And with the Gopher MBB class of 2022, we saw that seed bear fruit when top in-state prospect, 4-star big man out of Park Center (Cottage Grove) Pharrel Payne, along with fellow Twin Cities native, Braeden Carrington and Osseo high school’s Josh Ola-Joseph.

Former Minnesota Gophers big man blossoming at Maryland

While all three played a lot of minutes early on during their short careers at the University of Minnesota, it was Payne who stood out as special among the three. Pharrel arrived on campus as a Freshman standing 6’9″, weighing 230 lbs and he used that unique size in a way you see few freshman do.

A nifty little move from @GopherMBB's Pharrel Payne. 🌀 pic.twitter.com/BhzZlXSrY5

— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) December 22, 2023

Related: Minnesota Big Man Pharrel Payne is in the Portal and EVERYBODY Wants Him

In two seasons with his hometown Gopher basketball team, Pharrel Payne played 62 games (23 starts) and averaged 9.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game, in 22.7 minutes per night. Even as a youngster, Payne showed all the signs of a dominant power four big man.

Now a couple of years later, as a senior at Maryland under Buzz Williams (who also coached him for a year at Texas A&M after he transferred out of MN), the shy quiet kid out of Cottage Grove has grown up into one of the best players in the Big Ten.

Through three games this season as a Terrapin, entering their matchup Saturday against Marquette, Payne was averaging 20 points, 8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

Pharrel Payne stretchered off after ugly, unfortunate injury

But then, with just over 12 minutes to play in the second half Saturday in Milwaukee, disaster struck after what appeared to be yet another rim-rattling dunk from the ex-Minnesota Gopher, which accounted for Payne’s 11th and 12th points on the day.

Unfortunately, the homegrown big man let go of the rim a split second too soon. So when he did come down, Payne landed on Marquette defender Joshua Clark’s foot. As Clark pulled away, Payne’s foot went with him, in a way that human legs are not supposed to move.

Here is a look at how Maryland’s star center Pharrel Payne was injured.

Brutal. pic.twitter.com/GU3tNuZGXw

— College Basketball Content (@CBBcontent) November 15, 2025

Related: Pharrel Payne and Elijah Hawkins’ New NIL Deals are Insane

Pharrel Payne stayed on the floor for quite a while after the injury occured, and eventually had to be taken off the court in a stretcher. Maryland went on to beat Marquette 89-82, to move to 3-1 on their season.

When the game was over, Payne — who tweeted out “how bout them Terps” was in better spirits than his head coach. A distraught Williams met with media after the game and admitted that he did not know much about the injury, but noted that losing their best player would certainly hurt the team.

Buzz Williams says Pharrel Payne is in the hospital

“We don’t know anything”

“He's our best player, that's well received within our program. I've never seen him hurt. The angle that I saw it did not appear good.”

Adds the players told Buzz, “you’ve gotta pray for him” pic.twitter.com/Li2un6YzgP

— Inside the Black & Gold (@Insideblackgold) November 15, 2025

Payne has opted to continue his collegiate career at Texas A&M, while Hawkins has chosen Texas Tech. This means both players won’t be wearing maroon and gold jerseys next season.

In today’s world of college sports, transferring has become increasingly common. Many athletes are drawn to the possibility of greater financial rewards or a more lucrative NIL deal elsewhere. In his latest column, Charley Walters (Pioneer Press) revealed some intriguing numbers, making it no shock in why they decided to transfer.

Former Minnesota Gophers, Pharrel Payne and Elijah Hawkins are making NIL bank with new teams

Pharrel Payne, originally from Cottage Grove, has long been touted for his promising talent during his time with the Gophers. Now, he’s set to take his skills to Texas A&M, marking a significant step in his athletic journey. According to Walters, Payne is poised to earn a hefty $40,000 monthly salary… and a Mercedes.

Hawkins caused quite a stir when he suddenly revealed his decision to transfer, just a week after affirming his commitment to staying for another season with the Gophers. Almost as quickly as he made his announcement, he committed to Texas A&M, and it’s no surprise that he’s expected to receive a hefty financial package there too.

There’s buzz that ex-Gopher Pharrel Payne will get $40,000 a month over two years in NIL money from Texas A&M, plus use of a new Mercedes automobile. Another Gophers transfer, Elijah Hawkins, reportedly is getting $30,000 from Texas Tech.

Charley Walters – Pioneer Press

It’s becoming clearer as Walters disclosed the NIL budget for the Gophers, revealing it’s only a quarter of what the top schools in the Big Ten, like Illinois and Purdue, have at a hefty $2.5 million.

