University of Minnesota football coach PJ Fleck spent 45 minutes talking about his 2023 class on National Signing Day.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - PJ Fleck has had a lot of success on the local recruiting trail with keeping the class of 2024 home to play for the Gophers, but arguably the top player in Minnesota is leaving the state.
Wyatt Gilmore, an edge rusher out of Rogers, announced on Wednesday his verbal commitment to play football at Oklahoma. He had scholarship offers from the Sooners, Gophers, Oregon, Wisconsin and Iowa among others. Gilmore is a consensus 4-star recruit.
"OKLAHOMA, I’M HOME," Gilmore tweeted.
Oklahoma finished the 2022 season 6-7 under Brent Venables, who was in his first year as head coach after Lincoln Riley left for USC. Fleck and the Gophers were hoping to land a verbal commitment from Gilmore during Summer Splash, the team’s annual summer recruiting event that includes Fleck taking recruits out on a boat near his Lake Minnetonka home, and a barbecue among other events.
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It should be noted that Fleck does have verbal commitments from seven of the top nine players in Minnesota for the class of 2024. It’s a list that includes Esko safety Koi Perich, who picked the Gophers over Michigan, Washington and Wisconsin, Detroit Lakes linebacker Mason Carrier, Prior Lake defensive lineman Jide Abasiri, Eden Prairie defensive lineman Mo Saine, Hill-Murray athlete Simon Seidl, Mankato West wide receiver Jalen Smith and Chanhassen edge rusher Sam Macy.
Fleck and the Gophers are also in pursuit of Irondale offensive lineman Emerson Mandell, who is currently uncommitted.
The Gophers are on summer break before fall camp, with the 2023 season-opener set for Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. against Nebraska, a game you can watch on FOX 9.