Stillwater quarterback Max Shikenjanski commits to Gophers as preferred walk-on

The son of former Gophers basketball player Jim Shikenjanski originally committed to play basketball at The Citadel.

October 21, 2022 at 5:17PM
Stillwater senior Max Shikenjanski recently switched his collegiate focus from basketball to football. (Richard Tsong-Taatarii, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Max Shikenjanski, a senior quarterback for Stillwater High School, announced Friday on Twitter that he has committed to the Gophers football program. He will be a preferred walk-on.

The son of former Gophers basketball player Jim Shikenjanski, Max has completed 65.7% of his passes for 1,929 yards and 21 touchdowns in eight games. His Stillwater team is among the four No. 1 seeds in the Class 6A playoffs and plays host to Brainerd next Friday in a first-round game.

He originally had committed to play basketball at The Citadel but recently rescinded his commitment to focus on football.

Shikenjanski was tracking toward playing college basketball until Gophers coach P.J. Fleck extended the preferred walk-on offer on Sept. 17.

"I've grown up a Gophers fan my whole life," Shikenjanski told the Star Tribune last month. "When he offered me a preferred walk-on [spot] at the game, it kind of felt surreal. It's been a dream of mine, so it felt great."

Tap here for more about preferred walk-ons and other kinds of college scholarship offers.

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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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