0
0
Ensworth four-star cornerback Justin Hopkins had plenty of options when it came to making his college decision.
Ultimately, Hopkins decided to take his talents to the north.
Hopkins announced his commitment to Minnesota Monday evening in front of a packed house. He chose the Golden Gophers over Georgia Tech, Tennessee and USC.
“Minnesota was just a little bit different,” Hopkins said. “When I got up on campus in November, it was a different atmosphere and I’m glad I went. They were a school that I didn’t think would be in my recruiting process that long, but they really stepped it and showed why they were great.
…the values and morals that Coach (PJ) Fleck has kind of remind me of Coach Hasselbeck and I’ve been playing for him since I was in sixth grade. Comparing both programs, I knew I could see myself playing there.”
Ranked as a three-star prospect by three of the major recruiting outlets, On3 has the highest ranking for Hopkins. The site ranks him as a four-star prospect, the No. 83 player in the 2026 class, the No. 8 cornerback and No. 4 player out of Tennessee.
During his junior season Hopkins played a vital role in Ensworth’s unbeaten regular season playing both sides of the ball.
On offense he was the team’s leading receiver catching 42 passes for 705 yards and seven touchdowns with zero drops. Defensively, he was a menace from his cornerback spot recording 16 tackles, seven pass breakups, two interceptions and two tackles for loss.
He also was the team’s top kick returner. Hopkins had a 90-yard kick return for a touchdown against touchdown return against Lipscomb Academy and 159 punt return yards on the season.
With his pledge, Minnesota now has four commitments in its 2026 class.
The group includes four-star offensive tackle Andrew Trout, three-star defensive lineman Howie Johnson and three-star quarterback Owen Lansu.
Minnesota finished the 2025 recruiting cycle with 22 commitments and a class that ranked No. 52 overall and No. 15 in the Big Ten. On the field the Golden Gophers went 8-5 with a 24-10 win over Virginia Tech in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
Getting the chance to play in the conference that just won back-to-back national titles is also something that stood out to Hopkins.
“It’s an exciting feeling,” Hopkins said. “My commitment was fairly early so I can go build m6 recruiting class by getting some defensive linemen, a few edge rushers and build around the secondary. I’m just excited to get this journey going and I’m glad to be a Gopher.”
