Every offseason has the opportunity to breathe new life into a college football roster.
For years, the Minnesota Golden Gophers have had classes that simply offered depth, needed time to develop and could not be expected to jumpstart a season. But this season is different, with the best class Minnesota has had in a long time joining head coach P.J. Fleck for the 2018 season.
For the first time since 2008, the Gophers have brought in a recruiting class that is ranked in the top 30 by 247Sports. This class, which is ranked sixth in the Big Ten conference, has 25 members signed, three of which fall inside the top 200 recruits. They also brought in the No. 1 JUCO quarterback prospect in the country, along with top-level offensive line talent to protect him.
The 2018 Class
Position: OG Height: 6-4 Weight: 368
Position: WR Height: 6-1.5 Weight: 180
Position: OT Height: 6-8 Weight: 400
Position: QB Height: 6-2 Weight: 230
Postion: DE Height: 6-3 Weight: 247
Position: DT Height: 6-2 Weight: 289
Position: RB Height: 5-10.5 Weight: 206
Position: OT Height: 6-7 Weight: 309
Position: WR Height: 5-10.5 Weight: 187
Position: CB Height: 6-0 Weight: 170
Position: TE Height: 6-6 Weight: 233
Position: CB Height: 6-0.5 Weight: 183
Position: OG Height: 6-5 Weight: 285
Position: RB Height: 6-0 Weight: 190
Position: WR Height: 6-1.5 Weight: 200
Position: DE Height: 6-2 Weight: 238
Position: OLB Height: 6-1 Weight: 218
Position: OT Height: 6-5 Weight: 300
Position: OLB Height: 6-3 Weight: 209
Position: DE Height: 6-3 Weight: 246
Position: ILB Height: 6-2.5 Weight: 223
Position: OT Hight: 6-8 Weight: 255
Postion: CB Height: 6-1 Weight: 175
Position: ATH Hight: 6-1 Weight: 201
Position: OC Hight: 6-4 Weight: 250
Quick Hits
The highlights of the class are players like Bateman and Faalele, both players who the Gophers were able to spirit away from SEC schools. While the class is an impressive one top to bottom, the biggest difference between this season of recruiting is the ability to pull players from major programs in other states.
This class speaks to a change in the program, which is being led by Fleck.
All ranks and recruiting stats via 247Sports.
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