logo
It's Another Huge Week for Gopher Football Recruiting

It's Another Huge Week for Gopher Football Recruiting

Yahoo21 hours ago
For the University of Minnesota Gophers football, high school recruiting goes into another gear this time of year. In June alone, dozens and dozens of recruits from around the country have been cycled on and off campus, as PJ Fleck & Co try for to verbally nail down one of the best classes of his tenure in Dinkytown.
This week, though, may be PJ's most crucial high school recruiting week since the pride of Esko, Koi Perich, was choosing between the Gophers and Ohio State 1.5 years ago. And it starts right away on Monday, when the No. 1 rated high school football player in Minnesota (247Sports) will announce his verbal commitment.
Advertisement
Decision Day from top 2026 MN football recruit, Roman Voss
Roman Voss is a 4-star athlete (91 OVR) out of Jackson, MN. Prior to Monday's decision, Voss' list of schools — which had included Auburn, Cal, Iowa, Iowa State, Illinois, Miami, Wisconsin, USC and Oklahoma (among others) — had already been whittled down to two schools — his home-state Gophers and the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Voss played mostly quarterback at Jackson High, but both Minnesota and Alabama want the 6'4″ 225 lb freak athlete as a tight end. You don't have to watch his highlights long to see why.
Since the 2025 calendar turned to June, the Minnesota Gophers have landed a whopping 14 commitments for the class of 2026. Weekend after weekend, PJ Fleck and his coaching staff have been cycling dozens of the most talented high school football players in the nation through Dinkytown.
Advertisement
Related: Minnesota Gophers Land Highest-Rated Running Back Recruit in Over a Decade
The Gophers' 2026 class — which now has 23 total commits — has vaulted all the way up to No. 16 in the country, according to 247Sports. Because this summer has been an unmitigated success on the 2026 (and a little 2027) high school recruiting trail.
(ATH) Pierce Petersohn picking Gopher Football or Penn State
But Roman Voss isn't the only in-state freak athlete the Minnesota Gophers are chasing this week. The other — 3-star (89 OVR – ATH) Pierce Petersohn — is out of Triton High School, near Dodge Center. He too is down to two schools, one being his home-state Gophers, the other being Big Ten rival, Penn State.
Advertisement
247Sports has Petersohn (ATH) — who stands at 6'5″, 195 lbs and played QB/FS at Triton — ranked as the 4th best high school football player in the state. Other recruiting sites like him even more, which is why he is a composite 4-star recruit.
One intriguing thing to watch with Pierce — Penn State wants him as a tight end, while Minnesota — who already has one tight end commit and could be on the verge of two — is recruiting him as a linebacker. Petersohn also held offers from Duke, Iowa, Iowa State and Kansas State, before recently narrowing his list down to two.
Last week alone, Minnesota reeled eight more commits into PJ's 2026 recruiting boat, a grab that included the second (247Sports) four-star of the Golden Gophers' 2026 class — Forest Lake defensive lineman, Howie Johnson.
Advertisement
Most take their visit during the two-week 'Summer Splash' event, which is used mostly to convince out of state recruits that Minnesota is not a frozen wasteland year-round.
Yet, the best players in modern Minnesota Gophers history were born and raised in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Let's hope both of these kids decide to follow their path to becoming a hometown legend.
Related Headlines
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Will Blackmon joins the cast of Good Morning Football
Will Blackmon joins the cast of Good Morning Football

Yahoo

time12 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Will Blackmon joins the cast of Good Morning Football

The ever-changing cast of Good Morning Football has undergone another change. Via former NFL defensive back Will Blackmon has joined the cast for the upcoming season. A fourth-round pick from Boston College in 2006, Blackmon spent four years with the Packers, two with the Giants, two with the Jaguars, and two with the Commanders. He last played in the NFL in 2016. Advertisement Blackmon, who also returned punts and kickoffs during his time in the NFL, was a member of the Super Bowl XLVI champion Giants. He had served on a rotating cast of contributors following the departure of Akbar Gbaja-Biamila after one season. Blackmon did enough to get the full-time gig. The show has been in a state of flux for most of the past year, with a surprising move of the production from New York to Los Angeles (and a 5:00 a.m. local start time) and the departure of multiple members of the cast, including Jason McCourty and Peter Schrager.

