With potentially five scholarships available for 2018, Gophers coach Richard Pitino can afford to cast his net pretty wide in hopes of landing a top-notch recruiting class.
On Monday, four-star power forward Jake Forrester posted on Twitter that he received a scholarship offer from Minnesota. He announced the same day an offer from Miami (Fla.).
The 6-foot-9, 215-pound junior at Westtown High School in Harrisburg, Pa. also has offers from Indiana, Maryland and Penn State in the Big Ten.
Cretin-Derham Hall junior Daniel Oturu is already committed to the Gophers, but there's room for another frontcourt player in the class. Oturu is Minnesota's center of the future. Could Forrester play alongside him? Sure. They both possess impressive length, athleticism and defensive potential.
Forrester averaged 6.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in his first two Nike EYBL games over the weekend with PSA Cardinals (N.Y.) in Hampton, Va. He's not the type of player to put up gaudy offensive numbers, but he's a highlight reel waiting to happen. Forrester excels at playing above the rim, but he appears to have a decent jump shot and rebounds well. Think of a slender version of current Gopher freshman Eric Curry.
Scout.com's Ryan James from GopherIllustrated spoke to Forrester on Monday night.
The Gophers' top priority at power forward is Armstrong's Race Thompson, who is a four-star prospect and top-100 player in the 2018 class. Thompson hasn't mentioned Minnesota as a favorite yet, so it makes sense to continue to look at other players at his position.
Forrester is another solid option that could fit well with the type of team Pitino has built at Minnesota.
