The Gophers’ 2026 high school recruiting class was considered to be among the best in the modern era of the program. That class is now six games into its college careers, so let’s re-rank all 31 players they signed.
Instant contributors
- 1. Quayd Hendryx, WR/KR
- 2. Roman Voss, TE
Hendryx has easily been the most impactful freshman through six games. He has played 63 offensive snaps and has had two catches for 28 yards and one touchdown. He has also served as the team’s primary kick returner, with 10 returns for 228 yards. Voss isn’t too far behind, with 59 offensive snaps, two catches, 44 yards and one touchdown.
Voss was expected to be an instant contributor, and he has done just that. Hendryx was a late riser in the 2026 recruiting rankings, and he has exceeded expectations. Both are the type of players Minnesota needs to keep in its system for as long as possible.
Injured
- 3. Ryan Estrada, RB
- 4. Hayden Moore, WR
Estrada and Moore were both trending toward being big parts of Minnesota’s offense this fall, but they both suffered injuries early in the season. If their recoveries go smoothly, they could be key contributors if they return in 2027.
Darius Taylor still has one year of college eligibility remaining, so it will be fascinating to see how Minnesota approaches the running back position in the offseason. Moore was already as high as WR4 on the depth chart, and he’s clearly a player whom wide receivers coach Isaac Fruechte thinks highly of.
Promising future
- 5. Aaden Aytch, DE
- 6. Howie Johnson, DT
- 7. George Rohl, TE
- 8. Trason Richardson, S
- 9. Gavin Meier, OT
- 10. Zeke Bates, RB
- 11. Justin Hopkins, CB
- 12. Rico Blassingame, WR
- 13. Andrew Trout, OL
- 14. Braiden Stevens, PR/WR
This tier is a mixture of highly touted prospects who haven’t gotten their opportunity yet and players who’ve exceeded expectations. Rohl was one of the lowest-rated recruits in Minnesota’s class, and he has already played 25 offensive snaps. Richardson is also a bit of a surprise, with 15 combined defensive snaps against Akron and Eastern Illinois.
Every player on this list is someone Minnesota needs to keep developing, and losing any of them to the transfer portal would be relatively significant.
Quarterbacks
- 15. Brady Palmer
- 16. Owen Lansu
We’ve seen numerous quarterbacks, including Jacob Knuth, Drew Viotto and, most recently, Jackson Kollock, transfer out of the program over the last few years. Palmer got an opportunity against Eastern Illinois, but Lansu significantly outperformed him in the spring game. There are always a lot of moving parts in the quarterback market, but both currently look like depth pieces for Minnesota’s QB room.
Too early to tell
- 17. Aaron Thomas, OL
- 18. Niko Castillo, RB
- 19. Chance Payne, CB
- 20. Josiah Dozier, WR
- 21. Lamont Hamilton, S
- 22. Gabe Weaver, TE
- 23. Hudson Dunn, LB
- 24. Angel Luciano, LB
- 25. Anthony Charles, DE
- 26. Jordan Lampkins, S
- 27. Tavian White, S
- 28. Lucas Tielsch, OL
- 29. Josiah Anyansi, DE
- 30. Jeremiah Benson, DT
- 31. Beckett Schreiber, OL
The average college football freshman doesn’t see the field in year one, but that doesn’t mean they won’t develop into a contributor. We’re not able to see every practice, but every player in this tier has room to grow before playing a consistent role on a Big Ten field.
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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Oct 17, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Gophers section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.