Gophers land running back recruit Marquese Williams of Harrisburg, Pa.

The three-star recruit rushed for 1,697 yards and scored 31 touchdowns last season.

June 19, 2022 at 4:16AM
P.J. Fleck and the Gophers football program continue to benefit from their “Summer Splash” initiative. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Marquese Williams, a running back from Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg, Pa., announced late Saturday night via Twitter that he has committed to the Gophers football program as part of its 2023 recruiting class.

Williams, 5-8 and 175 pounds, is the 15th-ranked recruit in Pennsylvania and the 33rd-ranked running back nationally according to the 247Sports composite ratings of major recruiting services. Williams had 27 scholarship offers, including Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State and Penn State of the Big Ten. Cincinnati, Notre Dame and Texas A&M we're among other prominent programs that extended offers.

Williams is on campus this weekend for his official visit to Minnesota. A three-star recruit, Williams is the second-highest rated player to pledge to the Gophers for the 2023 class.

Williams rushed 170 times for 1,697 yards and 26 touchdowns and caught 13 passes for 217 yards and five TDs in 2021 as a junior for Bishop McDevitt.

With the addition of Williams, coach P.J. Fleck's 2023 class has 16 commitments and ranks 12th nationally and fifth in the Big Ten in the 247Sports composite.

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about the writer

Randy Johnson

College football reporter

Randy Johnson covers University of Minnesota football and college football for the Star Tribune, along with Gophers hockey and the Wild.

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