The transfer portal additions for Gopher football

Who are the new transfer additions to Gopher football for 2025 and what can we expect from them?

PJ Fleck and his staff have navigated the tricky waters of the transfer portal as well as any staff in the country. With a limited NIL budget and a number of highly sought-after underclassmen, Fleck has managed to keep the majority of his key guys while finding transfers who fill critical holes in the roster.

This season has been no exception. The Gopher roster lost one player who would have started and been a key contributor when Phillip Daniels decided to transfer to Ohio State and play for his homestate Buckeyes. They also lost three players who transferred to another P4 program, all three of whom would have contributed but not likely started for the Gophers. Coleman Bryson to North Carolina, Martez Lewis to Northwestern and wide receiver Terrance McWilliams is heading to Louisville.

The other 15 names who entered the transfer portal were not likely to contribute at Minnesota and transferred to a lower level school where they will get more opportunity. Some names you may recognize…

• Jordan Nubin – to Kent State
• Kristen Hoskins – to North Dakota
• Hayden Schwartz – not yet committed
• Tyler Williams – not yet committed
• Martin Owusu – to Fresno State

The point is, there was not a mass exodus of talent and expected contributors. Even players who would garner significant paydays elsewhere decided to take what Minnesota has to offer and stayed here. The biggest underclassman losses were due to the NFL Draft, which is a good problem to have.

However, the staff also brought in a significant number of incoming transfers, many of whom are expected to contribute. But these names are unfamiliar to most of us, so it is time to get to know the portal additions to the Gopher roster.

QUARTERBACK

This position appears to be Drake Lindsay’s but some depth is needed. Zach Pyron was briefly here as a winter portal addition from Georgia Tech, but after spring practices he decided that this wasn’t the best fit for him and he is back in the portal.

• Emmett Moorehead – Old Dominion – Moorehead is not expected to compete with Lindsay for the starting quarterback role, but he is here to provide experienced depth. He made four starts for Boston College as a redshirt freshman, played in four as a sophomore and then transferred to ODU where he did not play, due to a knee injury.

RUNNING BACK

Much like last season, Minnesota needed to hit the portal to bring in depth at running back. Darius Taylor is expected to be the main guy, but this offense always needs fresh leg.

• AJ Turner – Marshall – As a sophomore for the Thundering Herd last season, Turner averaged just under 10 carries per game but finished the season with an 8.3 yard per carry average. He’s a big-play back who will be a significant contributor behind Taylor
• Cam Davis – Washington – This will be the 7th season for Davis and I would expect he will see the field throughout the season, but primarily as a role or situational player.
• Johann Cardenas – Redshirted last season for Vanderbilt and Cardenas should be coming to Minnesota with four years to play. He was a good high school running back out of Texas who had offers from a number of other P4 schools. There is upside here, maybe not a part of the pair and a spare rotation.

WIDE RECEIVER

This position has a lot of production and snaps to replace. So the portal was utilized heavily after approximately 75% of all receiver production has graduated.

• Javon Tracy – Miami (Ohio) – Had a breakout sophomore season for the Redhawks, leading the team in receptions and receiving yards. Tracy is the most likely candidate to contribute immediately.
• Logan Loya – UCLA – Playing college football for his sixth season, Loya is coming to Minnesota hoping to make an impact for his final year. He had 29 receptions, 348 yards and four touchdowns last season.
• Malachi Coleman – Nebraska – redshirted in 2024 after starting six games as a true freshman in 2023. Coleman was a top 100 recruit and the top-rated recruit in Nebraska’s 2023 class. He is 6’5” and adds tremendous athleticism to the Gopher roster. When things start to click, Coleman should be a major contributor.

TIGHT END

• Drew Biber – Purdue – a flexible tight end who will likely see playing time as part of the rotation.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Another position that was hit hard by graduation, the NFL and the portal. The good news is that this position group has been recruited well over the last several years and Minnesota is becoming a program that recruits, coaches and replenishes when players are lost. But there are really up to 4 spots needing to be replaced. So once again, Fleck turned to the portal.

