Four seniors share how recruiting changes have affected their college football plans

The college football recruiting landscape has undergone seismic changes the past few years. What used to be a very straightforward, easily navigated stream — commit, sign, attend — has become a swirling morass of uncertainty and constant change.

The reasons are plenty, but can largely be traced to the advent of the transfer portal and NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) money.

Wednesday marks the beginning of the NCAA’s regular signing period for football. Until 2017, the first Wednesday in February was the biggest single day in the college football recruiting cycle. It marked the first date when players would make their commitments official by signing an official National Letter of Intent.

Thing changed in 2017, when the NCAA enacted the early signing period, starting on the third Wednesday in December.

That date was originally intended to allow early commits to make their future college homes official and not be subject to nearly two more months of recruiting pressure and speculation. It quickly became the primary football signing date, so much so that the NCAA recently moved the early signing period up two weeks to the first Wednesday in December.

Meanwhile, the importance of the February signing period has diminished. College scouts have shifted their focus to signing players through the transfer portal.

For some Minnesotans, they’ve had to accept February as the moment their plan of playing for a major college program had not fully materialized.

Armstrong senior running back Kevon Johnson is the Star Tribune’s 2024 All-Minnesota Football Player of the Year. He was also arguably the state’s best running back last season, with 2,143 yards and 35 touchdowns.

With such a résumé and statistics to lean on, it seemed Johnson would have his pick of college opportunities.

When Johnson, who stands 5-9 and 180 pounds, didn’t get the Division I offer he was seeking during the early signing period, he decided to wait, certain he would get what he was hoping for when colleges reassessed their situations.

But that didn’t happen.

“It’s been frustrating,” Johnson said. “I definitely expected more offers. I know I’ve got the talent to play.”

Johnson suspects the offers he was expecting have instead gone to players in transfer portal. No recruiters have directly said the portal is costing him opportunities, but Johnson believes that to be the case.

“I would say I’m currently getting underrecruited because of the transfer portal,” he said. “I’ve had coaches tell me they’re looking at guys with college experience. I know my talent, but it’s hard to compete with that.”

Johnson is now planning to play at the Division II or Division III level, but opportunities are becoming scarce.

“I’ve reached out to a lot of schools, but no one is really saying if they’re interested or not. Not many schools are coming to see me. They’re all just evaluating,” he said.

Ironically, Johnson may have to rely on the avenue that has cost him opportunities.

“I might have pay my own way and try to prove myself,” he said. “The transfer portal is not my first choice, but I might just have to go somewhere, ball out and prove myself.”

Getting noticed wasn’t a problem this past season for Duluth Denfeld running back Taye Manns. Keeping recruiters interested was.

The senior set a school record in 2024 when he ran for 1,897 yards and 28 touchdowns. He was also selected to the Star Tribune’s All-Minnesota Football Team.

But he spent much of the 2024 season trying to atone for a pair of subpar academic years when he was an underclassman. He dreamt of playing for the hometown UMD Bulldogs but believes that opportunity has slipped away.

Manns, who accumulated more yards in one season than Denfeld alum and current Minnesota Vikings running back C.J. Ham did in two, currently has no scholarship offers.

“I’m really only disappointed in myself,” Mann said in a text message to the Star Tribune. “I screwed myself up my ninth and 10th grade years, and if I would’ve done good in school I feel like I wouldn’t be in this situation right now.”

He was told by scouts improving his grades might help his recruiting. So far, no luck.

“They said I needed to do better,” Manns said. “I got a 3.5 [GPA] in the first semester, but that hasn’t helped. It’s disappointing.”

Mann is contemplating following the same path as Johnson.

“I’m going to have to go somewhere and show them what I can do,” he said.

Before the season, Benilde-St. Margaret’s wide receiver Khalif Brown was feeling good about his football future.

Brown, at 6-1, initially garnered interest from programs like Kent State, University of Nevada Las Vegas and Northern Iowa. When North Dakota State offered, Brown committed ... quickly.

But as time passed, something didn’t feel right. Brown felt he’d made a mistake.

“At first, NDSU felt like the right place for me,” Brown said. “I acted on the decision too fast, with taking only one official visit.”

On Nov. 26, he decommitted from NDSU and reopened his recruitment. To his dismay, the recruiting process hasn’t been nearly as fruitful as it was over the summer.

“When I first announced [reopening recruitment], there was interest, but it has died down since,” he said. “It could be that colleges are focusing on the transfer portal. I’m starting to worry slightly.”

Brown, whose dream school is Clemson, has been trying to figure out his next move.

Brown said interest hasn’t waned completely.

“I’m not being ignored completely,” he said. “I’ve talked to few schools and they have responded.”

The lack of interest has only fueled Brown’s fire.

“I hope they remember me,” he said.

Cooper Mansfield is difficult to miss.

Last season for Elk River, he was listed at both 6-9 and 6-10, with his weight varying between 275 and 310 pounds.

He’s grown even more.

“I’m at 6-11 now,” he said.

Last season, he was one of the tallest offensive linemen in the state. He helped Elk River win the Class 5A state championship.

Some might recommend the basketball court, but Mansfield is committed to football. He chose not to play basketball for the Elks this winter to focus on football.

He’s always pictured himself at the U, but a visit with the Gophers staff came with a caveat.

“I need to work on my pass blocking,” Mansfield said he was told. Other scouts reiterated the same message.

It’s not entirely Mansfield’s fault. Elk River runs a Power-T rushing offense and rarely throws the ball.

Through sheer size Mansfield generated interest from major Division I programs, but his technique needs refining before schools are willing to commit to him. For a year, Mansfield’s D-I dream will be put on hold. In the fall, he’ll play for Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, Iowa.

“I’m going to go there for a year, try to get my fundamentals down for pass sets, and work on my GPA,” Mansfield said.

Mansfield hopes his year at Iowa Central will result in a scholarship offer to a D-I school, preferably one with school colors of maroon and gold.

“I’m going to focus on lifting weights and putting on weight,” he said. “They want me at 330, 335. I hope it’s Minnesota when it’s done. I’ve always wanted to be a Gopher.”