Daylen Sharper, a 3-star WR from Arizona, accepts the Gophers’ football offer

Back in Minnesota, where his father played for the Vikings, three-star junior wide receiver Daylen Sharper felt right at home during his visit with the Gophers football team earlier this month.

Sharper, the son of former NFL safety Darren Sharper, lived in Plymouth and attended Gophers games as a child. So it was special to receive a scholarship offer from coach PJ Fleck.

“I went to a few Gophers games,” Sharper said. “I have loved the Gophers since I came from Minnesota. It was really cool to get an offer from the school I always looked up to as a kid.”

The 6-3, 200-pound Phoenix Brophy Prep prospect is the No. 2 player in the 2026 class in Arizona. Sharper visited the Gophers with his high school teammate and fellow junior receiver Devin Fitzgerald, the son of former NFL star and Minneapolis native Larry Fitzgerald Jr.

The Gophers, who defeated USC and UCLA in consecutive games, have made recruiting California and the West Coast a priority. They have offered scholarships to more than 30 players in the Mountain and Pacific time zones in the 2025-27 classes, including Sharper’s teammate Fitzgerald.

“PJ Fleck has shown a lot of interest in me and would love me to go to Minnesota,” Sharper said. “I’m also being recruited by USC, UCLA and a lot of schools in California.”

The highlight of Sharper’s trip back to his old stomping grounds was the Gophers’ 24-17 loss on Oct. 5 against No. 11 USC at Huntington Bank Stadium. A crucial interception by U freshman Koi Perich sealed the win for the Gophers.

“The atmosphere was just crazy,” Sharper said. “The student section was wild. I didn’t know the student section was so crazy and so good because there are so many people there.”