The Gophers kicked down the door on the 2022 recruiting class in a big way on Thursday with the commitment of St. Edward (Oh.) defensive end Trey Bixby.

The four-star prospect chose Minnesota over the likes of Penn State, Michigan State, Arkansas, Cincinnati, and others.

New defensive line coach Chad Wilt has played a pivotal role in Bixby's recruiting process

“Coach [Chad] Wilt at Minnesota was first to offer me when he was at Cincinnati," Bixby told Ryan Snyder of BlueWhiteIllustrated earlier this month. "Then, he offered almost immediately when he got hired at Minnesota, so we have a really good relationship that goes back to last summer now. We've been having regular calls with him and Coach [P.J.] Fleck lately."

Despite COVID-19 currently putting the clamps on in-person recruiting, Bixby and his family took matters into their own hands earlier this summer and made personal trips to Penn State, Michigan State, and Minnesota to get a better feel for each school.

The 6-foot-4, 230-pound prospect had previously visited Minnesota last season for their game against Wisconsin.

As a sophomore, Bixby recorded 75 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and five tackles for loss for a St. Edward team that finished 11-2 last season.

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