Related: Charlotte PG Lu’Cye Patterson Transferring to Hometown Gophers

And if you’re interested in delving deeper into that topic, you can find more information here. However, it’s clear that Ben Johnson is currently facing a significant loss of talent on his own team, and he needs to find a solution quickly in the NIL world.

Former Minnesota Gophers big man, Pharrel Payne, chooses Texas A&M

On Tuesday, Payne made his decision, announcing his transfer to Texas A&M, a school notorious for its extreme levels of NIL cash flow for both its football and basketball programs.

🏡 @aggiembk pic.twitter.com/rn8jtHv9NZ

— pharrelpayne (@pharrelpayne) April 23, 2024

Payne is a classic collegiate big man, who loves to bang down low, but also has a gracefulness about him that most dudes his size just do not have. As a sophomore, he averaged 10.1 points and 6.1 rebounds, in 23.3 minutes per game.

He’s the type of big man that every good team needs; a guy who can dominate a post matchup, when asked, but can also eat every night out, even without an offensive game plan in place to get him the basketball. And because of that, the 6-figure NIL offers piled up, following his transfer portal entry.

Related: Minnesota Gophers Basketball NIL Budget Revealed

With the Gophers, Payne was quickly on his way to becoming one of the best big men in the Big Ten conference. Now, we’ll see if he can repeat that in the SEC for his new squad in College Station. If nothing else, his pockets will be a lot fatter.

To replace Payne, head coach Ben Johnson and the Minnesota Gophers turned to the transfer portal, as well, where they plucked Canisius big man, Frank Mitchell, who’s NIL ineligible, due to his international visa status (Canada).

Hopefully, Gopher basketball fans who pay close enough attention (and have accepted the above as fact) weren’t surprised, or overly disappointed, when Josh Ola-Joseph and Braeden Carrington put their names in the portal. Both guys fell out of the starting lineup and became less and less important to the nightly gameplan, as the season wore on.

Everybody wants Pharrel Payne on their team

But there is no arguing that head coach Ben Johnson’s offseason took a turn for the worse when news broke that Cottage Grove big man Pharrel Payne planned to transfer too. When healthy, Payne looked like a man amongst boys with his size and skill in the post. And guess what, thanks in part to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the classic, skilled post player is all the rage lately.

So when other teams found out Payne was in the portal, the pursuit was on. How many teams, you ask? 28 and counting, according to a combination of Darren “Doogie” Wolfson (SKOR North, KSTP) and Portal Report. More have come in since full list of teams is below tweet in case it cuts off)

The in-the-portal #Gophers big and Cottage Grove native is a man in demand. Add: UCLA, Arizona State, Mississippi State, and Virginia Tech. https://t.co/ISiuPWP2bZ

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) March 29, 2024

• Texas Tech
• Texas
• Georgia
• Wisconsin
• Indiana
• LMU
• Georgia Tech
• Nebraska
• Arkansas
• Providence
• Utah
• Ole Miss
• Syracuse
• Ole Miss
• Xavier
• Colorado
• Iowa State
• Illinois
• Florida
• Georgetown
• Texas A&M
• Butler
• Oregon
• UCLA
• Arizona State
• Mississippi State
• Virginia Tech
• Oklahoma

Notice anything about that list? That it spans from coast to coast. That it includes too many top-25 teams to count? I’ve noticed that it’s grown by three or four teams since I started writing this.

Payne blossomed in two seasons with Minnesota Gophers

Payne averaged 10.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.4 blocks in 23.3 minutes per game for the Minnesota Gophers during the 2023-24 season and anyone who watched him play realized he was a difference maker immediately. Clearly, other colleges that were scouting the Gophers noticed the same thing.

Pharrel Payne and @GopherMBB flexing in the post to start the half 💪 #NIT2024

📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/OAIr1Uz1We

— NIT (@NITMBB) March 24, 2024

Related: Gophers MBB Working Transfer Portal Hard in Anticipation of Losing Their Own

OK, Pharrel Payne. 👀@pharrelpayne x @GopherMBB

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/O69XUJAdZr

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 14, 2024

What kind of NIL compensation is Payne looking at? Well, it was reported that Dennis Evans was getting $750,000 when he broke his commitment off with the University of Minnesota and committed to Louisville. He was non-existent during his freshman season and now sits in the portal (with a lot less offers than Payne has).

Minnesota Gophers blossoming big man Pharrel Payne enters transfer portal

On Thursday, Travis Branham (247Sports) is reporting that 6’9″, 230 lb sophomore (junior next year) big man out of Cottage Grove, Pharrel Payne, is following Ola-Joseph’s lead and entering the portal, as well. This one hurts and may signal a scary portal season on the horizon for Ben Johnson’s program.

