Gophers' 2021 recruiting class jumps to No. 9 nationally after big weekend for P.J. Fleck

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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 - After a big weekend, the 2021 recruiting class for the University of Minnesota football program is currently ranked in the top-10 in the country.

Gophers’ defensive lineman Sam Renner hopes to go from walk-on to NFL

The Gophers’ win in the Outback Bowl ended an impressive season-long story.

The Gophers currently have nine commitments for the 2021 class, which is currently ranked No. 9 in the country, according to 247Sports. The latest big name to announce their commitment to Fleck and the Gophers is defensive back Avante Dickerson. According to 247Sports, Dickerson is the No. 8-ranked defensive back in the country and is No. 93 in the overall rankings.

He chose the Gophers over offers from Ohio State, Georgia, LSU, Nebraska, Iowa and Oregon. He’s the third four-star athlete to join the class, including Athan Kaliakmanis and defensive back Steven Ortiz. Dickerson is considered the second-best commitment for the Gophers of the internet era, behind only running back Jeff Jones.

Ortiz is the No. 23-ranked defensive back in the country, and overall is just outside the top 300.

Ohio linebacker Devon Williams, a three-star athlete who had been committed to Kentucky, changed his commitment to the Gophers over the weekend. He holds offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Iowa State and Indiana among others.

Lastly on Monday, Ohio defensive back Tamarion Crumpley committed to Fleck and the Gophers. He’s a three-star athlete who has scholarship offers from Michigan State, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Wake Forest, Cincinnati and Boston College.

Minnesota’s 2021 recruiting class, as it currently stands, is ranked No. 3 in the Big Ten. Fleck and the Gophers have a long way to go before the early signing period in December, but they’ve benefitted from the program’s first 11-win season in 115 years and victory over Auburn in the Outback Bowl.