Gophers Left Off Local High School Recruit's Top 3

Shakopee High School defensive lineman Nehemiah Ombati is one of the top players from Minnesota in the 2027 recruiting class. He officially left the Gophers off the list of his final three college choices on Sunday, so where do they go from here?

🚨NEWS🚨 4-star DL Nehemiah Ombati is down to Missouri, Nebraska, and Michigan State, @AllenTrieu reports‼️

Read: https://t.co/dtOxEID1Rs pic.twitter.com/IzqBsoqe29
— Rivals (@Rivals) May 2, 2026

Listed at 6-foot-2, 275 pounds, Ombati has been viewed as one of the best players from Minnesota throughout the 2027 cycle. He attended the Gophers' school camp last June. He was on campus for an unofficial gameday visit on October 17 for the Nebraska game. He returned for another unofficial visit on November 4, and he was offered a scholarship that day.

Minnesota shook up its defensive staff this offseason, which started with the departure of defensive line coach Dennis Dottin-Carter. He was replaced by C.J. Robbins, and they added Steve Stanard as the new rush ends coach. Things appeared to be trending in the wrong direction with Ombati at that point, but they got him back on campus for an unofficial visit in March, and he did schedule an official visit for late May. The Gophers now appear to be out of the mix with Missouri, Nebraska and Michigan State as his finalists.

The Gophers have five of the state's top 10 recruits verbally committed to their 2027 class. Wayzata star defensive lineman Eli Diane has been committed since April 2025, so landing a player at the same position was always going to be a tough sell. Ombati's Shakopee teammate, Blake Betton, is committed to Penn State and Minnetonka QB Caden Gutzmer is committed to North Dakota. Ombati, Cretin-Derham Hall defensive lineman C.J. Johnson and Lakeville South offensive lineman Joseph Hammer are the top three uncommitted Minnesota recruits in the class.

Missing on Ombati, Johnson and Betton, while landing just one of the state's top four players with Diane would stick out, but it's only significant if they struggle to add some of their top out-of-state targets.

Diane and Edina's Gage Geyer give the Gophers two defensive line commitments in the class. They signed three defensive linemen and two edge prospects in the 2026 cycle. California's Lemani Fehoko and Utah's Ma'atoe Moe are two players who have official visits scheduled for Minnesota's annual summer splash weekends later this year.

The returns of top local recruits such as Jaxon Howard and Quinn Carroll have shown that Ombati still might play for the Gophers through the transfer portal at some point in his college career. His decision to begin his college career elsewhere doesn't completely alter Minnesota's 2027 recruiting class outlook, but it's certainly notable.

Add us as a preferred source on Google