Since verbally committing in April 2018 to play football at the University of Minnesota, not a day has passed when Rosemount's Jonathan Mann woke up and didn't think about signing his national letter of intent.
Still, a new sensation overtook Mann as he rose Wednesday morning.
"I had a different feeling, like, I was actually going to be a Gopher," Mann said. "Now it's finally coming true and it's pretty crazy."
The first player from the class of 2020 to give a verbal commitment to Gophers coach P.J. Fleck, Mann was given a three-star rating from the 247Sports.com composite of major national recruiting services.
The 6-3, 205-pound Mann considers himself "a big, physical receiver, and I like to beat up on cornerbacks." He chose Minnesota over Arkansas, Iowa and Iowa State. Mann is the fifth-highest rated recruit from Minnesota and one of just three in-state players in this Gophers class.
Watching the Gophers go from 7-6 last season to 10-2 with an Outback Bowl game still ahead Jan. 1 proved extra gratifying for Mann. He heard from doubters last year, including his own family. After Minnesota's 55-31 loss at Illinois, Mann said his father asked, "Does that make you feel different? Do you want to stay committed?"
Mann replied, "This excites me more because I get to be part of the building process."
Referring to Minnesota's success this season, Mann said, "I'm not really surprised based on the history coach Fleck has."
