Minnesota isn’t a helmet school, and they don’t have the most NIL funding in the country. Thus, they don’t have the best recruiting class in 2026, either. Entering the day, Gopher football’s commitment list ranked No. 24 in the country (247Sports), which would be the highest a Minnesota recruiting class has ever ranked under PJ Fleck.

It all starts tomorrow… ROW26! ✍️ #NSD26

SIGNING DAY CENTRAL: https://t.co/GET8WVu4YV pic.twitter.com/3lXQE9URSf

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) December 2, 2025

The Minnesota Gophers have averaged 21 commits per season over the last two years, but they’ve already surpassed that total on Wednesday, receiving National Letters of Intent from 31 of its 32 verbal commitments, so far.

Minnesota Gophers Football National Signing Day Tracker – 2026 Recruiting Class (28)

Let’s dive into our Gopher football recruiting tracker for the 2026 cycle, on National Signing Day.

Related: Gophers Take Axe Lead in Snow

With all of the Golden Gophers commits information above, here you can find all the common answers fans have regarding Minnesota’s recruiting class.

What is the University of Minnesota football recruiting ranked?

The Minnesota Gophers recruiting class 2026 is ranked 24th overall by 247Sports, 28th by ESPN and 28th by On3.com.

How many signings do the Minnesota Gophers have for 2026?

The Minnesota Gophers currently have 31 commits in the 2026 recruiting class, including 4 four-star recruits (247Sports).

Who is the Golden Gophers best signing for 2026?

Four-star DL Howie Johnson (Forest Lake, MN), four-star EDGE Aaden Aytch (Lafayette, IN) four star tight end Roman Voss (Jackson, MN) and four-star WR Rico Blassingame (Tolleson, AZ) are the the highest-rated recruits among the Gophers 2026 football signings.

Minnesota Gophers Early National Signing Day – 2025

Signees started rolling in early. And just like that, the Gophers were rolling. Below is a running tab on each Gopher football signee that’s been officially announced by the team in the early period.

Related: Minnesota Gophers Receive Last-Second Addition to Senior Bowl Roster

The official National Signing day was on February 5, 2025. In these days of college football, this day is not nearly as significant as it used to be. Now, the early signing period is much more prevalent. The Gophers also have a list of incoming transfers that have committed to them.

2025 Minnesota Gophers Recruiting Class

Signed Letters of Intent (Transfers)

Related: Gophers QB Max Brosmer Rewarded for Big Week at East-West Shrine Bowl Practice

Koi Perich officially signs with Minnesota Gophers

Most National Letters of Intent have already rolled through the fax machine, including Esko, MN top-100 safety, 4-star Koi Perich, who wasn’t expected to sign until later in the afternoon.

The number one player in the state of Minnesota❕@koiperich3 is staying home🚣‍♂️#RTB #SkiUMah #Gophers pic.twitter.com/D3Cul8TRjG

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) December 20, 2023

The first time Perich steps on a college football field, which is expected to be game one of next season, he’ll become the 2nd highest-rated 247 composite recruit of the internet age (4-star | .9469 Rating) to ever play a snap for the Gophers. Fellow Minnesotan, Carter Coughlin (4-star | .9566 Rating) from the 2016 class, the only guy ahead of him.

Related: Minnesota Gophers National Signing Day Signees – 2024

Fleck & Co stave off late push by Ohio State and Florida State

Just a few days ago, nobody really expected Perich to sign at all. Ohio State and Florida State made hard, late charges at Koi and, when he made his visit to Columbus a couple of weekends ago, we all were ready for the bad news after.

But then… news broke on Sunday that, instead of flipping to Ohio State, the 6-1, 200 LB secondary freak athlete was turning his back on all of the sparkle, shine and NIL that comes with being a Buckeye, in favor of his home state Gophers. A decision we rarely see made from kids with the offers and talent the Koi Perich has.

Explosive, versatile and homegrown😤 pic.twitter.com/QUhXwFyxSo

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) December 20, 2023

PJ Fleck got signatures from all of his top commitments and had just one kid who decided to wait until the later signing period, in February. The Gophers finished ranked 10th in the Big Ten and #40 nationally, according to 247Sports.com. More on those rankings momentarily. First, lets run through some of the recruits who signed. Here’s the full list, with their star and number ratings via 247.

Recruiting is hard.

Remember, it’s unlikely that we see any of these guys on the field next season. Raising recruits isn’t a sprint and good teams aren’t usually in a situation where they need to force playing time too early on underclassmen who aren’t ready. Guys like Justin Walley and Mar’Keise Irving are the exception, not the rule.

