For his determination, PJ Fleck has been rewarded with commitment after commitment after commitment over the last week. And on Saturday night, he got the 18th transfer commitment in the past eight days and fourth in the last 24 hours.

On Friday night, the first of back-to-back wide receivers (Noah Jennings – Cincinnati) committed, followed by Zion Steptoe – Tulsa Saturday morning. Then, Fleck mixed it up this afternoon when he landed a much-needed interior defensive lineman, (Xion Chapman – FIU).

Minnesota Gophers land running back transfer – TJ Thomas

By Saturday night, however, Fleck and his staff were back to building up the offense. This time, it’s 2024 freshman FCS All-American running back, TJ Thomas, a soon-to-be junior out of Elon who totaled 961 yards and 11 touchdowns in during his FCS career with the Phoenix.

Elon RB TJ Thomas is transferring to Minnesota, his agency @DreamMakersTM tells @mzenitz and I for @CBSSports.

The FCS Freshman All-American has run for 972 yards and 11 touchdowns over the last two seasons.https://t.co/4QHdWrD4YJ pic.twitter.com/T64k9cFaMK

— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) January 11, 2026

Thomas also returned 28 kickoffs for Elon over the past two seasons, and two punts. He can be a threat through the air too, catching 28 passes for over 200 yards and a touchdown.

There is no question over who Minnesota’s No. 1 running back is in 2026. It’s returning star, Darius Thomas. But behind the oft-injured senior, there is a lot of playing time to be had, after Fame Ijeboi entered the transfer portal, as soon as it opened last week.

Along with Taylor and Thomas, the MN Gophers have (SR) AJ Turner, (FR) Grant Washington and (FR) Xavier Ford, who combined for 47 carries for 231 yards and 1 touchdown in 2025. Purdue transfer Jaron Thomas will certainly compete for playing time, as well.

I think Minnesota fans can get used to seeing T.J. Thomas (@TJ_Thomas02) do this in the maroon and gold.

Elusive athlete
Elite speed

Could be a very exciting addition for the #Gophers. pic.twitter.com/fvvB5EF8nh

— Gophers Nation (@MinnesotaOn3) January 11, 2026

Then, Saturday morning, it was pushed to 16 when another wide receiver, this time Tulsa transfer Zion Steptoe, made his Golden Gopher commitment official. Steptoe spent the last two days touring the University of Minnesota.

Minnesota Gophers land commitment from Tulsa wide receiver

The shifty 5’11” pass catcher comes to Dinkytown with four years of college experience under his belt, and one year of eligibility remaining. Minnesota will be Steptoe’s second stop in the Big Ten. Before his time at Tulsa, he spent two seasons in West Lafayette as a Boilermaker.

Minnesota has signed Tulsa WR transfer Zion Steptoe, his agents @matt_woolslayer and @CSGnoahclair of @csgathletes tells @CBSSports.

The 5-11, 195-pound Texas native caught 36 passes for 475 yards on 13.2 yards per catch over the last 2 seasons. https://t.co/u04Qs7sgf0 pic.twitter.com/wVSJaTVNin

— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) January 10, 2026

Originally from the Frisco, TX area, Steptoe committed to Purdue in 2022 as an undersized 3-star (88 overall – 247Sports) wide receiver with a ton of burst. After falling out of favor in the WR room, he converted to cornerback for his redshirt freshman season.

That didn’t work either, so he transferred to Tulsa for the 2024 season, and moved back to wide receiver. Steptoe went on to rack up 923 snaps of WR experience over his two seasons as a Golden Hurricane, where he totaled 36 receptions for 475 yards and 13.2 yards/reception.

What should Gopher football fans expect from Zion Steptoe?

The MInnesota Gophers weren’t the only big time destination on Steptoe’s radar either. He visited UCLA prior to experiencing Dinkytown (Dec. 8-9), and then chose PJ Fleck as his coach one day later.

If his body wasn’t ready for week-to-week Big Ten combat while he was a 175-pound freshman at Purdue, that’s not the case anymore. At 195 pounds, Zion Steptoe now looks the part of a power four pass-catcher… and he plays like one too.

Found some 2025 highlights of speedy new Gophers WR @ZionSteptoe (Tulsa)

📼: @CBSSports, @espn pic.twitter.com/SFJIAP8Gje

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) January 10, 2026

With just one season of eligibility remaining, we’ll see if Zion has the talent to play at this level, now that he’s a bit older. We shouldn’t have to wait until the season starts, either.

