One of Philip Nelson's favorite high school targets is changing his route.

Blake Friesen, who originally was set to walk-on with MSU-Mankato, has instead opted to attend the U of M. He intends to enroll in January and go through spring practice in 2013 in hopes of walking on with the Gophers, it was confirmed Friday.

Friesen caught 63 passes for 1,181 yards and 21 TDs last season at Mankato West, playing with Nelson, the highly touted incoming Gophers freshman.

"We've played together since we were in fifth grade," Friesen told the Mankato Free-Press. "He knows how to get me the football, and we were a very good combination. Hopefully, we can carry that over to college."