Gophers football team is recruiting California hard while playing USC, UCLA

P.J. Fleck and his Gophers football coaching staff looked westward for prospects before the Big Ten expanded in that direction — and certainly well before they upset No. 11 USC last weekend.

Fleck proved with the commitments in his 2025 class that the Gophers prioritized in-state talent but went well beyond Minnesota’s borders to establish a recruiting base all the way to California.

The Gophers have five senior recruits from either the Pacific or Mountain time zones, including four-star Laguna Beach quarterback Jackson Kollock, Covina wide receiver Legend Lyons and Corona Centennial offensive tackle Daniel Shipp from Southern California.

If the Gophers could snare back-to-back wins against new Big Ten teams from California, with Saturday’s game at UCLA up next, Fleck and his staff would have even more clout out west to land future recruits.

“We beat USC, and that’s going to help,” Gophers offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr., said Wednesday. “That opens up eyes in California, in all areas of it. We’re going to go where the best players are, but obviously, we know that the state of California has a lot of great prospects.”

Fleck and his coaches can’t talk about specific players until they sign in December, but it’s pretty clear the Gophers are trying to take advantage of now being able to play USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington in the Big Ten.

In the 2026 class, the Gophers offered scholarships to 24 players in the Pacific and Mountain time zones, including four quarterbacks from California. They already have offered three players from California in the 2027 class, including five-star Sierra Canyon defensive end Richard Wesley, the No. 2 player in the country in that class.

“We want to be able to utilize that and be able to get in there and get our footprint in there and continue to recruit those guys out there,” said Harbaugh, who is one of the U’s top recruiting assistants in California.

Before this 2025 class, the Gophers weren’t known to recruit California hard. They signed only two Californians in Fleck’s previous eight early recruiting classes and none since 2018.

The Gophers have only one scholarship player from California on the roster with UTEP transfer and junior offensive lineman Aluma Nkele. They also have one player from Arizona in freshman long snapper Alan Soukup.

Over the weekend, the Gophers offered two junior receivers from Phoenix on their visits: Brophy College Prep teammates Daylen Sharper and Devin Fitzgerald, the sons of former Viking Darren Sharper and ex-Cardinal Larry Fitzgerald Jr.

“I thought it was very personable that [Fleck] would talk to me right before their big game and give me the good news himself,” Devin Fitzgerald told 247Sports about being offered by his father’s home-state program. “Minnesota was impressive, and the atmosphere was amazing to be a part of.”

Portland (Ore.) offensive tackle Zac Stascausky, who was recently offered by UCLA, decommitted from the Gophers this summer. But they still have Peoria (Ariz.) offensive lineman Nick Spence and Albuquerque (N.M.) offensive lineman Mark Handy as part of their 2026 recruiting class.

Future Gophers such as Kollock expressed excitement after the Gophers’ big 24-17 win against a storied program like USC from their backyard. Kollock and others reposted highlight videos and widespread reaction about the game on social media.

“Loved to see it,” Kollock said about the Gophers beating the Trojans. “Had full confidence in them. Hopefully [helps them recruit California] a lot. I think it is.”

Star Tribune staff writer Randy Johnson contributed to this story.