In fact, Minnesota hasn’t pulled out a victory over OSU since 2000 and they’ve lost 37 of their last 39 games vs the Buckeyes, dating back to 1966. So how can the Gophers, not just keep it close, but actually come out on top vs a team they haven’t beaten in 21 seasons?

After doing some of my own digging and also chatting with some really smart people, like Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch (listen to the full conversation here), I’ve come up with three keys to a Minnesota Gophers victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes on Thursday night.

SSS: 161 Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch

????-> https://t.co/FS1rDV8QW6

????-> https://t.co/18uMA8RFCI

-3 things to watch in Vikes final preseason game

Buckeyes beat writer @brdispatch previews Ohio State Minnesota????

BTYB @manscaped, get 20% off+free ship w/ code STROM pic.twitter.com/KyOFnYIKe8

— Stephen Strom (@SStrom_) August 27, 2021

Minnesota’s WR’s Have to Create Big Plays

The Gophers need explosive plays from their wide receivers. That will help stretch a Buckeye defense that was susceptible vs the pass last year. It would also allow All-Big Ten running back, Mo Ibrahim (and an extremely seasoned offensive line) the room and leverage he needs to work in the trenches against a very talented OSU front-four. Last year’s Buckeyes’ pass defense ranked 122nd in the country and, unlike the d-line, their back-seven is one of the biggest questions facing Ohio State entering 2021.

The big splash plays should be there for Minnesota but can they capitalize and who will be be there to make them? With Chris Autman-Bell’s health currently a mystery, Texas A&M transfer Dylan Wright or sophomore Daniel Jackson will have to emerge on a huge stage.

Make CJ Stroud Beat You

Redshirt freshman QB CJ Stroud will be OSU’s starter on Thursday night. The spark-notes version of what I’ve learned about the California product is that he’s a strong, big player, who’s more of a passer than a runner. But, he’ll definitely use his legs and is more than competent when he has to do so.

Stroud is quietly confident and falls under the mold of Justin Fields, in terms of his leadership style. He played in three games last season and never threw a pass, though he did run for a 48-yard touchdown against Michigan State. Thursday vs the Gophers will be his first career start.

A few CJ Stroud highlights pic.twitter.com/9cgsh0FpQI

— Mr. Ohio (@MrOH1O) August 5, 2021

Minnesota’s defense needs to force CJ Stroud to beat them. They do that by slowing down the dynamic OSU run game. Then, force Stroud into quick decisions through the air.

—

We’ll quickly find out how much better the interior of this Gopher defensive line is, after the transfer additions of (DT) Nyles Pinckney – Clemson, (DT) Val Martin – NC State and (LB) Jack Gibbens – Abilene Christian. The Gophers cannot allow Master Teague’s 200 rushing yards and 3 TD’s to become the story, while Stroud completes 8 easy passes.

Plugging the middle against the run and pressuring Stroud from the interior is the key to keeping this OSU offense from rolling. Let’s not forget about the Huntington Bank Stadium’s capacity crowd, which will be trying to bust Stroud’s eardrums all night if Minnesota can keep it close.

Ohio State returns six starters from last season’s high flying offense. They include the aforementioned Master Teague and wide receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. The o-line returns left tackle Thayer Munford, left guard Harry Miller and right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere. This is still one of the most talented teams in the country and they’re more than capable of torching defenses. Minnesota’s will have to be near-perfect to hang.

Keep Tanner Morgan Upright

Doesn’t it feel like Ohio State always has a 5-star defensive end that could play on Sunday? It’s been Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa and Chase Young, recently. But this year, that guy could be Zach Harrison. At 6’6″, 272 lbs, Harrison is going to test the experienced Gophers offensive line with his speed, strength and athleticism. Harrison, along with Haskell Garrett and Tyreke Smith, is one of the best defensive line groups the Gophers will go up against all season. That brings me to the most important key: Protect Tanner.

You know what you’re getting from standout RB Mohamed Ibrahim, but Tanner Morgan hasn’t been that same rock of stability. But if Minnesota is able to run the ball and protect Tanner, the Gophers can beat the Buckeyes. Yes, I know that’s a giant“if” to be throwing around.

