Minnesota lands commitment from ATH Niko Castillo
The Minnesota Golden Gophers have picked up a commitment from Schuylkill Haven (PA) athlete Niko Castillo.
Castillo committed to the Gophers on Friday while on an official visit to the Twin Cities. Castillo has committed to the Gophers as a running back, where he’ll join fellow Pennsylvania native Ezekiel Bates as well as four-star running back Ryan Estrada.
Despite not being his high school’s top tailback this season, Castillo still had an impressive season, recording 73 carries for 865 yards (11.8 ypc) and 13 touchdowns. He also had 17 receptions for 423 yards and nine touchdowns.
Castillo fits the mold of Minnesota’s previous running back commitment in Jett Walker (Georgetown, TX), who flipped his commitment to Texas on Sunday. Like Walker, Castillo is a bigger running back listed at 6-foot-2 and 235-pounds.
Castillo is commitment No. 29 for the Gophers in their 2026 recruiting class, which currently ranks No. 28 in the country in the Rivals team recruiting rankings. The class also ranks eighth within the Big Ten with less than a week until the early signing period.
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 |
| RB | Jett Walker | 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 | Quad Hendryx | 11/22/25 | 3 |
| RB | Niko Castillo | 11/28/25 | 3 |
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