It came down to the official visits for three-star center Elliott Eliason, and the Minnesota visit convinced the 6-foot-11, 235-pound center from Chadron (Neb.) High School that he should be a Golden Gopher.

"I wasn't leaning to Minnesota before the visits," Eliason told Rivals.com. "The visit to Minnesota won me over. I was pretty sure that Minnesota was where I wanted to go after the official visit, and then the home visit last night convinced me."

Eliason cited several factors that impressed him on his official visit.

"Minnesota is such a great fit for me," he said. "The Business School is great, and Coach (Tubby) Smith and the staff are tremendous. They showed me how I fit into the future of the program, and the players were great also."

At the start, Eliason sees his role beginning on the defensive end.

"I'll start out as a defensive player and hustler," he said. "I'll clean up in the middle. Then as things progress and I work with Coach Smith, I'll hopefully become more of an offensive threat."

Eliason chose Minnesota over Stanford and Creighton. He is Minnesota's first 2010 commitment.