Gophers' 2025 recruiting class rises near top 15 after busy weekend

Minnesota now has 23 verbal commitments.

Sep 19, 2009; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Gophers mascot Goldie Gopher leads the crowd in a cheer after Minnesota scored against the California Bears in the second quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. The Bears won 35-21. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports / Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

It was the second weekend of the Gophers' annual "Summer Splash" recruiting event and they carried some momentum by adding verbal commitments from six more players to their 2025 class.

The #Gophers have landed SIX (6) verbal commitments today:

🐿️OT Daniel Ship (@DanielShipp07)
🐿️OT Mark Handy (@MarkHandy75)
🐿️LB David Amaliri (@DBDavidAmaliri)
🐿️DL Jayquan Stubbs (@StubbsJayquan)
🐿️RB Shane Marshall (@shanemarshall68)
🐿️WR Legend Lyons (@Legend_Lyons_) pic.twitter.com/Mdwz0y0luj

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) June 17, 2024

Where the Gophers' 2025 class ranks nationally

Out of the three major recruiting publications, Rivals is the highest on the Gophers' 2025 class after the weekend. It ranks their group No. 15 in the entire country with an average star rating of 2.87. 247Sports is next highest, landing them at No. 16 ranking, which is notably higher than powerhouse programs like Texas, Tennessee and Oregon. Lastly, On3 is much lower on the class, ranking it 37th nationally.

The high variance in overall class ranking is due in large part to Minnesota having a much lower average star rating compared to other programs. For example, 247Sports' average composite ranking for the group is 86.42, compared to 90.85 for Texas, which Minnesota is one spot higher than in the rankings. On the other side, the fact that they have 23 verbal commitments is abnormal this early in the process. The only school with more in the entire top 50 is Rutgers with 26.

News and notes

Cleveland, Ohio defensive lineman JayQuan Stubbs was the highest-ranked player to commit to the Gophers over the weekend. He has a No. 573 composite ranking, which is fourth-highest in the overall class. 247Sports' national recruiting analyst Allen Trieu compares him to former Gophers defensive end Esezi Otomewo. If they're able to get that level of production out of Stubbs he could be one of their most impactful players in the class.

Fleck and his staff added commitments from two more offensive linemen, Mark Handy and Daniel Shipp. They now have five players at the position committed to this class. With the transfer portal, roster construction plans can change overnight, but it seems like the Gophers are putting an emphasis on recruiting offensive line talent from the high school ranks.

Minnesota added two talented skill position players, wide receiver Legend Lyons and running back Shane Marshall. Both players missed a chunk of their junior seasons due to injury but possess game-breaking athleticism. There are now two running backs and two wide receivers in the 2025 graduating class who are committed to Minnesota.