Gophers Closing In on 'Smooth' Maryland Receiver, Two Other Targets Identified

Minnesota could be adding another pass catcher to its 2027 recruiting class soon.

Carlos Feguson during a game McDonogh School. | Picture via: @calmesmooth (X)

With official visit season quickly approaching, the 2027 recruiting cycle is heating up. Minnesota landed a pair of commitments over the weekend, and positive news about another. Maryland wide receiver Carlos 'Smooth' Ferguson revealed that he's down to Louisville, Virginia Tech and the Gophers as his final three schools. There is also plenty of smoke building with two more prospects.

BREAKING: ELITE (‘27) WR Carlos Ferguson is down to 3 schools, he tells me for @247sports.
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Ferguson attends McDonough HS in MD. He is the #2 WR in Maryland.
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Where should Carlos go? 🤔⬇️ pic.twitter.com/9RVWzSXvPz

— Riley Alberts (@CfbRalb) May 10, 2026

Standing at 6-foot-4, 180 pounds, Ferguson is the No. 2-ranked wide receiver from Maryland. The latest 247Sports Composite rates him as a three-star prospect and the 598th-best player in the country. He's a dynamic athlete who plays both cornerback and receiver for McDonough School in Owings Mills, Maryland.

He reeled in 59 passes for 900 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior, while also adding 21 total tackles and one PBU on the defensive side of the ball. He's a multi-sport athlete, and he also averaged 15 points per game on the hardwood for the basketball team.

The Gophers got involved in his recruitment a little later with an official scholarship offer on April 16. He has an official visit scheduled for their first of two summer splash recruiting weekends on May 29. Minnesota will have an advantage as his first scheduled official visit before Louisville and then Virginia Tech.

New Gophers wide receivers coach Isaac Fruechte currently has one commitment in the 2027 cycle from the No. 1 receiver in Minnesota, David Mack. Ferguson is one of their top uncommitted targets, along with Jayden Thomas from Las Vegas and California's Delontay Williams, who are also both currently scheduled for official visits over the next few weeks.

Thomas attends Las Vegas Centennial High School, and he finished with 32 catches for 610 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior. He received an in-home visit from Fruechte over the weekend, and he's scheduled for his official visit on the same weekend as Ferguson.

Williams is another big body target at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, and he has been on the Gophers' radar since last May. He's currently rated as a top-800 prospect on the 247Sports Composite, and his Minnesota official visit is scheduled for two weeks later on June 12.

The Gophers signed five wide receivers in the 2026 cycle, so it's inevitable that they will add more commitments alongside Mack. Ferguson, Williams and Thomas all have unique skillsets that would be fascinating additions to Minnesota's growing 2027 recruiting class, as the cycle heats up.