Morgan is coming off a down year, throwing for just 1,401 yards, 9 touchdowns and 6 interceptions in 9 games. His bloated numbers (3,253 yds, 30 TD, 7 INT) from 2019 seem distant but the Gophers may not need the gawdy stats from that season to be successful in 2021. Still, more of this guy you might remember below would be very helpful in winning games.

We lost track, but we think Tanner Morgan was 33-of-33 for about 1,000 yards and 20 TDs in these highlights. pic.twitter.com/p68vNdcxbe

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) July 15, 2020

They need Tanner to hit the occasional homerun, manage games and the locker room, while limiting his turnovers. If the line can protect him, this game will be within one possession come the 4th quarter. If not, CJ Stroud for heisman.

Stephen Strom | Minnesota Sports Fan

Learn from, and then forget 2020. The Gophers believe most of their struggles last season stemmed from COVID-related exigent circumstances and they fully expect 2021 to look a lot more like 2019. Why?

The pandemic kicked PJ Fleck and his football team in the teeth last season, as they stumbled their way to a 3-4 finish, before voluntarily withdrawing from bowl season. But the extra year of eligibility it created for seniors, along with a handful of incoming transfers expected to contribute immediately, have the 2021 Minnesota Gophers feeling much more confident than what the rest of the country expects from them.

In the trenches

Success in football always starts on the offensive and defensive line, especially when you rely so much on the run game, like the Gophers do. Both the OL and DL struggled in 2020, which killed the pass game on offense and allowing teams to run them over on defense.

Daniel Faalele (opt-out) and Curtis Dunlap (injury) were both absent from the offensive line all season, costing them depth they couldn’t afford to lose. On the defensive side, youth, injuries and COVID absences left Rossi relying on linemen who never should have been on the field.

But it’s clear, PJ Fleck doesn’t expect that to be a problem in 2021. Minnesota believes (and their fans hope) that growth from their youngsters combined with the additions of Nyles Pinckney (Clemson) and Val Martin (NC State), will fix their problems on the defensive front line. On the offensive side, Faalele and Dunlap both return to one of the largest and most experienced O-lines in the country.

Is this the most competitive D-Line room of the P.J. Fleck era?

Fleck: “I would say that it is definitely the most competitive and I don’t think it’s even close.” #Gophers pic.twitter.com/6XNwBZOKW1

— Daniel House (@DanielHouseNFL) August 7, 2021

Linebackers matter too

We could almost swap this section with the d-line section above. Both levels of the defense struggled with the youth they were forced to put on the field in 2020, after key departures from the 2019 team. Just like the DL, Fleck brought in a transfer (Jack Gibbens – Abilene Christian University), who’s expected to contribute immediately.

Beyond the addition of Gibbens, success will rely on the return from injury of Braelen Oliver, plus much growth from guys like Mariano Sori-Marin, Cody Lindenberg, James Gordon, Josh Aune and others.

But, it’s not just about separate improvements on the defensive line and in the linebacker group. It’s about combining the two. Deepening and growing the front-seven will surely make the difference on defense. The question, however, is whether the improvements will be enough.

Just left #Gophers practice and one thing really stood out: the physicality of Minnesota’s front seven. The DL/LB groups were getting after it.

Minnesota’s OL brought the same level of intensity. It’s fun to watch.

— Daniel House (@DanielHouseNFL) August 7, 2021

Tanner Morgan’s passing game

There have been a lot of tough times had for many, over the last couple of years. The Minnesota Gophers starting QB, Tanner Morgan, wasn’t spared. After a long battle with brain cancer, everyone’s favorite dad, Ted Morgan, passed away just weeks ago.

Now, Tanner has to turn around and prep himself for the biggest football season of his life, without his dad there to help him through it. Morgan struggled mightily on the field last year, throwing for under 1500 yards, just 7 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Quite the fall off from his 3200+ yards, 30 TD’s and 7 INT’s in 2019.

If the Gophers are going to have success in 2021, Tanner Morgan needs to be much closer to the 2019 version, than what we saw last year. An improved OL should help but the loss of Bateman won’t. With Mohamed Ibrahim lining up behind him, Tanner could push the Minnesota offense to the top of the Big Ten West, if he does have another breakout year.