The Golden Gophers’ new wide receiver room is quickly filling up with talent, and he’ll have to prove himself just to get on the field in 2026. Steptoe is the third WR they’ve landed out of the portal so far this offseason.

Related: New Tight End Lands in Dinkytown for MN Gophers

He will come into training camp most likely behind incumbent wide receivers Jalen Smith and Javon Tracy, along with fellow transfer Perry Thompson (Auburn), who currently sits as the highest-rated commitment of Minnesota’s 2026 transfer class.

That means, at best, Zion Steptoe currently slots in as the MN Gophers’ WR4 next season, and that’s if you put him ahead (or equal to) yesterday’s commitment from Cincinnati Bearcat transfer, Noah Jennings — which most transfer portal rankings probably will not.

While it may seem far-fetched to some, PJ Fleck enters his 10th year as Gopher football coach returning most of his starters in 2026, including sophomore Drake Lindsey, who comes in as one of the best and most experienced quarterbacks in the Big Ten.

On top of that, Minnesota is bringing the best recruiting class in modern program history, ranked No. 29 nationally according to 247Sports composite. Fleck didn’t stop there, however.

Gophers receive transfer portal commitment from Noah Jennings

When we woke up Friday morning, the Gophers had already secured 14 transfer portal commitments over the last week, dating back to January 2, when the portal first opened.

By the time we go to bed, that number will be at least 15. This after Minnesota received yet another transfer commitment, this time from Cincinnati wide receiver Noah Jennings, a senior with one year of eligibility remaining.

The #Gophers have received a commitment from Cincinnati transfer wide receiver Noah Jennings.

Jennings will have one year to play at Minnesota and has nearly 100 collegiate catches under his belt. https://t.co/qcIlJQiUXK pic.twitter.com/W9aEhpTpX2

— Ryan Burns (@RyanBurnsMN) January 10, 2026

Related: Koi Perich Flirting with a Couple New Schools

Jennings was not on any power five radars, coming out of high school, which is why he ended up at Charleston Southern, where he spent two years of his college eligibility racking up 885 yards on 72 receptions as a Buccaneer, before transferring to Cincinnati for his junior season.

As a Bearcat, Jennings’ football come up continued. In his one season of FBS football, the South Carolina native caught 23 passes for 323 yards, and did not reach paydirt. Now a senior, he’ll look to change that in Dinkytown.

Fourth and 10 for the game, and Kansas gives up an 18-yard catch-and-run to Noah Jennings. Great one-handed grab, but the play is made when Jennings gets a free release against DJ Graham (bottom of your screen). Graham is trailing the whole rest of the way. pic.twitter.com/ez5otfGARI

— Kevin Flaherty (@KFlahertyKCSN) October 4, 2025

Sorsby with precise deep ball placement to Noah Jennings pic.twitter.com/hjnngZqdmh

— Billy M (@BillyM_91) October 4, 2025

Minnesota Gophers WR room filling back out

The Minnesota Gophers need all the help they can get at wide receiver, after most of that room either ran out of eligibility (Lemeke Brockington, Logan Loya) or hit the transfer portal (Malachi Coleman, Kenrick Lanier).

Jennings comes in as the fourth wide receiver on the depth chart, behind soon-to-be redshirt sophomore Jalen Smith (28 REC, 419 YDS, 4 TD), senior Javon Tracy (37 REC, 454 YDS, 6 TD) and Minnesota’s highest-rated portal commitment so far, Auburn’s Perry Thompson.

Without a doubt, we can expect Minnesota to bring in more wide receivers through the portal between now and the start of the season. PJ Fleck & Co. also have 4-star WR Rico Blassingame (AZ) and 3-star WR Quad Hendryx (NJ) signed out of high school for 2026, as well.

But head coach PJ Fleck and his staff have more work to do because they’ve also lost 21 players into the portal. While most of Minnesota’s outgoing transfers are depth players, the’ve certainly lost his fair share of talent too.

That’s especially true in the secondary where Fleck and defensive coordinator Danny Collins lost two key starters, in Za’Quan Bryan (CB) and Koi Perich (S). Both will be difficult to replace, but the homegrown kid from Esko hurts the brand the most.

Every kid buying a Minnesota Gophers jersey the past two years have bought No. 3 with “PERICH” on the back. If you talk to casual Gopher fans who only know the name of one player, it was probably Koi Perich.

And now he will wear a different uniform in 2026. So far, we’ve seen Koi connected to both Ohio State and Miami, the latter of which employs his former coach at Minnesota, Corey Hetherman, as its defensive coordinator.

