The Gophers football program is on the verge of signing the state’s top-rated high school prospect to headline its recruiting class for a second straight year. The U hasn’t done that since 2017-18.
Robbinsdale Cooper linebacker Emmanuel Karmo is set to join Minnesota when the early signing period opens Wednesday, just like Esko safety Koi Perich did a year ago. The U fought off fellow Big Ten schools in both recruiting battles.
“It feels amazing,” Karmo told the Pioneer Press this week. “I’ve waited a long time for this.”
Karmo, a four-star prospect, said his other top contenders were Wisconsin, Nebraska and, to a lesser degree, Ohio State. His more than 15 scholarship offers also included Southern California, Penn State, Oregon, with some interest from Michigan.
The 6-foot-3, 235-pound athlete, who is also the U’s overall No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class, played nearly everywhere in high school and committed to Minnesota in April, but that didn’t stop others from pursuing him and seeing if he would be willing to visit their campuses.
“When coaches come in, they just see his build and his film speaks for itself,” said Robbinsdale Cooper head coach Tony Patterson. “The recruiting process was a little bit stressful for him. He wanted to make sure that he was making the right decision and not really basing it on when the big-time schools come in.
“Some kids can get glamor and glitz in their eyes, but I think he did it his way. He spoke with his family. He made the best decision for him and his family to stay home in Minnesota.”
Karmo is close with his large family, especially his mother, and was looking for a close-knit connection in a college. The Gophers weren’t among the first to offer Karmo, but he found a bond with U defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere.
“He showed how invested he was in his family, and also Emmanuel as a person,” Patterson said. “So, I think that’s what drew him to Minnesota.”
Karmo played four years on varsity and started the final three for the Class 5A school a few miles west of Minneapolis. He played everywhere — safety (as an underclassman) and linebacker/edge rusher (as upperclassman), wide receiver, tight end, running back, wildcat quarterback and punter.
In 10 games as a senior, Karmo had five rushing touchdowns and five receiving touchdowns, along with 64 tackles, two sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery. Other teams ran away from his side of the field, but he worked to track ball carriers down. The Hawks finished 8-2, but fell short of the state tournament.
Robbinsdale Cooper high school football player Emmanuel Karmo carries the ball during his senior year in 2024. The top-rated player in Minnesota in the class of 2025 will sign with the Gophers and play linebacker starting next season. (Courtesy of Robbinsdale Cooper)
The Gophers see Karmo’s skills best translating at linebacker in college.
“They told me I would be useful on third-down situations and stuff like that,” Karmo said. “They want me to come in and play early.”
The Gophers nearly had the top-rated in-state recruit sign with the U in three straight classes, but Cooper defensive lineman Jaxon Howard went to Louisiana State for a year before transferring back to Minnesota. He played 118 snaps for the Gophers as a redshirt freshman this fall. .
Howard gave Karmo the space to make his own college decision but was instrumental in showing Karmo how to lead in high school.
“He just passed down the torch when he left (Cooper),” Karmo said. “I took over and now I’m on the way.”
Karmo, who spent part his youth in St. Louis, said he had a “pretty rocky start” at Cooper, but began to lead by example during his junior year.
“He’s invested in Cooper,” Patterson said. “… His play on the field spoke for itself, but it’s the off-the-field things that, sometimes, they get unnoticed. He’s encouraging guys, giving (car) rides to guys, making sure that the young guys understand what it means to be a Cooper Hawk.”
Patterson sees Karmo as a no-nonsense worker with twitchy athleticism.
“Emmanuel is a special guy. He’s one of those kids that coaches kind of just salivate over,” Patterson said. “He has all the intangibles: great GPA, smart player, size, frame. He has the ability to get even bigger, faster, stronger in college, under their weight program.
“He’s one of those guys that just show up and go to work, no complaints about anything. He doesn’t have kind of a look-at-me attitude; he wants a team to succeed. This year I saw that, putting the team on his back and trying to do everything in his power to have us reach that next level.”
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