How many commits does Minnesota have and how many are designated as early-signees?

Ky Thomas

Minnesota currently has 24 signed commitments that became official back in December. I don't expect Minnesota to fill that final scholarship spot until later in the spring, which will likely go to a transfer player.

When you look at early enrollees specifically, the Gophers already have eight commits on campus enrolled in classed that'll be participating in spring ball.

- Running back Ky Thomas

When 247's Ryan Wallace saw Thomas live earlier this fall, here's what he wrote about the four-star running back.

"It's taken some time to come to this conclusion, but I'm finally confident in saying Thomas is one of the best high school players I've ever seen. How he'll progress to the college level is another story, but specifically who he is and what he does on Friday nights is special. The last running back I can recall seeing dominate the Sunflower State the way Thomas does was Jake Sharp at Salina Central.

The amazing thing about Thomas is his power for only being listed at 205-pounds. Someone who already poses a great deal of balance and agility to make defenders miss and stay off the turf, Thomas makes a defense have to gang tackle; it's nearly impossible for just one player to bring him down. Even on runs that don't appear to be anything special for the highlight reel, Thomas still rattles off five, six, or seven yards. You also have to love his energy and passion for the game, something that seems to draw teammates towards him for leadership. When you're the sole focus of the opponent's gameplan every single week and you continue to do the things Thomas does, that's all the validation anyone should need about the performer Thomas is in Kansas."

Thomas ended his senior season with 3,027 rushing yards and 35 rushing touchdowns, and his high school career with 95 rushing scores with 7,708 rushing yards.

- Offensive lineman Tyrell Lawrence

Lawrence is a giant of a teenager coming in at six-foot-seven and 345 lbs, which is down quite a bit from this summer when he camped with Minnesota.

Here's what 247Sports analyst Allen Trieu had to say about Lawrence's senior film.

"Lawrence is a big mauler. He is a good finisher and his size and strength often overwhelms opponents. The key for him in college will be managing weight (he is roughly 340 pounds right now) and between him, the coaching staff and the strength staff, determining optimal playing weight. He shows that he can move his feet and drive block. There are also clips of him getting off the ball that show what kind of athlete he is. I think a Big Ten S&C program will only enhance that. He is a heavy handed kid who knocks defenders down or at least off balance with his punch. Continuing to improve bend will help him get leverage and add into his natural strength to make him a potentially dominant run blocker on the next level. He played some left tackle in high school, but right tackle or guard are possibilities in college.

At a time where a lot of schools are looking for physically underdeveloped defensive ends or tight ends to turn into offensive linemen, the Gophers have done some of that but are not afraid to go after big bodies like Daniel Faalele, Martes Lewis and now Lawrence. It was worked so far with Faalele, and we will see how it turns out with Lewis and Lawrence, but if offensive line coach Brian Callahan develops these guys the way he has others in his past, the Gophers could potentially have one of the biggest, strongest offensive lines in the conference in a couple years."

- Defensive end Melle Kreuder

Welcome to a little international flavor for PJ Fleck's 2020 class as the Gophers will sign a defensive end from Germany in Melle Kreuder. Minnesota saw him at a camp in upstate New York this summer and had to have him.

GopherIllustrated spoke with former NFL defensive end and Germany native Bjoern Werner, who is the founding member of Gridiron Imports Foundation which is a non-profit organization that places international football players in American schools about Kreuder this summer, and here's what he had to say.

"Melle is a very athletic and natural pass rusher as he came to one of our camps last year in Germany and I instantly knew he would have a chance to play at the highest college level. His pass rush inventory is very good for a kid that's played football in Germany and he is very twitchy with a great get off. His mindset is his strongest trait though. No challenge is too big for him and he lives up to the moment. At all the college camps he participated in, he was the best defensive end in my opinion and this was his first time being in the US. He'll need to work on filling his frame out, which will come with the college strength program at Minnesota. He has long arms and wide shoulders. He can easily carry another 20 lbs and look very lean."

- Defensive lineman Gage Keys

Minnesota was able to grab a commitment this past summer from Ohio defensive lineman Gage Keys over his mother's alma mater in Indiana, which was considered a huge accomplishment at the time.

Ohio 247Sports analyst Bill Greene had this to say about Keys' abilities.

"This is a basketball player and those guys put so much time into that sport year-round that it hinders their football development, so this kid's best football is coming in a few years. Love the athleticism and length that Keys brings to the table and this is a player that can get after the passer and play the run. Once he is able to devote winters to strength and conditioning and not hoops, Keys is going to get much bigger and will increase his strength. This is a competitor and a winner and he is going to be pretty special once he maximizes his physical gifts in the weight room."

