The Minnesota Golden Gophers have landed their fourth commitment of the 2026 recruiting cycle on Monday as three-star defensive back Justin Hopkins has announced his commitment to the Gophers.

Hopkins committed to Minnesota over offers from USC, Tennessee, and Georgia Tech. He joins a Minnesota recruiting class that currently consists of quarterback Owen Lansu, defensive end Howie Johnson, and offensive lineman Andrew Trout.

While Hopkins is listed on Rivals as a safety, he is being recruited to Minnesota to play cornerback, his recruitment being led by cornerbacks coach Nick Monroe.

The commitment from Hopkins comes after January in which the Golden Gophers made an extensive push for the Nashville, Tennessee native. Gophers cornerbacks coach Nick Monroe would visit Nashville to see Hopkins at Ensworth High School before being joined by Fleck 10 days later to see Hopkins and his family once again.

Minnesota also hosted Hopkins on campus this past November for the Gophers' home matchup against a top-five ranked Penn State team, a game in which the Gophers almost pulled off an improbably upset.

That visit remains his only visit to campus during his recruitment after originally being offered by the program late last May. Notably, both Tennessee (3) and Georgia Tech (2) hosted Hopkins more than the Gophers.

For Ensworth High School, Hopkins plays a variety of positions including safety and wide receiver. The three-star prospect was a crucial part of Ensworth's 2024 season in which they went 11-1 completing a perfect regular season before falling in the state playoffs.

The 6-foot-0, 170-pound Hopkins is a star playmaker at Tennessee powerhouse program Ensworth High School in Nashville, Tennessee.

An exceptional athlete, Hopkins plays in all three facets of the game for Ensworth; he's a safety on defense, a wide receiver on offense, and also makes an impact on special teams as a return man. Overall, the one way to describe Hopkins would be a natural playmaker. No matter where you put him on the field or line him up on defense, he has the abilities and skillset to make game-changing plays.

Being recruited to Minnesota to play cornerback, Hopkins has good size at 6-foot-0 and 170 pounds while also being an explosive athlete, which will allow him to continue to be a high-quality defensive back at the Power Four level. Hopkins’ background as a dominant wide receiver translates seamlessly to the defensive side of the ball, as he's developed superb ball skills that allow him to make acrobatic plays to both breakup passes and bring in interceptions.

A high-IQ football player, Hopkins does a great job of recognizing plays pre-snap and reading and reacting post-snap. He has the range in his game that allows him to make plays sideline to sideline while making it extremely difficult for opposing quarterbacks to beat his defenses deep over the top.

When chasing down ball carriers, Hopkins takes smart, efficient routes to the ball and then does a good job of staying in front of the ball carrier and wrapping them up before further yardage can be picked up.

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