Top Minnesota recruit gets Virginia Tech offer as James Franklin takes over Hokies

One of the top high school football players in Minnesota announced an offer from the Hokies.

Nov 23, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck and Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin talk before the game at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Triton star Pierce Petersohn is the best senior in Minnesota high school football. He verbally committed to Penn State in the summer, and he announced that he plans to reopen his recruitment on Nov. 10 after the Nittany Lions let go of longtime head coach James Franklin.

Franklin was announced as the new head coach at Virginia Tech on Monday, and Petersohn announced that he received an offer from the Hokies on Tuesday.

Blessed to receive an offer from @coachjfranklin and Virginia Tech! 🦃 pic.twitter.com/ZnMC5NLb7g

— Pierce Petersohn 4⭐️ (@PiercePetersohn) November 18, 2025

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The Dodge Center native originally committed to Penn State over the Gophers as his other final choice. The Nittany Lions were recruiting him as a tight end, while the Gophers saw him more as a linebacker, but they tried to make a late push with a potential two-way role.

Petersohn was recently dubbed as Minnesota's No. 1 player in the class of 2026, according to an update from Rivals.com. The Gophers currently have the second, third and fourth-ranked players, so adding Petersohn to the group could make the class historic.

Minnesota currently has three tight ends committed to its 2026 class, which includes four-star Roman Voss, along with Gabe Weaver from St. Louis and Iowa's George Rohl. If the Gophers plan to make a push at landing a flip from Petersohn, it looks like Virginia Tech will be their top competition.

The Gophers' 2026 recruiting class currently ranks as the 26th-best in the country, according to 247Sports. Petersohn could become the sixth four-star recruit in an increasingly impressive cycle from P.J. Fleck and his staff.

Early national signing day is only a few weeks away in the first week of December, and Franklin's decision to take over Virginia Tech was the first domino to fall in a potentially chaotic coaching carousel.