- Linebacker Jaqwondis Burns

It's been a whirlwind recruiting ride between Minnesota and IMG Academy linebacker Jaqwondis Burns. The Texas native had been committed to Ole Miss for months, but when the Rebels let go their head coach, the Gophers jumped into the mix and won a recruiting battle against schools like Texas, Utah, Tennessee and Louisville who were all pushing for a commitment.

When 247Sports analyst Allen Trieu watched Burns' tape, he liked what he saw.

"Burns is a very good athlete. On his junior film, he shows the ability to run, blitz and use his foot speed to get to the ball. When he stepped up the competition at IMG Academy as a senior, despite us not having a full tape to go off of, I thought he showed more dimensions. He still showed twitchiness. The guy can change directions and he can certainly get to where he needs to get to on the field. But I think we also saw him have to deal with better blockers. At times, his suddenness allowed him to avoid those blocks. He did show he would take on blocks too. Now, he's 6-foot-2, 205 pounds and looks like a very lean kid still. As he gets stronger and adds some weight, that process of taking on blocks will get easier but for now, what we look for is the willingness to be physical. We assume the strength will come. A lot of his clips are coming forward or going lateral. We do not see a lot of him dropping into coverage. Based on how he runs, it appears as though he has the physical requirements to be good in coverage, he just may need more experience at it. But there is no doubt the guy is a 'see ball get ball' kind of player.

The Gophers add some southern speed to their defense. Burns is a prospect with twitch who can get to where he needs to on the field to make tackles. The Gophers have recruited some good players at that position over the last few years and they have some good ones in this class, but this kid is one of the more fleet of foot defenders I've seen them bring in."

- Linebacker Cody Lindenberg

Maybe the Minnesota player I'm higher on than anyone else is Anoka's Cody Lindenberg. Every time I saw the Tornado defender this summer / fall, he impressed.

This is what I wrote following the first time I saw Cody live in June.

"Anoka (Minn.) linebacker and Gopher commit Cody Lindenberg was stellar all night. He tested well at 6-2 205 lbs, running the fastest 40 in camp and then showed well in positional drills, plus in one-on-ones. The Anoka product always has his motor running, and that showed all night long. Lindenberg's frame isn't maxed out yet, so he has room to add on, while keeping his athleticism, speed and length that made him so coveted by the Gophers staff."

- Safety Abner Dubar

With safety Antoine Winfield off to the NFL, the Gophers have a spot open at the safety position, and Minnesota needs to continue to build depth. That's where Texas native Abner Dubar comes in who chose the Gophers over schools such as Baylor, Texas Tech, Colorado and Washington State.

Our Texas 247analyst Gabe Brooks gives his thoughts on Minnesota's new safety.

"Dubar's experience playing sides of the ball in high school will give him a good background of football experience to continue his development in college.

But perhaps the most intriguing aspect of Dubar's prospect profile is his testing. At The Opening Dallas regional camp March 3 from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, Dubar assembled a strong testing performance with a verified 4.51-second 40 and a 4.21-second shuttle. He also registered a 38.9-inch vertical. His 99.90 testing score placed seventh among the event's 33 defensive backs.

That athleticism should certainly help Dubar transition to the next level. The 6-foot, 176-pounder possesses traits that could translate to multiple positions in the secondary, including either traditional safety role or a nickel spot. He's lean, but owns the frame space to get to 200 pounds in a college strength and conditioning program.

Dubar plays with a high motor and physical style. He is unafraid to crash downhill against the run, and he can drop the hammer in the passing game when receivers test the middle in front of him. He closes fast in pursuit and is a consistent tackler who arrives with a purpose. He is generally sound in his technique as a tackler.

While his verified athleticism suggests his ceiling is high in coverage, Dubar has proven more as a run-stopper and hitter through his junior season than he has in coverage. He will need to hone his technique, especially to be able to hold his own when isolated in man situations against Power Five-caliber receivers. He must also harness his aggression and intensity to not get drawn into overpursuit or get caught out of position in the passing game.

Overall, Dubar is a terrific pickup for Minnesota. He is raw, but he's a flat-out football player with great physical tools from frame and athleticism perspectives. He may get on the field early and he could become a multi-year starter who provides personnel flexibility in the secondary."

- Punter Mark Crawford

Meet the Gophers first punter from a land down under.

Crawford ranks as the top rated International Punter via ProKicker.com. Sources close to GI shared that Crawford received a visit from Special Teams coach Rob Wenger last spring. Minnesota obviously felt strongly that they had found something with the Aussie Punter that the recruitment remained as silent as you'll find in today's College Football Recruiting. Today his National Letter of Intent is the first received by the Golden Gopher staff (due to time difference).

Crawford is yet to be rated or evaluated by any of the main recruiting services to-date, however per ProKicker.com, Mark recorded an average punt of 49.86 with an average hang time of 4.40 seconds, earning him the top rated punter in the class of 2020 outside of the United States.