Hopkins hoops standout Jayden Moore gets Gophers football offer from P.J. Fleck

Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck had one of the best basketball players in Minnesota in his office last weekend. Jayden Moore’s recent run of success on the gridiron for Hopkins has been so special, it earned him a scholarship offer from Fleck.

The 6-foot, 170-pound junior is a highly touted point guard prospect with basketball offers from Ben Johnson’s Gophers, Baylor, Illinois, Iowa and West Virginia. Fleck’s offer was Moore’s first for football.

Moore, who leads the state in receiving yards and touchdown catches, decided to play high school football at Hopkins this year for the first time.

“It means a lot to me with my first offer coming from my hometown,” Moore told the Minnesota Star Tribune. “[Coach Fleck’s] friends with Ben Johnson, so he knew about my basketball skills. But he thinks I have a bright future in football.”

The last Minnesota prep athlete to have offers from the Gophers in football and basketball at the same time was Caledonia’s Eli King two years ago. Prior to that was in the 2020 class with former Minnehaha Academy star Jalen Suggs, who is now in the NBA with the Orlando Magic.

“I never thought I would be able to get an offer in football,” Moore said. “I was just playing again because my little brother (Tre) convinced me to play with him. To play how I am and get recognition for it, it’s a surreal moment.”

Through six games, Moore has 33 catches and leads the state with 780 receiving yards and 11 touchdown receptions. That’s 23.6 yards per catch. His highs this season include 187 yards vs. Shakopee and four TDs vs. Park of Cottage Grove. Hopkins snapped a 29-game losing streak last month.

On the hardcourt, Moore’s been playing varsity since the eighth grade. He averaged 19 points, 10 rebounds and three assists last season as a sophomore teaming up with 2025 standout Anthony Smith III in the Hopkins backcourt.

Moore hadn’t put on football pads since the seventh grade, but he wanted to play with his brother, Tre, a gifted freshman quarterback who is also a guard in hoops.

“This was actually the first time Tre and I played football together on the same team,” Moore said. “We got that brother connection when we used to play outside in neighborhood football.”

Moore’s strongly considering football in college after visiting the Gophers before last Saturday’s win vs. USC. He’s being recruited as a wide receiver or defensive back. Fleck told Moore that he loved recruiting athletes who excel at football and basketball, especially guards.

“He likes how I could play multiple positions on the field,” Moore said. “He also talked about how he was close with Jalen Suggs. He really had a great relationship with him. He really thought if it came down to football, Jalen would’ve committed to Minnesota. We had a great conversation.”

Suggs, who had offers from schools like Ohio State and Georgia as a quarterback, gave up football after high school to pursue his NBA dreams and starred in college at Gonzaga as a freshman. King also played basketball at Iowa State before transferring to North Dakota.

A year away from the 2026 class signing moments, Moore’s not ready to pick one sport over the other. He also talked to Fleck about possibly playing two sports with the Gophers. Basketball was his No. 1 sport hands down until playing football again this fall.

“Now that I got an offer and interest in football, I’m actually considering more if I could do both in college,” Moore said. “It also opened my eyes up that maybe college football could be in my future or possibly the NFL.”