Morgan’s success vs failure in 2021 could be the difference between a future in the NFL and a future in a desk job like everyone else. No pressure.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Slick Rick Spielman, along with his right-hand man Rob Brzezinski, have had a brilliant 2021 offseason. After reworking his contract and thus appeasing Danielle Hunter on Monday, the Minnesota Vikings defense looks closer to a classic Mike Zimmer masterpiece than it does the disaster we witnessed last season.

The secondary’s been completely turned over. It’s now riddled with veteran depth and still supported by young talent like Cam Dantzler and Harrison Hand, who now have loads of early career experience. Danielle Hunter, Michael Pierce, Dalvin Tomlinson and (likely) Sheldon Richardson make for a completely revamped front four that’ll sit in front of Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks, who both missed significant time in 2020 as well.

It’s hard the argue that on paper and on paper only, the 2021 #Vikings defense is 100x better than the 2020 defense!

— Skol Vikes (@SkolBros) June 14, 2021

Mike Zimmer has been gifted a brand new (and much improved) defense. But there’s a catch… kind of.

One shot…

Queue the 8 Mile soundtrack and get Eminem a bowl of his mom’s spaghetti because Mike Zimmer’s got one shot, one opportunity to show the Wilf’s that he deserves a new contract and the continuance of a Minnesota Vikings era. Zygi’s written a lot of checks this summer and he’s allowed Spielman to completely rebuild the purple and gold defense. But every move they’ve made has one thing in common. One year.

Everybody on the starting defense, from head coach Mike Zimmer on down, has just one real season remaining on their contracts. Remember, Danielle Hunter’s reworked deal was made to be re-done again next offseason. If he’s on the roster next June under the same contract, he get’s an $18 million roster bonus.

In essence, every player on the Minnesota Vikings defense in 2021 is playing for their future. Take a look.

If Spielman and Co were to let all unrestricted free agents walk after the 2021 season, they’d lose their entire starting secondary and Anthony Barr. They could also save over $5 million by cutting or trading Michael Pierce, another $6 million by cutting or trading Dalvin Tomlinson and $8 million by cutting or trading Erik Kendricks (all according to Spotrac.com).

Offense contractually built for 2021 too

But it’s not just the defense that’s built, from a contract standpoint, for a one-year run. Over on offense, Adam Thielen’s contract is primed for a restructure after the 2021 season. But if the Vikings decide to hit the reset button instead, they’d save nearly $6 million by trading or cutting him. As of right now, even Brian O’Neill is even set to be an unrestricted free agent next offseason.

Kirk Cousins’ contract also balloons to $45 million dollars next year, the last on his current deal. The Vikings could avoid most of that with a trade to a team desperate for a quarterback. Or, should Kirk push the offense to the next level and lead the Vikings on a playoff run, another extension would likely be on the horizon instead.

Still Plenty of Youth too

Sure, the Vikings could sell of most of its roster and hit the reset button at the end of the 2021, if needed. But if the season goes as planned, this is a team that still has plenty of youth for a bright future. Kirk Cousins will turn 33 years old right before the season starts. That’s still considered young in this age of quarterbacks, especially for a guy who doesn’t rely on mobility as a big part of his skill set.

Many of the players listed above would absolutely still consider themselves in the prime of their careers. Even with all of the veteran additions on defense, the Vikings still have just four starters on offense + defense who are 30 or older — Cousins (33), H. Smith (32), Thielen (31) and P. Peterson (31).

Dalvin Cook (25), Danielle Hunter (27), Michael Pierce (28). Dalvin Tomlinson (27) and Brian O’Neill (25) are all early in their primes and that’s before we jump into the youngsters like Justin Jefferson (22), Cam Dantzler (23) and Irv Smith Jr (22), who are all just getting started.

On the brink

The Minnesota Vikings are a franchise in limbo. But, they’re ready for it. Rick Spielman and the Wilf’s have a lot of options as they enter the 2021 season. They were able to build a roster that looks ready for a playoff run immediately, while not exposing the organization to any long-term liabilities.

