Minnesota adds four commitments to 2026 class

It’s been a busy Sunday already for head coach P.J. Fleck and the Minnesota football staff.

Coming out of a massive official visit weekend in Minneapolis, the Golden Gophers have now added four commitments, bringing their pledge list to 14 names total.

Norman (Okla.) North three-star offensive tackle Daniel McMorris, West Valley City (Utah) Skyridge three-star OT Mataalii Benjamin, Harrisburg (Pa.) Steelton-Highspire linebacker Angel Luciano and Lafayette (Ind.) Jefferson EDGE Aaden Aytch have each pledged to the Big Ten program.

McMorris is the headlining pledge, as he ranks No. 500 overall and No. 36 at the OT position in the 2026 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 7 player in Oklahoma.

Benjamin is the No. 669 recruit, No. 50 OT and No. 9 player in Utah. Luciano and Aytch are currently unranked. Aytch flipped from Northern Illinois.

With the quartet of commitments, Minnesota has moved to No. 29 in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. That’s good for 11th in the Big Ten, checking in ahead of the likes of UCLA, Indiana, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Michigan State.

Looking at Minnesota’s 2026 class

McMorris and Benjamin give the Gophers four total tackle commits to date. The top-ranked member of the class is Cold Spring (Minn.) Rocori Senior four-star OT Andrew Trout, the No. 273 overall prospect and No. 21 OT this cycle. He’s been in the class since Jan. 28, 2024.

This February, Minnesota picked up a big win in the Volunteer State, beating Tennessee, Georgia Tech and USC for Nashville Ensworth four-star cornerback Justin Hopkins. He ranks inside the top 250 of the On300.

Nine different states are already represented in the class: Minnesota, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Arizona, Wisconsin, Utah, Illinois, Florida and Pennsylvania.

Other top commits in the class include: Peoria (Ariz.) Liberty three-star linebacker Hudson Dunn, Forest Lake (Minn.) Senior three-star defensive lineman Howie Johnson, Janesville (Wisc.) three-star OT Gavin Meier, Downers Grove (Ill.) North three-star quarterback Owen Lansu, Herriman (Utah) Corner Canyon three-star wide receiver Kai Meza and Phoenix Tolleson Union three-star WR Rico Blassingame.