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After landing a commitment from Riley Sunram on Tuesday, the Gophers carried that momentum into Thursday when 2024 defensive back Zahir Rainer committed to the Maroon & Gold. Rainer was heavily recruited from a plethora of top programs highlighted by Penn State, Ole Miss and Arkansas. 247sports ranks him as the No. 783 recruit in the country and 14th-best in Virginia.
NEWS: Top VA DB Zahir Rainer (@ZahirRainer) officially commits to the #Gophers.
Heavily recruited with top offers Penn State, Ole Miss, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, Stanford and South Carolina.
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) April 13, 2023
Who is Zahir Rainer?:
Zahir Rainer is the son of former NFL (6 seasons) and Virginia linebacker Wali Rainer. Zahir attends Trinity Episcopal School in Richmond, Virginia. He broke onto the recruiting scene as a sophomore, quickly picking up top offers from Virginia Tech, Duke and Penn State after the season. Playing all over the secondary he continued to develop and was rewarded with 31 division one scholarship offers. After visiting the Gophers multiple times, most recently on March 30, he eventually committed to Minnesota.
- Scouting Report:
Listed at 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, Rainer is an incredibly versatile and athletic defensive back. Throughout high school he has played all over the secondary, but he will likely slot in as a safety for the Gophers. He has impressive range and overall feel for the position. He has the potential to be next in line of great safeties at the U.
**High School Football Hudl Highlights:
Instant Reaction:
The Gophers’ 2024 recruiting class got a massive shot in the arm this week. North Dakota lineman Riley Sunram is the talent that can be a building block of this class and Zahir Rainer fits the same description. As the 783rd best prospect in the country, a lot of people might ask why you should be excitied, but with offers from Penn State, Ole Miss, Arkansas and many more top programs, a lot of other teams clearly thought he was underrated. Having deep ties to Virginia and Virginia Tech, it is an impressive recruitment win for Fleck and the Gophers. Zahir Rainer has the potential to be the star of this class.
What is next?:
With Sunram and Rainer joining the Gophers now have nine commitments to their 2024 recruiting class. 247sports ranks the group as 16th-best in the country. Class rankings at this point of the process is virtually meaningless, but Gophers fans should be excited about the last three players they’ve added. Abasiri, Sunram and Rainer all have the potenital to be serious contributors in the Big Ten conference.
Full 2024 class:
- LB Mason Carrier
- LB Brady Pretzlaff
- RB Jaydon Wright
- ATH Simon Seidl
- WR Corey Smith
- WR Dallas Sims
- DL Jide Abasiri
- OL/DL Riley Sunram
- S Zahir Rainer