One of those kids appears to be the Minnesota Gophers’ 2024 linebacker commit out of Detroit Lakes, Mason Carrier, whose brother Ethan is a redshirt Freshman cornerback for the Gophers, who appeared in one game in 2023 (Ohio State).

DL Mason Carrier lets everyone know: He’s committed to the Minnesota Gophers

On Friday — after he either a) became annoyed by the other 2024 Gopher commits who have bailed on PJ Fleck in the last few days or b) finally became sick of other coaches trying flip him before signing day on December 20 (possibly both) — Carrier typed a message into his notes app and put it out on his social medias that both a) affirmed his commitment to the University of Minnesota and b) made me run through a brick wall.

pic.twitter.com/oqNcfKQ6We

— Mason Carrier (@Mason_Carrier46) December 15, 2023

It sure is nice to see a kid like Mason, who looks like an absolute monster on the football field, prove there are still high school recruits in 2023-24 who value their commitments and have pride for their home state football program. That some commits are still built different.

Related: Did Drake Just Curse the Minnesota Gophers?

No transfer judgements here, just respect

Don’t get me wrong, you will not hear, see or read me complain about all of the freedom given to college football players in the year 2023. The NCAA and its Universities are reaping what they’ve sown for 50 years on that subject.

Every kid is different and so is everyone’s personal situation. We are talking big boy money, here. $50,000, for example, can be life-changing for a lot of kids, who don’t enter their college years with the same financial stability others do.

If you’re choosing between job offers, and one potential workplace is offering the same salary (a scholarship) as another, but it comes with a $50,000 cash bonus, which would you take? Now, pretend you’re 17 and your parents can’t help with college. Not even rent or groceries or gas money. Which are you going to choose?

Related: Gophers Paying Cole Kramer a Rumored $30K in NIL to Stay for Bowl Game

Eventually, we will get a world where college football players are paid by Universities and not NIL funds, which will come with a salary cap and parity that hasn’t been seen in power-5 college athletics since… forever. Until then, we’ll all roll with the punches because high-level American football is the best sport in the world by a mile.

So, I don’t judge these kids when they flip commitments because we do not know what is going on behind the scenes. Which is why I have even more respect for the kids who are old-school like Mason Carrier. And just for the record, I won’t forget the name.

COMMITTED. #RTB ????@Coach_Fleck @KirkCiarrocca @coachcioroch @QuarterbackUniv @AllenTrieu @burneystweets pic.twitter.com/eSdEzM6NfS

— Drew Viotto (@ViottoDrew) May 27, 2022

The 6’4″, 215 lb QB is originally from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Thus the nickname “Canadian Cannon“. Viotto was previously committed to Eastern Michigan but all signs pointed to Viotto’s flip, when he decommitted earlier this week. Drew’s first visit to Minnesota’s campus won’t come until June but he didn’t need to see Dinkytown before he announced his plans. Viotto held recruiting offers from Maryland and Syracuse, among others.

Underrated?

Down the road, Drew Viotto could look like an underecruited steal. He’s an uber-talented late-riser who sat behind a star QB, as a high school underclassman. Viotto has the ultimate QB build but didn’t get a chance to perform for scouts until this past season, as a Junior. So if he continues to rise this fall, we’ll see if PJ Fleck and Co. can hang onto him.

According to 247Sports, Kirk Ciarrocca fell for Viotto when he watched him throw in a downpour.

Minnesota offered Viotto after watching him throw in a down pour. Similar to how he stuck it out at Western, others may have canceled that work out or moved it inside, but Viotto did not complain one bit and went out and threw the ball as if it was 70 degrees and sunny. And he truly excelled in that workout. He threw it extremely well. The mettle and the intangibles he showed then were arguably just as impressive as the velocity or spin on the ball though. He has been a diligent worker throughout his career. He definitely loves football and is dedicated to the craft.

Allen Trieu – 247Sports

What the Tape Says

Viotto’s Junior tape is impressive and tells us a few things. Obviously, we take all highlight reels with a grain of salt. But Drew clearly moves around in the pocket really well. He isn’t mobile, which is noted by 247Sports, but his high school film shows a kid who is very aware of what’s going on around him inside the pocket and where to move if he needs space.

His throwing motion is something to watch. Viotto appears accurate and powerful but he throws with a bit of a chicken wing. It reminds me of Philip Rivers. Viotto is the 8th commit of the 2023 recruiting class for PJ Fleck. A class that currently ranks 18th in the country, according to 247Sports Composite ratings.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

German standout Isaiah Ihnen just verbally committed to Minnesota, he tells @247Sports | Story: https://t.co/MkGmjug1mX pic.twitter.com/LoDbk3HLtx

— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) April 23, 2019

Being from Germany and committing so late, Isaiah didn’t even have a rating at 247Sports.com when I researched him over the weekend. It was his video that got me hooked. But now…. he got his rating and holy shit was I right… A 96+ is fucking legit. Now I’m jacked up! You can see all of that video I watched and my breakdown of him from my post over the weekend:

This is a massive get for Pitino and really makes this class legit but there are still at least 2 scholarships left to fill if an opportunity presents itself. Again, especially if Amir leaves, the Gophers need to bulk up this class as much as possible or they could be looking at a down season and Richard’s job is NOT guaranteed for 2020-21.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Anyway, let’s act like we’ve been there and get on with it…

The first 3-4 drives were pretty fucking boring, to be honest. Everything seemed to be thrown off a bit by the move inside. But after a few series, Annexstad found his footing and his tight end, Bryce Witham, for the game’s first touchdown. It was the maroon team that would find the end-zone second too.

