Minnesota Gophers Receive Commitment from Louisiana Mr. Football
The Minnesota Gophers finished their 2024 season with a somewhat underwhelming 8-5 record. They won a fifth-straight bowl game, thanks to a top 15 defense and revamped pass-first offense, but couldn’t get all pistons firing harmoniously enough to be a factor in a now 18-team Big Ten.
But since the regular season ended, PJ Fleck & Co have made one thing very clear in the player acquisition department. Lack of NIL funds will no longer be used as an excuse to lose games or talent.
For the most part, Minnesota has kept all of their best players (who still have college eligibility) in Dinkytown, while simultaneously reeling in about a dozen more kids out of the transfer portal.
Minnesota Gophers get commitment from 2024 Louisiana Mr. Football, Xavier Ford
On Sunday, though, the Gophers dove back into the high school talent pool, and pulled out a 2024 Mr. Football winner — 3-star running back Xavier Ford — out of Leesville, Louisiana, who piled up 3,461 rushing yards and an unbelievable 52 rushing touchdowns this season, alone (MaxPreps), thanks to a bunch of absurd runs just like the one embedded below.
RTB! pic.twitter.com/BV5vX2dice
— Xavier Ford (@xavierford24) January 19, 2025
pic.twitter.com/V4DDfuWIuF @Colton_Leggett @CoachWEFritz @CoachHeck_ @coachbhays @alexm_brown @harrisonvapnek @davidmh__ @Coach_MarcusT
— Xavier Ford (@xavierford24) November 3, 2024
If you could choose one word that would best describe Ford’s high school football career, it would be ‘prolific’. Not only did the 5-9, 210 pound running back put up an entire life’s worth of yards and touchdowns just in 2024, but he racked up a total of 8,591 yards and an incredible 118 touchdowns, in three seasons at Leesville High (MaxPreps.com).
Despite all that production, Xavier Ford’s offer list is about as underwhelming as the Minnesota Gophers 2024 win total. Ford pounced on the Minnesota offer, which came this weekend while he was on an official visit. It’s the first power four offer he received, according to 247Sports. Xavier turned down Tulane, Air Force and Houston, but also had interest from LSU and Texas A&M.
Related: PJ Fleck Promotes Another Recent Player to Prominent Role on Gophers Coaching Staff
Ford is in the 2025 class, which means he will join the list of 21 new Minnesota Gophers who have signed their letter of intent. Some 2025 signees are already getting onto campus this month. Others will join when their senior years of high school come to a close this spring/summer. PJ Fleck now has 8 scholarship running backs on roster.
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