Last Sunday, the Minnesota Golden Gophers had a big day picking up five commitments for their 2026 recruiting class following their first major official visit weekend of the 2026 recruiting cycle.
The third of those five commitments was a commitment came from a Western Pennsylvania pass rusher in South Fayette (PA) standout Anthony Charles. Below, Gophers Nation goes over five things you should know about Charles and his commitment to Minnesota.
1. He committed to Minnesota over Wisconsin, Cincinnati, and Penn State
This is a quality recruiting win for Minnesota. Charles was a highly desired prospect for both Wisconsin and Cincinnati and would've been a take for both programs had he wanted to commit to either. Penn State had also hosted Charles and was set to visit the Nittany Lions at the end of the month.
Any time you can pick up a recruiting win over fellow Big Ten programs, especially a major rival in Wisconsin, is a good day for the Gophers.
2. He is one of three defensive ends committed to the Gophers
The Golden Gophers picked up two defensive end commitments last weekend in Anthony Charles and former Northern Illinois commitment Aeden Aytch. The two new commitments join Forest Lake (MN) standout Howie Johnson, who committed to the program last July.
3. Pennsylvania continues to be a strong state for the Gophers
Over the years, the state of Pennsylvania has been kind to Minnesota, including current star defensive end Anthony Smith, who is a native of the Keystone State. The Gophers also signed notable prospects in former three-star Treyson Potts, who had a nice career in the maroon and gold, as well as three-star tailback Ohifame Ijeboi, currently a member of the Gophers' roster and a young tailback that the program has a lot of excitement about. In the 2026 cycle, the Gophers have a pair of commitments from Pennsylvania standouts Charles and linebacker Angel Luciano. Overall, the Gophers have now signed a Pennsylvania native in four of their last five cycles.
4. Charles had a strong junior season
While playing quality competition for South Fayette, Charles put together a really nice junior season that boosted his stock as a prospect quite a bit. Over 11 games played, he totaled 28 tackles, six sacks, and two forced fumbles. While also recording over 15 quarterback pressures, and blocking one extra point and one field goal.
5. The 6-foot-5 defensive end has an impressive wingspan
Charles already possesses great size at 6-foot-5, but to go with that size is an elite wingspan for the three-star prospect. The three-star prospect has a self-reported 84'' wingspan, which is not just elite for a high school prospect but will be amongst the top percentile at the collegiate level as well. That type of length will be a big asset for Charles at the collegiate level.
============================
- Talk about it INSIDE GOPHER NATION.
- Follow us on Twitter: @MinnesotaRivals, @RivalsDylanCC, @berry_seth14
- SUBSCRIBE to Gophers Nation