Former Minnesota Gophers superstar visiting new schools

On Wednesday, however, it appears Perich has found a couple more schools to flirt with. According to Matt Zenitz (CBS Sports), Koi is in Lubbock now, preparing to officially visit the Texas Tech campus on Thursday. It sounds like Eugene is next on his itinerary.

Former Minnesota star safety Koi Perich, one of the top ranked players in the transfer portal, is set to visit Texas Tech tomorrow and is also expected to visit Oregon, sources tell me and @chris_hummer.

Posted 128 tackles and six interceptions the last two years at Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/VmWMuFjPCR

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) January 7, 2026

As a freshman, Perich led the Big Ten with five interceptions and was a regular menace anytime the football went up in the air. In 2026, he grabbed just one INT. But more worrisome than that was when you noticed him.

Far too often, the true sophomore stuck out in a negative way, whether he was getting beat, showing up late in coverage or just missing tackles — a stat that Koi easily led the 2025 Gophers defense in with 23.

Koi Perich also saw his PFF grades drop dramatically last season. His defense grade fell from 88.9 in 2024 to 62.4 in 2025, and his coverage grade saw the biggest decline, from 88.9 as a freshman to an unbelievable 57.7 as a sophomore.

Koi Perich opening his transfer portal options back up

Wherever Koi Perich ends up, he will have to bounce back from season in 2025, where he came down to earth a little bit. If he is taking visits now, however, you have to believe these other schools are just as much on his radar as the Buckeyes, and even Canes.

Much like Ohio State and Miami, the Red Raiders and Ducks are considered two of the wealthiest NIL programs in the country. Thus, it is no surprise they are the new schools on Koi’s radar.

Still, it’s a bit surprising to see Perich visiting other schools like this. Many insiders believed just last week that he was as good as gone to Miami, to reunite with Hetherman — something our own Ted Schwerzler found out doing his own digging, as well.

Looking forward, Minnesota has already secured the best high school recruiting class in program history. And now, Fleck and his staff are trying to build through the transfer portal, in order to immediately fill holes throughout the roster.

College football recruiting has evolved far beyond home visits and signing days. With the NIL (name, image, and likeness) in full motion, “student athlete” no longer means what it once did.

Minnesota Gophers win some, lose some in 2026 transfer portal

In 2026, if you want to bring in talent, you have to pay for it. If you have money, anything is possible. Just ask Indiana. If you don’t, you will become a minor league system for schools that do.

Where do the Minnesota Gophers currently stand in the NIL pecking order? They are somewhere in between.

We’ve seen PJ Fleck lose a handful of starters from 2025, during this portal cycle, but he’s been able to hang onto most of their most important pieces, in part thanks to a new NIL program sponsored by Cub Foods.

Out of the portal, Minnesota is adding a mixed bag of overachievers from lower level programs and former top recruits who have underachieved and washed out of powerhouse programs, including Tennessee and Auburn.

2026 Gopher Football transfer portal additions

Below is a look at all of the players Minnesota has added through the transfer portal for 2026 so far, along with their portal rating (247Sports). Underneath that, are the outgoing transfers who have thrown their name into the portal.

This group features a mix of projected starters and key depth pieces. Drake Lindsey will remain under center for the Gophers, while Michael Merdinger appears poised to step into the primary backup quarterback role.

Darius Taylor has already confirmed his return to Dinkytown next season. The depth behind him remains a question mark, however.

A.J. Turner was an intriguing transfer last season but appeared in only three games due to injury. Purdue transfer Jaron Thomas should help stabilize and deepen the running back rotation.

On the defensive side, Naquan Crowder looks like an immediate starter with multiple interior defensive linemen departing. Perry Thompson arrives as a potential No. 1 wide receiver, addressing a major need in a young position group in need of veteran talent.

Minnesota’s 2026 Transfer Portal Departures

Safety Parker Knutson faces a significant jump in competition after transferring from the Division II level, but Koi Perich’s departure creates a clear opportunity for him to earn playing time right away.

Among the most notable departures for Minnesota are Koi Perich (S), Kenric Lanier II (WR), Cristian Driver (WR), Fame Ijeboi (RB), Malachai Coleman (WR), and Za’Quan Bryan (CB). The transfer portal window closes on January 16, with an extension to January 24 for players participating in the National Championship game.

