The Gophers have received a commitment from Ellenwood, Ga. four-star defensive tackle Rashad Cheney Jr.. He chose Minnesota over offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Georgia Tech and others. This addition moves the Gophers' class to No. 34 nationally in the
24/7 Sports composite rankings and No. 8 in the Big Ten.
Cheney Jr. was originally committed to the Georgia, flipped to Alabama and decommitted from from the Tide in October.
Minnesota needed to find additional talent at the defensive tackle position and landing Cheney Jr. instantly fills this need. He is a powerful presence inside and displays fantastic hand usage to fight off blocks. Cheney Jr. plays very hard and has versatility as a run stopper and pass rusher. The other characteristics that are most important is his quickness and overall explosiveness off the snap. He could develop into an extremely versatile weapon within the interior of this defense.
He fits the prototype of an interior defensive tackle within a 4-3 scheme. A crucial aspect of this defensive scheme is to find aggressive, physical and versatile defensive tackles. Cheney Jr. checks all of those boxes and immediately fills a recruiting need. This was a big commitment for P.J. Fleck and his staff to land before early National Signing Day on Dec. 19.
With the addition of Cheney Jr. and defensive back Damarion Williams, the Gophers have now added two talented players at important positions. Williams brings explosiveness and team speed to the secondary, while Cheney Jr. adds talent to an interior looking for physicality.
I'll have more on these additions and what they mean as signing day quickly approaches.
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