Pierce Petersohn details Gophers recruitment, Cody Lindenberg comparison

Originally posted on Minnesota Golden Gophers on SI
By Tony Liebert | Last updated Feb 19, 2025 2:07 PM ET

Picture via: @PiercePetersohn (X)

Dodge Center, Minn. three-sport athlete Pierce Petersohn is one of the hottest in-state prospects in 2026 high school recruiting. After picking up his first offer from Iowa State on Jan. 21, he now holds six Division I offers.

Minnesota offered Petersohn a scholarship on Jan. 26 after the Cyclones and North Dakota. He has scheduled an official visit with the Gophers for later this spring, but he has also added offers from North Dakota State, Northwestern and Iowa. Petersohn is viewed as one of the top football players in the state, but he's also a star basketball player at Triton High School. He even had a 51-point game on Feb. 1.

"I wasn't really expecting too much, I think I have gotten more than I was expecting," Petersohn said in an interview with Bring Me The Sports. "It's super cool getting new coaches, reaching out every single day and new follows on Twitter. A lot of times they want to talk during school. I think my head coach does a great job of helping me manage everything like that and he does a good job communicating with the coaches."

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After attending the Gophers' school camp last summer, Petersohn was on campus for two gameday visits last fall when Minnesota hosted Nevada on Sep. 14 and Iowa on Sep. 21. He was back on campus for a Junior Day visit earlier this month and it was the first time he officially met P.J. Fleck.

"The first time I ever communicated with him or anything like that was when we went to the junior day. I went into his office with my family and stuff and we just kind of talked. He seemed like a great guy, he's got a lot of energy, which is awesome, but he's also there to talk to you. It was a good conversation," Petersohn said.

Petersohn shows his athletic versatility as a basketball and track & field star, but he plays quarterback on the gridiron. As a junior, he had 1,479 passing yards, 382 rushing yards and 26 total touchdowns. Minnesota is recruiting Petersohn as a linebacker, much like a former in-state star who played quarterback in high school.

"He sees me as a linebacker. Cody Lindenberg was a player that I remind him a lot of," Petersohn said. "A quarterback in high school and weighing around the same weight that I weighed at. He's said there are people that have been through that program that are like me that have been successful."

Lindenberg played all over the field at Anoka High School, but he developed into a first-team All-Big Ten linebacker with the Gophers in 2024. Petersohn at 6-foot-4 and Lindenberg at 6-foot-3 have similar physical profiles and Minnesota is able to use Lindenberg's development as a strong recruiting pitch.

Petersohn is one of 13 total 2026 recruits who have scheduled an official visit for Minnesota's 'Summer Splash' event later this year. He continues to rise up recruiting boards and he's the type of talent that Fleck and his staff would love to keep in-state.

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This article first appeared on Minnesota Golden Gophers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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