Gophers wide receiver commit upgraded to four-star recruit

Minnesota now has another four-star prospect committed to its 2026 recruiting class.

Tolleson Union High School s Rico Blassingame, right, plays against ALA Gilbert North in the Storm Summer Championship tournament at Arizona Christian University in Glendale on May 30, 2023. | Joel Angel Juarez/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tolleson, Arizona, wide receiver Rico Blassingame has been verbally committed to Minnesota since March, and he was finally bumped up to four-star status, according to a recent update from 247Sports.

Rico Blassingame's updated recruiting profile | 247Sports

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When Blassingame committed to Minnesota, the 247Sports Composite ranked him as the 894th-best player in the country, the 142nd-best wide receiver and the No. 12 player in Arizona. He has jumped to 628th, the 87th-best wide receiver and the No. 10 player in Arizona according to that metric.

The 247Sports only rankings have him as the 51st-best wide receiver in the country and the No. 4 player in Arizona. He's now the sixth player committed to Minnesota's 2026 class, who is viewed as a four-star recruit by one of the major recruiting services.

Standing at 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, Blassingame had a solid junior season at Tolleson Union High School last season with 53 catches for 690 yards and five touchdowns. He improved those numbers as a senior with 65 catches for 1,001 yards and 14 touchdowns, which likely prompted to boost in his recruiting profile.

After the update from 247Sports, Minnesota's 2026 recruiting class now ranks as the 23rd-best in the entire country. The previous best for the program under Fleck was 33rd-best in 2024. There are still a few weeks until early national signing day next month, but things are trending in a historic direction for the Gophers.

Blassingame is one of three high school wide receivers committed to the class, alongside Hayden Moore from Florida, and Braiden Stevens from Platte County, Missouri.

Other notable changes from the 247Sports update include Forest Lake defensive lineman Howie Johnson going from 239th to 141st in the country. Roman Voss and Andrew Trout bumped down, but Blassingame and Indiana defensive lineman Aaden Aytch both saw increases in their rankings.