A pair of Minnesota Golden Gophers commitments will begin their 2024 seasons on Friday night. Running back commitment Shane Marshall and cornerback commitment Zack Harden both get their senior seasons underway in the Peach State this evening.
Marshall's Irwin County Indians will be facing the Fitzgerald Purple Hurricane on Friday night in Ocilla. Both programs are considered among the best programs in Georgia Division A.
Marshall is the only FBS commitment currently expected to play in Friday night's matchup. The Minnesota commitment and Irwin County will look for revenge after losing 28-0 to Fitzgerald in last year's season opener.
The 5-foot-10, 195-pound running back committed to the Gophers in June, flipping his commitment to the program after originally being committed to USF. The Georgia Bulldogs, however, are now keeping a close eye on the three-star running back.
This is a strong matchup to start the season in Georgia as Harden's Newton Rams are considered one of the top-20 programs in the Peach State while Eastside is considered a top-50 program in their own right.
On top of Harden playing in this Friday night matchup, three-star Cincinnati commitment Zion Johnson will also be suiting up for Newton.
For Eastside, the Eagles will have a trio of FBS commitments suiting up in three-star linebacker Christian Gass (Tennessee), three-star linebacker Bailey Benson (Wake Forest), and three-star defensive back Jayden Barr (Georgia Tech).
Harden is the Gophers longest standing commitment in the 2025 recruiting cycle, committing to the Gophers in March over offers from Georgia Tech, Indiana, Michigan State, and Vanderbilt.
Stay tuned to Gophers Nation for full recaps of how both Marshall and Harden performed in their season openers on Friday evening. The majority of Minnesota's 2025 commitments are expected to get their seasons underway over the course of the next two weeks.
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