The Minnesota Golden Gophers continue to clean up on the recruiting trail this summer, landing a pair of skill position players this weekend.
On Saturday night, three-star Pennsylvania running back Marquese Williams committed to the Gophers, followed by three-star Florida wide receiver Donielle Hayes announcing his intention to become a student-athlete at the U of M.
https://twitter.com/QueseWilliams26/status/1538363987334676480
Williams was highly coveted with 27 different scholarship offers including Cincinnati, Texas A&M and Penn State. 247Sports also has Williams ranked as the 15th-best recruit in Pennsylvania, the 33rd-ranked running back nationally and the second-highest recruit in this year’s class behind Osseo four-star offensive tackle Jerome Williams.
The Gophers backfield is set this upcoming season with Mohamed Ibrahim’s return for his sixth-year senior season but they will be looking for new blood in 2023. Ky Thomas (Kansas) and Bucky Irving (Oregon) entered the transfer portal after last season and the Gophers have hit the recruiting trail hard, landing Michigan three-star running back Darius Taylor earlier this summer.
Hayes plays wide receiver at Pine Forest High School in Pensacola, Florida. The 6-foot-tall receiver hauled in 30 passes for 722 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior.
1000% Committed…Lets Work🤝🏾!!!!!! @CoachMGSimon @Coach_Fleck @GopherFootball @Ryan_Vandervort @PineForestFB @C3Elite7v7 pic.twitter.com/53KIZZbXhb
— Donielle“Nuke”Hayes (@HayesDonielle) June 19, 2022
According to 247Sports, he’s the 105th ranked wide receiver in the nation in the Class of 2023.
With 15 three-star and one four-star commitment, the Gophers rank 10th in the nation and fourth in the Big Ten in 247Sports’ recruiting rankings for the Class of 2023.