• Marcellus Marshall – UCF – I would be very surprised if Marshall is not starting at one of the guard spots along the line. He started 11 of 12 games last season at UCF and will have just one season of eligibility.
• Dylan Ray – Kentucky – Originally committed to and played for West Virginia during his first two seasons before transferring to Kentucky. With the Wildcat,s he also worked primarily at guard, but is expected to compete for one of the starting tackle spots.
• Kahlee Tafai – Washington OT – Started a few teams as a redshirt freshman at Washington last season at tackle. Tafai will be just a redshirt sophomore and will be in the mix for playingtime at one of the tackle spots.
• Jaden Ball – Purdue – Will be a redshirt freshman after just one year at Purdue. I would not expect that Ball will be in the plans for 2025, but may be a nice addition for the future.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Defensive line depth is one of the bigger concerns of the offseason and the Gophers addressed that by bringing in 3 guys who should be a part of the regular rotation. With a solid core of quality starters, the need was depth, not necessarily a standout-starter.

• Rushawn Lawrence – Stonybrook – One of the best DTs in FCS last season should be a part of the interior rotation for the Gopher defensive line. Lawrence comes in at 270 lbs, so he’s not exactly an ideal size for Big Ten play on early downs. He has been playing post-high school football since 2019, so Lawrence is experienced and should be a valuable depth piece for the Gopher defense at both tackle and end.
• Mo Omonode – Purdue – Should be a solid member of the rotation who primarily gives rest for Deven Eastern. Omonode has played three seasons at Purdue without taking a redshirt
• Steven Curtis – Illinois State – Having played two seasons for the Redbirds, Curtis will have 2 years to compete at Minnesota with a redshirt available. But with the lack of depth, he may be needed to contribute this fall.

LINEBACKER

Now we get to the part where we have to replace the most significant loss on the defensive side of the ball. The loss of Cody Lindenberg to the NFL Draft was a blow to the 2025 Gopher defense. Maverick Baranonwski and Devon Williams are back, but there is a hole to fill at linebacker.

• Jeff Roberson – Oklahoma St – Roberson started all 12 games last year for the Cowboys and was named a team captain. But after the 0-9 Big 12 season, Roberson decided to head elsewhere for his final season and he decided to Row the Boat. He will have every opportunity to earn a starting role or he will be a primary backup. His experience and production should be a huge asset to this group.

CORNER

There are a number of key players to replace in the Gopher secondary. Justin Walley, Ethan Robinson and Jack Henderson were all significant contributors and those are a lot of snaps that the Gopher defense will have to replace. There are a lot of names on the roster, most of them lacking in experience. The staff brought in 2 transfers to be in the mix for playing time.

• John Nestor – Iowa – After playing in 10 games last year for the Hawkeyes, Nestor is coming to the Gophers with two seasons of eligibility. Potentially the team’s primary nickle back, likely will be in the rotation at corner or NB.
• Jaylen Bowden – North Carolina Central – a 6’1” corner who started all 10 games at UNC Central last year. Bowden will also have 2 seasons of eligiblity after spending his first two at the FCS level.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• P – Brody Richter – UCLA – Was the Bruin’s primary punter last season, averaging 42.8 yards per punt and he landed 17 of his 40 punts inside the opponent’s 20. Richter is likely the Gopher’s first-team punter in week 1 and has two years of eligibility.
• P – Tom Weston – Ouachita Baptist – Weston is an Australian kicker who comes to the Gophers via a Division II program and has three years of eligibility.
• K – Brady Denaburg – Syracuse – Spent his first years in college with the Orange and will come to the Gophers to compete to be Minnesota’s primary kicker. Comes from a very athletic family. Sister Lexy was a multiple All-American beach volleyball player at UCLA, both parents were collegiate athletes, brother played professional baseball and another sister was a collegiate soccer player.

It seems likely that there are a couple of starters in this group of transfers and several of them are going to be critical for depth. The Gophers have been very good at landing impact players via the transfer portal. In the last three NFL Drafts there have been four players who have signed NFL contracts after transferring into the Gopher program and graduating. NFL talent isn’t needed from this transfer class, but contributions and consistency are.