Fleck, Gophers miss out on top 2022 football recruit Lucas Heyer
Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck during a Big Ten conference football game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Iowa Hawkeyes on November 16, 2019, at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa. (Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS - Minnesota’s top high school football prospect in the Class of 2022 will not stay home to play for P.J. Fleck and the Gophers.
Lucas Heyer, a 6-5, 305-pound offensive lineman at Hill-Murray, announced on social media on Wednesday his commitment to play at Stanford. Fleck had extended a scholarship offer to Heyer, and Minnesota was among his finalists, along with Michigan, Northwestern and TCU. Heyer recently visited Stanford, and the decision was made.
"I am 100 percent committed to Stanford," Heyer posted to Twitter.
That means that for the fourth straight year, the top rated player out of Minnesota isn’t staying home. The last time it happened was Marshall native Blaise Andries in 2017. Lakeville South lineman Riley Mahlman chose Wisconsin in 2021, as did Minnehaha Academy star Kaden Johnson in 2020. Star Edina offensive lineman Quinn Carroll picked Notre Dame in 2019.
Fleck currently has 13 commitments for the Class of 2022, and the Minnesota natives include Alexandria’s Kristen Hoskins, Tracy offensive lineman Tony Nelson and Columbia Heights tight end Spencer Alvarez.
Cade Conzemius, the son of former Gophers player Justin Conzemius, also recently committed to Fleck as a preferred walk-on. The 2022 recruiting class, with a few openings remaining, is currently ranked No. 22 in the country.
The Gophers, coming off a 3-4 season in 2020, will open the 2021 season Sept. 2 against Ohio State at the newly-named Huntington Bank Stadium.