Gophers Offer Top-100 2027 Small Forward From Texas

Isaiah Santos averaged over 22 points per game while leading his high school team to a 35-1 record during his junior season.

Isaiah Santos | Seven Lakes Basketball on X

Niko Medved is chasing his latest four-star recruit. Isaiah Santos, a small forward from a high school in Texas, announced on Monday that he has received an offer from the Gophers ahead of his senior season.

Santos, a 6-foot-5 forward from Katy, Texas, is the latest in a string of talented recruits Medved has been chasing since taking over the Gophers program in 2025. According to 247Sports' composite rankings, Santos is a four-star prospect and is rated as the seventh-best player in the state of Texas' 2027 high school class.

Nationally, he's rated No. 81 by 247Sports and No. 118 by Rivals/On3.

I am grateful to have received an offer from University of Minnesota! Thank you Coach Medved , Coach Katsuma and the entire coaching staff for the opportunity! @GopherMBB pic.twitter.com/uKzizSlUTl

— Isaiah Santos (@IsaiahS1515) May 19, 2026

During the 2025-26 season, Santos averaged 22.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 3.0 steals per game for Seven Lakes High School. He helped lead the Spartans to a 35-1 record, with the one loss coming in the regional semifinals of the Texas high school basketball state tournament.

Santos has also played internationally, appearing for the Brazil U17 and U16 teams at various tournaments. He averaged 15 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists for the Brazil U17 team at the 2025 FIBA U17 South American Championship.

He has also received offers from Houston, UTSA, Sam Houston, UTEP, Stephen F. Austin, UC San Diego, and Utah State, according to 247Sports.

The 2026-27 Golden Gophers will look quite a bit different under Medved in his second season as head coach. While Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, Bobby Durkin, Isaac Asuma, Grayson Grove, and Kai Shinholster are all set to return, he's added a bunch of new faces via the transfer portal, including potential starters Kyan Evans and Malick Kordel, along with Winters Grady, Nolan Groves, and Malachi Palmer.

He also has potential talent coming in through the prep cycle, with 2026 freshmen-to-be Nolan Anderson (Wayzata MN), Cedric Tomes (East Ridge MN), and Chadrack Mpoyi (Irvine CA) on the roster.

Recently, Medved has been recruiting Maple Grove High School standout Baboucarr Ann, a four-star prospect who is rated as the second-best player in the state in the class of 2027. He's also reportedly offered Wisconsin combo guard Jalen Brown, who is rated as the fourth-best player in Wisconsin's 2027 graduating class. The Gophers face steep competition within the Big Ten for Brown, who has received interest from Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Washington, and Wisconsin, among others.