They could hit the reset button after 2021, should the season go awry, but they’re also a few short extensions away from an extension on the Mike Zimmer + Kirk Cousins era, if everything goes well.

Now, we’ll see what the football gods have in store.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Minnesota Vikings GM Rick Spielman has been all over the country over the last month, taking in pro days at different schools as he tries to map out his plan for this year’s NFL Draft. His scouting trips, along with other GM’s around the league, have been extra well-documented this offseason and that’s for good reason. With no combine for general managers and scouts to take in all of the top college football talent in one location, tracking where each GM chooses to spend their pro day time in March could help indicate where their mind might be looking in the draft come April.

Well, Friday was a big day for pro days and Rick Spielman had a lot of possible destinations. Michigan and Virginia Tech were two possibilities locations for Slick Rick, with players like Kwity Paye (DE-MI) and Christian Darrisaw (OT-VT) participating in their respective pro days. But, you couldn’t find the Vikings general manager on either of those campuses.

Where’s Rick

Nope, Spielman was on the other side of the country at Brigham Young University in Utah. And as much as a select group of Minnesota Vikings fans would like to believe he was there to scout QB, Zach Wilson, it’s widely believed that Rick was there to get a long, hard look at one of Wilson’s offensive linemen, Brady Christensen, an offensive tackle who is expected to fall somewhere in the 3rd round next month.

Interesting that Spielman chose BYU’s pro day today over Michigan and Virginia Tech. Keep an eye on BYU OL Brady Christensen and how well he tests. Maybe Rick felt like there wasn’t as much observation that needed to be done on prospects like Kwity Paye and Christian Darrisaw. https://t.co/oysLxSf7jM

— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) March 26, 2021

OT Brady Christensen… Whoa

6’6 302lbs
40: 4.89u
Broad: 10’4
Vertical: 34″
Bench: 30 reps

3 year starter at LT
2500+ Snaps
1st Team All-American via @PFF

It’s a deep OT class – but make sure you’re watching them all! Christensen is a stud and perfect fit for a OZ/WZ team

— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) March 26, 2021

BYU OT Brady Christensen with 30 reps on bench pic.twitter.com/HTkGzH5NyE

— Andrew Groover (@APGroover) March 26, 2021

The more I watch BYU LT Brady Christensen – the more he’s turning into a ‘pound the table for’ prospect

One of most athletic OTs in the class!

Run Arc vs Speed ++
Drive Block Movement
Reach/3T Backside OZ
Climb to 2nd Level
Pull to Perimeter
Screen Leak
Sustain Pass Pro Late pic.twitter.com/dOoELPxQsK

— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) March 11, 2021

Brady Christensen is a flat out baller.

So, so impressive. Give me all of his stock. pic.twitter.com/yxUZ64CIGQ

— Ryan Fowler (@FowlerRyan1) March 11, 2021

Vikings material

All you have to see is the few twitter clips sitting above this paragraph and you’ll quickly realize that Brady Christensen is the exact zone blocking scheme offensive tackle that Rick Dennison would love to get his hands on. He’s big and seems to hold up pretty damn well in his pass blocking. But he clearly shines when running and blocking in space.

Seeing a future with Brady out in front of Dalvin Cook becomes pretty easy after watching these highlights. Clearly, Spielman has had those same thoughts because this isn’t the first time Minnesota has taken an extra look at Christensen. According to KSTP’s Darren Wolfson, Brady was zooming with Vikings coaches just a couple of weeks ago…

Christensen wasn’t the only player performing at the BYU pro day, who Rick Spielman was keeping his eyes on, but Brady does make the most sense for the Minnesota Vikings, given what they are looking for and their obvious interest heading into Friday.

I’m pumped to watch the BYU Pro Day this morning. There are several players to keep an eye on:

QB Zach Wilson
OT Brady Christensen
DT Khyiris Tonga
OG Tristen Hoge

Hoge would be an excellent target for the #Vikings. He impressed me while watching games this year.

— Daniel House (@DanielHouseNFL) March 26, 2021

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Chet Holmgren isn’t just the best 2021 high school basketball recruit in Minnesota. The Minnehaha Academy star is the #1 player in the country and the only of his class with a 1.000 rating at 247Sports.com.

