P.J. Fleck is going to need a bigger boat.
Minnesota has landed a commitment from the largest recruit on record, as 6-foot-8, 395-pound offensive tackle Daniel Faalele has committed to the Gophers. Faalele made the announcement on his Twitter page on Saturday night.
I am 1000% committed to the university of Minnesota. Please respect my decision. #RTB #SkiUMah pic.twitter.com/1VkgjpiaVR
— Daniel Faalele🇦🇺 (@DanielFaalele_) December 10, 2017
A 3-star recruit, Faalele is rated as the No. 29 offensive tackle in the country, according to 247Sports. He listed 20 offers, including from the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Michigan and LSU.
As the story goes, Faalele did not find football; football found him. He was discovered by a recruiter from Hawaii working out at a gym in his native Melbourne, Australia. He attended a Michigan satellite camp in Australia and played this season -- his first season in pads -- at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
In making the trip from the Land Down Under to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, Faalele will be joined by a pair of IMG Academy teammates in offensive lineman Curtis Dunlap, Jr., and quarterback Zack Annexstad, who also committed to Minnesota on Saturday.
Those pledges now give Minnesota the 26th best recruiting class in the country and the sixth best in the Big Ten -- but the No. 1 class in the Big Ten West -- in the 247Sports Composite rankings.
Minnesota’s class may not be the best in the country, but it’s among the biggest -- both in size (the Gophers have 25 pledges thus far) and stature.