Gophers flip two receivers from Power Five recruiting classes: Kenric Lanier, TJ McWilliams

The Gophers wide receiver corps got another influx of talent Monday when coach P.J. Fleck received verbal commitments from Kenric Lanier, who originally committed to Vanderbilt, and TJ McWilliams, who had pledged to Purdue.

McWilliams, 6-1 and 170 pounds, is a three-star recruit from North Central High School in Indianapolis, while Lanier, 6-1½ and 180, is a three-star recruit from Decatur (Ga.) High School. Both will pay in the Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 7 in San Antonio.

Fleck wasn't done adding players. On Monday afternoon, edge rusher Chris Collins announced on Twitter that he's transferring to Minnesota from North Carolina.

McWilliams is the 16th-rated recruit in Indiana, according to the 247Sports composite rankings of major national recruiting services. His other scholarship offers included West Virginia, Army and 10 Mid-American Conference schools. McWilliams caught 36 passes for 434 yards and seven touchdowns this season.

He committed to Purdue in late June but changed his mind in December after coach Jeff Brohm left for Louisville. McWilliams made his official visit to the Gophers over the weekend.

Lanier, the 68th-rated recruit in Georgia, had offers from 12 other FBS programs, including Air Force, Army, Navy and Tulane. He caught 64 passes for 1,156 yards and 12 TDs this season, along with making 32 tackles as a defensive back. Lanier, who committed to Vanderbilt in late June, visited the Gophers this weekend and made his announcement on Twitter on Monday.

The commitments of the two prep receivers come a day after Elijah Spencer, a sophomore who led Charlotte with 57 receptions for 943 yards and nine touchdowns in 2022, announced on Twitter that he's transferring to Minnesota. The 6-1, 193-pounder, who was on the Biletnikoff Award watch list this season, also had a strong freshman season in 2021, when he was named Conference USA Freshman of the Year after catching 28 passes for 381 yards and six TDs.

Spencer is the second transfer wideout to join the Gophers, following Western Michigan's Corey Crooms, who caught 57 passes for 814 yards and five TDs this season for the Broncos.

McWilliams and Lanier give the Gophers three wide receivers in their 2023 recruiting class, joining three-star pledge Donielle Hayes of Pine Forest High School in Pensacola, Fla.

Collins, 6-4 and 245 pounds, will be a graduate transfer. He had 20 tackles and one-half tackle for loss in 2022 after collecting 29 tackles, five tackles for loss and 2½ sacks in 2021. A high school standout at Benedictine College Prep in Richmond, Va., Collins was the No. 8-ranked prep player in Virginia in 2018. He will have one year of eligibility remaining with the Gophers.

Collins became the sixth player over the past two days to commit to the Gophers, along with Lanier, McWilliams, Spencer, safety Jack Henderson, a transfer from Southeastern Louisiana, and linebacker Matt Kingsbury, a three-star prep recruit from Chicago St. Rita.

The three-day early signing period opens Wednesday, and the Gophers have commitments from 20 high school players and four transfers.