It’s also worth reminding everyone that some of the players ranked near the top of the class now, will never find the field in a Minnesota Gophers uniform. Others near the bottom of the list will become All Big Ten type players. That’s just how it works. Recruiting is far from a perfect science and the transfer portal will only exacerbate that point.

Focus on the Defensive Line

Trey Bixby is the 4-star hometown jewel of the Gophers 2022 recruiting class. He was on of two who received that high of a grad and both he and Anthony Smith play on the defensive line. In fact, three of the top four in this class play on the DL, where Fleck has focused a lot of time and energy on the recruiting trail since he arrived.

Bixby is from Minnesota and played his senior year at Eden Prairie High School. He played his sophomore season in Ohio, which is where he caught the eyes of Gopher recruiters. His stepdad is Kyle Goblirsch, a longtime 247Sports recruiting analyst for Minnesota, which probably helped.

Unfortunately, we haven’t seen much from Trey Bixby since his big Sophomore year, due to a strange allergy that led to auto-immune concerns during the pandemic that moved him to opt out of playing in his Junior season. Bixby might have the highest upside of this 2022 class but his lack of football over the last two years make him risky, as well.

Other Highlights

There was one curveball thrown by highly-touted QB commit, Jacob Knuth, when he took a late visit to Kansas State last weekend. But, he was one of the first to send in his signed Letter of Intent on Wednesday morning. Now that Jacob Clark and Zack Annexstad are in the transfer portal, Knuth becomes a legitimate contender for the 2023 QB competition with Athan Kaliakmanis (2020 4-star) and Cole Kramer.

Kristen Hoskins is a slot-type wide receiver from Alexandria, MN, who has some of the quickest twitch that Ryan Burns (247Sports) has seen in his time evaluating high school football players. That speed and quickness is something PJ Fleck raved about when talking up Hoskins and the rest of his new class on Wednesday.

The Gophers had a good class on the offensive line too. Fleck and his staff take great pride in the way they recruit the trenches. In 2022, that included Ashton Beers, a 3-star flip from NDSU that committed to Minnesota a couple of weeks ago. He’s someone to keep an eye on because Bison fans and coaches were very upset with his loss, given how excited they were about his commitment.

Fleck vs Kill on Recruiting Trail

Before PJ Fleck arrived on campus at the University of Minnesota, the Golden Gophers football team was in a recruiting tier below their Big Ten West Rivals, Wisconsin, Iowa and Nebraska. Those three teams have battled it out for the division recruiting title since the Huskers joined the conference in 2011.

Fleck has methodically closed that gap during his time in Dinkytown. While under Jerry Kill, Minnesota scraped the bottom of the Big Ten barrel on the recruiting trail, finishing last (14th) in the 247Sports composite rankings in 2013 and only finishing as high as 11th in 2012. Back then, the Gophers recruiting classes were lucky to break a rating of 80/100 overall.

Tracy Claeys had a pretty good 2016 class (ranked 8th in Big Ten). That’s the year all of the top Minnesota kids fell in his lap. The class included Carter Coughlin, Thomas Barber, Antoine Winfield and Tyler Johnson, the same kids that led the 2019 Gopher team that went 11-2 and won the Outback Bowl under Fleck.

New Recruiting Game Under Fleck

Since 2018, the Gophers’ recruiting classes have always finished in the top-10 of the Big Ten and the average class rating has climbed to 86.5/100. That rise in class ratings has parked Minnesota’s recruiting classes right next to Iowa, Wisconsin and Nebraska’s.

There are many fans out there upset that the Gophers fell behind the Hawkeyes and Badgers yesterday. That’s good and it shows how much more we expect under Fleck than what we did under Jerry Kill and previous head coaches.

Big Ten West Parity in 2022

National Signing Day 2022 finished with a lot of parity in the Big Ten West. Wisconsin and Iowa both made late signings that jumped them over the Gophers, who were atop the class rankings for much of the day on Wednesday. The average recruit ratings among West teams shows why the division is such a battle these days. Nebraska, however, took a hit on the recruiting trail after another difficult season under Scott Frost.

Iowa and Wisconsin jumped the #Gophers in the 247Sports Big Ten recruiting rankings yesterday. Look at those averages, though. There's a reason the West has been a toss up the last few years. I expect that to continue. pic.twitter.com/RK29lHHguS

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 16, 2021

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The Minnesota coaching staff is already on the recruiting trail, marking the start of two crazy recruiting weeks that will culminate in National Signing Day (December 15). While the coaches are on the road, many current players have their own future decisions to make. Others don’t.

