NATIONAL SIGNING DAY: Spruce Creek LB Maverick Baranowski joins 'elite' Minnesota program

Maverick Baranowski made a Power Five flip earlier this week, and then made it official during Wednesday's early signing period.

Spruce Creek's leading tackler, Baranowski pulled a surprise commitment to Minnesota on Sunday evening after returning home from an official visit to Minneapolis.

Twice this month, Golden Gophers defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Joe Rossi paid the 6-foot-3, 215-pound senior a visit in Port Orange.

In particular, Rossi liked Baranowski's film at the point of attack — the second step of the Gophers' evaluation process, following basic highlights.

"The thing that stood out is he plays hard," Rossi said. "Maverick has a nose for the ball, is able to diagnose plays and get there.

"When we made the decision we wanted to go on him, we wanted him in the boat (in December

Baranowski, along with several other area athletes, officially signed their letters during Wednesday's National Signing Day.

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Prior to Sunday, Baranowski remained a verbal commit of the Air Force Academy.

"(Rossi) has been in contact with me for the past month and liked my film. He wanted to meet me, shake my hand and see what I could do in a workout," Baranowski said. "The next day, he called me and said he wanted to get me up on an official visit.

"It was stressful making the correct decision. I take academics and post-graduation opportunities very seriously. But the football (at Minnesota) is so elite that I could not pass it up."

An All-Area selection during a breakout junior season, Baranowski continued to make plays sideline-to-sideline in 2021. He made 100 total tackles (51 solo) with 10 TFLs, 4½ sacks, one pass breakup and one defensive touchdown.

Spruce Creek posted an 8-1 regular season, cruising to the District 4-7A championship and earning the No. 2 seed in the regional playoffs. The Hawks exited in the quarterfinal round, though, losing a 24-21 thriller to Nease.

"I focused on our team, more than anything. I wasn't really focused on recruiting; that's why I committed (to Air Force) so early," Baranowski said. "That's why I feel I was able to be in the position I'm in now."

Baranowski, the No. 8 player in the Volusia-Flagler-St. Johns preseason Terrific 10 recruiting watchlist, also fielded Division I Football Bowl Subdivision offers from Army, Kent State, Navy and Tulsa.

He braved the cold on his official visit last weekend, taking a picture with his parents at Huntington Bank Stadium in the middle of a snowstorm. While at Minnesota, one thing stuck out most and is the primary reason Baranowski made a life-changing decision just before the last minute.

"First and foremost, the thing that stood out to me was the culture," Baranowski said. "I sat through all the team meetings, and it was something I wanted to be a part of. I see myself evolving into a better person after I'm all done there."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Maverick Baranowski, Spruce Creek LB, signs with Minnesota