Minnesota beats Georgia Tech, Tennessee and USC for 4-star CB Justin Hopkins

Nashville (Tenn.) Ensworth was very busy with coaches for much of January into early February. It is one of the top football programs in the state of Tennessee with top recruits always in the building and safety Justin Hopkins is the leader of that group this cycle.

Over two dozen schools were in to see the No. 82 prospect in the On300, including Georgia Tech, Minnesota, Tennessee and USC. The four-star has committed to PJ Fleck and the Golden Gophers.

“Every time I talked to another school, it just couldn’t compare to how I felt when I talked with the Minnesota coaches,” Hopkins told On3. “Coach (Nick) Monroe came down twice, coach Fleck came down once and there was no comparison for me.

“After I narrowed my list down in December, I started comparing schools to each other in January. I have a great relationship with the coaches, the conversations I had with them were different and they just started to stand out more and more.

“At Minnesota, I get a great education, there is a chance to play early, I can be stable as a football player and I can play for great coaches.”

The visit to Minnesota set the tone for Hopkins

Hopkins went up to Minnesota for the Penn State game. He went with him and they didn’t expect to feel the way they felt. That feeling never left.

“We were questionable about the visit and we almost went up there to knock them off the list, but it was the opposite,” Hopkins said. “I fell in love with the place. After I left that feeling kept lingering with me. The people, the energy and how they communicated with me and my family made a big impact on me.

“It wasn’t about recruiting me, but it was getting to know me. With Minnesota, it is not recruiting me, it is selecting me and me being chosen for this program. The program fits me very well.

“They are looking for a certain type of player to play Minnesota football and it doesn’t matter if you are a three-star, four-star or five-star, they are right for a certain type and I feel like I fit that category perfectly.”

The decision came sooner than Hopkins expected, but he knows it is right

“It was not my plan to commit this soon,” Hopkins said. “I had my Top 12 in December and I felt good about my plan to commit in July or August. When January came, some new schools came around, some schools started to stand out more than others and that is when I started thinking about it.

“As I got to thinking after coach Monroe was at school with me, I thought about life at Minnesota, the people I would be around and I just felt it.

“Me and my parents talked about it, I started having that feeling and I have decided to cut my list to four schools and make my decision. It was that gut feeling. I have to go with how I really feel.

“Tennessee and Vanderbilt are places I have been to a lot. I had a great time at USC too, but the feeling about Minnesota was different. I felt strong about them and it is the place for me.”

Now he wants others to join him. Jayden McGregory is one. He named his top eight schools on Friday and Minnesota was on the list.

“I talk to Jayden and I think we have a chance,” Hopkins said. “If we both go to Minnesota, we could be the best secondary in the nation.”