The Gophers football program held its second “Summer Splash” recruiting weekend, and on Sunday coach P.J. Fleck and his staff received six commitments from players who made their official visits to campus.
Gophers football program receives pledges from six in key recruiting weekend
Coach P.J. Fleck and his staff secured commitments from two offensive linemen, a defensive lineman, a linebacker, a running back and a wide receiver.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
June 17, 2024 at 3:50AM
Starting Sunday morning, a pair of offensive linemen were the first players to commit from the group of roughly 13 visitors: Mark Handy, a three-star recruit from La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, N.M., and Daniel (DJ) Shipp, a three-star tackle from Centennial High School in Corona, Calif. Later Sunday morning, linebacker David Amaliri, a Winnipeg native who played at Clearwater (Fla.) Academy International last year; Cleveland Heights, Ohio, defensive lineman Jayquan Stubbs; and Ocilla, Fla., running back Shane Marshall pledged to the Gophers.
The sixth commitment came Sunday night from Legend Lyons, a three-star wide receiver from Charter Oak High School in Covina, Calif.
Handy, 6-5½ and 310 pounds, is the second-ranked player in New Mexico and the 36th-ranked interior offensive lineman nationally by the 247Sports composite rating of major recruiting services in the 2025 class. He took official visits to Utah, Duke, California and Baylor over the past couple of months. Handy, who can play the interior line positions or tackle, also was an undefeated heavyweight state wrestling champion this season.
Shipp, 6-6 and 275 pounds, missed the 2023 season because of a knee injury but has received scholarship offers from Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Washington State. He is the 112th-ranked offensive tackle nationally by recruiting-focused website 247Sports.com.
Amaliri, 6-3 and 200 pounds, will play for St. Thomas More High in Oakdale, Conn., this season and is the 14th-ranked player in Connecticut and 114th-ranked linebacker nationally. The three-star recruit has offers from Syracuse, Kent State, North Dakota State and North Dakota.
Stubbs, 6-6 and 249 pounds, plays for Cleveland Heights High and is the 18th-ranked player in Ohio and 57th-ranked defensive lineman nationally in the 247Sports composite. He made official visits to Purdue and West Virginia in the past month and was scheduled to visit Illinois next week. Indiana, Rutgers and Wisconsin were among Stubbs’ other offers.
Marshall, 5-10 and 195 pounds, is a three-star recruit out of Irwin County (Ga.) High School who committed to South Florida on Friday but flipped to the Gophers on Sunday. He has rushed for nearly 1,900 yards over the past three seasons but was limited to 42 carries for 272 yards last year because of an injury. Ranked 122nd among Georgia players and 85th nationally among running backs, Marshall also had offers from Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, James Madison and Liberty.
Lyons, 6-2 and 190 pounds, is a three-star recruit who’s ranked 165th in California in the 2025 class. He had visits scheduled for Kansas and Utah, and had offers from Arkansas, Washington State and Oregon State.
The additions give the Gophers 23 players who have committed to their 2025 class. As of Sunday night, Minnesota’s class ranked 18th nationally and sixth among Big Ten teams in the 247Sports composite.
Amisha Ramlall burst on to the recruiting scene last season as a freshman and colleges, including the Gophers, quickly took notice.
