Gophers add QB Drake Lindsey and WR Jalen Smith to 2024 class

By: Tony Liebert |
–> Three-star Fayetteville, Arkansas QB Drake Lindsey and three-star Mankato, Minnesota WR Jalen Smith committed to the Gophers Friday becoming the 13th and 14th players to join the University of Minnesota’s 2024 recruiting class.

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When it rains it pours and it poured on Friday when (Fayetteville, AR) QB Drake Lindsey and (Mankato, MN) WR Jalen Smith both committed to the Gophers. Lindsey committed to Minnesota over other top offers from UNLV, Colorado State and Tulsa, while Smith was getting looked at by Iowa State, NDSU and Kent State. The two commitments give the Gophers 14 total for the class of 2024, as the P.J. Fleck recruiting train has plenty of momentum going down the tracks.

Who is Drake Lindsey?:

Drake Lindsey is one of the best players high school football players in the state of Arkansas. Last season as a junior he broke out in the backyard of the University of Arkansas, throwing for 3,620 yards and compiling a 37-3 TD-INT for Fayetteville High School. The offers came in after the season — from UAB, UNLV, Colorado State, Missouri State, Tulsa and South Alabama. The Gophers offered Lindsey on April 18 and officially visiting the school on May 12, he committed to the Maroon & Gold.

  • Scouting Report:

P.J. Fleck certainly has a type at QB and Lindsey fits the description. Listed at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds he is a big-bodied athletic quarterback with impressive arm talent. The first play on his highlight tape is a 55-yard TD on a rope and it shows you all you need to know. A lot like Kaliakmanis, Knuth and Viotto, Lindsey has tremendous potential to develop into a big-time player.

**High School Football Hudl Highlights: 

Who is Jalen Smith?:

Jalen Smith is an impressive multi-sport student-athlete at Mankato West High School. Last season as a junior, he compiled 49 catches for 729 yards and 8 TDs. Much like Lindsey, the offers came rolling in for Smith after the season. Iowa State, Kent State and NDSU all offered before the Gophers. But after visiting Minnesota on May 12 (the same day as Drake Lindsey), Smith was offered and committed on the spot.

  • Scouting Report:

Listed at 6-foot-1, 180 pounds Smith has prototypical WR size. He was clocked in at 10.87 seconds in his first Track & Field meet of the season in April of this year. Like most recruits his age he has room to grow in route running, but the potential is 100% there. He has tremendous burst and quickness that gives him a very high ceiling.

**High School Football Hudl Highlights: 

Reaction:

The theme of the Gophers’ 2024 recruiting class continues to be offensive firepower. After one-time QB commit Aaron Philo de-committing from Minnesota in April, Drew Lindsey is one heck of a replacement. Lindsey is currently unranked on 247sports, but after a junior season as he had, he will be shooting up lists if he continues to perform at that level as a senior. Jalen Smith now gives the Gophers six commitments from the top eight players in the state of Minnesota. P.J. Fleck has the Land of 10,000 Lakes on lockdown last cycle, but it is at another level in 2024. Both Smith and Lindsey have tremendous potential to be serious contributors in the Big Ten and they’re two players fans should be excited about.

What is next?:

The Gophers now have 14 total commitments for the class of 2024. 247sports ranks the class as 15th-best in the country. DE Wyatt Gilmore (Rogers) and OL Emerson Mandell (Irondale) remain the top two uncommitted players in the state of Minnesota. There seems to be serious mutual interest from both players and the Gophers, so those will be two names to keep an eye on. Overall, Lindsey will give the Gophers another talented arm in the QB room after losing Jacob Knuth to the transfer portal and Smith is a third uberly athletic WR. Last year’s class had 21 total commitments so the Gophers are far from done with the class of 2024.

Full 2024 class:

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