Meet Minnesota football's 23 commits in the 2024 class (2024)

High School:Mukwonago (Wisconsin)

Overall Ranking:No. 173

Position Ranking:No. 13 offensive tackle

Breakdown:The newest member of the four-star group forMinnesota in the 2024 class, and the Gophers' addition ofNathan Royto their recruiting class is significant because of who else was in pursuit of him and also the talent level and upside he has.Roy throws the shot 60' and 133 in the discus. Those are the types of numbers that typically correlate to success in college and beyond. He also plays some basketball, so he is an all-around good athlete.

His film shows a player who can use that athleticism. The first clip on his junior highlights is him getting out in front of play and he shows the burst to close the gap on a defender and make a block in space. He can maul in a phone booth but his ability to run and get out in front of plays at his size is what really stands out.He's flexible and coordinated.He can probably go inside or outside and be a guy who can provide depth at both.He reminds us a little bit of the jewel of last year's Minnesota class, Greg Johnson. There were some plays on Johnson's tape where he was running way out ahead of plays and leading his running back down the sideline that look like some of the plays on Roy's tape.Ultimately we think he will be an impact player for the Gophers and was a great recruiting win also.

High School: Kindred (North Dakota)

Overall Ranking:No. 488

Position Ranking:No. 23 defensive tackle

Breakdown:Sunram is headed to the Twin Cities as a defensive lineman but is ranked by 247 as an interior offensive lineman and some schools did recruit him there. He will be moved to defensive line in the next update.On either side of the ball, his athletic profile is very good if not elite.He is nearly 6-foot-5 and now over 290 pounds.He has played basketball and also thrown the shot, discus and the javelin and threw them well. That combination of athleticism and strength shows up on his football film as he can be dominant at times on both sides of the ball.

His high school team has him out on the edge a lot but with his growth, he could easily go inside some. We see him as still fairly raw technically but he has a lot of upside based on his athletic potential and multi-sport background. Both his parents were athletes.We will look to see his senior year as we feel as though he can take a big jump this fall and turn in a dominant senior year.His best football is still ahead of him and he was a great win for the Gophers on the trail as it appeared as though he was set to narrow his list and then take the process from there but then chose to instead make the call for Minnesota.

High School:Esko (Minnesota)

Overall Ranking:No.298

Position Ranking:No.29 safety

Breakdown:It's been quite sometime since the Northeastern part of Minnesota has produced a Big Ten football talent, but Esko'sKoi Perichhas broken that mold. If you just take out what he's done on the football field, he's also a heck of an all-around athlete. Standing at 6-1, Koi averaged over 20 points per game the last two years on 25-win basketball teams. He's also liable to put it on anopposing playershead. On the track, he ran a 10.89 100m and a 22.29 200m this spring before a soft tissue injury wrecked the rest of his season, but as a sophom*ore, he won the Class A long jump as a 10th grade with a 21-5 attempt and took 6th in the triple jump.

And then you factor in what he did on the football field last fall for Esko. On his 77 touches on offense, Perich averaged 15 yards per touch on offense with 20 touchdowns. He also had five return scores, plus 75+ tackles on defense. It's why the Gophers offered him in September, and in short order, schools such as Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, Washington, Michigan and Wisconsin followed suit.Perich committed to Minnesota back in April.

High School:Johnston (Iowa)

Overall Ranking:No.582

Position Ranking:No. 31 tight end

Breakdown:For his baseline tools, Simpson has a 6-foot-5, 210-pound frame to work with and also plays basketball at Johnston.He is used in high school as big wide receiver. A lot of the time, on what we've seen, he is split out wide. We really don't see him playing attached or ever in a three-point stance.He has very good receiver skills. He can certainly go win contested passes. He has athletic and physical advantages over his competition, which definitely helps a lot, but his timing, body control and hand-eye coordination all checks out. Then when he is asked to run routes, he shows quicks, change of direction and twitch for a big man. He's solid after the catch but that doesn't come across as a forte in his game right now.

Moving forward, depending on how Minnesota will play him, he will need to gain more on-ball blocking experience. Upping those 210 pounds will help that.In terms of athleticism and base receiving tools though, he has that.Just based on what we see of him in high school and how he's used -- a lot of 50-50 and then short hitches -- there is still a lot of room for development here and we can see him really blossoming once he gets to Minnesota.

