The Gophers football program’s two “Summer Splash” recruiting weekends became even more productive on Tuesday when running back Ryan Estrada from El Dorado High School in El Paso, Texas, announced on the X social media platform that he’s joining Minnesota’s 2026 recruiting class.
Gophers coach P.J. Fleck and his staff beat out an impressive group of competitors to secure a pledge from Estrada, a 5-9, 195-pound three-star recruit who rushed for 2,261 yards and 33 touchdowns while averaging 14.7 yards per carry during his junior season in 2024. Estrada, who took his official visit to Minnesota over the weekend, also officially visited Oklahoma State, Missouri and Michigan and had a visit to Alabama lined up next weekend.
Estrada is the 39th-ranked player in Texas and the 20th-ranked running back nationally, according to the 247Sports composite ratings of major recruiting services. He had 11 scholarship offers from Power Four programs.
With the addition of Estrada, Minnesota has 22 commitments in its 2026 class, including 12 players in the two “Summer Splash” weekends. Through Tuesday afternoon, the Gophers’ class was ranked 13th nationally and seventh among Big Ten teams by 247Sports.
