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With their football recruiting Class of 2018 signed, sealed and delivered on Dec. 20 when the early signing period opened, the Gophers were mainly quiet on the recruiting front during Wednesday's national signing day.

The Gophers did announce a group of eight preferred walk-ons that will join the program. They are:

• Ty Barron, a 6-foot, 225-pound linebacker from Minnetonka. Barron had more than 120 tackles and helped the Skippers reach the Class 6A Prep Bowl.

• Max Janes, 6-3, 230, tight end, Mounds View. Janes caught 19 passes for 312 yards and three touchdowns.

• Ryan Keating, 6-4, 290, offensive lineman, Strongsville, Ohio. He was a first-team all-conference selection.

• Jack Kern, 6-2, 300, defensive lineman, Eau Claire (Wis.) Memorial. Kern earned honorable mention all-state honors.

• Jack McNeil, 6-5, 255, tight end, Madison (Wis.) Edgewood. McNeil played quarterback as a senior after being an all-conference tight end as a junior.

• Micah Roane, 6-4, 235, linebacker, Chaska. Roane had more than 60 tackles, including 12 for loss and two sacks, as a senior.

• Michael Vojvodich, 6-3, 215, long snapper, Fairfax (Va.) Woodson. Vojvodich also played guard.

• Brock Walker, 5-10, 190, kicker, Sioux Falls Washington. Walker helped the Warriors to three consecutive state titles and was an all-state defensive back. Made 13 of 22 field-goal attempts.

The Gophers also expect to add more walk-ons before the season.

Minnesota's Class of 2018 was 35th nationally in the 247Sports.com composite rankings of major media recruiting services as of Wednesday evening. The Gophers were seventh among Big Ten teams and second in the West Division, trailing only Nebraska. ESPN.com had the Gophers ranked higher, 30th nationally and fifth in the Big Ten.

In the Big Ten, Ohio State had the top class for the seventh consecutive year and was No. 2 in the country, just behind Georgia. Other Big Ten teams in the top 25 were No. 5 Penn State, No. 21 Michigan and No. 22 Nebraska. In the West after Nebraska and the Gophers were No. 40 Iowa, No. 44 Wisconsin, No. 49 Purdue, No. 54 Illinois and No. 59 Northwestern.