'Our best recruiting class': Fleck high on 2024 Gophers recruits

Fleck spoke about the ins and outs of recruiting in the NIL and transfer portal era.

Jul 25, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

The Gophers are increasingly focused on finding the right fit in recruiting but in an era of NIL and the transfer portal, head coach P.J. Fleck feels it's leading to better recruiting classes for the program.

"We just had our best recruiting class since we've been there, in year eight," Fleck said in an interview with SiriusXM last week at Big Ten Media Days. "I promise we weren't the highest bidder in any of these battles but we're finding the right fit. The fit might sound cliché but we still get to select the players we want and they get to select us."

That assessment tracks with how outside recruiting services ranked the Gophers' 2024 class. 247Sports had the Gophers' 2024 class ranked 33rd in the nation, which is Minnesota's highest ranking in Fleck's eight seasons as coach.

Landing four-star recruits like safety Koi Perich, defensive lineman Riley Sunram and offensive linemen Nathan Roy and Brett Carroll certainly boosted the class. But getting a plethora of highly ranked transfers, including edge rusher Jaxon Howard, former Georgia receiver Tyler Williams and New Hampshire QB Max Brosmer, raised the profile even more.

"It goes a lot faster," Fleck said when discussing recruiting in the transfer portal. "What you value has to be magnified. You're in hyper speed. We have a whole department in player evaluation, and player development, and player personnel that handles that. That whole department has got to get way bigger."

Fleck said "every school," not just Minnesota, needs more resources as college football continues in the era of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and the transfer portal.

"For us, we just continue to value what we value and it happens really fast. You got to talk to a lot of people, way faster. You got to get to the heart of what you're looking for," continued Fleck. "You got to know exactly what you want and you got to go get it. Because even though you know what you want, it doesn't mean it's going to be out there for long because someone is going to snatch that kid up."