Ben Lauer, sporting a Gophers shirt rolled up to his elbows, took what he called "a nice little break'' from his AP calculus class Wednesday morning to make a 6-7, 270-pound commitment to keep getting stronger.

At least for now.

The offensive lineman from Wayzata High School signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Minnesota in front of about 150 students, coaches and parents in the school's cafeteria.

But don't expect to see Lauer in a Gophers uniform next fall.

Lauer said he plans to spend this summer and fall working out and does not expect to report to the football team until January -- a practice known as "grayshirting.'' He missed most of his junior year because of a football-related left knee injury.

Time spent in injury rehab last year cut into his ability to bulk up physically. He came back last fall to help lead Wayzata to the final of the Class 5A Prep Bowl.

Despite his size, he doesn't turn 18 until July. His coaches at Wayzata say that as he matures, he could reach 300 pounds by the time he steps on the field at TCF Bank Stadium.

"His mom apologized and said, 'I should have held him back in school,''' joked Ryan Johnson, the Wayzata strength and conditioning coach who worked with Lauer.

His comeback last fall enabled him to populate online recruiting channels with videos of him plowing holes for Wayzata running backs. That rekindled interest from several schools, but in the end it came down to North Dakota State or the Gophers. He said he settled on Minnesota about 10 days ago and pointed to coach Jerry Kill's straightforward approach as a big reason.

"I connected with him,'' Lauer said.

PAUL KLAUDA