NEWS: Minnesota big man Pharrel Payne has entered the transfer portal, per a @247SportsPortal source.

Averaged 10.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.4 blocks this season.https://t.co/d7Lllfs48n

— Travis Branham (@TravisBranham_) March 28, 2024

According to Tony Liebert (GoldGophers.com), Payne is getting large NIL offers from other schools, but he’s also moving on for a change of scenery, vs continuing his college career just a few miles away from his hometown.

Payne is massive, but his loss may be even bigger. He was supposed to be one of three or four building blocks that we thought Ben Johnson planned to build around. The local kid is just as talented as he is large. No, he isn’t going to splash 3’s like other 2024 big men. But in the Big Ten, that’s not the most important thing to have in your post.

When Pharrel Payne came in as a freshman, he was already bigger than 95% of every basketball player on a Big Ten roster. When he’s banging down low, there isn’t a soul in the country who is going to dominate the paint. He even gave Zach Edey fits, in their matchups the past couple years.

Related: Cam Christie’s NIL Value is Reportedly Up to $10,000/mo; Pharrel Payne’s Rising Too

But now, those days are apparently dead. The loss of Josh Ola-Joseph, on Wednesday, hurt. But the transfer of Payne hurts a lot more. Unless Ben Johnson pulls a proven star out of that portal, to replace his now transferring big man, this one is going to prove devastating. How about some more bad news? It looks like this transfer exodus isn’t over…

The #Gophers portal exodus is far from over…

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) March 28, 2024

A sizeable chunk of Ben Johnson’s year-3 turnaround has been sparked by true freshman and budding young superstar, Cam Christie. His combination of perimeter length and skill on both sides of the floor have stuck out since the fall.

But it’s Cam’s ability to get his own bucket from all areas of the court that have opened eyes around the country, at both the collegiate and NBA level, since the Big Ten season started heating up in January. I mean look at some of these dribble pull-ups. You just don’t see these types of makes in college basketball anymore.

Orlando #Magic and OKC #Thunder will have scouts at the Barn today to watch Cam Christie, Dawson Garcia, Pharrel Payne, and other #Gophers and Scarlet Knights. Rutgers unbeaten since guard Jeremiah Williams became eligible a couple weeks ago. He’s a stud. pic.twitter.com/NnNsD1iehe

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) February 18, 2024

Christie is averaging 11 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.4 assists on 28.4 minutes per game this season but those numbers are all up recently. Cam had a tough night vs Ohio State, dropping just 5 points on 1-of-6 shooting in 24 minutes. But in the six games prior to Thursday night, the freshman from Rolling Meadows, IL averaged 14.8 points and 48% from deep, on 37 minutes per game.

Cam Christie for Big Ten Freshman of the Year?

Cam Christie is one of the leaders for Big Ten Freshman of the Year. If he were to win that award, he’d be the first Gopher to do so since Kris Humphries in 2003-04 and only the third in program history. Rick Rickert is the only other Golden Gophers who has won Big Ten Freshman of the Year (2001-02).

Kris Humphries left school after his huge freshman season and there have been preliminary reports that Cam Christie could go through the pre-draft process this offseason too. But as of now, the NBA doesn’t appear to be the most likely future on his radar. That doesn’t mean the Gophers can breathe easy about losing him, though. Not in the unlimited Name, Image and Likeness world that is college athletics in 2024.

Related: How Can Minnesota Gophers Make the 2024 NCAA Tournament?

Minnesota Gophers will have to pay to keep Christie, Payne

Veteran Pioneer Press columnist, insider and former Minnesota Twins pitcher Charley “Shooter” Walters put by far the most concrete value on both Christie and his big man teammate (sophomore) Pharrel Payne, should they be open to NIL offers from outside schools this offseason. According to Shooter, Christie’s market value is up to $10,000 per month; Payne’s $3K-$4K per month.

Market value suggests it could cost nearly $10,000 a month over the school year in name, image and likeness (NIL) money for the Gophers men’s basketball team to retain freshman star Cam Christie, and between $3,000 and $4,000 a month to keep sophomore Pharrell Payne next season.

Charley Walters – Pioneer Press

There is no doubt Cam will have plenty of blue blood suitors in his DMs, come April. Let’s be real, he probably has plenty of that going on right now, if he is paying attention. Pharrel Payne, a local kid, is very important to what the Gophers are trying to build too.