Looking ahead, the Minnesota Gophers will open the 2026 season at home against Eastern Illinois on September 3. Fleck’s non-conference schedule also features Mississippi State on September 12 and Akron on September 19.

With a strong recruiting foundation already in place, the coming weeks in the portal will go a long way toward determining whether Minnesota can take the next step in 2026.

Minnesota Gophers land HUGE Tennessee transfer

PJ Fleck’s first transfer commitment of the day came via the SEC, (OT) Bennett Warren, who’s 247Sports page confirms was never considering Dinkytown when he left high school out of Sugar Land, TX two years ago as a 96-overall four-star football recruit.

That’s because back then, the 2024 top 100 national recruit and eventual University of Tennessee commit was dealing mostly with blue bloods that pay freak athletes like the 6’7″ 325 pound offensive tackle more money walking on campus than the Minnesota Gophers can pay most of their best players.

Tennessee signee Bennett Warren is a MOUNTAIN😳@adamgorney | @RivalsFriedman | @JohnGarcia_Jr | @gregsmithrivals | @RivalsCorey | @TennesseeRivals pic.twitter.com/P9EM3898jt

— Rivals High School (@RivalsHS) January 2, 2024

But even if the grass is technically “greener” out in Knoxville, it isn’t always kind to talented prospects that don’t immediately blossom into great power four college football players. And that appears to be the story with young Bennett Warren.

Bennett Warren struggled to find way at Tennessee

In his two seasons as a Volunteer, Warren played in 18 games, eight of which saw him take snaps on Tennessee’s offensive line. The rest were via special teams. In fact, Warren comes to Minnesota with just 116 snaps of underwhelming collegiate o-line experience (according to PFF).

During Bennett Warren’s true freshman season at Tennessee, the former four-star played in only four regular season games, which gives him three remaining seasons of college eligibility. He also played 3 snaps on special teams in the Vol’s bowl game that year, per PFF.

Can the Minnesota Gophers o-line coaches pull the talent out of Warren and put him back on a path to the NFL? The have plenty of evidence to show it’s possible and they need all the help they can get up front, on both sides of the ball.

Related: Gophers Get Full Commitment From Edge Rushing Group

Of course, they spent money bringing in help in the trenches last offseason too, and a lot of that went unused, after those transfer portal additions were either outplayed our injured for much of the season.

That’s not something PJ Fleck & Co can have happen again in 2026. Not if they want to climb back up the Big Ten rankings and flirt with the College Football Playoff.

So no matter how good PJ Fleck is at retaining talent, it’s impossible to keep ninety-plus 18-24 year-olds happy. And this offseason, the headlining transfer portal departure of homegrown superstar Koi Perich is a difficult one to digest.

Perich chose the Gophers over Florida State and, at the last second, Ohio State. Now, two years later — barring some sort of unforeseen change of heart — he is leaving.

Early Koi Perich pursuers revealed

So what lured Perich out of Dinkytown? Now twelve or so hours after the news was originally broken by ESPN insider Pete Thamel, we are starting to get some answers to why the Esko superstar wanted out.

According to MN Gopher football insider Ryan Burns (247Sports) the first is Ohio State, the same school Koi turned down in favor of the Gophers two years ago. The other is the University of Miami (FL), where Perich’s former coach at Minnesota, Corey Hetherman, is the defensive coordinator.

“What are the two schools I am watching closest, from the people I have talked to? It is Ohio State, who was his runner-up out of high school. I believe Caleb Downs is going to the NFL now. The other one is going to be Miami (FL), where Corey Hetherman was defensive coordinator in 2024 when Koi Perich led the Big Ten with interceptions in his defense.”

Ryan Burns – Gopher Gridiron Radio

Those are the only two schools talking to Koi Perich, that Burns has heard about so far. But he expects more blue bloods to come knocking now that his departure from Dinkytown is all but official.

Why is Perich leaving the Minnesota Gophers?

According to Burns, those around Koi are saying that his biggest reason for leaving is the desire to win a championship. But without a doubt, he’ll make more money wherever he ends up too.

Here’s what I will say. Do believe this decision to hit the portal is about chasing a National title? I do believe that is the biggest driving factor, I do. But the other [undeniable] factor is Koi Perich is going to make hella money.

Koi Perich is going to go get a hella bag. I get it, because I think all of the schools over the next 24, 72 to 96 hours, you’re going to see his name attached to all blue bloods [with money].

