Feb. 19, 2021: 2022 three-star (Alexandria, MN) WR, Kristen Hoskins committed to the Gophers immediately after being offered; opting to stay home for his college football career.
P.J. Fleck’s recruiting train rolled on Friday, as one of the state’s top prospects committed to the Gophers. Kristen Hoskins, a soon-to-be senior at Alexandria High School in western Minnesota announced his decision to commit to Minnesota mid-afternoon Friday. The 5-foot-10 WR chose to stay home over offers from Iowa State, North Dakota State, Northern Iowa and South Dakota.
I want to thank @Coach_Fleck for the amazing FaceTime call last night and the full ride scholarship! NOW LETS #ROWTHEBOAT〽️ @Coach_Fleck @CoachMGSimon @RyanBurnsMN @AllenTrieu @OliverJamesWes1 @Minnesota247 @GopherFootball pic.twitter.com/zGxB1zx96W
— Kristen Hoskins (@kristenhoskins_) February 19, 2021
Hoskins was very impressed with the culture at the University of Minnesota prompting a commitment less than 24 hours after he received an official scholarship offer.
“One thing that stood out to me was Coach Fleck wasn’t asking me about football as much,” said Hoskins. “He wanted to get an understanding of who I am as a teen and my past, so it was amazing to me seeing that it was bigger than football in his eyes.”
When asked if he always had an idea that Minnesota was where he wanted to end up, Hoskins simply responded, “100%.”
Full scouting report:
As a junior for Alexandria, Hoskins caught 40 total passes for 630 yards and eight touchdowns in only eight games. He showcased his versatility with another touchdown rushing and one more coming off of a kick return. Overall, Hoskins is a very athletic all-around receiver is known for his speed. He also has great strength already for a high school senior making him tough to bring down in the open field.
Exhibit A:
This will always be my greatest highlight in highschool 🤯🔥✈️ @OliverJamesWes1 @thebrickwahl87 pic.twitter.com/pHTZeld8cH
— Kristen Hoskins (@kristenhoskins_) September 3, 2020
Full junior year high school (Hudl) highlights–>http://www.hudl.com/v/2EfB3P
As for most every high school wide receiver he still has room to grow in the route-running department, but he certainly has all of the tools to develop into a Big Ten wide receiver. His highlights from his junior year repeatedly show how gifted he already is in the open field. As for a comparison to a former Gophers player, I would say he plays much like the program’s fourth all-time leading receiver Tutu Atwell. Kristen had someone else in mind for his comparison.
“Marquis Brown, I’m very shifty on the feet, super fast and also yards after catch,” said Hoskins when aked who he emulated his game after.
P.J. Fleck has shown a terrific job of developing receiving talent in his short stint with the Gophers, with Tyler Johnson, Rashod Bateman and even Chris Atuman-Bell. Hoskins has the potential to earn serious playing time, which could allow him to put himself in the discussion with some of the Gophers’ best. Now projecting if that will happen or not is up to him.
Kristen Hoskins would rank as the seventh-highest in-state recruit in the Fleck-era, but I expect him to great out-play his stars.