Minnesota’s top recruit will be a Gopher, becomes fourth straight top recruit in state to stay home

by Bryan Zollman, Let’s Play Football

For as long as any Gopher fan can remember, landing the state’s top recruits just wasn’t a thing for Gopher football coaches. Minnesota’s best players often hit the road to other schools with more storied histories or recent success, or even…better weather.

But that has since changed. Minnesota’s top-ranked recruit in 2022, Jaxon Howard, after attending LSU initially, came back home to the Gophers. The following year Koi Perich chose the Gophers. Last season Emmanual Karmo picked the Gophers, and now, the state’s top recruit, Roman Voss, will also be a Gopher, choosing the Maroon and Gold over the Alabama Crimson Red.

Voss, a highly touted ATH who will likely play tight end in college, was ranked No. 1 in the state and No. 13 nationally. His ability to play multiple positions coupled with his size  (6’4″, 215 pounds) and athleticism made him a huge “get” for whatever college he chose.

The Gophers worked hard on landing him, visiting him at his school and home this past winter. For Gophers coach PJ Fleck, Voss is the fourth straight top recruit to choose the Gophers over more perennial powerhouse programs, a testament not only to his recruiting skill, but a promise of better things to come for Gopher fans.

Let’s face it, it’s been tough seeing the state’s top talent jettison to greener pastures while the Gophers struggled to land 3-star recruits. It’s tough enough to get a kid from the beaches of Florida to commit to a program where it’s below freezing five months out of the year. That is why landing in-state recruits is so important. Not only does it improve the talent pool on the field, it creates a sense of loyalty and commitment to a program that has shown flashes of promise, but just hasn’t taken that next big step into the national spotlight.

Gopher fans should be ecstatic that another of their hometown heroes will don the Maroon and Gold. We saw it with Koi Perich this past season, who reached All Big Ten status as a true freshman. Perich chose the Gophers over Ohio State. The fact that he was a dynamic player was one thing. Him being from a small northern town in Minnesota made it all that more special. Hometown kids are just easy to root for. Especially after they tell Ohio State they’d rather stay home and play for the team they rooted for growing up.

With Voss, the Gophers are getting what his high school coach said a “once in a lifetime talent.”

“I’ve said for a couple of years. I think he’s an NFL-caliber tight end. I think he has a very realistic shot of playing in the NFL,” said Tom Schuller. “I think he’s that good.”

Voss hails from Jackson County Central. A small southern town with a population of 3,272. He dominated in Class AA football, but was sidelined by an injury this past season and was forced to watch his team win a state championship from the sideline. But that doesn’t take away from the pure talent he has shown.

“He’s special. When you watch him in 2A football, It’s like somebody wanders into a game that doesn’t belong there and has the skill level of a college football player,” said Schuller. “He runs over people, past people, and around people. He’s a humble kid, but it’s a special talent that I’ve never had before.”

That talent will now be on display at Huntington Bank Stadium along with his fellow in-state recruits Howard, Perich and Karmo.

Not only did Fleck land Voss, he also has commitments from the No. 2 and No, 3 prospects in the state according to 247sports.com. Howie Johnson, a defensive lineman from Forest Lake, has also committed along with No. 3 prospect offensive tackle Andrew Trout from Rocori. He also landed the top three prospects from the Class of 2025 in Karmo, Ethan Stendel (LB/Caledonia) and Abu Tarawallie (DL/Hertiage Christian Academy).

Local blood running through the heart of the program should give an adrenaline boost to the fan base, and hopefully be the fuel the program needs to take that important next step into the national spotlight. Who better than to help lead them there than a bunch of talented kids from Minnesota.