College football’s early Signing Day for high school players is only about eight weeks away and it looks like the Gophers will land a program record seven four-star players, per information from 247Sports.
Ryan Burns from 247Sports and Gopherillustrated.com told Sports Headliners Minnesota may even push that total beyond seven. Davon Townley, the defensive end from Minneapolis North High School, is a coveted four-star who the Gophers want as part of their 2021 recruiting class. “I think they’re probably the favorite right now,” Burns said.
Townley is also considering Arizona State, Michigan State and Penn State.
Burns said Minnesota is also pursuing four-star defensive lineman Andre Porter who made his reputation last year playing in the Washington D.C. area. Porter has made a verbal commitment to Boston College but the Gophers are trying to change his mind.
If Townley and Porter become Gophers, they will join three other defensive linemen who have already verbally committed to Minnesota in anticipation of Signing Day, December 16. Deven Eastern from Shakopee and Jacob Schuster of Olympia, Washington are four-star recruits, per 247, while Austin Booker, from Greenwood, Indiana, is a high three-star.
Great Power Five programs feature outstanding defensive line talent and performance. Highly coveted prep defensive linemen are among the most difficult to land because of their impact. Could Booker, Eastern, or Schuster play for Minnesota next year?
The Gopher d-line roster will have returnees who are playing this year so their experience and maturity gives them an edge over freshmen. But Burns believes Schuster at 300 pounds and Eastern at 280 could see some time off the bench in a defensive line rotation.
“These are guys who don’t have to put on 40, 50 pounds before you can ask them to contribute,” Burns said. “These guys have bodies that are ready now, but I think it all comes down to how ready are they in comparison to the rest of the defensive line—because, ideally, you don’t want your freshmen playing if you’re expecting to win a lot of games.”
Other Minnesota four-star commits are cornerbacks Avante Dickerson (Omaha) and Steven Ortiz (Goodyear, Az.), offensive tackle Cameron James (Chicago), quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis and running back Mar’Keise Irving (Country Club Hills, Ill.).
Minnesota has 17 total verbal commits, per 247, and Burns said another pledge isn’t “imminent,” but between now and Signing Day the Gophers could be prepared to offer about three more scholarships. “The focus right now is certainly trying to shore up that defensive line,” Burns added.
Minnesota is on course to land a record number of four-stars in what Burns refers to as the “Internet era.” As referenced earlier in this column that total of seven could grow and at the same time set a record for four-star defensive linemen landed by the Gophers.
Minnesota is coming off a 2019 season when the Gophers went an uncharacteristic 11-2 in coach P.J. Fleck’s third season. That success is impacting recruiting for 2021.
Worth Noting
Former Viking Willie Howard, now head coach at Cooper High School, has a sophomore son playing for him who already has 43 college offers, Burns said. Minnesota is among those interested in the 15-year-old who is about 6-4 and 235- pounds and might project as a college defensive lineman. “He can go anywhere (to school) in the country,” Burns added.
247 has Jaxson Howard ranked as the No. 47 prospect nationally in the class of 2023. He is a 247 four-star now but Burns said Howard has the potential to become a rare state of Minnesota five-star recruit.
Fleck talking this afternoon about true freshman linebacker Cody Lindenberg who started Saturday night’s first game of the season: “He is going to be a very good player in this league.”
The Gopher Goal Line Club reports selling over 300 memberships to support the U football program. Past funding has gone for various projects including special weight lifting equipment. The club is doing informative Zoom programs on Fridays prior to home games this fall.
Paul Molitor, one of just 57 players elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, speaks to the Capital Club via Zoom Wednesday morning. The Minnesota native is one of five MLB players with at least 3,000 hits, a .300 batting average and 500 stolen bases.
Former Gophers running back Barry Mayer remembers early morning phone calls from the late Sid Hartman that got him “staggering” out of bed in his U dorm. “No intro, no notice, just the question right out of the box,” Mayer said via email. “I was still asleep in answering so I had to read his column for the next couple of days to see what I had answered! He was one of a kind!”
That was Minnesota Twins broadcaster Cory Provus doing play-by-play for BTN’s telecast last Saturday of the Purdue-Iowa game.