So, I don’t want to ring the alarms or get anyone who bleeds maroon and gold too excited… but Chet unloaded some information worth knowing on Ben Goessling (Star Tribune) Friday night. Yes, Goessling apparently does more than just Vikings now for the Star Tribune and after Minnehaha’s victory last night, Holmgren told him that Gopher coach, Ben Johnson, has both texted and called him in the last week, since taking over as Minnesota head coach. They were also in contact while Johnson was at Xavier.

Holmgren said he got a text and then a phone call from Johnson this week. “From my experience, he’s a really good guy,” he said. “I see him doing really good things with the program.” https://t.co/Z7La3IC3ye

— Ben Goessling (@GoesslingStrib) March 27, 2021

Don’t get too excited, Gopher fans. While anything is impossible in 2021, I don’t think anyone is changing their Chet Holmgren commitment prediction just yet. Chet is still projected to Gonzaga or the G-League and his statement didn’t exactly scream, “I’m staying home next year”.

Still, it’s nice to have a coach who’s willing to put in the work on all of these ELITE in-state kids, no matter how uphill the battle. What a change of pace.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

PJ Fleck and the Minnesota Golden Gophers had an up and down 2021 recruiting cycle, which came to a completion on Wednesday on (late) National Signing Day.

The 2021 class ranks #37 nationally, according to 247Sports composite. Fleck’s previous classes at Minnesota have all finished in that same range. It would have been a historic class, had Nebraska cornerback Avante Dickerson not flipped to Oregon at the final hour.

A recruiting map was posted to Twitter Thursday and it showed which school recruited each state best. It turns out, nobody recruited the state of Illinois like the Minnesota Gophers. The Illini state has turned into a PJ Fleck recruiting hotbed.

Unfortunately… keeping Minnesota kids from jumping the border to Wisconsin was clearly a problem.

Based exclusively on player ratings, meet your RECRUITING STATE CHAMPS for 2021 — the teams that did the best at landing top talent in each state. Map time! https://t.co/tHzTJrVjge pic.twitter.com/iVBPsgASkN

— Alex Kirshner (@alex_kirshner) February 4, 2021

Alex Kirshner, who made this graphic, also wrote HERE about each state. In Illinois, Fleck swiped two of the top-5 prospects (QB Athan Kaliakmanis and RB Mar’Keise Irving). That’s the exact same thing the Badgers did to win the state of Minnesota (LT Riley Mahlman and OLB Jake Ratzloff).

I’d love to see hometown kids stay here and play for the University of Minnesota. At the same time, it’s difficult to knock PJ Fleck for his recruiting acumen. Fleck’s classes have been Minnesota’s highest of the internet era, (outside of Brewster) and I only expect them to get better.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Minnesota Gophers left tackle, Daniel Faalele hasn’t been seen on the Minnesota campus since COVID struck and sports were temporarily put on hold. He opted out of the 2020 season and hasn’t worked out with the team in at least 6+ months.

Because of that, some Gopher football fans are wondering what Daniel’s future holds and whether or not any of it will unfold on the University of Minnesota campus. Interested parties for the Australian LT go far beyond the college ranks.

In just one Google search, I found THREE different publications who, in the last week, have noted Daniel Faalele as an interesting 2nd-4th round 2021 NFL Draft prospect.

Daniel Faalele + NFL Draft Articles (This week)

That means that mid-round tackle prospects like Jackson Carman of Clemson or Daniel Faalele of Minnesota should be given a good look, assuming they address a potential Brown departure in free agency should that come to fruition.

RaiderMaven.com (SI)

If the Colts wanted to wait until the second round of the draft, Faalele may be their choice to target. This is a possibility because there is also a chance the Colts try to draft a quarterback in Round 1. If that’s the case, the new left tackle will have to wait at least one more round. Faalele has the size that will intrigue teams and when combining his movement skills, he has a high ceiling to be an anchor on the left side of the line.

