Gophers Commit Officially No. 1 RB in Minnesota in Rankings Update

Both Rivals and 247Sports updated their 2027 recruiting class rankings this week, which means we have some more context for the class as a whole. Most notably, recent commit Taye Reich is officially the consensus No. 1 running back from Minnesota.

The Rivals Industry rankings have Reich as a three-star prospect, the 777th-best player in the country, and the fifth-best player in Minnesota. He had a standout junior campaign at Moorhead High School with more than 1,700 yards from scrimmage and 17 total touchdowns. He's now being respected as one of the top players in the state.

.@Rivals updated its 2027 industry rankings today, and there were some interesting changes for some Minnesota recruits.

C.J. Johnson, DE (CDH) ⬆️
Taye Reich, RB (Moorhead) ⬆️
Jett Feeney, QB (Moorhead) ⬆️
Still no David Mack

Really talented in-state class. pic.twitter.com/NfS6bOCTHW
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) March 4, 2026

The Gophers currently have two of the top five players from Minnesota verbally committed to their program in the 2027 class. Wayzata defensive linemen Eli Diane is holding strong as the top player in the state, but Cretin-Derham Hall defensive end C.J. Johnson is continuing to rise. He's now a consensus four-star recruit and a top-300 player nationally, but he still does not have a Gophers offer.

Shakopee defensive duo Nehemiah Ombati and Blake Betton are holding strong as the third and fourth-best in-state players in the class. They're both being pursued by numerous other programs, but the Gophers are still in the mix with their recruitment.

Lakeville South offensive lineman Joseph Hamer landed at the No. 6 spot in the state, according to Rivals. Other ranked players include Moorhead quarterback Jett Feeney, who's being heavily pursued by the Gophers and Minnetonka quarterback Cade Gutzmer, who currently holds a scholarship offer from Miami (FL). Recent Moorhead WR commit David Mack is notably still unranked by both 247Sports and Rivals.

As for the Gophers verbal commitments from outside of Minnesota, Mississippi running back Greg Hargrow is a consensus three-star prospect and a top-300 recruit in the country. California QB Furian Inferrera saw a bit of a decrease in his ranking, ahead of a pivotal senior season for Mission Hills High School.

The Gophers are coming off one of their most successful recruiting cycles in program history last year, and they've gotten off to another encouraging start in the class of 2027.