The Gophers' 2020 football class

The Gophers football team has 26 players in its recruiting Class of 2020 who are expected to sign letters of intent Wednesday, the start of the three-day early signing period.

Player, Position Height Weight Stars

Itayvion Brown, LB 6-4 220 ****

• From Lutheran High School North (St. Louis, Mo.): Nation's 22nd-ranked outside linebacker recruit also had offers from programs such as LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State.

Daniel Jackson, WR 5-11½ 185 ****

• From Bishop Miege High School (Mission, Kan.): The No. 2 recruit in Kansas chose the Gophers despite offers from Notre Dame, Arizona State and Texas A&M.

Ky Thomas, RB 6-0 200 ***

Jah Joyner, DE 6-4 230 ***

• From Danbury High School (Danbury, Conn.): Decommitted from Boston College to join the Gophers Wednesday..

Jaqwondis Burns, OLB 6-2 210 ***

• From IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.): Decommitted from Ole Miss and flipped to the Gophers on Saturday.

Jonathan Mann, WR 6-3 200 ***

Douglas Emilien, WR 6-0 185 ***

• From American Heritage School (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.): Declined offers from LSU and Miami to choose the Gophers on Dec. 2 after their 10-2 season.

Danny Striggow, DE 6-4 235 ***

• From Orono High School: Chose to pursue football instead of wrestling, though he was the 2019 Class 2A champion and has two older brothers on Michigan's wrestling team.

Jalen Logan-Redding, DE 6-4 250 ***

Martes Lewis, T 6-7 320 ***

• From Merrillville High School (Merrillville, Ind.): The bigger-than-average offensive lineman is the fifth-ranked recruit in Indiana.

Michael Dixon, S 6-1 200 ***

• From Statesboro High School (Statesboro, Ga.): One of three in this class from Georgia, an area the Gophers have tried to build a pipeline to with assistant coach Rod Chance's connections.

Gage Keys, DE 6-5 250 ***

Lucas Finnessy, LB 6-3 200 ***

• From Hamilton High School (Sussex, Wis.): Has many transferable skills from playing basketball as well as the cornerback position.

Aireontae Ersery, OT 6-5 300 ***

• From Ruskin (Kansas City, Mo.): Didn't start playing football until his sophomore season but garnered the Gophers' attention, his only offer.

Abner Dubar, S 6-1 185 ***

Jalen Glaze, CB 6-0 185 ***

• From Lincoln High School (Tallahassee, Fla.): Can make impact plays such as interception returns, sacks and blocked punts. Also has experience on special teams.

Cody Lindenberg, LB 6-2 225 ***

• From Anoka High School: Gophers recruiting analyst Ryan Burns, from 247Sports.com, said he thinks Lindenberg is better than Kaden Johnson, the four-star Minnehaha Academy linebacker with offers from the Gophers, Nebraska, Wisconsin, LSU, Tennessee and more.

Miles Fleming, ATH 5-11 175 ***

Ali Saad, DT 6-3 260 ***

• From Dearborn (Mich.) High School: 247Sports.com projects him as a multiyear starter with potential at the three-technique or end position as long as he adds bulk.

Victor Pless, ATH 5-10 175 ***

• From Harrison High School (Kennesaw, Ga.): Helped his school to its first state championship this season and a 15-0 record, making 44 tackles and four interceptions.

Tyrell Lawrence, G 6-7 345 ***

Austin Henderson, TE 6-6 230 ***

• From Ensworth High School (Nashville, Tenn.): The Gophers were the first Power Five offer for Henderson, who made the all-region team in his final high school season.

Melle Kreuder, DE 6-3 235 ***

• From Munich, Germany: Was playing for the Munich Rangers, an overseas American football team, before going to several college camps this past year, picking up offers from Buffalo and UMass as well.

Mark Crawford, P 6-3 225 **
• The Australian punter became their first early signing day signing, thanks to the different time zones. There isn't much information out there on Crawford, but with starting punter Jacob Herbers graduating, the Gophers will need to fill that spot. Crawford will enroll in January.

Dragan Kesich, K 6-4 235 **
• From Oak Creek High School (Oak Creek, Wis.): The No. 7 kicker in the country, according to Kohl's Kicking Camp. Earned 2019 all-state honors as a kicker and punter. Finished high school career with 96% of his kickoffs resulting in a touchback.

Notes: Star ratings are from the 247Sports.com composite of major national recruiting services and are listed in order of ranking. Sources: Star Tribune reporting, 247Sports.com.