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4-star Illinois RB with 10 B1G offers commits to Minnesota

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Another major prospect has committed to Minnesota.

On Saturday, the Golden Gophers received a verbal pledge from four-star running back Mar’Keise Irving. The Illinois native became the 16th prospect in the 2021 recruiting class to commit to Minnesota and is now the fifth four-star player in the class.

Irving announced his decision with a post on Twitter. He picked Minnesota over offers from nine other B1G programs, and two dozen offers altogether.

Per 247Sports, Irving is a 5-foot-10, 175-pound back who attends Hillcrest High School in Illinois. He had an outstanding 2019 campaign, rushing for 1,733 yards and 22 touchdowns while adding 405 yards and four touchdowns as a receiver.

Those totals, as well has his elusiveness, strength and speed, has earned Irving a four-star ranking in 247Sports’ Composite. He’s listed as the No. 18 running back in the 2021 recruiting cycle and is the No. 6 prospect from the state of Illinois. Overall, Irving ranks No. 311.

Along with Minnesota, Irving received offers from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Purdue and Wisconsin.

With Irving’s commitment, Minnesota now owns the second-best class in the B1G for the 2021 cycle, behind only Ohio State. The Gophers also rank sixth nationally.

Below are some highlights from Irving’s junior campaign:

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB