The names started rolling in at 6 a.m. Wednesday, when college football's three-day early signing period opened and players in the Eastern time zone could sign their national letters of intent. By 8 a.m., the Gophers had completed that part of their work for the day, signing a class of 18 incoming scholarship freshmen and one transfer to their recruiting Class of 2022.
"We hit pretty much every single position," Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said, addressing a crowd of fans gathered for the Signing Day Social in a club room inside Huntington Bank Stadium. "These guys are incredibly smart and incredibly diverse across every single position. … This was really about energy and need."
As of Wednesday evening, the Gophers' recruiting class ranked No. 43 nationally and 10th in the Big Ten in the 247Sports composite ratings of major recruiting services. The Big Ten's East Division had all seven of its teams in the top 30, while Iowa led the West at No. 26 and Purdue was at No. 39.
The Gophers addressed needs with the addition of five defensive backs, three defensive linemen and a trio of offensive linemen. All three of those positions will suffer significant losses to graduation, and Fleck wants to quickly replenish depth.
The defensive line added the Gophers' highest-rated recruit, four-star end Anthony Smith of Shippensburg, Pa. Smith, 6-6 and 280 pounds, could be a candidate to play early at a position in which the Gophers are expected to lose Boye Mafe and Esezi Otomewo to the NFL draft.
Minnesota bolstered its secondary with five signees, led by transfer Ryan Tapp of Abilene Christian, who'll have two years of eligibility remaining and could make an impact at cornerback and the return game. The offensive line, which could lose four starters, got three signees, highlighted by former TCU commit Cade McConnell of Choctaw, Okla.
The Gophers addressed skill positions, too, with running back Zach Evans (Rockwall-Heath, Texas), who rushed for nearly 2,000 yards this season. At quarterback, Jacob Knuth of Harrisburg, S.D., has dual-threat skills and a winning pedigree about which Fleck raved. And at wide receiver, the speedy Kristen Hoskins of Alexandria, Minn., had 15 touchdown catches among his 83 receptions.
There was one player who has verbally committed to the Gophers but did not sign Wednesday: Defensive end Jack Pyburn of The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla. He still could sign during the early period or when the traditional period begins Feb. 2.