Related: Gophers Beat Jamison Battle’s Buckeyes; Close in on NCAA Tournament Conversation

Elite classic front-court players like Payne are the only player type that college basketball coaches can count on sticking around for 3-4 years. While it’s probably true that Christie and Payne loves Ben Johnson and the University of Minnesota, this is a country of capitalism, where money talks.

And the youngsters’ market values are both climbing with every big game they have. I hope their 3rd-year head coach has a plan because losing either Christie or Payne would be DEVASTATING to what Ben is trying to build.

Related: How Can Minnesota Gophers Make the 2024 NCAA Tournament?

And boy oh boy did those Gophers come to play in front of a damn good crowd at The Barn. Even on a night where freshman phenom Cam Christie went 1-of-6 with just 5 points on the night and Jamison Battle scored 21 in his return to the Barn… this game was never really in doubt. The first half was played pretty close, but the Gophers tightened their grip early in the 2nd half and never looked back.

B1G dunks to start things off for @GopherMBB at The Barn! 😤 pic.twitter.com/k5tFErtzfI

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 23, 2024

Minnesota Gophers gain big win vs Ohio State

With Christie struggling, Elijah Hawkins took over as Minnesota’s primary backcourt scorer. The nation’s assist leader put up a career high 24 points to go along with another 7 dimes. Garcia had another big night too, posting a double-double with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Pharrel Payne also added 15 points and 4 rebounds, Mike Mitchell dumped in 8 points and 5 assists.

Welcome to the house of Payne. 😎 @GopherMBB pic.twitter.com/RdyBnhqwcH

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 23, 2024

The Buckeyes fought until the very end and even found a way to close the gap to 7 points with 18 seconds left to play. But when the dust settled, the Gophers closed out an 88-79 victory, their second-straight win, leaving no doubt that this is one of the best Gopher basketball teams we’ve had on campus in years.

Related: Iowa Wolves Sign Former Gophers Guard and DeLaSalle Grad Gabe Kalscheur

But as the season goes on, the Gophers seem to believe in their talent more and more and their play seems to improved exponentially on a night-in and night-out basis. And right now, they have themselves playing like one of the best basketball teams in the entire Big Ten and March is less than two weeks away…

Related: Adrian Peterson’s Daughter; 8th-Grader Ari Peterson Offered by Minnesota Gophers WBB

We’ve mentioned this a lot already, but the Gophers are a much improved product of basketball this season. Games are competitive and fun to watch, not full of disappointment and frustration, like the past two years. For those of us who watch every game, no matter the quality, that’s worth something in and of itself. Still, morale victories don’t count in the win column and head coach Ben Johnson is trying to keep his job.

Minnesota Gophers come thru in must-win vs Northwestern

And… with their backs against the wall, the Gophers found a way to get the job done yet again, winning 75-66 in OT. As is usually the case with this team when they win, today’s victory was a team effort. All five starters scored in double figures and big plays were made down the stretch from Dawson Garcia, Pharrel Payne, Cam Christie and Elijah Hawkins.

Elijah Hawkins drains the deep @GopherMBB 3 to beat the halftime buzzer. 👀

📺: Big Ten Network pic.twitter.com/iMJsggHJvX

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) February 3, 2024

But the deeper we get into the 2023-24 season, the more clear one thing becomes. Minnesota is a better team when Sophomore big man Pharrel Payne is on the floor. Saturday, he finished 7 of 8 from the field, totaling 14 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. But the 6-9, 255 pound Sophomore provides a presence, both on offense and defense, that cannot be fully measured on a stat sheet.

Related: U of M Athletic Director Mark Coyle Receives Raise + Contract Extension, Pending Board Approval

His size and skill around the low block is something that a lot of power 5 college teams just cannot matchup with these days, given the focus on big men who prefer to shoot, rather than bang down low. Not Payne, who’s from Cottage Grove, MN. He knows his role and he plays it as well as any other “non-scoring” big man in the country.

FG: 7-8
PTS: 14
REB: 9
BLK: 4

Pharrel Payne made big play after big play in today's OT win. 😲@pharrelpayne x @GopherMBB pic.twitter.com/Ulwvllf89s

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) February 3, 2024

The Gophers won the turnover (12-17) and assist (19-13) battles, which allowed them to overcome being outshot from 3, by a large margin both by percentage and threes made. Ben Johnson has some questions to answer about his late-game coaching decisions, though.

Ben Johnson’s near devastating late coaching decision

With 18 seconds remaining and Minnesota up three points, Hawkins fouled Northwestern’s best free throw shooter on purpose. Of course, fouling while up three points isn’t crazy, if time is nearly run off the clock. But with 18 seconds remaining, it allowed the Wildcats to make one free throw, then steal and inbound, before eventually tying the game and sending it to overtime.