The seniors who can return, if they so choose:
– QB Tanner Morgan
– RB Mohamed Ibrahim
– WR Chris Autman-Bell
– OL Blaise Andries, Daniel Faalele, John Michael Schmitz & Axel Ruschmeyer
– DE Boye Mafe, Esezi Otomewo & Thomas Rush
– LB Mariano Sori-Marin
(cont'd)

— The Daily Gopher (@TheDailyGopher) November 22, 2021

What older guys do will trickle down to younger players on roster, who can now hit the transfer portal and immediately play elsewhere next season. Oh, and let’s not forget that Selection Sunday is less than a week away, at which point the (8-4) Minnesota Gophers will find out their 2021-22 bowl fate.

Morgan Returns, Clark Hits Portal

As I foreshadowed in my blog on Saturday, which called for an open QB competition for next year’s starter, Tanner Morgan will return for a super redshirt senior season in 2022. He will join Mohamed Ibrahim, who did the same earlier last week.

Following Morgan’s announcement, Jacob Clark (a former high school star QB from Rockwall, TX) entered his name into the transfer portal. I was excited about Clark as a prospect but he seemingly had fallen down the depth chart and next year will be his 4th as a college football player.

The remaining QB’s who could start in the seemingly near future are now Tanner Morgan, Zack Annexstad, Cole Kramer and Athan Kaliakmanis. Jacob Knuth, a 3-star QB prospect out of South Dakota, is also expected to sign his National Letter of Intent in December.

O-Line: Faalele Accepts Senior Bowl Invite

Most have expected Daniel Faalele to enter the NFL Draft after this season, Hell, many thought he would do it last year, even after missing the season due to COVID-19 concerns. This morning, the junior accepted an invite to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, which is the top destination for NFL Draft prospects hoping to showcase their skills in a postseason Pro Bowl type game.

Please welcome OL Daniel Faalele @DanielFaalele_ from @GopherFootball to the 2022 @Reeses Senior Bowl!!! #RTB #SkiUMah #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE™️ @JimNagy_SB @PaniniAmerica #RatedRookie pic.twitter.com/WlWonhIHDw

— Reese's Senior Bowl (@seniorbowl) November 29, 2021

Daniel isn’t the only offensive lineman departing Dinkytown after the 2021 season is complete. Starters Connor Olson and Sam Schlueter have to leave, along with everyone’s favorite 2022 NFL TE prospect, Ko Kieft. (OL) Austin Beier is also believed to be leaving.

Big Turnover on Defense

The Minnesota Gophers could have a lot of fresh faces on defense in 2022. The many departures start with two grad-transfers, (DT) Nyles Pinckney and (LB) Jack Gibbens, who were HUGE figures in the 2021 defensive turnaround.

Other regulars without any eligibility remaining are (DT) Micah Dew-Treadway, (DT) Val Martin, (CB) Coney Durr, (S) Phil Howard and (CB) Justus Harris. One major unknown who still could return is (DE) Boye Mafe, who was expected to enter the NFL Draft but hasn’t announced anything yet and didn’t pen a letter to the University of Minnesota or the fanbase like other intended departees have. A Boye Mafe return tour would be significant, especially given his freak athleticism and extreme draftability.

The linebacker room will not only lose Jack Gibbons to graduation but also James Gordon, who is one of the first guys you let off the bus… but struggled to find the field. Over the weekend, he entered the transfer portal. With Braelen Oliver, Mariano Sori-Marin, Donald Willis and all of the other linebackers expected to return, Gordon obviously didn’t see that changing.

More announcements/movement expected

There should be more announced in the coming weeks as more players decide what to do with their future. We’ll keep you up to date when those decisions are made. The two players to keep an eye out for are (WR) Chris Autman-Bell and the aforementioned Boye Mafe.

Context: Given Boye’s #NFLDraft stock, belief is he'll turn pro. Fleck said last week fourth-year O-lineman Daniel Faalele is expected to depart after 2021. But more uncertain for others, such as Tanner Morgan and Chris Autman-Bell, who said last week they haven’t decided plans.

— Andy Greder (@andygreder) November 23, 2021

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Omaha Nebraska ATH, Avante Dickerson, was supposed to be the sparkling gem sitting atop the highest-rated recruiting class in Minnesota Gophers internet era history. Instead, the 2021 high-4-star commit declined to sign his official letter of intent this morning and the Gophers finished early-NSD with 19 total commits (including walk-ons) instead of 20.

