Ascending 2023 linebacker Caleb LaVallee offered by Minnesota

After adding nearly a dozen offers to his list in the past two months, Mableton (Ga.) Whitefield Academy linebacker Caleb LaVallee added another on Saturday evening from Minnesota.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder is currently unranked by the On3 Conseneus, but that’s likely to change soon given how fast he is rising up recruiting boards. In February alone, LeVallee has earned offers from North Carolina, West Virginia, Purdue, Miami, and Indiana. That’s in addition to previous offers from Florida State, Northwestern, Louisville, Vanderbilt and Duke.

Thankful and excited to receive an offer from The University of Minnesota!! @JoeS_Rossi @Haynes_Gophers @Mansell247 @SWiltfong247 @RivalsFriedman @adamgorney @RWrightRivals @CoachCJoiner @Coach_Krueg @RecruitGeorgia @jtalphabet_ @DemetricDWarren pic.twitter.com/FQxARlxhfH

— Caleb LaVallee (@CalebLaVallee1) February 26, 2022

LaVallee has been particularly intrigued by recent offers from North Carolina and Florida State, he told On3 National Recruiting Analyst Jeremy Johnson a few weeks ago. He visited the Tar Heels at the end of January and came away impressed.

“I really loved the campus and the environment,” LaVallee said. “Academics come first in my family. I can get a great degree there and play big-time, ACC football. All of the coaches were really welcoming. It really felt like a home away from home up there. I feel like they’re a great group of guys and it’s a place where I could go and become the best football player, man and student I can be.”

Their ACC rivals, Florida State, got him on campus the weekend before. And the academics at the school, as well as their coach staff, have piqued his interest.

“They have a really good business school and that’s what I plan on studying in college. Coach (Randy) Shannon was hired to coach the linebackers. It pretty much doesn’t get much better than coach Shannon with all of his knowledge and experience coaching. I really love coach (Mike) Norvell after getting tomeet him and hear what he preaches about character and family as well as the vision they have for me.”

Caleb LaVallee is the 14th linebacker that Minnesota has offered in the 2023 class, and their third in Georgia. The Gophers has taken a particular interest in the Peach State, offering LaVallee, as well as Suwanee Collins Hill duo Dion Crawford and Denzel Moore.