Luckily for Ben, it will go down as an afterthought, being the Gophers won. But he needs to get better in those situations. Whatever he told Elijah to do was either dumb or not explained properly.

Related: Future Gopher Isaac Asuma Nearly Posts Triple-Double in Star-Studded ‘Border Battle’ Showcase

Nonetheless, his team pulled out a desperately needed dub and, in turn, kept their dreams of March dancing alive. Minnesota is now 14-7 and 5-5 in conference play. How big was today’s win, exactly? When the game started, they were 10th place in the Big Ten? By the time it was over, they jumped to 6th.

The Gophers next game is Tuesday, back at the barn, vs Michigan State, a team they stuck close with in East Lansing. Should they find a way to win that one, they’ll be right back in the NCAA Tournament mix.

Happy Friday #Gophers!

Start your weekend early with highlights from our road win in Ann Arbor last night! 🎥 pic.twitter.com/7ny9HnHeFl

— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) January 5, 2024

Sure, this isn’t one of Juwan Howard’s best teams but there’s no weak Big Ten road win. And in reality, the Gophers find themselves in the middle of a weaker than normal Big Ten conference this season. If Minnesota can continually rise to the occasion like they did tonight, they could put a bunch more digits into the 2024 win column before we get to March.

Related: Ben Johnson’s 2023-24 Gophers Defying Odds, Climbing Rankings

Pharrel Payne is Minnesota Gophers MVP in team win

Pharrel Payne is one of the best young big men in the conference and he proved that on Thursday night. Off the bench, the Sophomore out of Cottage Grove, MN went for 12 points, 8 rebounds and 4 huge blocks.

Pharrel Payne with the SLAM. 😤 @GopherMBB

💻: Peacock pic.twitter.com/J3CYiPA2Tk

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 5, 2024

But Thursday’s dub was a team effort, in just about every way. Minnesota won tonight’s game because they played like the ultimate team. Five Gophers scored in double figures and they put up 17 total assists.

Per usual, point guard Elijah Hawkins was the straw that stirred the drink (14 points, 7 assists) and got everybody involved. But Dawson Garcia dumped in 13 points and 12 rebounds, Mike Mitchell hit big outside shouts and finished with 18 points, a team high.

Related: Braeden Carrington Back with Gophers Basketball

Defensively, Minnesota had one of their best performances on the season, holding the Wolverines to just 42.1% from the field, the 3rd worst of their season, including 31.6% from 3PT. And they needed every possession, including the final one, which secured a 2-point Gophers victory.

Michigan was SO CLOSE to tying the game, but the Gophers escape with a win in Ann Arbor. pic.twitter.com/2WGUaS04vL

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) January 5, 2024

The Cottage Grove kid was being courted heavily by Texas A&M, Loyola (Chicago), Drake and Saint Louis, who were all hoping to get him committed before he caught the attention of bigger programs across the country. But instead of committing to one of those up and coming programs or waiting until the spring, like many other 2022 kids who should have more offers, Pharrel has decided to stay home and play for the Gophers.

Payne’s commitment comes after his official visit on the University of Minnesota campus over the weekend.

1000% COMMITTED ‼️〽️ #Gophers @CoachBenJohnson @GrindersWinDT @mn_select @WolfpackWeah @ParkWolfpack pic.twitter.com/tqPJRi5MYM

— pharrelpayne (@pharrelpayne) August 22, 2021

How Good is He?

Pharrel Payne stands 6’9″ and weighs in at 230 pounds, according to 247Sports.com. Ratings are lagging behind with many of these 2022 and 2023 recruits, given the lack of scouting over the last couple of years, but lead high school basketball scout for GopherIllustrated.com (247Sports), Ryan James, has dubbed Payne a national top-100 player in the 2022 class.

That’s a big deal, given Minnesota has landed less than a handful of top-100 recruits in the last decade. Since 2010, according to 247Sports’ composite rankings, the Gophers list of top-100 commits is Amir Coffey (2016 – #49), Isaiah Washington (2017 – #62), Daniel Oturu (2018 – #50), Isaiah Ihnen (2019 – #98).

There was a recent highlight video posted on YouTube of Payne at a recent AAU tournament. It’s easy to see, after watching just a few minutes of watching, why local scouts are so excited about him.

Pharrel Payne has committed to Minnesota. Payne is a top 100 level 2022 big from Park of Cottage Grove pic.twitter.com/K2izH40Jn6

— Ryan James (@RyanJamesMN) August 22, 2021

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan