Seven players from Minnesota could be starters on projected depth charts entering the Aug. 29 opener against North Carolina. Senior defensive end Danny Striggow and senior linebacker Cody Lindenberg were under-the-radar prospects out of Orono and Anoka high schools, respectively.

Several of their peers at the top of the state’s 2020 class ended up going to programs such as Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Iowa State. Striggow said playing for the Gophers and staying home developed into an even stronger feeling years later.

“When you’re a freshman, you’re like, ‘I play for Minnesota,’ and it’s the name,” Striggow said. “As I’ve gotten older, it’s turned into, you represent more than just the name on your front and back.”

Playing in front of friends and family has been a top selling point with in-state talent.

“It means everything,” sophomore offensive lineman and former Prior Lake star Greg Johnson said. “It’s a blessing to be here and dream to come true, to be honest.”

Johnson, a four-star recruit in the 2023 class, told local prospects on recruiting visits how special it’s been for him to represent his home state at the U. He’s also honest that it’s “super hard to play here,” too. Fleck can’t convince everyone to stay, but more and more are realizing they want to be Gophers.