Pennsylvania standout defensive lineman commits to Gophers

A day after receiving five verbal commitments to its recruiting Class of 2022, the Gophers football program on Monday got another one.

Anthony Smith, a defensive lineman from Shippensburg, Pa., became Minnesota's 13^th scholarship commitment for 2022. The 6-5, 265-pounder is a three-star recruit and is rated as the 15^th-best recruit in Pennsylvania and the 84^th-rated defensive lineman nationally by the 247Sports composite rankings of major recruiting services. Smith is the Gophers' second-highest rated recruit so far by 247Sports and Rivals for the 2022 class, behind four-star defensive end Trey Bixby of Lakewood, Ohio.

"I'm excited to say next fall I'll be going to the 612,'' Smith posted on Twitter.

Smith, who made his official visit to Minnesota and coach P.J. Fleck on the weekend of June 11-13, has offers from 16 FBS programs, including Mississippi, Michigan, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech, Michigan State, Syracuse, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Penn State and Nebraska.

Last season, Smith made 43 tackles for Shippensburg Area High School, including 14 tackles for loss and nine sacks. He also forced three fumbles.