This year's Gophers recruiting class doesn't include a marquee name like last year's did, with four-star running back Jeff Jones, but it looks solid from top to bottom.
Entering the weekend, all 23 of Minnesota's recruits were listed as three-star recruits in the 247Sports.com Composite Index, which combines the ratings of the various recruiting services. Dior Johnson, a safety from Southfield, Mich., has a four-star rating from Rivals.com, but ESPN, Scout and 247Sports all give him three stars.
Demry Croft, a dual-threat quarterback from Rockford (Ill.) Boylan Catholic, has an intriguing blend of size (6-5), speed (4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash) and arm strength. Jonathan Femi-Cole, a running back from Vaughn, Ontario, is a weightlifting phenom who rushed for 1,615 yards and 12 touchdowns in eight games as a senior. James Johanneson, from Fargo, N.D., rushed for 6,198 yards in three high school seasons.
Those are three of the more intriguing position players, but the strength of this class might be the offensive line, where the Gophers have five commitments, including Chaska's Bronson Dovich and Red Wing's Nick Connelly. The average height and weight for that fivesome is 6-6, 294.
JOE CHRISTENSEN
