26 players are ready to join P.J. Fleck's Gophers program

The Gophers have 26 players in their freshman class of 2018 who signed their national letters of intent Wednesday, the start of the three-day early signing period.

PlayerPos.Ht.Wt.Stars

Mayan AhanotuDE6-4250⋆⋆⋆

From Berkeley Prep (Tampa, Fla.): Son of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cal standout Chidi Ahanotu. Had 30 tackles and 5.5 sacks as a senior. Offers included Oklahoma, Michigan State, Virginia Tech and Vanderbilt.

Zack AnnexstadQB6-3215⋆⋆⋆

From IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.): Son of former Gophers lineman Scott Annexstad. Passed for 940 yards and 10 TDs for unbeaten IMG. Transfer from Mankato West signed as a preferred walk-on.

Josh AuneAth.6-2200⋆⋆⋆

Rashod BatemanWR6-2185⋆⋆⋆⋆

From Tift County (Tifton, Ga.): Set school single-season records for catches (83), yards (1,539) and TDs (21) this year. Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina and Texas A&M had offered since Dec. 8.

Austin BeierOG6-4275⋆⋆⋆

From St. John's Jesuit (Toledo, Ohio): Ranked 30th-best guard nationally. Allowed only one sack in 11 games. Offer list included Boston College, Cincinnati, Indiana and Northwestern.

Nathan BoeC6-4275⋆⋆⋆

Jason DicksonOT6-6300⋆⋆⋆

From Diablo Valley (Calif.) College: Anchored offense that averaged 25.3 points per game. Will have two years of eligibility remaining. Originally committed to UCLA.

Curtis Dunlap Jr.OG6-5370⋆⋆⋆⋆

From IMG Academy: Highest-ranked recruit for the Gophers. Ranked No. 6 guard in his class. Formerly committed to Florida. Arkansas, Florida State, Georgia and LSU among schools extending offers.

Nolan EdmondsRB5-11200⋆⋆⋆

Daniel FaaleleOT6-9400⋆⋆⋆

From IMG Academy: Massive Australian has played only one year of varsity football but had scholarship offers from Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Florida State and Michigan. Will compete in Under-Armor All-America Game along with teammate Curtis Dunlap Jr.

Erik GibsonWR6-3190⋆⋆⋆

From Martin Luther King (Detroit): Ranked 25th among Michigan wide receivers. Missed significant portion of the season because of injury.

Jornell MannsWR5-11190⋆⋆⋆

Grant NortonOT6-8260⋆⋆⋆

From Camdenton, Mo.: Anchored offense that averaged 37.2 points per game. Nebraska, Purdue and Wisconsin offered him scholarships.

Abi OkonjiDE6-3245⋆⋆⋆

From South Gwinnett (Snellville, Ga.): Had 35 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and two sacks as a senior. Had offers from Indiana, Maryland, Michigan State and Rutgers among Big Ten teams.

Braelen OliverLB6-0215⋆⋆⋆

Alex ReigelspergerDE6-4255⋆⋆⋆

From Wayne (Huber Heights, Ohio): Former Kentucky commit had 107 tackles and 12.5 sacks as senior. Ranked No. 24 nationally among weakside DEs.

Thomas RushOLB6-3225⋆⋆⋆

From Marysville, Ohio: Ranked No. 58 outside linebacker nationally. Originally committed to Bowling Green as a running back.

Benny Sapp IIICB6-1180⋆⋆⋆

C.J. SmithCB6-1180⋆⋆⋆

From Duncan U. Fletcher (Neptune Beach, Fla.): Hard hitter originally committed to Georgia Southern. Mississippi State, South Florida offered.

Terell SmithCB6-1180⋆⋆⋆

From South Gwinnett (Snellville, Ga.): Ranked 54th nationally among cornerbacks. Won state Class 7A 100-meter dash in 10.39 seconds.

Mariano Sori-MarinILB6-3235⋆⋆⋆

Brevyn Spann-FordTE6-7245⋆⋆⋆

From St. Cloud Tech: Ranked No. 19 nationally among tight ends. Had 46 catches for 770 yards and 16 TDs as a senior. Also had offers from Iowa State, Michigan State, Missouri and West Virginia.

Elijah TeagueDT6-3295⋆⋆⋆

From Marist (Chicago): Part of highest-rated DL class for Gophers in internet era. Had offers from Oklahoma, Penn State, Wisconsin.

Vic ViramontesQB6-1215⋆⋆⋆

Bryce WilliamsRB6-0200⋆⋆⋆

From Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota, Fla.): Ranked 18th nationally among RBs. Rushed for 1,500 yards as a senior. Had offers from Iowa State and Purdue.

Jack YorkOT6-6300⋆⋆⋆

From First Baptist Academy (Dallas): Anchored an offense that averaged 40.7 points per game. Originally committed to Texas State, flipped to San Diego State, then flipped to Gophers.

Logan Richter, a defensive tackle from Perham, Minn., will enroll at the U in January and become part of the 2019 freshman class.