Minnesota football already holds a commitment from one safety in the 2026 recruiting cycle as Ensworth (TN) standout Justin Hopkins committed to the Gophers earlier this month.

The position has become the program's calling card under head coach P.J. Fleck with former Gophers Antoine Winfield Jr and Tyler Nubin both now in the NFL while rising sophomore Koi Perich is a rising star in college football.

While they already hold one commitment, the Gophers are hoping to add at least one, if not two more safeties to their room this cycle. One of those safety targets is Valley High School (IA) safety, Jayden McGregory. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound safety is the No. 1 player in the state of Iowa according to Rivals and the No. 22 safety in the country.

Below, Gophers Nation takes a look at what the Golden Gophers could be getting in McGregory if he were to eventually commit to Minnesota.

A versatile defensive back, McGregory has played pretty much every position in his high school career in the secondary. You name it, he has snaps at that position; cornerback, slotback, free safety, strong safety. Need him to play press-man coverage? He can do it. Need him to play zone coverage? He'll do that too. No matter what you ask McGregory to do, he's able to do it all, at least at the high school level.

Knowing, understanding, and performing at a high level at each of those positions requires a high understanding of defensive schemes and football IQ. It's just one of the many ways McGregory's intelligence on the field shines through.

The four-star prospect shows a great understanding as well of how opposing offensives will likely try to attack the defense, showing strong pre-snap play recognition as well as quick anticipation when it comes to wide receiver routes. He's consistently jumping routes and making plays on the ball, resulting in numerous pass breakups and interceptions.

Throughout his game, McGregory plays with great balance and coordination, showing the ability to maintain a strong, quick backpedal while staying balanced, allowing him to explode out of his break toward a wide receiver or the ball. He exhibits tremendous ball skills with a great understanding of how to use his body to his advantage whether that's his length or being able to control his body while going up in the air in order to break up the pass or even come down with an interception. Smooth, quick hips that allow him to mirror wide receivers as well giving him the ability to rapidly change direction while keeping his balance and coordination.

Like with any prospect, questions remain about McGregory and his game. The two biggest concerns right now are his ability to play downhill against the run and the lack of verified measurables.

When it comes to run support, there isn’t much tape of him defending the run in his highlight film. Is that because he doesn’t find those plays as exciting as his coverage highlights, or does it indicate potential struggles against the run? While we don’t have major concerns about his ability in this area, it’s something we’d like to see more of.

As for his measurables, we’d like to see verified numbers, particularly his 40-yard dash time and vertical. His speed and explosiveness would provide a clearer picture of the roles he could fill at the next level.

For Valley West, McGregory plays quite a bit of everything but as we know, the Gophers and all schools are recruiting the four-star prospect as a safety. He shows the necessary traits to be a free safety at the next level, but we still have a bit of a question mark on his ability to play downhill against the run with most of his highlights coming in pass coverage. But thanks to his athleticism, anticipation skills, and range, it would make sense for McGregory to play free safety in college. His pass coverage abilities would make him a valuable asset in the backend of any secondary.

McGregory is an athletic and instinctive safety with good speed, agility, and explosiveness, traits that should translate well to the Power Five level. He excels at anticipating plays and routes, using his football IQ and burst to break on the ball and create impact plays, including interceptions and pass deflections. A high-motor player, he consistently gives maximum effort and plays from whistle to whistle. He put together a strong junior season at one of Iowa’s premier programs, competing against top talent regularly and recording 20 tackles, 13 pass breakups, and three interceptions.

Given Minnesota’s success at the safety position under P.J. Fleck—especially with defensive coordinator and safeties coach Danny Collins—McGregory would be an exciting addition. He has the skill set and traits to follow in the footsteps of Antoine Winfield Jr., Tyler Nubin, and Koi Perich.

Through our own scouting evaluation, McGregory projects as a potential multi-year impact starter at the college level,

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