Sep 7, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck looks on during the first half against the Rhode Island Rams at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Gophers recruiting thoughts: Roman Voss vs. Pierce Petersohn

Originally posted on Minnesota Golden Gophers on SI
By Tony Liebert | Last updated Jun 26, 2025 9:53 AM ET

It has been a busy recruiting week for Minnesota high school football. Two of the state's top players in the class of 2026 have made their verbal commitments; Roman Voss is staying home to play for Minnesota and Pierce Petersohn is heading east to Penn State, so what does it mean for the Gophers?

Voss and Petersohn are two very similar athletes and football players.

Both athletes play quarterback for their small-town Minnesota high schools, and they were getting recruited to play a different position at the college level. This has routinely happened across the country with small school high school QBs playing a different position in college, but there are a lot of similarities between Voss and Petersohn in the same high school graduating class.

Voss is currently a more highly-touted prospect on every major recruiting service, and he made his commitment on Monday to Minnesota over Alabama. Petersohn made his commitment on Wednesday to Penn State over Minnesota.

The Gophers were originally recruiting Petersohn as a linebacker and then leaned into a pitch of him possibly playing both ways. Penn State was exclusively recruiting him as a tight end. Multiple sources have told Gophers on SI that this was a significant piece in his final decision.

It's also fair to wonder how much Voss's commitment impacted Petersohn's. There are only 11 players on the field at once, and it's a hard sell to double up on two players in the same recruiting class who have a very similar college outlook.

Related: The next Tyler Warren? What makes Roman Voss a special talent?

Was this entirely Minnesota prioritizing Voss over Petersohn? No, but it's entirely fair to assume it had a large impact on the final outcome. Penn State prioritized Petersohn as a tight end, and he clearly wanted to play that position at the next level.

Minnesota still currently has a tremendous 2026 recruiting class. Adding a four-star like Petersohn would've made things even better, but you can't sign them all. It's hard to ignore that Voss and Petersohn will likely be heavily compared to each other throughout their college careers.