Gophers Land Four Rivals Top-300 Commits, Including a Historic One

P.J. Fleck's historic 2026 class is represented by four signees in Rivals' final top-300 rankings. The updated rankings, released on Tuesday, see edge rusher Aaden Aytch atop Minnesota's 2026 class as the No. 33-ranked player in the entire country. The updated list further solidifies the 2026 class as one of the best, if not the best, in the P.J. Fleck era.

The No. 33 ranking means Aytch is Minnesota's highest-ranked commitment ever, according to Rivals. The 6-foot-4 edge rusher is the No. 2-ranked recruit in Indiana, just behind Ohio State commit Jerquaden Guilford. Aytch had a dominant senior season, registering 33.5 tackles for loss and 19.5 sacks.

Before committing to Minnesota, Aytch had offers from Iowa, Michigan State, Kentucky, Rutgers, and Purdue, among others.

Wide receiver Quayd Hendryx is the Gophers' second-highest-ranked player in the class, coming in at No. 209 in the nation. Hendryx, a Winslow Township, NJ native, is the No. 5-ranked player from New Jersey. He grabbed 32 receptions for 579 yards and nine touchdowns during his senior season.

Hendryx had reported offers from Nebraska, Syracuse, Temple, UConn, and West Virginia, among others.

Forest Lake native Howie Johnson comes in as the No. 272 overall player in the nation, and more importantly for Gophers fans, the No. 1 player in the state, jumping Virginia Tech tight end commit Pierce Petersohn in the final rankings.

Texas running back Ryan Estrada rounds out the Gophers' representatives in the Rivals300, coming in at No. 276. The El Dorado native enters college as the No. 37-ranked player in Texas and the No. 26-ranked running back in the nation.

During his senior season, Estrada ran for over 3,000 yards and had 45 total touchdowns. Estrada had a long list of suitors before committing to Minnesota, including Alabama, BYU, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Wisconsin, among others.

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