Good morning to all who celebrate the start of college football’s early signing period, which began Wednesday and runs through Friday. Players from the from the Eastern time zone were able to sign their national letters-of-intent and send them to coaching staffs beginning at 6 a.m. (Central).
The biggest news for the Gophers came at 8:01 a.m., when Esko safety Koi Perich, the top-ranked player in Minnesota and the gem of coach P.J. Fleck’s 2024 recruiting class, signed his letter-of-intent.
You can exhale, Gophers fans.
A four-star recruit who gave a verbal commitment to the Gophers in April, Perich received strong interest this fall from Ohio State. Perich, the 10th-ranked safety nationally in the 247Sports composite ratings of major recruiting services, took an official visit to Ohio State on Dec. 9. Last Friday, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day and safeties coach Perry Eliano visited Perich in Esko.
Perich, who amassed 27 touchdowns for Esko, including five on defense and four on returns, has a 2:30 p.m. Wednesday signing day appearance scheduled at the Esko theatre.
The Gophers entered Wednesday morning with the 36th-ranked high school class nationally and the 11th-ranked class among the 18 Big Ten teams, according to the 247Sports composite ratings of major recruiting services. They had two four-star recruits and 17 three-stars among their 19 prep recruits, along with five transfers and one junior college addition.
The signatures started rolling in right away for the Gophers, beginning at 6:05 a.m. with safety Zahir Rainer of Trinity Episcopal School in Richmond, Va. He’s the son of former NFL linebacker Wali Rainer.
At 6:10, cornerback Samuel Madu of Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, N.Y., put pen to electronic paper. Madu’s offer list included Michigan State, Penn State and Purdue.
Edge rusher Jaylin Hicks from Iona Prep in New Rochelle, N.Y., followed at 6:21, and running back Ohifame Ijeboi from William Penn Charter in Philadelphia followed two minutes later. Hicks had offers from Boston College, Penn State and Syracuse, among others. Ijeboi rushed for 1,075 yards and scored 15 TDs in nine games this season.
Wide receiver Dallas Sims was the last of the Gophers’ five prep recruits from the Eastern time zone signed at 6:29 a.m. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native was a standout at Clearwater (Fla.) Academy International.
The Gophers then began announcing their incoming transfer players, and the first they mentioned, at 6:32 a.m., might be the most important. Quarterback Max Brosmer, a three-year starter at FCS-level New Hampshire, is Minnesota’s likely starter in 2024. Brosmer, a Roswell, Ga., native, is a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, given to the top player in FCS. At 6:37, Minnesota announced the addition of another quarterback in Fresno State transfer Logan Fife, who could slot in as the backup in 2024. Fife started five games for the Bulldogs.
Cornerback Ethan Robinson, a transfer from Bucknell, was announced at 6:41, and running back Sieh Bangura, a transfer from Ohio University, followed at 6:44. Robinson earned first-team All-Patriot League honors this season, while Bangura has rushed for 1,982 yards and 22 TDs over the past two seasons. The fifth transfer to be announced was former TCU defensive back Jai’onte’ McMillan at 6:53. McMillan’s versatility should help Minnesota’s secondary.
Next up were prep recruits from the Central time zone beginning at 7 a.m., and the first to sign was Mankato West wide receiver Jalen Smith at 7:06, followed closely by Fayetteville (Ark.) quarterback Drake Lindsey at 7:08. Smith surpassed 40 receptions and 550 receiving yards with nine TDs for the Scarlets, while Lindsey passed for 52 touchdowns in leading Fayetteville to the Arkansas Class 7A state championship.
Johnston, Iowa, tight end Jacob Simpson (40 catches for 678 yards and 10 TDs) signed at 7:12, and running back Jaydon Wright from Bishop McNamara in Kankakee, Ill., and cornerback Mike Gerald from Morton Ranch High School in Katy, Texas, followed four minutes later. At 7:20, tight end Julian Johnson of Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, Ill., signed, followed by Chanhassen linebacker Sam Macy two minutes later.
Defensive lineman Riley Sunram of Kindred, N.D., the top-ranked player in North Dakota, signed at 7:25 a.m. The top-ranked player in Wisconsin, offensive lineman Nathan Roy, signed at 7:39. Roy’s offer list included Michigan State, UCLA, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Ohio State and Wisconsin. Offensive lineman Brett Carroll from Olathe (Kan.) East signed a couple of minutes later.
Eden Prairie defensive lineman Mo Saine began a run of Minnesotans at 7:45, followed by Hill-Murray cornerback Simon Seidl at 7:49 and Detroit Lakes linebacker Mason Carrier at 7:52. Then came the announcement of Perich’s signing at 8:01.
Good morning to all who celebrate the start of college football’s early signing period, which began Wednesday and runs through Friday. Players from the from the Eastern time zone were able to sign their national letters-of-intent and send them to coaching staffs beginning at 6 a.m. (Central).