Top of his class…

If Dickerson decommits and signs elsewhere, it would cost the Gophers 10 recruiting points (from 205.47 to 194.91) on 247Sports.com. He’s the difference between the #26 and #36 rankings in the country.

The #26-ranked class would be tied for the Gophers’ highest of the internet era (2008 – Brewster). Falling down to #36 would put this class right next to the others during PJ Fleck’s tenure. That’s not a bad thing because he’s been the best recruiter we’ve had… ever. Still, it’s not the growth we thought were getting in the 2021 class.

I would like to announce that I will not be signing along with my teammates. I am simply not ready to make a final decision that will impact my future as a student athlete I will be at the signing at Westside high school to support my teammates but not available for questions.

— AD #28 (@_dickerson1) December 16, 2020

We’ve written about Dickerson, and how dynamic he is, multiple times on this website. If he doesn’t want to play in the secondary, he’s good enough to play multiple offensive positions too. The kid is a stud. He’s the only Minnesota Gophers commit who’s rated above a .9000 by 247Sports.com.

So what happened?

Nebraska happened. At least that’s what their fanbase wants you to think.

Fleck swiped Avante from Scott Frost country but the Huskers have continued to recruit him hard ever since. Public doubts on Dickerson’s commitment to Minnesota only sprung up in the hours leading up to Early-NSD, however.

The Omaha kid has never stepped foot on the University of Minnesota Campus and that’s probably playing into his non-committed status. He verbally-committed to the Gophers in April, just as the COVID shutdowns were beginning.

According to Nebraska 247Sports affiliate, Husker247.com:

“Nebraska never stopped recruiting Dickerson, though the Huskers didn’t re-enter the picture fully until the fall, when it was first rumored that the Omaha Westside defensive back hadn’t closed the door entirely on playing for the Huskers and that there were some sticking points with his Minnesota commitment. Publicly, Dickerson never wavered, never made a statement, never decommitted or even said he was considering other schools.

Behind the scenes, Nebraska continued to work to try to land the defensive back. One of his best friends and current Westside teammate, Koby Bretz, committed to the program.

Husker247 seems to think Dickerson’s made his final decision, during this early National Signing Day period. If his LOI isn’t submitted by Friday, Avante will have to wait until February 3. That’s when the late National Signing Day period begins.

But, his tweet didn’t announce a decommitment nor did it say that he’s pushing his LOI out until February. Dickerson was expected to sign his LOI to Minnesota at his local Omaha (NE) high school today, along with some HS teammates (one of which was committing to the Huskers).

Fans are hoping

So Minnesota Gophers fans are holding out hope that the hometown Nebraska boy is just trying to avoid the local Nebraska mob. One that would surely be stirred up by his public commitment to Minnesota.

Could Avante Dickerson be waiting for the hoopla of National Signing Day to pass, just to send in his LOI during a discrete time later this week? That’s the hope.

Of course, these things/thoughts are all speculation and we really don’t have any idea what is going through this young man’s head. We’ll obviously know more by Friday because he will either sign his LOI by then… or he won’t.

I guess we’ll wait and see. PJ Fleck has a National Signing Day press conference scheduled for 1:30 today so we’ll see if he gives any clues as to what’s happening with AD. I will stream the zoom presser live on our Twitter page if you want to watch PJ talk about these signees (you do).

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

The fax machines were dusted off, fired up, and rocking this morning all over the country, as 2020 graduates inked national letters of intent, before getting a history lesson on how to operate such an ancient form of communication. Fortunately, all 23 expected (and one additional) future Gopher Football players were able to deliver those crucial pieces of paper, and are now officially signed to play college football here.

There was one big surprise that joined the class this morning, along with an unknown punter from Australia, who was shrouded in mystery until LATE last night. Overall, it ended as another successful PJ Fleck class and possibly the best for Minnesota since 2008.

If you want to deep dive every recruit, I’ll always recommend GopherIllustrated.com. You pay… but you’ll also be smarter about all Gopher sports recruiting than anyone else you know.

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″]

Here is the official class of 2020:

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.0.9″]

[/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″ custom_padding=”||0px|||”]

National Signing Day Surprises

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″ custom_margin=”-23px|||||”]

The Gophers didn’t lose any commits to anyone else and everything went according to plan, beyond 3 WR commitments (Dylan McGill, Dakota Thomas, Justin Bellido) who couldn’t sign due to academic reasons. All three are still expected to ink when eligible (likely February).

