Gophers football gains four verbal commitments on big recruiting weekend

The Gophers football program held the first of its Summer Splash recruiting events this weekend, and as of Sunday afternoon, coach P.J. Fleck received verbal commitments from four players making their official visits.

Samuel Madu, a cornerback from Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains, N.Y.; Mike Gerald, an athlete from Morton Ranch High School in Katy, Texas; Jaylin Hicks, a defensive lineman from Iona Prep in New Rochelle, N.Y.; and Jacob Simpson, a tight end from Johnston (Iowa) High School, announced on Twitter that they have committed to the Gophers' 2024 recruiting class. Hicks and Simpson are three-star recruits in the 247Sports composite rankings of major recruiting services, while Madu and Gerald are not yet ranked but considered to be at the three-star level.

With the four commitments, the Gophers have 19 players in their 2024 recruiting class. Minnesota's class as of late Sunday afternoon was ranked 12th nationally and fourth among Big Ten teams in the 247Sports composite.

Two of the Gophers' top targets — Rogers edge rusher Wyatt Gilmore and Irondale offensive lineman Emerson Mandell — made their official visits to campus but had not committed as of Sunday evening. Gilmore, the top-ranked recruit in the state in the 2024 class by 247Sports, visited Miami (Fla.) on June 2-4 and has official visits scheduled with Oklahoma (June 16-18) and Oregon (June 23-25). He said last week that he has canceled a Monday visit to Kansas State. Mandell, the No. 3-ranked recruit in Minnesota, is scheduled to visit Iowa State next weekend.

Fleck has received commitments from seven of the top nine in-state players in the 247Sports rankings. They are: No. 2 Koi Perich, a safety from Lincoln High School in Esko; No. 4 Mason Carrier, a linebacker from Detroit Lakes; No. 5 Jide Abasiri, a defensive lineman from Prior Lake; No. 6 Mo Saine, a defensive lineman from Eden Prairie; No. 7 Simon Seidl, an athlete from Hill-Murray; No. 8 Jalen Smith, a wide receiver from Mankato West; and No. 9 Sam Macy, an edge rusher from Chanhassen.

The four players who committed to Fleck on Sunday are from other states.

• Madu, 6-1 and 170 pounds, has scholarship offers from 12 other FBS programs, including Michigan State, Penn State and Purdue of the Big Ten. He received a scholarship offer from the Gophers in January and had official visits to Purdue and Michigan State scheduled.

• Gerald, 6-0 and 170, has offers from 12 other FBS programs, including Kansas State, Utah and Washington State. Gerald, who played cornerback and wide receiver in high school, received his Gophers offer on Tuesday. He projects to be a cornerback for Minnesota.

• Hicks, 6-3 and 250, is the sixth-ranked recruit in New York and the 65th-ranked defensive lineman nationally in the 2024 class. He received his Gophers offer in January and has scholarship offers from six other FBS programs, including Syracuse, Boston College and Penn State.

• Simpson, 6-5 and 210, is the sixth-ranked recruit in Iowa and the 29th-ranked tight end recruit nationally. He received his Minnesota offer in April, has offers from nine other FBS programs and had official visits scheduled for Cincinnati and Duke.