ColtsWire.com (USA Today)

As the biggest player in the 2021 draft, Daniel Faalele stands in at an imposing 6-foot-9 and weighs a whopping 400 pounds. That size shows up on tape, as he has tremendous grip strength at the point of attack and has the power in his anchor needed to neutralize a power rush. His massive wingspan makes it easier for him to lock out edge rushers, and he does a good job of sealing off lanes in the run game. He’s also a good athlete for his size, as he has pretty solid acceleration climbing to the second level and has sufficient lateral agility.

WindyCityGridiron.com (SB Nation)

Draft profiles don’t get better than Faalele’s

The infatuation with Daniel Faalele starts with his size and athletic ability. He’s 6’9″, 400 pounds and scouts compare his light feet to that of Fred Flintstone.

Faalele hails from Australia, where rugby was his sport of choice. He hasn’t even played five years of American football, in his life. NFL coaches and scouts see him as a massive piece of clay that could mold into an OL anchor.

But, not so fast…

With all of these NFL Draft projections, one can’t help but wonder if Faalele is already good as gone. But, not so fast. According to Ryan Burns of *GopherIllustrated.com, Daniel is still expected back on campus, enrolled in classes and playing football for PJ Fleck once his teammates and coaches are vaccinated.

This would be a massive win for PJ Fleck and the Minnesota Gophers next season. Hopefully Daniel Faalele has been staying in the best shape possible, while away.

There isn’t a Gopher football reporter more plugged in than Ryan Burns. He doesn’t throw statements like this around lightly, either. If Burns is being told that Faalele is (for now) expected to return, then that’s what I’m going with.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

*GopherIllustrated.com (247Sports) is a paid subscription site. It has more inside University of Minnesota Gophers sports information flowing within its paywalls than anywhere on the internet.

Tid-bits like these are available on the regular, especially if you follow their “Gopher Report” boards closely. I have no stake or friends in 247Sports or GI. I just think their content is outstanding.

After taking a few highly-regarded college transfers over the last few weeks, PJ Fleck got back to the 2021 high school recruiting scene with his latest commitment today.

Saia Mapakaitolo is a 6’6″, 270 lb 2021 (3-star) offensive tackle who played through his Junior year in Southern California. When high school football was canceled in California, Mapakaitolo transferred to Mesa, Arizona to play at Red Mountain High School for his Senior season.

He never actually played a Senior season, however, and now he’ll head northeast to play his college football at the University of Minnesota.

〽️INNESOTA WHATS GOOD pic.twitter.com/rPy9AE7Rnn

— Saia (@curlyheadtsaia) January 14, 2021

According to 247Sports.com, Mapakaitolo was committed to play at USC until he was asked by the coaching staff, on Early Signing Day, to wait until February (Late NSD) before signing his National Letter of Intent.

Saia decided to use that time to look for another suitor. In doing so, he found PJ Fleck and the Minnesota Gophers. And just like everyone else who finds PJ Fleck, he left the zoom call impressed.

“Like I said, that zoom call I did when they offered me really opened my eyes. Minnesota has a great program, a great coaching staff and has a great plan in place for me. They recruited me as an offensive tackle but I can move around and I’ll play wherever they want me to. I’m just excited about the opportunity to play Big 10 football.”

247Sports.com

Saia Mapakaitolo

Outside of his first commitment to USC, Mapakaitolo had offers from Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Oregon State, UCLA, Utah and Washington State. Even as an above average 3-star, Saia had offers from most major P5 schools on the West Coast.

Unless you’re an advanced offensive line scout or have major knowledge in the area, it’s really difficult to judge offensive lineman on their high school highlights, especially when they haven’t played organized football since their Junior season.

Saia is way bigger than everyone he’s matched up against in his highlight videos but told 247Sports that he’s lost 20 pounds since then. You can tell he loves to run block and put his helmet into someone’s chin, though. That’s a good start. It’s also obvious, even to the untrained eye, that there will be plenty of technical issues to work out.

That’s fine because the Gophers have a lot of depth at offensive line. Mapakaitolo will have plenty of time to grow in both the lunchroom, weight room and on the football field.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

It’s been a different kind of offseason for the Minnesota Gophers football team. Normally, PJ Fleck likes to take a full 25-man class of mostly high schoolers. In 2021, Fleck opted for just 16 of those. Because of the free year of eligibility in 2020 for existing players, Fleck has filled out roster holes with transfers this offseason, hoping for more immediate results in 2021.