High School: Heritage (Florida)

Overall Ranking:No.645

Position Ranking:No.24 EDGE

Breakdown:It was about the right "fit" for the Florida lineman.

"I really, truly believe that God has a plan for everybody. I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't have sex. I don't do none of that," Kissayi said. "I've just been focusing on my goal with sports and following what God has planned and set out for me. I really believe that when I go to that place and it feels like that home, and it feels like that place, I know that's God telling me, 'This is where you need to be.'

Early on in life, he was into soccer for reasons easily understood. His dad is from Morocco, where soccer is the main sport. And, well, "I'll say it like this, there's only one Moroccan football player in the NFL and he's half-Moroccan like me," Kissayi said.

But many of his buddies in the neighborhood were all about football so Kissayi wasn't about to sit that out. Turned out he was pretty dang good at it.Kissayi was always the tallest person in his class growing up. He was about 5-10 by the fifth grade. He was 6-3 by seventh grade and still climbing to where he is now at 6-7. Kissayi, in fact, recently received a significant ratings bump to a high-three star from 247Sports, with analyst Andrew Ivins writing that he "owns very long arms and an intriguing athletic background, in addition to above-average testing for such a big-framed athlete still developing position-specific traits."

He'd be a perfect fit for Minnesota as a five-technique defensive lineman with the length and traits to be an impact guy down the line.

High School:Iona Prep (New York)

Overall Ranking:No. 702

Position Ranking:No.68 defensive lineman

Breakdown:Gophers' corners coachNick Monroehad spent a ton of time, effort and energy recruiting Hicks. That's in his time back at Syracuse when he offered in January of 2022 to when he took over at Minnesota, offered again and then got Hicks out on a multi-day unofficial visit in the spring.

Hicks would have the flexibility to play either three or one technique defensive tackle depending on how his 6-4 and 250 lb frame continues to grow. He held offers from Syracuse, Penn State, Boston College, Connecticut, Temple and Wake Forest along with Minnesota.

High School:Prior Lake (Minnesota)

Overall Ranking:No. 761

Position Ranking:No.77 defensive lineman

Breakdown:Abasiri has a legitimate Big Ten frame and natural tools to work with in that body and when you have a kid like that in your backyard, it’s important to recruit him and keep him at home.The Gophers did just that.When watching Abasiri, the most important thing to note is that we still think the best football is ahead of him.He’s versatile as his team has asked him to line up in a variety of techniques from right over the center to out wider.

He is a natural mover and bender.Additional technical work and explosiveness off the snap can and we believe will be added.We sawMartin Owusumake big jumps between his junior and senior tape and believe Abasiri can do the same and will look for him to turn up the dominance this fall as a senior and more of a leader on his team now.In short, the Gophers get a rare body type with great developmental tools.

High School:Eden Prairie (Minnesota)

Overall Ranking:No.815

Position Ranking:No. 85 defensive lineman

Breakdown: Who better than his defensive line coach at Eden Prairie in Steve O'Toole to tell you more about Saine.

"Mo has a big heart and a very pleasant demeanor," O'Toole said to 247Sports. "Mo has incredible physical potential. He is blessed with long arms, good athletic ability, and a frame which will allow him to add muscle, size, and strength. With hard work and determined effort, I think he can be an excellent defensive lineman for the Gophers. Mo just began playing football three years ago. He literally started from scratch with regard to his stance, technique, and overall understanding of the game of football. Mo has made significant progress each year and is beginning to exhibit the consistency needed to be a great defensive lineman.

As mentioned earlier, Mo has a combination of physical attributes rarely found in high school defensive linemen. Under the guidance of the coaches and trainers at the U of M, I would expect Mo to fully develop his athletic potential and understanding of the game to become a key contributor to the defensive line."

High School:Trinity Episcopal School (Virginia)

Overall Ranking:No.870

Position Ranking:No.71 safety

Breakdown:Who better than hisheadcoach at Trinity in Sam Mickensto tell you more aboutRainer.

