Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck is at his storytelling best on national signing day. At the dais, he tells tales about each high school player signed to that year’s class.

Sometimes, he can go on for 45 minutes or longer.

On Wednesday, the Gophers coach came well under that, in part due to the fact that head coaches weren’t able to go into the homes of prospects this December with the early signing window moved up two weeks to about the end of the regular season.

Illinois coach Bret Bielema said in November that he loved being in the homes of the kids the Illini recruited and called the end of that opportunity “a travesty.”

Still, Fleck rallied on Wednesday and shared perspectives and nuggets on each of the incoming players in the 2025 class.

Connections help

Former Gophers linebacker Mac Stephens is now the head football coach in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and Jayquan Stubbs has been a prized college recruit given his 6-foot-6, 265-pound size and nimble athleticism that makes him a quality high school basketball player.

Having Stephens around Stubbs on a daily basis didn’t hurt the Gophers’ chances of signing the nearly four-star defensive lineman prospect. Stubbs is the U’s third-highest-rated recruit overall.

“It was great to have a former Gopher in the high school every day,” Fleck said. “Never told him where to go, but was really, really supportive. Can’t thank Coach Mac enough with all he’s got going on in his life to really support the Gophers and talk so highly of us and his experience here.”Stephens was a U linebacker from 1986-89 and went on to the NFL for three seasons, including his final year with the Vikings in 1991.

Also a track and field athlete, Stubbs had other reported offers from Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Rutgers, Kentucky, West Virginia and Purdue, among others.

Slipped

As of Friday, the Gophers class rank slipped out of the top 50 in the nation and to 15th in the 18-team Big Ten with running back Shane Marshall staying home at Georgia Tech and safety Grant Grayton moving on to Kentucky.

For the U, Grayton’s exit was known before signing day, while Marshall’s flip was a surprise.

“We have 20 players that signed and that’s our focus,” Fleck said in his late-morning press conference. Come evening, the U officially added its 21st member, Montgomery, Ala., running back Trey Berry, who essentially takes Marshall’s spot.

West Coast

Fleck’s recruiting classes had only dabbled in the Mountain and Pacific time zones until this year, when the Gophers signed five from the West this cycle.

Like other recruiting forays, it’s based primarily on relationships. For instance, the U was able to get future NFL safety Jordan Howden out of Las Vegas in 2018 because of former assistant coach Jahmile Addae’s inroads there.

For this westward expansion, Fleck mentioned offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh, offensive analyst Keegan O’Hara and tight ends coach Eric Koehler’s connections. Fleck told them, “Let’s see what we can do out there. Let’s see what kind of luck we can have.”

“But it wasn’t just about the student-athletes. It was about finding the right fit,” Fleck said. “… We will go anywhere as long as the fit is there.”

Those East-bound players are: Laguna Beach, Calif., quarterback Jackson Kollock; Covina, Calif., receiver Legend Lyons; Corona, Calif., offensive tackle Daniel Shipp; Albuquerque interior offensive lineman Mark Handy; and Peoria, Ariz., interior O-lineman Nick Spence.

Harden first and SEC

Last March, Covington, Ga., defensive back Zach Harden became the U’s first commitment in this year’s class. On Wednesday, the U announced him as its first player signed.

“For him to stay committed and stay true with everybody coming after him from the (Southeastern Conference) says a lot about this young man,” Fleck said.

Harden, who had three interception returns for touchdowns last season, had a bevy of other interested schools, including Auburn, Mississippi and Texas A&M.

Comparisons

Fleck compared a few incoming players to some of the best past and present players he has had at Minnesota. He didn’t say the new kids would become these players, but they have attributes that remind him of predecessors:

Avon, Ind., defensive end Enoch Atewogbola and current Seattle Seahawk Boye Mafe; Covina, Calif., receiver Legend Lyons and current Los Angeles Ram Tyler Johnson; Caledonia linebacker Ethan Stendel and all-Big Ten linebacker Cody Lindenberg; Kaveon Lee of Plainfield, Ill., and Big Ten offensive lineman of the year Aireontae Ersery; and Stubbs with stout defensive tackle Deven Eastern.

Briefly

Bradley Martino, a top 30 wideout in the nation, will travel from his home in Naples, Fla., to San Antonio for the Navy All-American Bowl on Jan. 11. … Abu Tarawallie, a sought-after defensive lineman from Heritage Christian Academy in Maple Grove, has African roots and wants to be a neurosurgeon. His father makes regular work trips to Africa. … Stendel lives on 60 acres near Caledonia. “Good farm boy,” Fleck said. … Shipp has a whopping 80-inch wingspan. … Handy was state champion wrestler and wants to go on a pre-med track at the U. … Hoffman Estates, Ill., product Nate Cleveland will play linebacker at the U but had 1,228 yards and 10 touchdowns at quarterback this fall. … One reason the Gophers became more interested in Fond Du Lac, Wis., defensive lineman Rhett Hlavacka was his hops on the basketball court. “His windmill dunking, his behind-his-back dunking,” Fleck said. “At the size, he is (6-5), we’re like, we’ve got to get this kid and see him.” The Badgers — or “the border school,” as Fleck called it — did not offer Hlavacka. … Cornerback Naiim Parrish won four state championships at New Jersey powerhouse Bergen Catholic.