The Minnesota Golden Gopher football team added another four-star recruit to its 2021 class on Sunday, receiving a commitment from Illinois offensive tackle Cameron James.
I can confirm the #Gophers have received a commitment from 2021 Chicago (Ill.) four-star OT @Cameronjames87 over a bevy Big Ten and SEC programs.
James is the 7th 4-star to commit to Minnesota's 2021 class (247 ranks), the most in the internet era.https://t.co/GjbbOCBX1m pic.twitter.com/qmf1DurODd
— Ryan Burns (@RyanBurnsMN) May 24, 2020
James stands 6-foot-8 and 280 pounds and was ranked as the No. 31 offensive tackle in the country per 247Sports. GopherHole.com’s Daniel House called James’ recruitment a big win for the Gophers as his athleticism is a perfect fit for their zone-blocking scheme.
“Within his film clips, James uses above-average movement skills to his advantage,” House explained. “When he was asked to pull in space for runs or screens, he frequently hit the second and third levels. In Minnesota’s zone-blocking scheme, it is important to recruit offensive linemen with above-average athletic traits”
Four-star Chicago OT Cameron James has committed to the #Gophers. He was one of my favorite targets for Minnesota's '21 cycle. His athleticism and skills in space perfectly fit the team’s zone-blocking scheme.
This is a big recruiting win.
đź“°: https://t.co/ksKROOmJqf
đź“ş: @hudl pic.twitter.com/myrzrHnMwJ
— Daniel House (@DanielHouseMN) May 24, 2020
With the recruitment of James, the Gophers added their seventh four-star recruit in the 2021 class, the most in the internet era of recruiting. In addition, Gopher Illustrated’s Ryan Burns pointed out that the Gophers have landed four of the top nine players in the state of Illinois, including quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, running back Mar’Keise Irving and athlete Sam Jackson.
With that group joining cornerbacks Stephen Ortiz Jr. and Avante Dickerson, the Gophers now have the fifth-ranked recruiting class in the nation and the second in the Big Ten behind Ohio State, who has the top-ranked class in 247Sports composite rankings.
