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P.J. Fleck gets six recruits to flip commitment to Minnesota

By Brad Berreman

Nov 25, 2016; Kalamazoo, MI, USA; Western Michigan Broncos head coach P.J. Fleck (left) shakes hands with Toledo Rockets head coach Jason Candle after a game at Waldo Stadium. The Broncos won 55-35. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 25, 2016; Kalamazoo, MI, USA; Western Michigan Broncos head coach P.J. Fleck (left) shakes hands with Toledo Rockets head coach Jason Candle after a game at Waldo Stadium. The Broncos won 55-35. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /
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After being introduced as Minnesota’s new football coach on Friday, P.J. Fleck immediately got to work recruiting.

P.J. Fleck was introduced as the new football coach at the University of Minnesota Friday afternoon, and it was hard to keep up with all the catchphrases. But he also conveyed a willingness to get to work immediately, and he has apparently done so.

According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and other sources, six members of Fleck’s 2017 recruiting class at Western Michigan have flipped their commitment to Minnesota. The top name in the group is quarterback Tanner Morgan, a three-star recruit of Union, Kentucky who also had offers from Louisville, Wake Forest and Cincinnati.

The other five recruits who will follow Fleck to Minnesota are offensive lineman John Michael Schmitz (Flossmoor, IL), wide receiver Christopher Bell (Kankakee, IL), linebacker Trenton Guthrie (Pinckney, MI), defensive end Noah Hickcox (Rockford, IL) and defensive end Esezi Otomewo (Indianapolis). The first three guys, and Morgan, are considered three-star recruits by Rivals.com while Hickcox and Otomewo are considered two-star prospects by that site..

With the new recruits coming aboard, Minnesota now has 21 verbal commitments for the 2017 class. As could be expected, according to Rivals.com’s rankings, the Gophers jumped from the 77th-best class in the country all the way up to 50th with the new commitments Fleck has secured.

Recruits following a coach to a new school is not at all unprecedented, or especially noteworthy, but the volume Fleck has already procured does look unique. Three players immediately flipped their commitment to follow James Franklin from Vanderbilt to Penn State three years ago, and five recruits ultimately made that switch. Fleck already surpassed that within his first 24 hours as Minnesota’s football coach, and there are probably more commitment flips to come.

Next: Alabama vs. Clemson: 5 players to watch in National Championship Game

National signing day is Feb. 1, and now Gophers’ football looks like a recruiting class to watch.

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