Three true freshmen who could make an impact for Gophers football in 2025

Minnesota welcomed an impressive group of freshmen to the program.

Naiim Parrish, committed to play football for University of Minnesota, puts a hat on his head during a Commitment Day Ceremony for 8 Bergen Catholic athletes at Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Minnesota has had a true freshman play over 100 snaps almost every season since P.J. Fleck arrived in 2017. The Gophers signed a top 50 recruiting class in the 2025 cycle, so let's look at three players who could be the next true freshmen to make an immediate impact.

Naiim Parrish, CB

Parrish has the clearest path to playing time among anyone on this list. Hailing from Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, New Jersey, he had an incredibly productive prep career with the program's all-time record, 15 interceptions. He chose Minnesota over top offers from Penn State, Tennessee and Wisconsin, among others. With Justin Walley and Ethan Robinson off to the NFL, Parrish could quickly establish himself as a difference-maker in the CB room.

Emmanuel Karmo, LB

Karmo was the consensus top prospect in Minnesota's class. Listed at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, the Robbinsdale, Minnesota native has all of the traits to be a great linebacker in the Big Ten. His biggest question right now is whether he's an edge defender or inside linebacker. He has the versatility to play both, and he did so in the spring. There might not be a clear role for him in 2025, but he's too dynamic a talent to leave off the field for too long.

Related: What does the House v. NCAA settlement mean for Gophers athletics?

Luke Ryerse, P

Ryerse has already debuted as a college athlete, but it was just on the baseball field as a pitcher. He will be a rare two-sport athlete and punt for the football team. Minnesota added a pair of veteran punters in the transfer portal this spring, with Brody Richter,
and Tom Weston, so the specialist room is a bit crowded, but Ryerse has a chance to find his way onto the field very early in his college career.