Pacers guard Haliburton will miss entire '25-26 NBA season
Pacers guard Haliburton will miss entire '25-26 NBA season

Yahoo

time18 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Pacers guard Haliburton will miss entire '25-26 NBA season

Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers will miss the entire 2025-26 NBA season while recovering from a torn riht Achilles tendon injury suffered in last month's NBA Finals, team president Kevin Pritchard said (Maddie Meyer) Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton will miss the entire 2025-26 NBA season after suffering a torn right Achilles tendon in the NBA Finals, team president Kevin Pritchard said Monday. Haliburton was playing with a right calf strain when he went down in the first quarter of Indiana's 103-91 loss to Oklahoma City in the title-deciding contest. Advertisement "I have no doubt that he will be back better than ever," Pritchard said. "He will not play next year though. We would not jeopardize that now. Don't get any hopes up that he will play." Haliburton sparked the Pacers to their first NBA Finals since 2000, averaging 18.6 points, 9.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.4 steals a game. "He plays best when he is really hungry and I'm guessing next year, he's going to be champing at the bit to prove to everybody that he's back," Pritchard said. "We're just going to have to take it slow and make sure he's back to 100 per cent. I expect great things and him being an-All NBA player -- we witnessed something with clutch shotmaking that I've never seen in the NBA." Advertisement That included a game-winning basket at the buzzer to beat Oklahoma City in the finals' opener. Pritchard said the Pacers haven't given up on being an NBA contender but realize they will lack something special until Haliburton returns from June 23 surgery. "We were 24 minutes and an injury away," Pritchard said. "We have some challenges with Ty's injury but we like what we have. "We'll have some guys that hopefully will have some opportunities and when he gets back, it'll be the cherry on top, I guess." Haliburton's rehabilitation is off to a strong start, Pritchard said. Advertisement "He has been doing great," Pritchard said. "He's doing good, but the real work starts now in terms of rehab and it's tough." Haliburton has said he would take the chance again and play in the winner-take-all last game of the NBA Finals despite suffering the injury, but Pritchard said he didn't feel the same. "Would I have him do it over and over? I would not," Pritchard said. "If I knew he was going to get hurt, I would sacrifice that game because I care for the kid so much." The Pacers have also lost another key member of their run to the finals as center Myles Turner signed a four-year free agent deal with Milwaukee. js/pb

Pat McAfee a fan of Dolphins' Darren Waller addition
Pat McAfee a fan of Dolphins' Darren Waller addition

Yahoo

time22 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Pat McAfee a fan of Dolphins' Darren Waller addition

The Miami Dolphins traded for former Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller. The 32-year-old didn't play football last season and is coming out of retirement to join the Dolphins. But, Waller has played exceptional football throughout his NFL career. Advertisement Waller's best two seasons both came with the Raiders in 2019 and in 2020. The Georgia Tech alum caught 90 passes for 1,145 yards and three scores in 2019 and then notched 107 catches for 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020. It was in 2020 when Waller earned his lone Pro Bowl nod. Miami's move for Waller came swiftly on the heels of the franchise dealing away tight end Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers. As the news of the Dolphins dealing for Waller made the rounds, ESPN's Pat McAfee praised the move by Miami. "On the football field, when he was with Las Vegas and I believe before that, (Jon) Gruden pulled him up off of the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad. Jon Gruden, whenever the Raiders were taking on the Baltimore Ravens saw Darren Waller doing a workout pregame because he was on the practice squad and he said, 'What is that? I would like that.' Advertisement "Darren Waller would then become a Pro Bowler, All-Pro with the Raiders. Obviously, immensely athletic, incredibly talented. We've seen his life off the field a lot. We know a lot about Darren Waller. But, if (Mike) McDaniel can get the most out of Darren Waller, I think that type of offense suits well for Darren personally. Now, is he all the way back to being a guy? We shall see," McAfee said. This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Pat McAfee a fan of Dolphins' Darren Waller addition

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store