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Top 100 4-Star Recruit Justin Hopkins Q&A: Talks Justin Walley, Says "I'm 100% Gopher." - GopherHole.com
The Gophers 2026 recruiting class got off to a big start with the commitment from Ensworth High School (Tennessee), the 5-11 170-pound, Cornerback, who is a 4-star recruit committed to the Gophers in February. Hopkins is a top 100 national recruit and committed ot the Gophers over offers from...
The Gophers 2026 recruiting class got off to a big start with the commitment from Ensworth High School (Tennessee), the 5-11 170-pound, Cornerback, who is a 4-star recruit committed to the Gophers in February. Hopkins is a top 100 national recruit and committed ot the Gophers over offers from Tennessee, Auburn, Iowa, Michigan State, USC and many others.
GopherHole caught up with Hopkins to talk about his goals when playing for the Gophers and why he picked Minnesota.
GopherHole: First off, congrats on committing to the Gophers! Out of all the other 28 schools that offered you, including top schools like Iowa, USC, Michigan State, your home state Tennessee, and many more, how did you land on Minnesota?
Justin Hopkins: Honestly, it was my relationship with Coach Fleck and Coach Monroe. They were kind of adamant about me being their top guy, and they made sure that I knew that I was a priority to the team. When I came up there for a game, it just felt like a different atmosphere. And when I was looking at schools, that was really important to me. I wanted to go somewhere new where I trusted the coaches and had a good atmosphere, and Minnesota had all those things.
GopherHole: And with that, I know Coach Fleck visited you down in Tennessee, how does this give you an insight on how much Coach Fleck cares about his players?
Justin Hopkins: Yeah, for him to come down and only see me showed me that I was a priority for the team. And it showed me that they were taking me really seriously, so I really appreciated it.
GopherHole: What did you look for when visiting schools?
Justin Hopkins: When I’m looking at school, I always look at the facilities and see the resources and necessities that I’m going to need as an athlete. I see what the business program is like, and Minnesota has a great business program. I always talk to the strength and conditioning coaches to see what life in the weight room is like and yeah, Minnesota just checked off all of the boxes. They legit have everything.
GopherHole: Being ranked as a top 100 recruit in the class of 2026, what have you done to be able to get to this level?
Justin Hopkins: I mean a lot of hard work, a lot of going to schools to showcase my talent. All glory to the Man above for putting me in this position and allowing me to be the player I am. But honestly, the grind, the grit, and everything I have done have helped me get to where I am.
GopherHole: Is there a player you model your game after?
Justin Hopkins: That’s a good question! First of all, Minnesota tells me more than anything that I remind them of Justin Walley, and I didn’t know who he was until I started learning more about him I saw him at the combine, and I started watching his film, and was like, oh snap I kind of play like him a bit. But yeah, I like the Justin Walley comparison.
GopherHole: The Gophers have been putting a lot of players in the NFL’s secondary. Did that weigh into your decision to play for the Gophers?
Justin Hopkins: Absolutely. Looking at Minnesota’s track record, it definitely weighed into my decision. I mean, the end goal is definitely getting to the NFL, so yeah, I want to go somewhere where they put guys into the NFL, and Minnesota has done a great job at that these few years.
GopherHole: Has football come naturally to you?
Justin Hopkins: Yes and no, I’ve always played football; I started when I was four and tackled when I was five. But I didn’t start playing true defensive back around my 8th-9th grade, and that’s when I started getting offers, so I kind of made that jump.
GopherHole: Four years down the road, how do you want to be remembered as a gopher?
Justin Hopkins: I just want to get my name out there and fall in line with the great names that went through the program. I committed early to Minnesota because I didn’t want to play any game and knew I wanted to go to Minnesota. Right now, we have a lot of good guys and good recruits who are very interested in the program, and if we can land those guys, I feel like we can go from the best bull team in history to a real Big Ten contender.
GopherHole: I saw coaches are still reaching out to you, and you received an offer today. Are you still entertaining other offers?
Justin Hopkins: I canceled all my other official visits because Minnesota is the school I love. But you know, I haven’t signed the paper, and I do know it will be a long time until December, but I wouldn’t say I’m entertaining other offers. I do know there are going to be schools circling back and trying to get me to flip or decommit, but as of right now, I am 100% Gopher.
GopherHole: Is there quote or saying you draw motivation from?
Justin Hopkins: I would probably say “remember who you are” I kind of use it for everything in life. Like on the field don’t try to be someone you aren’t. Like for me I’m not a trash talker so I go out and play my game and I’m not going to let the game decide how I operate. And then obviously in public how you speak to people you want to be remembered by being good person. So, I try to carry that with me all the time.
