Hometown Former Gophers Basketball Player is Going Pro… in Boxing

Jarvis Omersa, Minnesota Gophers
Credit: Harrison Barden-USA TODAY Sports

Remember Jarvis Omersa? He was a standout athlete in both football and basketball at Orono High School, before he went on to the University of Minnesota, where he played the latter for Richard Pitino’s Minnesota Golden Gophers.

After three seasons with his hometown team, Jarvis Omersa entered the transfer portal. He actually committed to now DI St. Thomas, staying close to home again, but never played a game before transferring out and effectively ending his collegiate basketball career.

What is former Minnesota Gophers basketball player Jarvis Omersa up to now? He’s a boxer.

You might recall Omersa posting a video on social media last year, showcasing his football skills in hopes of attracting interest from schools for a possible switch in sports.

Unfortunately, that didn’t pan out either. But that didn’t mean Jarvis was ready to shut down his athletic career. Instead, he’s trying his hand at yet another sport, this time, as a professional. Boxing.

Omersa started just one game as a Gopher, but he appeared in a total of 64 games during his career at Minnesota, averaging 1.5 points and 2 rebounds per game, and once Richard Pitino was fired, he decided to enter the transfer portal, which essentially ended his basketball career.

Omersa is currently under the guidance of “Shady Shane,” a coach at Element gym in St. Paul. It’s awesome to see Omersa leveraging his athleticism in boxing and pursuing it professionally. As reported, Omersa remains dedicated to his training regimen and is anticipated to make his official professional boxing debut in 2025.

In his latest scoop session with Mackey & Judd on SKOR North, Darren Wolfson reported that Omersa is expected to make his professional boxing debut in 2025.

Jarvis Omersa, the former Gopher basketball player. Remember him? I ran into him the other day at a gym in Saint Paul. I was with Slink Proper, who is a Saint Paul-based boxer fighting on ESPN in Miami on June 29th, Saturday the 29th. But Jarvis Omersa was there. He’s turning into a professional boxer, so he’ll probably make his pro boxing debut sometime in 2025. We’re in the very early stages, but he’s a really good athlete. He was a good football player in high school and obviously a really good basketball player.

Darren Wolfson – SKOR North
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