"Zahir is the consummate next level player. He has a unique blend of speed, strength, aggression, and discipline paired with an unrivaled football I.Q. He’s an elite program changing player.I mentioned his strengths above-he’s exceptionally strong for his build, he’s sudden, or twitchy as some like to say. He’s a steadfast individual on and off the field, you always know where you stand with Z. He’s a leader and a standup individual.

In terms of what he will need to work on, I think every young player has an adjustment period when they first arrive-the speed and flow of the game. Other than that, I think he’ll find his way on the field somehow, whether on specials or possibly sub packages to start. He’s different.

I can’t and won’t ever take credit for any of our players development. I’m just blessed to have the opportunity to coach players like Zahir and his teammates. If I had to point to one thing that has improved with him is his in-play and pre-snap recognition He’s a savvy player and we give the autonomy to roam around and take chances in the box. I’m sure this upcoming season there will be many impact plays in the backfield from #7, and I’m here for it all."

High School:Brownsburg (Ind.)

Overall Ranking:No.893

Position Ranking:No.92 wide receiver

Breakdown:On the field, Smith is a three-sport athlete who has also played basketball and run track.He's listed at 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, so he's not a standout from a size perspective but also is not small. He shows some contested catch ability and good ball skills. He has some twitch and quick feet along with acceleration off the line.His burst and short area suddenness standout moreso than long speed.He catches the ball well away from his body and can do it on the move and in traffic.

Despite not being a high-end burner, he has some wiggle and ability after the catch.All in all, Smith is a very solid, reliable all around receiver who has great positional skills and polish and he will be a productive player at the next level.

High School:Fayetteville (Ark.)

Overall Ranking:No.944

Position Ranking:No.55 quarterback

Breakdown:You've got to give credit to the Gophers for pulling the trigger here, because Lindsey is legit. Debuting asa strong three-star 86 on 247Sports, Lindsey is pushing 6-foot-5 and weighs 220-plus pounds, but he moves with subtleties in the pocket that extend plays and keep him clean. He knows how to throw to spots with anticipation and accuracy, and his size allows him to stretch the field when required. A smooth, quick release helped Lindsey throw for 3,620 yards, 37 TDs, and only three picks in 2022, when he completed 67 percent of his throws.

High School:Waubonsie Valley (Ill.)

Overall Ranking:No.982

Position Ranking:No. 66 athlete

Breakdown:Johnson is like a big high school receiver who will become a full-time tight end. He has a longer frame with an 81-inch wingspan, has played other positions like defensive end and linebacker and also participates in track.The upside here is huge. He has great ball skills and body control and as he fills in, he should become a real matchup problem at tight end.

His offer list grew greatly in the spring and that's because schools saw his athleticism stay as he grew into his frame.He carries his weight well and should continue to do so.He is excellent on contested balls and runs well for a bigger guy.He has a real chance to move up in the rankings as we evaluate him further through the spring, summer and into the fall.

High School:Detroit Lakes (Minn.)

Overall Ranking:No.988

Position Ranking:No. 71 linebacker

Breakdown:Who better than hisheadcoach at Detroit Lakes in Reed Hefta to tell you more about Carrier.

"Mason is a kid who checks all of the boxes. Highly coachable and leads by example on the field and his demeanoroff the field doesn't miss a beat. He is a humble kid that will truly make a community proud! He is a very involved young man (three sport athlete) who treats every person involvedin this life with equal respect and kindness. You can really tell he has a great family around him!

Really thebest way I can sum Mason up is thekid will always keep swinging. There is no quit in that kid and he will work tirelessly on all parts of his game. He is a kid who will always bring his best. Which is infections, and it's fun to see how all my athletes have raised their bar as well.

With the bright lights of the Big Ten starting to show that could be something that could cause added pressures or stresses for some kids. Mason is up for the challenge. He has made it this far doing things the right way. I don't see that all of a sudden changing. He has a great head on his shoulders and fantastic support around him."

High School:Gaylord (Mich.)

Overall Ranking:No.988

Position Ranking:No.84 linebacker

Breakdown:Brady has a big frame and the athleticism to go along with that. He plays basketball and shows he can play in space on film along with being able to come forward and blitz or stop the run. With his frame and versatility, I can see him playing in a variety of roles. He is probably a big MIKE but can play SAM and maybe EDGE if they end up needing him to.

