The question to P.J. Fleck was straightforward Monday morning, but the answer came full of variables.
"It's 48 hours until signing day, how are you feeling?''
"What answer do you want?'' Fleck replied, chuckling. "On edge. Jumpy. Paranoid. Those are the real answers. It's 48 hours to signing day; anything can happen.''
Such is the life of a college football coach on national signing day, when the whims of 17- and 18-year-olds can turn on a dime and a recruit once considered a lock for one team can flip in the time it takes to grab a baseball cap embroidered with a rival's logo.
This year's early signing period begins Wednesday and runs through Friday, and the Gophers are expected to receive national letters of intent Wednesday from the bulk of their recruiting Class of 2022. Fleck is expected to land a class with 19 incoming freshmen who have pledged, plus one transfer player who has committed to Minnesota.
"It's a fun time,'' Fleck said Monday, making sure he spoke only in general terms and not on specific yet-to-be-signed players, which would violate NCAA rules. "I feel really good about all of our guys who are committed. We had a big weekend this past weekend, which I look forward to talking about in 48 hours.''
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Gophers ranked 36th nationally and eighth in the Big Ten with their 19 incoming freshmen, according to the 247Sports composite ratings of major recruiting services. A surge of activity over the weekend — three new freshman pledges, along with transfer Ryan Stapp, a highly sought-after cornerback from Abilene Christian —saw Minnesota move up in the rankings.
After Stapp gave his verbal commitment Saturday, offensive tackle Cade McConnell of Choctaw, Okla.; defensive lineman Hayden Schwartz of The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla.; and linebacker Maverick Baranowski of Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange, Fla., committed to Minnesota.
Stapp, Schwartz and Baranowski made their visits over the weekend, and even Friday's snowstorm that dumped 20 inches or more on parts of the Twin Cities couldn't deter those players from choosing Minnesota.
Fleck doesn't try to hide the weather from recruits.
"Nobody has to recruit against us and pretend like we don't know we have snow here in the north. We know that,'' he said. "… It's like, 'Here's our program, and here's the weather in December, January and February.' But if they pick it, they know exactly what it's like.''
The 19 incoming freshmen are a mix of players that could fill needs quickly and those who'll need time to grow physically and develop mentally. Depending on available spots with early departures, the Gophers might land more recruits when the regular signing period starts Feb. 2.
Five members of the class are defensive backs, led by 6-2 cornerbacks Aidan Gousby of Lehigh Acres, Fla., and Rhyland Kelly, a Winnipeg, Manitoba, native who played at Clearwater (Fla.) Academy International. The Gophers need to replace Coney Durr and Justus Harris, so building depth in that group was important.
The class includes four defensive linemen, highlighted by Anthony Smith, a 6-5, 280-pound four-star recruit from Shippensburg, Pa.; Eden Prairie's Trey Bixby, a developing four-star prospect with a large upside; and Schwartz, a former Nebraska pledge whose father, Bryan, played for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Gophers lose interior mainstays Nyles Pinckney and Micah Dew-Treadway, while ends Boye Mafe and Esezi Otomewo have been invited to the Senior Bowl and might not return to the team.
Minnesota has one quarterback in the 2022 class, Jacob Knuth of Harrisburg, S.D. The 6-4, 207-pounder led his team to the big-school state championship and could be in the mix with holdovers Athan Kaliakmanis and Cole Kramer to start in 2023, after Tanner Morgan's collegiate career finishes next fall.
Knuth, who committed to the Gophers in late February and had former offensive coordinator and QBs coach Mike Sanford Jr. as his main recruiter to Minnesota, raised eyebrows over the weekend with an official visit to Kansas State, though indications are that he still plans to sign with Minnesota.
The 2021 season showed the Gophers that they never can have enough running backs, and they're getting another solid addition in Zach Evans of Rockwall-Heath High School in suburban Dallas. Evans rushed for nearly 2,000 yards and 26 touchdowns this season.
The Gophers class includes five Minnesotans: Bixby, the No. 2 overall recruit in the state, according to the 247Sports composite; Alexandria wide receiver Kristen Hoskins (No. 4); Woodbury linebacker Joey Gerlach (No. 9); Tracy offensive lineman Tony Nelson (No. 12); and Columbia Heights offensive lineman Spencer Alvarez (No. 14).
"Just incredible people coming into the program,'' Fleck said, "and we're excited about it.''
