Minnesota adds ’22 safety Coleman Bryson

March 21, 2021: 2022 safety Coleman Bryson (Rabun Gap, GA) verbally committed to the Minnesota Golden Gophers Sunday afternoon.

By: Tony Liebert

Coleman Bryston verbally committed to Minnesota Sunday afternoon. The 6-foot-2-inch safety’s addition grows the Gophers’ 2022 recruiting class to five players. Bryson joins Trey Bixby, Kristen Hoskins, Jacob Knuth and Tony Nelson to an already ELITE class. Bryson, a three-star prospect according to 247sports chose the Gophers over top offers from Virginia Tech, Louisville and Northwestern. P.J. Fleck now sports the No. 27 recruiting class in the country for the ’22 class according to 247sports.

“I’m religious so I prayed a good amount about where to go and I felt that I was being pointed to Minnesota. I feel like what they stand for is what I’m all about and I think that was the most important thing,” said Coleman in a recent 247sports article. “What put Minnesota over the top of my other offers was the culture, and how I could see that it was in every aspect of the football program. I felt really comfortable with my relationship with head coach PJ Fleck and safeties coach Joe Harasymiak and they have continued to let me know that I was the guy for them and that played a pretty large role in my decision.”

Scouting report:

The best way to describe Coleman Bryson’s game would be versatile. Standing at 6-foot-2 he would find himself among the tallest defensive backs at the division one level. During his junior season at *Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School in Georgia, Bryson played as an H-Back, wide receiver/running back-hybrid type of offensive player — on top of being one of the best safeties in the state.

He recorded 331 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, 194 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns as a running back in his junior season. His sheer athleticism consistently shows up on film from both sides of the ball, while his IQ and awareness on the field brings his ceiling to the next level. If you watch his junior season hudl highlights, you can quickly see what made the Gophers so interested.

Bryson’s size and athleticism give him incredible range at the safety position making him such an intriguing prospect. His potential would make any coach excited, and I expect Gophers’ DB coach Joe Harasymiak to be chomping-at-the-bit to get Bryson into the program. With his size, there is certainly the potential for Bryson to transition into a linebacker.

Where he fits:

Bryson is the only defensive back in the Gophers’ early 2022 recruiting class. As for the current roster Tyler Nubin, Jordan Howden, Terrell Smith and Abner Dubar are all expected to return for another season, while Darius Green is coming in as a freshman.

Safety is one of the shallower positions on Minnesota’s roster, especially being that three of the five are upperclassmen. Linebacker, on the other hand, is flooded with young and veteran talent. Coleman Bryson’s long-term potential is off the charts and the only thing stopping him from becoming a starting Big 10 player will be himself.

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