The Gophers offensive line just got a lot bigger.
Curtis Dunlap, a 6-4, 368-pound guard, and Daniel Faalele, a 6-9, 400-pound tackle, teammates at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., announced Saturday night on Twitter that they were verbally committing to Minnesota.
Dunlap, rated as a four-star player by recruiting-focused website 247Sports.com, and Faalele, a three-star player, were in the Twin Cities as part of the Gophers' "eLITe18Palooza'' recruiting event. They are expected to sign national letters of intent during the Dec. 20-22 early signing period. Both plan to enroll at Minnesota in January, according to GopherIllustrated.com.
Dunlap, who withdrew his verbal commitment from Florida on Tuesday, is rated the sixth-best guard nationally in the recruiting Class of 2018. Dunlap also had offers from Oklahoma, Miami, Florida State and Georgia, among others. Dunlap is the Gophers' highest-ranked recruit in this class and the second four-star player, joining wide receiver Rashod Bateman of Tift County High School in Tifton, Ga.
Faalele, a Melbourne, Australia, native who played varsity football for the first time this season, is rated the 27th-best offensive tackle in the Class of 2018. He also had offers from Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Auburn and Arkansas, among others.
The commitments of Dunlap and Faalele moved the Gophers to No. 26 nationally in 247Sports' rankings. They are sixth among Big Ten teams.
Randy Johnson
