Gophergrandpa
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There is sometimes anguish on this board over the ratings of players the Gophers recruit and sign. The ratings most of us look to are 247, which offers--at least for me--the simplest access. But 247's simplicity of access does not confer canonical status to its rankings. There are at least three recognized rankings of HS players that are in common use: 247, Rivals/On3 and ESPN. Each of these services produces a top 300 rating for HS classes and rates hundreds more HS players. The ratings variation among these three services can be astounding.
Our top recruit per 247, Howie Johnson, DL, is a "consensus" guy. 247 ranks him as a 4* (94), the 19th DL and 141st best player in the country. Rivals/On3 has him at a 4* (91), the 25th DL and 272nd best player in the country. ESPN has him as a 4* and 250th best player in the country (ESPN uses a different numerical rating--best player in the country is a 93) so I'm not using that number.
Our 2nd top recruit per 247 is Roman Voss, TE, who per 247 is a 4* (91) and 14th TE in the country, but doesn't make 247's top 300. Rivals/On3 has Voss as a 3* (89), the 33rd TE in the country, but he doesn't make their top 300. ESPN has Voss as a 4*, ranked as the 15th TE and 278th best player in the country.
Our 3rd top recruit per 247 is Rico Blassingame, WR, who per 247 is a 4* (90) and 51st WR in the country, but doesn't make 247's top 300. Rivals/On3 has Blassingame as a 3* (88), the 96th WR in the country, but he doesn't make their top 300. ESPN has Blassingame as a 3*, ranked as the 134th WR in the country, and obviously not ranked any where near its top 300 players.
The variation gets truly wild with our 4th best recruit per 247, Aaden Aytch, EDGE. 247 has Aytch as a 4* (90), the 35th EDGE in the country, but not among 247's top 300 players. Rivals/On3, remarkably, has Aytch as the highest rated 4* in the nation (97), the 8th ranked EDGE and 33rd(!!) best player in the nation. ESPN has Aytch as a 3*, the 58th Edge in the country and not ranked among its top 300 players.
Skipping five (Andrew Trout) and six (Justin Hopkins), our 7th top recruit per 247 is Ryan Estrada, RB. 247 has him as a 3* (89), ranked the 33rd RB in the country but not among 247's top 300. Rivals/On3 has Estrada as a 4* (91), the 20th RB and 276th best player in the country. ESPN has Estrada as a 3*, the 23rd RB in the country but not rated in the top 300.
Skipping our 8th rated player, Gavin Meier, OT, our 9th best recruit per 247 is Quayd Hendryx, WR. 247 has him as a 3* (88), ranked the 109th WR in the nation and obviously not among 247's top 300. Rivals/On3 has Hendryx as a 4* (93), the 32nd WR and 209th best player in the country. ESPN has Hendryx as a 3*, the 141st ranked WR in the country and obviously not a top 300 player (ranked below Blassingame, for instance).
The wild variation among these various ranking services makes it impossible for me to lament the poor quality of any given recruiting class if one look only to a single rating service (usually 247) to fuel one's lament. It also makes it tough for me to laud a class as the best ever, when there is such a divergence of opinion--best example is Aytch. I think our coaches use the eye test--start with players we can actually get based on their preferences and cost, then select for raw athleticism and "fit" within our system. The national rankings services certainly can reveal the difference between, say, the 3rd best and the 53rd best recruiting classes in the nation. But to think that these ranking systems can distinguish lesser gradations, say between the 25th and the 35th best recruiting classes, is pure folly. Especially when teams are recruiting for "fit" not just best available athlete.
Having said all this, I believe that the Gophers' 2026 HS class is one of PJ's best. It is a good and deep mix of athleticism and power, with real development potential, yet a good "fit" for the identity he is trying to forge. Go Gophers!
Our top recruit per 247, Howie Johnson, DL, is a "consensus" guy. 247 ranks him as a 4* (94), the 19th DL and 141st best player in the country. Rivals/On3 has him at a 4* (91), the 25th DL and 272nd best player in the country. ESPN has him as a 4* and 250th best player in the country (ESPN uses a different numerical rating--best player in the country is a 93) so I'm not using that number.
Our 2nd top recruit per 247 is Roman Voss, TE, who per 247 is a 4* (91) and 14th TE in the country, but doesn't make 247's top 300. Rivals/On3 has Voss as a 3* (89), the 33rd TE in the country, but he doesn't make their top 300. ESPN has Voss as a 4*, ranked as the 15th TE and 278th best player in the country.
Our 3rd top recruit per 247 is Rico Blassingame, WR, who per 247 is a 4* (90) and 51st WR in the country, but doesn't make 247's top 300. Rivals/On3 has Blassingame as a 3* (88), the 96th WR in the country, but he doesn't make their top 300. ESPN has Blassingame as a 3*, ranked as the 134th WR in the country, and obviously not ranked any where near its top 300 players.
The variation gets truly wild with our 4th best recruit per 247, Aaden Aytch, EDGE. 247 has Aytch as a 4* (90), the 35th EDGE in the country, but not among 247's top 300 players. Rivals/On3, remarkably, has Aytch as the highest rated 4* in the nation (97), the 8th ranked EDGE and 33rd(!!) best player in the nation. ESPN has Aytch as a 3*, the 58th Edge in the country and not ranked among its top 300 players.
Skipping five (Andrew Trout) and six (Justin Hopkins), our 7th top recruit per 247 is Ryan Estrada, RB. 247 has him as a 3* (89), ranked the 33rd RB in the country but not among 247's top 300. Rivals/On3 has Estrada as a 4* (91), the 20th RB and 276th best player in the country. ESPN has Estrada as a 3*, the 23rd RB in the country but not rated in the top 300.
Skipping our 8th rated player, Gavin Meier, OT, our 9th best recruit per 247 is Quayd Hendryx, WR. 247 has him as a 3* (88), ranked the 109th WR in the nation and obviously not among 247's top 300. Rivals/On3 has Hendryx as a 4* (93), the 32nd WR and 209th best player in the country. ESPN has Hendryx as a 3*, the 141st ranked WR in the country and obviously not a top 300 player (ranked below Blassingame, for instance).
The wild variation among these various ranking services makes it impossible for me to lament the poor quality of any given recruiting class if one look only to a single rating service (usually 247) to fuel one's lament. It also makes it tough for me to laud a class as the best ever, when there is such a divergence of opinion--best example is Aytch. I think our coaches use the eye test--start with players we can actually get based on their preferences and cost, then select for raw athleticism and "fit" within our system. The national rankings services certainly can reveal the difference between, say, the 3rd best and the 53rd best recruiting classes in the nation. But to think that these ranking systems can distinguish lesser gradations, say between the 25th and the 35th best recruiting classes, is pure folly. Especially when teams are recruiting for "fit" not just best available athlete.
Having said all this, I believe that the Gophers' 2026 HS class is one of PJ's best. It is a good and deep mix of athleticism and power, with real development potential, yet a good "fit" for the identity he is trying to forge. Go Gophers!
