Several high school football recruits, some without even visiting Minnesota, have announced they are headed to play for the Gophers after the hiring of P.J. Fleck.
After poaching Fleck to be their new head coach on Friday, Gophers football has a handful of new commitments on their hands, because seven players verbally committed to Western Michigan have switched to Minnesota.
The latest of those is defensive end Nate Umlor, who announced on Twitter Sunday that he’d be joining the Gophers, saying: “I committed to Coach Fleck a year ago and haven’t looked back since.”
SKI U MAH!! RTB!!〽️ @Coach_Fleck pic.twitter.com/o7BNxPahnP
— Nate Umlor (@Nate_Umlor) January 8, 2017
Umlor tweeted on Friday, the day Fleck was hired, that he’d received an offer from the U of M.
Joining him on Sunday was Umlor’s fellow Michiganite, the 6’6″, 270-pound offensive tackle Kyle Sassack, who confirmed he’d be joining his “future roommate” in the Twin Cities.
SKI U MAH!! RTB!! pic.twitter.com/wPWBdtwXYR
— Kyle Sassack (@KSass74) January 8, 2017
The Pioneer Press has a breakdown on the six other players who have switched their commitment to Minnesota, which you can take a look at here.
They include 6’1″ wide receiver Chris Bell and Kentucky quarterback Tanner Morgan.
More could follow as well, with Fleck known to be a strong recruiter. The Detroit News reports that of the 25 players orally pledged to WMU, 10 have either signed with the Gophers or re-opening the commitment process.
Outside linebacker Trenton Guthrie, who switched to the Gophers on Friday, told the newspaper he’d never been to the Twin Cities.
“It is far from home, but I talked to my uncle and cousin, who do business in the Twin Cities a lot,” he said. “They told me about the Twin Cities and what it had to offer, about how the campus was and how the community supported the program, and that helped me with my decision.”
