Two Gophers commits among finalists for Minnesota Mr. Football

Minnesota has two of the top high school players in the state committed to its 2026 recruiting class.

Roman Voss on his Gophers official visit. | Picture via: Roman.Voss (IG)

Gophers football has three of the top four seniors in Minnesota verbally committed to its 2026 class, two of whom are finalists for the 2025 Minnesota Mr. Football award. Jackson Country Central (JCC) star Roman Voss and Forest Lake defensive lineman Howie Johnson.

Ten MN Mr. Football finalists

• Micah Bush, Hills-Beaver Creek
• James Engle, Maple Grove
• Caleb Francois, Minnetonka
• Carson Heimer, Byron
• Howie Johnson, Forest Lake
• Izaak Johnson, CDH
• Logan Lachermeier, Mpls North
• Owen Linder, Chanhassen
• Deron Russel, Waseca
• Roman Voss, JCC

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Voss has seemingly had a standout performance every week of his senior season. The Huskies are a heavy favorite to win the Class AA State Championship, which continues with the semifinals at U.S. Bank Stadium on Friday. He plays quarterback for JCC, and he's expected to play tight end with the Gophers.

Forest Lake was knocked out in the round of 16 in the Class AAAAAA State Tournament, but Johnson had a dominant senior campaign. He set the Minnesota high school record for most career sacks and tackles for loss, 88 total TFLs and 20.0 total sacks, according to MN Football Hub. He has been verbally committed to the Gophers since June 18, 2024, and he looks like a player who could contribute very early in his college career.

Gophers MN Mr. Football award history

The last MN Mr. Football award winner to play for the Gophers was do-it-all Elk River star Cade Osterman, who walked on to the program in 2022. He never played a snap at Minnesota before transferring to North Dakota State.

Former Owatanna running back Jason Williamson signed with the Gophers after a standout prep career. He ran for more than 6,000 yards in his high school career, but he did not record a single carry in a Minnesota uniform before medically retiring from football.

Ex-Minneapolis Washburn star running back Jeffery Jones is one of the highest-ranked recruits to ever sign with the Gophers. He won MN Mr. Football in 2013. He also did not live up to expectations at the college level.

You have to go all the way back to former Mankato West High School standout QB Philip Nelson in 2011 to find the last MN Mr. Football award winner who made an on-field impact at the University of Minnesota. He had 23 total touchdowns for the Gophers.