in-depth conversation with the Hageman family, Ra’Shede discusses the recruiting battle that will have some of the nation’s top coaches filing the stands at Washburn High School this season, the intense workout routine he battles through twice a day, and the impact that his parents have had on his life.

GH: You’re generally listed as a tight end, is that what schools are recruiting you as? Or can you play other positions?

RH: Yes, they are recruiting me as a tight end. I can also play defensive end.

GH: Is defensive end a position you’d be willing to play?

RH: Yes.

GH: You seem to be growing bigger every day, is there going to come a time where you may be too big to play tight end?

RH: Right now, no. But when I do go to college, and they start feeding me the right way and I start lifting the right way, then it may be a possibility that I’d get too big.

GH: How big are you now?

RH: I’m 6’6 and I weigh 260 pounds.

GH: Your Dad (Eric Hageman) mentioned that you consume a lot of food, what is a typical meal plan for you?

RH: I eat two breakfasts, and then a snack, 2 lunches, a snack in between, 2 dinners, and then a midnight snack. I continuously eat. Not fatty fast food things like cheeseburgers but rather sandwiches, Subway, Chipotle, Quiznos, ribs, and pork sandwiches.

GH: What is your workout schedule?

RH: In the mornings, I wake up by 7 am, and I go out to Eden Prairie to Game Speed, and I work on my quickness and agility for about two hours with Mark Ellis. After that, I go back to Washburn and lift weights for about 1 ½ hours. Then I condition, and get back to working out again. So, I work out twice a day, and I’ve got conditioning in-between. Then I go home and relax for the rest of the day.

GH: Your Dad has also mentioned that you were waiting things out, and wanted to see how the Gophers would do before committing. How much improvement do you need to see? A few games, or do we need to make it to a bowl game?

RH: Obviously they have to do better than the 1-11 that they were last year. I definitely want to see them use their tight ends in a way I could see myself playing. They don’t have to be a bowl contender, but I want to see that they are an up and coming program; a developing program.

GH: Out of the four schools that you’ve narrowed it down to (Minnesota, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Florida) which one utilizes their tight ends in a way you’d want to play?

RH: The one I like the best is Wisconsin. They’re more of a tight end team, they use them all the time. I can definitely see myself playing there. I’m still giving all the other schools a chance because they’re all using their tight ends. Tim Brewster told me they are going to start more than they have been, so that’s why I’m going to give them all a chance.

GH: Speaking of Coach Brewster, I’ve heard through the grapevine that you are a little intimidated by him in person, is that true?

RH: Intimidated? I think he’s a really good person, I’m not intimidated by him, but it’s sometimes kind of hard to believe all of the things he says. He is an up and coming coach, so obviously he has to sell it, but some of the stuff he says…he could just be being sarcastic. I still believe him and respect him, but I think he’s a sarcastic guy.

GH: How would you describe Urban Meyer?

RH: He’s more serious, he really doesn’t have to advertise his school. Florida does that talking for itself, obviously, because they have such a strong football program. So he’s not like, “you have to go here, we’re going to be so good,” he just tells you the history of their program and what they’ve already accomplished and how strong their program is.

GH: What about Jim Tressel?

RH: Same thing. He has such a strong football program too. All three schools, other than Minnesota, have good reputations and established programs. It’s not like they have to feed you this hype like, “we need you to make this team better.” They talk more about the fact that they have a strong program, and we’ve been to all these bowl games.

GH: What is your relationship with Bret Bielema?

RH: We have a connection because I’ve been to Wisconsin quite a few times, and it’s not just because of football, I’ve had basketball camps there too where he’s stopped in and said, “hi.” He and I have not a strong relationship, but it’s getting up there. We don’t talk a lot, but he sends me letters and tells me how his team is doing, so I’m starting to get a connection with him.

GH: Would you say Wisconsin is showing you the most love right now?

RH: It’d be a tie between Wisconsin and Minnesota.

GH: Obviously, Florida and OSU are powerhouse football schools. Do you ever look at it in the sense that if you go to one of those, you may sit the bench for a few years, but if you stay home, you can make an immediate impact?

RH: Yes, that is true. Florida and Ohio State are definitely powerhouse teams. If I do end up going there, I’ll have to realize that I will probably have to be red-shirted before I can play. At Minnesota it is very different, they don’t use their tight ends as much, but there may be a chance I can play right away. I definitely do see the differences and the positives and negatives.

GH: Are you worried about the Ohio State class filling up, since they’re almost at capacity?

RH: Yes, that is true. They do tell me how many spots they have, they’re rushing me a little bit. If anybody really wants me on their team, they’ll let me think about it, and really make the right choice. I’m kind of worried about OSU filling up, but at the same time, I don’t want to rush into such an important decision.

GH: You’ve taken unofficial visits to all four schools, when do you think you’ll take your official visits?

RH: I do want to start early, after around September 1st. I want to talk to the coaches and make appointments to go out there as soon as possible.

GH: Ideally, when would you like to commit by?

RH: After my football season, probably the weekend of my last game.

GH: After not playing summer ball, are you still planning on playing with Washburn this year?

RH: Yes, I’ll start basketball right after football. I’ve got to keep conditioning.

GH: Besides the football aspect, what else are you looking for in a school?

RH: I want a school with strong academics and tutoring programs. I want to study African-American studies, so I need a school with a good program.

GH: What actions are you taking to make sure you qualify?

RH: There are a few things I’m working on, I’m definitely going to take some ACT prep classes, so I can be prepared for that. This past year, I started re-taking some classes to make up for my freshman and sophomore year grades, so I’m going to continue doing that. It’s gotten me a lot closer to where I need to be. I’m just going to go hard this next year, stay focused, and keep on doing what I’m doing.

GH: So you’re saying you had a strong Junior year?
RH: Yes, and it’s improving my overall GPA.

GH: Your Dad mentioned that you really don’t like to talk much about your tough childhood. Obviously, you do have a unique situation, would you like to comment on that at all?

RH: If it wasn’t for them (his parents), I don’t really know where I’d be right now. I don’t know if I’d even be playing sports, and I wouldn’t be who I am right now. It really makes me think, if they wouldn’t of taken me in , where would I be at? Would I still be in school? Would I be in foster homes? I have no idea, I am just so grateful to them.

This article comes from GopherHole.comhttp://www.gopherhole.com/The URL for this story is:http://www.GopherHole.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=808