Gophers schedule official visit with 2026 four-star IMG Academy linebacker

Four-star linebacker Duyon Forkpa Jr. will be on campus this spring.

Oct 5, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck looks on before the game against the USC Trojans at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Highly touted 2026 four-star linebacker Duyon Forkpa Jr. announced on Monday that he has locked in an official visit with his "hometown" Gophers for May 30 to June 1 during their annual Summer Splash event.

Back to the hometown for an official visit @GopherFootball #ROW26 @Coach_Fleck @IMGAcademy @dzoloty @Coachcliff904 @CoachEllerbrock @coachtmcentire pic.twitter.com/z0T6wOq8BA

— Duyon(DQ) Forkpa Jr (@d_forkpa87) February 17, 2025

Standing at 6-foot, 225 pounds, Forkpa plays high school football at Florida powerhouse IMG Academy. The latest 247Sports Composite ranks him as the 355th-best overall player in the class of 2026, the No. 28 linebacker and the 53rd-best player in Florida.

Forkpa has played his entire high school career at Mill Creek High School in Hoschton, Georgia, so 2025 will be his first at IMG Academy. He played tight end and outside linebacker as a junior, but given his size, he likely projects as an inside linebacker at the next level.

He holds notable top offers from Florida State, Clemson and Michigan along with 17 other Division I programs. The Seminoles are the only other program he has currently scheduled an official visit with and that will take place the week following his stop in Minnesota.

P.J. Fleck and the Gophers have a solid history of recruiting players from IMG Academy. Daniel Faalele, Curtis Dunlap Jr. and Zack Annexstad were high school teammates and they all signed with Minnesota in the class of 2018.

Minnesota is building quite the list of official visits for its annual Summer Splash event. Forkpa will be one of the most talented players on campus later this spring.

Updated list of 'Summer Splash' official visits (13):

• 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 (June 13-15)
• LB Duyon Forkpa Jr.

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