Gophers' recruiting class ranked inside top 20 after busy weekend

Minnesota currently has one of the best 2026 classes in the country.

Nov 12, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck leads his team out onto the field before the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Gophers are fresh off a busy recruiting weekend with verbal commitments from six different players in the class of 2026. With 16 prospects now committed to the program this cycle, their class ranks at the 18th-best in the country according to 247Sports.

Latest 2026 recruiting class rankings | From 247Sports (as of June 3)

Minnesota's 16 verbal commitments have an average 247Sports rating of 87.6, which ranks 31st-best in the country. Their overall ranking at No. 18 is notably higher than top programs such as Texas, Oregon and Alabama.

With early national signing day more than seven months away, it's pretty naive to put a lot of stock in recruiting rankings. Every program works at its own pace on the recruiting trail, and Minnesota's sheer number of 16 commitments is a big reason why they rank so highly. Texas, Oregon and Alabama all have eight or fewer players committed to their class. The average recruit rating is a more reasonable number to look at at this point in the cycle.

Related: 5 takeaways from Minnesota's first official visit weekend

On3 currently ranks the Gophers' class at No. 30 in the country, and Rivals has them at 20th. Ultimately, this is business as usual for P.J. Fleck and his staff. Over the last handful of years, they're typically around this place in June, and then it slowly goes down as other programs add more recruits to their class.

There are a handful of realistic targets still on the board, such as Roman Voss, Pierce Petersohn and Jayden McGregory, who could help Minnesota stay inside the top 20 nationally. According to 247Sports, the Gophers currently have two four-star recruits committed to the class, and Illinois is the only other program ranked higher with fewer than three.

There are so many dominoes left to fall across the country in the 2026 recruiting cycle, but Minnesota has put itself in a good position to have a solid class.