Dynamic two-way 2026 recruit schedules official visit with Gophers

On Sunday afternoon, Rockford, Illinois 2026 athlete (ATH) Messiah Tilson announced that he has locked in an official visit with Minnesota for later this year, June 13-15.

RTB ?? 👀👀#SkiUMah #Gophers pic.twitter.com/V6vA4tXyU4
— Messiah Tilson (@mini_sago11) February 9, 2025

Standing at 6-foot-2, 165 pounds, Tilson played wide receiver and defensive back as a junior at Guilford High School. His recruitment heated up after picking up his first offer from Northern Illinois in September. He has since added 10 power conference offers from schools such as Wisconsin, Missouri and Kentucky.

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According to 247Sports, he's the 26th-best safety in the country and the No. 7 player in Illinois, but Tilson remains unranked on most national boards.

The Gophers are recruiting Tilson as a safety. He was on campus for an unofficial visit in November, during the week of Minnesota's game against Penn State. Then he was visited by new defensive coordinator Danny Collins and head coach P.J. Fleck in early January at his high school.

Minnesota is attacking the secondary hard in the class of 2026 as Tilson joins Jayden McGregory, Almerian Thomas and Gavin Day as the fourth defensive back to schedule an official visit for later this spring.

While Tilson has scheduled a visit June 13-15, 11 other recruits will be visiting the Gophers May 30 to June 1. That seems to indicate that the Gophers are hosting at least two "Summer Splash" recruiting events this year.

Updated list of 'Summer Splash' official visits (12):

OL Aaron Thomas
WR Rico Blassingame
S Jayden McGregory
DL Freddie Wilson
DL Kamron Wilson
OT Andrew Trout (committed)
CB Almerian Thomas
QB Owen Lansu (committed)
DL Howie Johnson (committed)
ATH Pierce Petersohn
S Gavin Day
ATH Messiah Tilson