Minnesota adds second QB commit in Brady Palmer
A late-cycle push for 2026 quarterback Brady Palmer paid off for the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ coaching staff on Saturday as the three-star prospect announced his decision to commit to the Golden Gophers.
He commits to the Gophers while also holding offers from Arizona, Auburn, Michigan State, Ohio State, TCU, Utah, and Washington. He was previously committed to Cal in the recruiting cycle.
“They like my style of play and my character,” Palmer recently told Rivals. “They think I am a good fit for their offense and for the culture that they are building. I am extremely excited to check it out to see if I can see myself there.”
It’s safe to say Palmer was able to see himself there.
Palmer is the second quarterback commitment of the Golden Gophers’ 2026 recruiting class, joining long-time commitment Owen Lansu. While the program still has high hopes for Lansu, the Illinois native did miss time this fall with an injury, plus with questions regarding the program’s depth at quarterback going forward, the Gophers looked to add a second quarterback in the class.
Palmer, this fall for Cathedral Catholic, has completed 88-of-120 passing attempts for 1,777 yards and 17 touchdowns with three interceptions while leading Cathedral Catholic to a 10-2 overall record. For his high school career, Palmer has thrown for 2,903 yards and 33 touchdowns with 8 interceptions.
Palmer is ranked by Rivals Industry Rankings as the No. 70 quarterback in the country and the No. 96 player in the state of Louisiana. The Rivals Industry Rankings provide. rating of 86.07 for the 6-foot-3 signal caller while ranking him around the top-1,200 nationally.
Minnesota entered the day before Palmer’s commitment with the No. 27 recruiting class nationally, up 24 spots from last year’s rank of No. 51. They also own the No. 8 class in the Big Ten. He is overall commitment No. 30 for the Golden Gophers.
Minnesota Golden Gophers 2026 recruiting class
| Position | Name | Commitment Date | Stars |
| OT | Andrew Trout | 1/28/24 | 4 |
| DL | Howie Johnson | 6/18/24 | 4 |
| QB | Owen Lansu | 7/28/24 | 3 |
| CB | Justin Hopkins | 2/17/25 | 3 |
| WR | Rico Blassingame | 3/20/25 | 3 |
| OL | Gavin Meier | 3/26/25 | 3 |
| WR | Hayden Moore | 4/13/25 | 3 |
| RB | Ezekiel Bates | 4/30/25 | 3 |
| LB | Hudson Dunn | 5/3/25 | 3 |
| LB | Angel Luciano | 6/1/25 | 3 |
| DE | Aaden Aytch | 6/1/25 | 4 |
| DE | Anthony Charles | 6/1/25 | 3 |
| CB | Chance Payne | 6/2/25 | 3 |
| S | Jordan Lampkins | 6/15/25 | 3 |
| OT | Lucas Tielsch | 6/15/25 | 3 |
| DL | Jeremiah Benson | 6/15/25 | 3 |
| TE | Gabe Weaver | 6/15/25 | 3 |
| DL | Josiah Anyansi | 6/15/25 | 3 |
| RB | Ryan Estrada | 6/17/25 | 4 |
| S | Trason Richardson | 6/22/25 | 3 |
| TE | Roman Voss | 6/23/25 | 4 |
| TE | George Rohl | 9/30/25 | 3 |
| S | Lamont Hamilton | 10/12/25 | 3 |
| WR | Braiden Stevens | 11/3/25 | 3 |
| OT | Beckett Schreiber | 11/3/25 | 3 |
| OT | Aaron Thomas | 11/5/25 | 3 |
| DL | KJ Henson | 11/8/25 | 3 |
| WR | Quayd Hendryx | 11/22/25 | 3 |
| RB | Niko Castillo | 11/28/25 | 3 |
| QB | Brady Palmer | 11/29/25 | 3 |
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