I think had the process gone on and it got to spring eval, more offers would have come so it was good for Minnesota get this one wrapped up quickly

High School: Morton Ranch (Texas)

Overall Ranking:No.999

Position Ranking:No.60 CB

Breakdown: Geraldelected to camp at the Houston and TCU mega campsin the first week of June, and his recruitment really took offer with power-five offers from Utah and Kansas State, along with Minnesota, who all saw him there. He's a legitimate 6-0 and allegedly ran in the 4.5's at that camp. When you do that, plus display good change of direction skills, you'll be getting a lot more attention like he is.

As a junior last fall, he played both sides of the ball and as a receiver, caught 24 balls for 522 yards (21.8 ypc) with nine scores. But it was only his first year on the defensive side of the ball at corner, where all these recent offers, including Minnesota's was at."

High School:Mankato West (Minn.)

Overall Ranking:No. 1021

Position Ranking:No. 130 wide receiver

Breakdown: For Minnesota, they did not want to let a player of Smith's playmaking ability and track background get out of their state.His results include a 10.87 100-meter dash, a 6.70 in the 55-meter dash and a 7.17 in the 60. That translates onto the football field where he runs by his competition a lot on tape. He has good shake and quicks off the line and is a generally fluid athlete. He can catch the ball without breaking stride and then use his top end to run away from defenders.

As opposed to just being a track guy, he shows ball skills and ability to adjust to passes in the air. Some fast guys can't throttle back and judge the ball as well and that does not seem to be an issue for Smith.

After saying all that, Gopher fans will want to know about his ranking.

The initial 86 is fairly conservative given that Smith is somewhat new to the major radar and our staff has not seen him in person. Given his speed and track background, there is still a lot of upside to him and to his ranking. We assume someone from the company will get a look at him this summer.

Regardless, this is a good take for the Gophers. You don't let speed like this leave and Smith is more polished and skilled than just a guy who can run fast in a straight line.

High School:Clearwater International Academy (Florida)

Overall Ranking:No.1105

Position Ranking:No.142 wide receiver

Breakdown:Florida’s Clearwater Academy International is pumping out more and more foreign-born talent and wide receiverDallas Simsis the latest transplant to secure a spot at a Power Five program as he gave a verbal commitment to Minnesota this past Saturday. Sims is on the bigger side (he’s believed to be hovering right around 6-2.5, 195 pounds), but spent much of his junior season working on the inside for a CAI program that went 10-1 and captured it’s second consecutive Sunshine State Independent Association championship.

"Sims ended up catching 24 passes for 429 yards and four touchdowns. He now holdsa three-star grade of an 85 in the rankings. Sims might lack a true top-end gear, but he can break off defensive backs with swift cuts at the top of his routes and go get the football."

High School: Hill Murray (Minn.)

Overall Ranking:No.1123

Position Ranking:No.118 athlete

Breakdown:

We evaluated Seidl recently and started him off as a mid-three-star but that should rise in the near future.He has length which can be seen on film. We have not gotten to see him in person to exactly size him up, but we feel confident from the context we have that he his listed 6-foot-0, 170 pounds is fairly accurate.

His 11.04 in track at that length is very good considering that was hisfreshman year and we would expect him to go sub 11 this year.Then you have his hockey, which shows a combination of quickness, speed, coordination and balance that we just don't see a lot at this position because there aren't a ton of hockey player/DBs.

On the gridiron, he is a two-way playmaker who shows his speed to close on defense and to get by defenders on offense. He looks like he has ball skills which will translate well to defense.He will have to refine his technique as a DB, but his raw tools are very good. He's long, fast, athletic, has the kind of multi-positional and multi-sport background we look for in a prospect and hopefully we will see him in person soon, but even without that, he's a guy who can rise from his conservative initial rating.

High School:Archbishop Stepinac (New York)

Overall Ranking:No. 1212

Position Ranking:No.110 cornerback

Breakdown:Who better than hisheadcoach at Archbishop Stepinac in Mike O'Donnellto tell you more aboutMadu.

"Sam is a great young man. He's from Nigeria, and has only played football for three years. He is a sponge as far as a listener, and is always eager to learn. He has tremendous athletic ability and he has only scratched the surface of his potential.

