Minnesota continues to make major recruiting strides. Early Saturday morning, P.J. Fleck landed a four-star commitment from Washington defensive tackle Jacob Schuster (Class of 2021). He chose the Gophers over offers from California, Stanford, Washington, Washington State and others.
The 6-foot-2, 300-pound defensive tackle brings athleticism to the interior of Minnesota’s defensive line. He has the ability to one-gap penetrate as a three-technique defensive tackle, but could also play at other alignments. His explosiveness, power and hand technique really stood out on film. Schuster punches, gets position and frequently sheds offensive linemen. He put together numerous positive reps against the run, including situations where he had to win at the point of attack.
Last year, he consistently created havoc in Tumwater High School’s defense. Schuster accumulated a whopping 26 tackles for loss (60 total tackles) and 9.5 sacks. It is important to have dynamic, disruptive and versatile defensive tackles in Joe Rossi’s scheme. We saw the underrated impact Sam Renner had at 3-technique last season. Schuster’s versatility allows him to possibly align at different spots. He can rush the passer and provide value against the run. It will be fun to watch defensive line coach Chad Wilt develop his athleticism and physicality.
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Turning Dreams into Reality
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— Jacob Schuster
