It’s been a pretty good time to be Kindred (North Dakota) athlete Brooks Bakko. The junior just won a state title on the basketball court last spring, including a moment that every kid dreams of in Bakko: being the one to tip in a buzzer-beater to win state. He’s a three-time All-Region honoree for football, as well as three-time All-State. And this past fall, Bakko was the Gatorade Player of the Year for football in North Dakota.
The University of Minnesota football program is well aware of Kindred. The Gophers already have a player from that high school on the team, redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Riley Sunram, and they’ve already offered a teammate of Bakko’s, 2027 offensive lineman Luke Starcevic. Bakko earned his Gopher offer almost a year ago now, marking his first football offer. He’s been a priority for Minnesota tight end coach Eric Koehler since then, and the four-star was visited by the Gopher coaches twice in Kinded last month.
“I’ve been hearing mainly from some Big Ten schools along with a couple of Big 12 schools,” Bakko said to 247Sports.
“It was cool when Minnesota came up to Kindred. It showed how much they cared and said how I can help their program,” Bakko outlined to 247Sports. “My relationship with tight ends coach Eric Koehler is very good.”
Bakko isn’t in a hurry with recruiting, but he’s liking the Golden Gophers.
date: 2026-02-10 08:35:00