Sam strengths are his body. He has a great physique for cornerback, with great speed and twitch. He has those hips you don't come across very often. He wants to learn and he listens to everything that is said. He is going to have a great year. We travel to BaylorSchool in Chattanooga for our opening game and play New Jersey champion, DePaul Catholic, in the non-conference. We've also got avery tough CHSFL schedule.Sam has get to better at understanding the game because he has only played three years. It's still not like someone who played football since he was a young kid.

The sky is the limit for Sam. I think Minnesota is going to love him as they watch his body explode. He definitely has the tools to have a successful college careerand possibly play on Sundays. I say that knowing I have three guys in the NFL right now."

High School:Bishop McNamara (Ill.)

Overall Ranking:No.1279

Position Ranking:No.64 running back

Breakdown:Back in February, the Gophers scored a commitment from Illinois running back Jaydon Wright. They got a bruising 5-foot-11, 220-pound back with a track background who rushed for 1,224 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior.He choose Minnesota over 13 offers which included Purdue and West Virginia. Illinois offered him this past spring, but Wright has remained solid in his Minnesota decision.

High School:Chanhassen (Minn.)

Overall Ranking:No.1326

Position Ranking:No.70 EDGE

Breakdown: Macyhas been a really good high school player throughout his career. Our initial concern with him was frame and thus, listed him as an outside linebacker. As his body has grown and developed, we have gotten much more comfortable with his projection to EDGE and his standing as a top ten prospect in the state of Minnesota. He is now 6-foot-4+, pushing 6-foot-5 and at 220 pounds, still has plenty of room to grow.

Within that frame, he is a solid all-around athlete. Straight-line speed and ability to close is there and he also plays hard, so he is using all of his speed. He has change of direction and and good acceleration. He still has to get stronger to be able to anchor against the run, but as noted above, he has the frame to be able to add bulk.Given his combo linebacker-edge play in high school and the motor he plays with, we seeDanny Striggowas a reasonable comparison on the Gopher roster and see Macy ending up playing a similar position at a similar weight eventually.

He is a very productive, disruptive high school player who is not topped out and still has room to get better. Plus, the Gophers got an in-person look at him in camp and offered him, so we assume their evaluation trajectory with him has been the same as ours where everyone is now very comfortable with what he can become at the Big Ten level."

High School:William Penn (Pennsylvania)

Overall Ranking:No. 1344

Position Ranking:No.88 running back

Breakdown: As a junior, he had three different 90+ yard touchdowns and averaged over 7.7 yards per carry. It's evident on tape he's got the speed, and he ran a 4.51 laser 40-yard dash last month at the UA camp in Baltimore. At that same event, Ijeboi registered a 39.4" vertical and 10-4 broad jump.He's also got a 10.89 100m time from this spring, to go along with a 22.8 200m.The Philadelphia tailback has blown up in the last month with offers from Nebraska, Rutgers, Northwestern, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech. He was just at Rutgers for an official visit, but the Gopherswere able to lock him down."

High School:Clearwater International Academy (Fla.)

Overall Ranking:No.1414

Position Ranking:No.113 offensive tackle

Breakdown:Nova Scotia is about as far away as a Canadian can be from Minnesota, but they Gophers have had a lot of success recruiting players from the Great White North.Canadian offensive lineman and Clearwater International Academy's Mauricio Hinds, prior to his commitment to Minnesota, had24 offers in total from schools like Arizona, Duke, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Wake Forest, USF and UCF among others.

Standing 6-foot-5, 285 pounds, Hinds came to the states from Nova Scotia his sophom*ore year and enrolled at The Hill School in Pennsylvania. However, after only one season he moved down to Florida and enrolled at Clearwater, which attracts a lot of international talent. Here's some of what Hinds told 247Sports about his football career thus far.

"I've really been playing for two years, but when I got here, I didn't know how to get into a stance. I really started the technique part about a year ago.Before that, I’m originally from Nova Scotia so I didn’t really play football there, I was more of a hockey player. I was a tight end back at home. My athleticism and how raw I really am as a player. The development from the end of last season to now is astounding. The question is just how good I can become at the next level."

OL coach Brian Callahan loves a big, athletic project type of offensive lineman. And Hinds fits that well.