2027 LB Kason Clayborne commits to Minnesota
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Sioux City (Iowa) East three-star linebacker Kason Clayborne announced his commitment to Minnesota on Tuesday evening.
He chose the Golden Gophers over Purdue, Michigan State and Arizona, among others.
Clayborne is the No. 822 overall prospect and No. 74 LB in the 2027 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 9 recruit in Iowa.
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The 6-foot-3, 210-pounder, who plays for one of the top high school programs in Iowa, is locking in with head coach P.J. Fleck and the Gophers after returning to campus this spring. He has also set an official visit for the end of May. He’ll make that trip as a member of Minnesota’s 2027 class.
Rivals’ Allen Trieu wrote back in March that Minnesota linebackers coach Mariano Sori-Marin and defensive coordinator Danny Collins were leading the charge for Clayborne.
Clayborne had 51 tackles (10.5 for loss), a sack and an interception returned for a touchdown last season for Sioux City East, which won 10 games. He also caught 27 passes and turned them into 302 yards and six touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball.
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With Clayborne now in the fold, Minnesota’s 2027 class features 14 commits and ranks No. 27 in the nation, according to the Rivals industry Team Recruiting Rankings.
The Gophers’ haul now features a pair of linebackers with Clayborne flanking Iowa City Regina four-star Tate Wallace, a top-400 prospect who committed over the weekend. Wallace is also the No. 27 LB in the nation.
Wallace is one of four four-stars headlining the class, as of May 12. Last month, the Gophers stacked back-to-back pledges from blue-chip tight ends in Kindred (N.D.) four-star Brooks Bakko and Lennox (S.D.) four-star Drake Mikkelsen. They are the No. 7 and No. 23 tight ends in the cycle, respectively.
Minneapolis Wayzata four-star EDGE Eli Diane has been committed to the local Gophers since April 12, 2025. He’s now the No. 218 recruit and No. 23 EDGE in the cycle.
Other top commits in the class include: Moorhead (Minn.) three-star quarterback Jett Feeney, Moorhead three-star wide receiver David Mack, Tunica (Miss.) Fort Rosa three-star running back Greg Hargrow and Omaha (Neb.) Skutt Catholic three-star safety Wyatt Liebentritt.
The class also ranks No. 10 in the Big Ten, checking in ahead of Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, Northwestern, Rutgers, Purdue and Maryland.
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