Gophers gain 4 commitments to 2022 recruiting class

Minnesota's Class of 2022 currently ranks seventh in the Big Ten.

Cade McConnell. Haden Schwartz. Ryan Stapp. Maverick Baranowski. 

Those are the names of four high school football players who committed to the Gophers over the weekend, giving P.J. Fleck's 2022 recruiting class a boost on both sides of the ball. 

McConnell is three-star offensive lineman recruit from Choctaw, Oklahoma. At 6'5'' and 290 pounds, McConnell will bring a fresh big body to a team that is now known for producing high-caliber offensive linemen. McConnell committed to the Gophers are dropping his commitment to TCU. 

A fellow three-star recruit, Schwartz committed on Sunday. He's a 6'4'', 240-pound defensive lineman from Jacksonville, Florida. He picked Minnesota over offers from Big Ten East Division powers Michigan and Penn State. 

Stapp is transferring to Minnesota from Abilene Christian in Texas. The 6-foot cornerback also had offers from Nebraska, Mississippi State and Louisville, among others. 

Baranowksi enters the recruiting class as a 6'3'' linebacker from Florida. He had originally committed to Air Force before changing his plan to Minnesota. 

According to 247Sports, the Gophers' 2022 recruiting class ranks 37th in the nation and seventh in the Big Ten. The top three recruits in Minnesota's 2022 class are: 

1. Trey Bixby, DL, Eden Prairie (4 stars)
2. Anthony Smith, DL, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania (4 stars)
3. Zach Evans, RB, Rockwall, Texas (3 stars)

Schwartz and McConnell round out the top five in the Gophers' 2022 rankings.