The latest in his impressive transfer class is DT Nyles Pinckney. A former Clemson Tiger, Pinckney has a wealth of experience that current Golden Gophers can only dream of.

Pinckney is a graduate transfer who played four seasons under Dabo Swinney. That includes NINE games as a RS freshman, ELEVEN games as a RS sophomore, TWELVE as a RS junior and ELEVEN more in 2020 as a RS Senior.

Pinckney is already on NFL Draft radars and had an invite to the East/West Shrine Bowl this offseason. Still, he only started 13 of his career games for the ACC powerhouse. That’s why Nyles is looking to pump up his NFL profile for one more season under another “raw raw” head coach, PJ Fleck.

pic.twitter.com/Dpwh0th16i

— Nyles Pinckney (@NylesPinckney) January 11, 2021

Wealth of experience at DT

The Gophers now have a ridiculous wealth of experience at defensive tackle. According to GopherIllustrated.com, Pinckney will become the most tenured of the DT bunch (by snap count – 1,166) when he joins the team. But he joins 7th-year senior Micah Dew-Treadway and 5th year seniors Keonte Schad and (NC State transfer) Val Martin.

Together, they house around 3,000 career defensive snaps. The senior group will allow another year of growth for promising young DT’s Rashad Cheney and De’Angelo Carter as well.

Gaining strength and experience up middle of defense

Fleck has now added multiple transfers up the middle on defense, including Pinckney and Martin at DT and Jack Gibbens at inside linebacker. That’s good because this is a defense that was destroyed by the interior run game all season.

The other transfer they added was Dylan Wright from Texas A&M, who still has all four seasons of his eligibility remaining.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Minnesota Gophers football coach, PJ Fleck, said multiple times on Wednesday during his 1 hour and 9 minute National Signing Day press conference that, “it’s not about the stars”.

Yet… recruiting conversations always seems to revolve around stars and rankings, based on stars. Why? Because, racking up stars right now usually leads to wins and future NFL draftees later (unless you’re Michigan or Nebraska).

And since PJ Fleck has arrived on campus, more stars have walked into Athletes Village than ever before. Nothing about that changed this week, when Fleck earned four commitments from 4-star recruits.

That number doesn’t include Nebraska 4-star DB, Avante Dickerson, who would have easily topped this list but got cold feet Wednesday morning. If Dickerson does commit, the 2021 recruiting class immediately goes from “standard Fleck” to historic.

But let’s get back to the 4-star prospects who did officially grab oars on Wednesday morning. There were four of them and they mean more than just cream-of-the-crop talent to this 2021 class. Leadership and “it” factor isn’t hard to find with this group.

Athan Kaliakmanis | Quarterback | Antioch, IL

247Sports Rating: .8963 4-Star

Offers: Iowa, Iowa State, Purdue, Tennessee

HIGHLIGHTS

???? @aajk_23 ???? pic.twitter.com/Yc1Gbax6Ji

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) December 16, 2020

One of two Kaliakmanis brothers to sign on the dotted line Wednesday, Athan was the first commitment PJ got for the 2021 class, nearly two years ago. He’s been steady throughout his entire commitment and he’s been all but dubbed the Minnesota Gophers’ QB of the future.

Until Dickerson signs, he’s the highest-rated commit of this class and he has all the leadership and immeasurables you need in your future QB. On the field, Athan can do it all. He can run, he can throw and he looks damn smooth doing both. At 6’4″, 210+ pounds, he has all of the physical tools to lead a team in the Big ten.

Unfortunately, Illinois canceled their high school football season so we haven’t seen the latest and greatest version of either Kaliakmanis brother. They will have a spring high school season, however.

Trajectory: The additional year of eligibility for Tanner Morgan, Zack Annexstad and the rest of the current Gopher QB’s makes Athan’s trajectory more difficult to project. We could see Kaliakmanis as early as 2022, depending on how college ready he is.

