The Gophers' 2024 high school recruiting class looks historically good

Eligibility confusion over the last few years has made college football older than ever. The Gophers have taken a different approach this season, with seven players from the last two high school recruiting classes having played more than 50 snaps.

Redshirt freshman QB Drake Lindsey and do-it-all true sophomore Koi Perich steal all of the headlines, but there are plenty more young underclassmen contributing in a big way all over this team. Fame Ijeboi, Jalen Smith, Nathan Roy, Emmanuel Karmo and Mike Gerald are among other players playing big roles.

"I love coaching this team, and it starts with the quarterback. We know he's only going to continue to get better, but that doesn't mean he's always going to continue to have 100% success. But we know that, and that's the journey we've decided to go through with him," P.J. Fleck said. "We've got a lot of years, a lot of time, but the time is now, and that's what I love about him. He doesn't feel like, 'Oh, I've got all this time,' nope. Every day is like the Super Bowl to him."

Football is always going to start and end at the quarterback position, and it looks like Minnesota has itself a signal caller to build around. Lindsey has three more years of college eligibility remaining beyond the 2025 season, but the pieces around him should be why fans are excited.

Lindsey has connected with Smith for 179 yards on six catches, two of which have ended in the endzone. Ijeboi leads the team with 173 rushing yards on 35 carries. Roy has played 242 snaps at left tackle and Perich is one of the most versatile players in the country. All five players signed with Minnesota in the 2024 high school recruiting class.

"We have a lot of young players with that type of feel. You're starting to see with Jalen Smith what I told you about Jalen Smith, how much we believe in him. You're starting to see that come out," Fleck continued. "There's just a lot of young players, and with you players come development. This is a developmental program."

If you extend things even further, only four of Minnesota's current offensive starters and four defensive starters are out of eligibility following the season. You never want to count your eggs before they hatch in the modern transfer portal world, but the Gophers' current roster is set up very well to compete in the future.