There were some positive surprises though. The first one started with rumors yesterday, about a big time INTERNATIONAL punter who was expected to join the class… but nobody knew who the punter actually was… until late last night, when Mark Crawford (the top international punter in this class) turned on his fax machine from Australia, joining Daniele Faalele as the 2nd teammate from that continent.

The second surprise came from a defensive lineman, “Jah” Joyner, who is expected to be a gamechange. He re-opened his commitment to Boston College, before being courted heavily by Jim Panagos, then DL Coach at MN. But then, while Jah was here visiting last weekend, Panagos took the same job at Rutgers and tried to bring Joyner with him. Panagos is great… but he isn’t PJ Fleck.

“I’m going to Minnesota,” he said. “I love the people and culture and really believe in coach (P.J.) Fleck. I believe in his vision for me moving forward and I believe in their academic staff as well. I believe that he’s going to change my life not only on the field, but off the field.” – (via GopherIllustrated.com)

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.0.9″]

I’ve committed and signed with @GopherFootball on a full scholarship to study and play football. Thanks to @Coach_Fleck and @Coach_R_Wenger and all associated staff for giving me this opportunity. Shoutout in a big way to Nathan @ProkickAus and @JohnnyPKA. #SkiUMah #RTB #Gophers pic.twitter.com/sOiSyaH83f

— mark crawford (@MRossCrawford) December 18, 2019

[/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″ custom_margin=”||10px|||”]

2020 Class Stand-Outs

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″]

In another class that ranks near the best of all time at this school, there are a few guys who stand out, compared to others.

It’s clear that the coaching staff wanted to re-up heavy on linebacking and edge-rushing talent. Their highest ranked commit is OLB, Itayvion Brown, a 6-foot, 3-inch — MONSTER. Not only is he big and hopefully mean, but he was a legitimate WR prospect until just a few months ago. Since moving to OLB (in recruiting), he’s jumped up in class a little bit and made himself Minnesota’s #1 recruit for the 2020 class. He should be able to put his hand in the dirt or stand up, and cover really well from both positions. 5 out of the top-10 ranked recruits in this 2020 class project to play OLB or DE.

Daniel Jackson could be the next big time WR to play at the University of Minnesota, a school that is gaining traction as one of the best in the nation at producing WR talent. This tradition is one that PJ Fleck is continuing… but didn’t start. With that in mind, Jackson would probably do it a bit differently, currently stacking up a bit on the small end, at 5-11, 185 lbs. On the bigger side of the Wide Receiver commitments signees today, Douglas Emelien is a guy that Ryan Burns (GopherIllustrated.com) is very high on, and someone who signed because of how successful the Gophers were in 2019. And, don’t forget about homegrown Jonathan Mann, who’s been committed out of Rosemount HS, for years already.

The last standout I want to touch on, certainly isn’t the least in this class. Ky Thomas is a program-changing running back. Look at this kid’s highlight reel. I don’t know if he ever got tackled while in high school, at Topeka, Kansas… that’s it. That’s all I want to say. Just watch for yourself:

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.0.9″]

2⃣ minutes straight of Ky Thomas slipping defenders and making moves. pic.twitter.com/9Qm9Ge1ZJL

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) December 18, 2019

[/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″]

And to finish my National Signing Day recap, here is the list of Minnesota kids from the 2020 class, who will stay and help build the University of Minnesota football program to a level it hasn’t seen since the United States was dealing with the Cuban Missile Crisis:

• Jonathan Mann – (WR) Rosemount HS
• Danny Striggow – (WDE) Orono HS
• Cody Lindenberg – (WDE) Anoka HS

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.0.9″]

Minnesota kids wanting to stay and build our sports programs into national treasures literally makes my heart melt.

My heart is overfilled today @GopherFootball… https://t.co/Owa7tY8rJH

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 18, 2019

[/et_pb_code][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.0.9″ custom_margin=”-37px|||||”]

Jonathan Mann – Rosemount HS pic.twitter.com/iqIRlY70yU

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 18, 2019

[/et_pb_code][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.0.9″ custom_margin=”-10px||15px|||” hover_enabled=”0″]

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

UPDATE — HERE IS PJ FLECK’S PRESS CONFERENCE FROM WEDENSDAY NIGHT, BEFORE HE ANNOUNCED EACH RECRUIT TO ALUMNI, BOOSTERS, AND FANS AT THE DQ CLUB AT TCF BANK STADIUM:

[/et_pb_text][et_pb_code _builder_version=”4.0.9″ hover_enabled=”0″]

PJ Fleck LIVE talking NSD 2020! #Gophers #NeXXton20 https://t.co/bkFrmXpDyD

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 18, 2019

[/et_pb_code][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]