ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

MINNEAPOLIS -- Actually, it's cloudy and gray and rainy. Just don't tell that to Minnesota head coach Tim Brewster.

"I'm about energy," Brewster said today a news conference to preview spring practice. "I love positive energy. Positive energy. It's a beautiful, sunny spring day in Minnesota."

Brewster is an eternal optimist, which works to both his advantage and disadvantage.

His positive outlook is paying off in recruiting, an area Minnesota has undoubtedly upgraded since Brewster arrived as head coach. A sign in the football offices reads, "Recruit 24/7 365," and Brewster has followed through by signing top prospects like MarQueis Gray, Sam Maresh, Michael Carter and Keanon Cooper.

But some media members and others up here remain a bit skeptical of his glass half-full approach. Maybe they've endured too many harsh Minnesota winters. More likely, they've endured too many underachieving seasons and broken promises from a program that hasn't won a Big Ten title since 1967.

If Brewster brings a championship to the Twin Cities, he'll have all Minnesotans sporting sunglasses in mid-January, but he's got work to do to get there. Brewster needs a bit more time to convert Gopher Nation to his way of thinking, but his players have certainly bought into the concept.

Minnesota improved its victories total by six games in 2008 but ended on a five-game slide.

Despite the losing streak, which included a 55-0 pasting at the hands of archrival Iowa, Brewster has kept the mood upbeat. He recalled a conversation he had with UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel, whose team followed a dramatic win against Tennessee in the 2008 opener with a 59-0 loss at BYU.

"I asked him, 'How'd you respond to getting beat 59-0?'" Brewster said. "He said, 'We went to work, and again, the next day was a positive day. We accentuated the positive things.' The first thing I said after we came in from the Iowa game was, 'How about Troy Stoudermire? Set a Big Ten record for kickoff returns.' That's not a good thing, but you know what? You've got to have something positive out of the situation.

"I think kids really respond well to that."