This time, the 400 lb Sophomore offensive tackle, Danielle Faalele, was given the rock and a mission to find the goaline. I think Carter Coughlin said it best in the postgame press conference:

Question to Carter Coughlin: ”how many guys would it take to tackle Faalele?”

”He’s like as big as 3 guys so… at least 3..”

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) April 13, 2019

Anything can happen at the Spring Game…@DanielFaalele_ TOUCHDOWN#SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/u8E2pjKsR2

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) April 13, 2019

Sideline Views: Faalele Touchdown Edition pic.twitter.com/jnPSwz5bra

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) April 13, 2019

As far as the game, itself? It wasn’t very good, as far as being close and competitive. The early trend continued and it ended with a blowout victory for the maroon team. There were definitely some things and guys that stuck out, though.

The size of this offensive line continues to grow, on a team that looks bigger every year, too. We didn’t see our two starting running backs in either Shannon Brooks or Rodney Smith, who continue to recover from injuries. I’m pretty sure they’ll both be 33-years-old when the season starts. Even in their absence, just like for most of last season, the running backs consistently gouged the defense for big chunks. Depth at RB and a good OL are staples to Big Ten success. The Minnesota RB depth is near the top of the NCAA and that OL continues to improve.

There were plenty of big plays made on defense too, including an interception returned for a touchdown by Minnesota’s own, Thomas Rush. Thomas won a half of the MVP award on the day but he stuck out to me before that big bastard started making plays. At one point, I turned to GopherIllustrated.com’s Ryan Burns and told him how shocked I was at the size of Rush. #8 in maroon stuck out so much, I had to check the media guide to make sure I was seeing his name right from long distance…

I don’t want this post about a Spring Game to get too long so here are a few other bullet points to wrap this up:

• Zack Annexstad will be the starter. Everytime I see this team, he looks more comfortable and has twice the arm strength of Tanner Morgan. (Fleck disagrees and said, in his postgame presser, that they are neck-and-neck)
• Freshman, Jacob Clark throws a very pretty deep ball and he’s tall as fuck. He looked promising, especially once he grows into that 6-5 frame a bit.
• Antoine Winfield Jr (recovering from season-ending injury) played the entire first half and is clearly at full speed. Rodney Smith probably could have played but Fleck is taking that recovery at a snail’s pace to be extra cautious.
• Carter Coughlin (Senior) and Boye Mafe (RS Sophomore) are going to be animals this season. Both guys jumped out nearly everytime they were on the field.

Fleck Gets 2020 WR Commitment

#RTB #SkiUMAH pic.twitter.com/UQojHuUGTA

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) April 14, 2019

Justin Bellido seems like your classic slot WR. He’s super shifty and quick. Fleck has brought in a lot of talent into the outside WR positions so I like this commitment. While you can never have too much talent at that position, I like this fit even more.

The newest commitment to the 2020 class pushes the Gophers up the 247Sports rankings to the #16 early recruiting class, nationally (#4 Big Ten).

The 2020 and 2021 classes are huge for PJ Fleck because those are the years that he promised a step-up in both recruiting and play on the field. With the highest-rated QB in recent history already committed for 2021, that class is off to a great start.

I’m so jacked up for football season already that I might be crazy enough to fast-forward through the summer if given the opportunity. Hopefully, you’ll be able to find me in the TCF Bank press box…

via GIPHY

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Over the weekend, 247Sports.com did an update to their recruiting profiles and many kids, who didn’t yet have a rating, received one. The two new Gopher commits for 2021, who happen to be brothers, were two of those kids. And, if you are a fan of our local D1 college football team, you’re going to be one happy rower. 

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You wanted another big time QB, Gopher Nation? You just got one. Athan is currently the 6th-rated dual-threat QB nationally, on 247Sports.com, and he is PJ Fleck’s highest-rated quarterback by far. We are all very excited to watch Jacob Clark throw a football for the first time in a Gopher uniform next Saturday for the Spring Game, and that certainly doesn’t change with the addition of Athan, but Jacob ended his recruiting with a .8850 rating when he eventually stepped on campus. 

 That’s like the difference between a B+ and a C+ on your last test…

247Sports takes pride in the accuracy of their recruiting system and it’s been impressive in the time I’ve followed it. They have the process they go through on their site but recruits come into the rating system on the low-end of their potential. The ratings usually don’t move too much for most players but when they do……. they USUALLY go up…

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 And, Athan’s brother Dino is nothing to blink at either. He’s a solid 3-star and carries plenty of WR potential in a big 6-2 – 190 lb frame.

Don’t look now (seriously don’t… it’s way too early and will set unrealistic expectations), but the Gophers currently lead the Big Ten for 2021 recruiting. They only have 3 commitments and most teams have 0…. but hey, I’ll never miss a chance to slap PJ on the back and I’d rather be at the top than the bottom, no matter the time of year.

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Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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