Steven Ortiz Jr. | Defensive Back | Goodyear, AZ

247Sports Rating: .8958 4-Star

Offers: Arizona, Penn State, Cal, Oregon, Washington

HIGHLIGHTS

???? @1stevenortizjr ???? pic.twitter.com/cGI3Vm5yzl

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) December 16, 2020

Another leader of this Minnesota Gophers class, Steven Ortiz Jr. is combo-guy that every coach wants at the top of their recruiting class. Ortiz Jr and his family are one of the glue-families of this class.

This is a very tight-knit group and that’s thanks to families like Ortiz’, Kaliakmanis’ and Deven Eastern’s (more on him shortly).

Just like Athan, Ortiz Jr brings it on the football field too. Having a kid who can say and do all the right things is helpful, but finding those personality traits combined with elite talent… is harder.

Steven brings a ton of tenacity and athleticism to the secondary. In some of his film, he seems to know the receiver’s route before he runs it. But I love his physicality. You don’t have to watch a lot of tackles to know how much a defensive back likes to hit. He either likes to do it or he doesn’t.

Ortiz Jr. clearly enjoys hitting people. That’s a big deal at defensive back because it’s not a trait that all the good ones have. But you can’t have versatility if you’re afraid of getting dirty.

Steven can play safety, nickel and outside cornerback. No matter where he plays, the Arizona native has the talent and intangibles to succeed early.

Trajectory: The Gophers have a lot to fix in the secondary and Ortiz has a lot of versatility to offer. If he can grasp the playbook right away, we could see him as soon as 2021. 2022 is probably more realistic.

Mar’Keise (Bucky) Irving | Running Back | Hillcrest, IL

247Sports Rating: .8930 4-Star

Offers: Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Nebraska, Iowa, S. Carolina

HIGHLIGHTS

???? @bucky_buckets ???? pic.twitter.com/4GtoaAz4kI

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) December 16, 2020

I mean… what more do you need to read from me, after watching that highlight reel? Even if those were the best 5-6 runs of his career, does it matter? This dude looks like a mixture of Barry Sanders and the Tecmo Bowl version of Bo Jackson.

If he’s juking, they can’t touch him, if he’s sprinting they can’t catch him and if he’s stiff arming, they can’t tackle him. I mean some of those clips are completely absurd. He’s playing against some of the best competition in all of Illinois but he’s making them look like a bunch of 8th-graders.

People were worried about Bucky’s commitment early on, especially since his best bud, Sam Jackson, committed and decommitted from the Minnesota Gophers twice before eventually signing with TCU on Wednesday. But, Irving has hung strong and now the Gophers have ANOTHER running back in their arsenal of future backfield weapons.

Trajectory: Bucky is an interesting case. He can return kickoffs, punts and catch the ball out of the backfield. I’d like to say we could see Irving as soon as 2021 but there is A LOT of talent right now at running back for Minnesota.

Deven Eastern | Defensive End | Shakopee, MN

247Sports Rating: .8912 4-Star

Offers: Nebraska, Missouri

HIGHLIGHTS

???? @EasternDeven ???? pic.twitter.com/s5F9mmj1aj

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) December 16, 2020

Deven Eastern hails from Shakopee, MN and he’s the only hometown 4-star PJ Fleck pulled in. He and his family are another of those glue-types that keeps this class so tightly-knit.

I love seeing highly-rated Minnesota kids stay home. It sets such a huge example for future athletes of this state. Kids really do look up to you when you are a young top athlete and you can help make your home school the cool place to be.

Obviously, Eastern is a Minnesota kid who holds 4-stars so you can be damn sure those stars are legit. Deven plays with speed and seems to have an extra awareness about him on the football field.

Not only was he bigger and faster than everyone while playing for Shakopee high school, but Eastern plays smarter too. Even in those clips above, you can see him recognize screens and chase down running backs with great angles.

We’ve seen how important those things are in young players this season, as we’ve watched a bunch of youngsters on defense try to learn how to play D1-fast at a very young age.

Trajectory: The defensive line play has been up and down all season for the Gophers but it has a really talented mix of lower and upper classmen. If Eastern can come in and play hard, smart and fast… he could earn a spot as early as 2022 but it’s gonna be dog fight on the DL to get playing time over the next few years. We’ll see if Eastern can be one of the top dogs in that friendly fight.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan