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Gophers Hosting 4-Star Texas Forward Isaiah Santos on Official Visit

Santos is also being pursued by Texas Tech and Vanderbilt, among others.
Will Ragatz|
Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Niko Medved gestures to his team against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the first half at United Center.
Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach Niko Medved gestures to his team against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the first half at United Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Minnesota Golden Gophers

Niko Medved and the Gophers are pursuing 2027 four-star Texas wing/forward Isaiah Santos on the recruiting trail. Santos is set to take an official visit to Minneapolis on July 22-23, according to League Ready's Sam Kayser.

Listed at 6'5" and 210 pounds, Santos attends Seven Lakes High School in Katy, TX. He's currently ranked as the No. 5 player in Texas and a top-80 player in his class by 247 Sports' composite ratings.

Per Kayser's report, Santos has also scheduled official visits to Vanderbilt and Texas Tech later this month, sandwiched around his trip to Minnesota. He recently took his first OV to Butler in late June. In addition to those schools, Santos also has offers from Houston, Illinois, Colorado, and Mississippi State, among others.

It would be a major recruiting win for the Gophers if they can land Santos. He represents Brazil internationally and recently helped them finish third in the FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Mexico. Santos averaged 14.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in just over 23 minutes across six games, including a 22-point, 15-rebound game against Argentina. He put up similar numbers in leading Brazil to gold at the U17 South American championship last year.

Santos plays more like a power forward despite being the height of a wing. He isn't much of an outside shooter at this point, but he uses his athleticism and physicality to get to the basket with ease. Santos is a good rebounder and defender who is plenty willing to bang on the interior and also has good touch from the short and midrange areas. His form also suggests he could improve his outside shot over time.

The Gophers do not yet have any commits in the 2027 recruiting class. They missed out on in-state recruits Ty Schlagel (Nebraska) and Baboucarr Ann (Wisconsin). They've got a few offers out, including to former Hopkins standout Ahmed Nur, who is transferring to a prep school in Arizona for his senior season.

However, as our Gophers expert Tony Liebert noted, the NCAA's new eligibility model means Minnesota may not need to bring in a big high school recruiting class in 2027, so they can be somewhat picky with their offers.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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