Good morning to all who celebrate the start of college football’s early signing period, which began Wednesday and runs through Friday. Players from the from the Eastern time zone were able to sign their national letters-of-intent and send them to coaching staffs beginning at 6 a.m. (Central).
The Gophers entered Wednesday morning with the 36th-ranked high school class nationally and the 11th-ranked class among the 18 Big Ten teams, according to the 247Sports composite ratings of major recruiting services. They had two four-star recruits and 17 three-stars among their 19 prep recruits, along with five transfers and one junior college addition.
The signatures started rolling in right away for the Gophers, beginning at 6:05 a.m. with safety Zahir Rainer of Trinity Episcopal School in Richmond, Va. He’s the son of former NFL linebacker Wali Rainer.
At 6:10, cornerback Samuel Madu of Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, N.Y., put pen to electronic paper. Madu’s offer list included Michigan State, Penn State and Purdue.
Edge rusher Jaylin Hicks from Iona Prep in New Rochelle, N.Y., followed at 6:21, and running back Ohifame Ijeboi from William Penn Charter in Philadelphia followed two minutes later. Hicks had offers from Boston College, Penn State and Syracuse, among others. Ijeboi rushed for 1,075 yards and scored 15 TDs in nine games this season.
Wide receiver Dallas Sims was the last of the Gophers’ five prep recruits from the Eastern time zone signed at 6:29 a.m. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native was a standout at Clearwater (Fla.) Academy International.
The Gophers then began announcing their incoming transfer players, and the first they mentioned, at 6:32 a.m., might be the most important. Quarterback Max Brosmer, a three-year starter at FCS-level New Hampshire, is Minnesota’s likely starter in 2024. Brosmer, a Roswell, Ga., native, is a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, given to the top player in FCS. At 6:37, Minnesota announced the addition of another quarterback in Fresno State transfer Logan Fife, who could slot in as the backup in 2024. Fife started five games for the Bulldogs.
Next up were prep recruits from the Central time zone beginning at 7 a.m.