Ryan Burns – Gopher Gridiron Radio

Related: Another MN Gophers Starter Signed for 2026

Koi Perich isn’t the type of person who cares that Gopher football fans might be mad at him. He isn’t the classic PJ Fleck personality type, and he has made it very clear that he doesn’t even want to be playing football at the college level. He just wants to be in the NFL.

So, while it hurts that Perich is leaving, it’s not all that surprising to see him go. And now, as Burns also notes, the Golden Gophers have over $1 million in NIL funds that can be allocated away from safety and to other more pressing needs on the defensive roster — specifically on the interior defensive line.

But in 2025-26, they will take it to another level. Not only will they have a new head coach on the sideline — after Johnson was fired and replaced with Niko Medved shortly after the Golden Gophers were eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament, back in March — but there are only two freshman from last year remaining on this roster… along with nine new players out of the transfer portal.

Minnesota Gophers MBB get commitment from Cade Tyson (UNC)

And on Sunday, they got their latest transfer addition, and this one is tied for the highest-rated portal commit they have received yet this offseason. Cade Tyson is coming to Dinkytown from the University of North Carolina, where the 6’7″ sharpshooting wing averaged 2.6 points and 1.1 rebounds, in just 7.9 minutes per game during his one season as a Tar Heel.

One more thing @GopherMBB fans… pic.twitter.com/YX9dbD6jZD

— DinkytownAthletes (@DTAthletes) June 1, 2025

Good morning. Get your Sunday started with all 5 threes from Cade Tyson yesterday. pic.twitter.com/fownsAq90G

— Jacob Rhymer (@Rhymetime05) December 15, 2024

But Tyson isn’t new to college basketball. Prior to arriving at Chapel Hill, the 91-rated four-star small forward (according to 247Sports) played two seasons at Belmont, where he averaged 30.4 minutes per game between his freshman and sophomore seasons.

Related: Ben Johnson was the NIL Problem for Gophers Men’s Basketball

As a senior for the Bruins in 2023-24, Tyson put up 16.2 points per game, second most on his team. He also led Belmont in rebounds, at 5.9 per game. He also averaged 13.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game as a freshman.

Big time portal grab for Hubert Davis and UNC. Cade Tyson is a long, elite shooter and can score off the bounce

Could not be more excited for what he will bring to Chapel Hill next season. pic.twitter.com/aDoQ0ee95L

— Jacob Rhymer (@Rhymetime05) April 28, 2024

But when Cade — who is from Monroe, North Carolina — got an opportunity to go home, he jumped on it. Unfortunately, he was not able to make as big of an impact as he had hoped, while playing for his hometown UNC. Even after a down year, Tyson was contacted by Kentucky, Iowa, Clemson, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Purdue, BYU and Virginia Tech, according to Ryan James (247Sports).

In his career, Cade Tyson is a 43% three point shooter (48.3% FG). Last season, as a member of the Tar Heels, he shot just 40% from the field and 29% from deep. Coming to Minnesota as a senior, Tyson hopes to get back to the sharpshooter he was at Belmont.

Medved came into the weekend with seven transfers already committed for next season — a group highlighted by PG Chansey Willis Jr (W. Michigan) and Bobby Durkin (Davidson). Minnesota also added one 2025 high school commit — 6’5″ three-star shooting guard Kai Shinholster, out of Philadelphia.

But of course, Niko has all sorts of work still to do, both for next season and beyond. That’s the life of a freshly hired college basketball coach in the transfer portal + NIL era. And this weekend, he added depth to this year’s team, while taking a major step forward for Minnesota’s roster of the future.

Minnesota Gophers land East Ridge guard, Cedric Tomes

Niko Medved and his new staff had their greatest success this weekend on the local high school recruiting trail. One day after reeling in Chance Stephens out of the portal (more on him momentarily), the Minnesota Gophers received a commitment from East Ridge (MN) High School point guard, Cedric Tomes.

Staying home〽️. #blessed @D1MN2026 @ERRaptorsBB @Blessed2Coach @KingMuhneyy12 @Muhneyy_Kev pic.twitter.com/dq8TYnJirl

— Cedric Tomes (@CedricTomes) May 10, 2025

The 6’0″ 3-star point guard out of St. Paul (85 overall rating by 247Sports.com) is the first verbal commit of the Golden Gophers’ 2026 class (seniors next year). He’s also Niko Medved’s first high school commit from the state of Minnesota, where the head coach was also born and raised, before he too attended the U of M.

Cedric Tomes — who averaged over 27.3 points per game and shot 40% from beyond the arc — is a high-volume shooter point guard, who he sees the floor well. He will kill you from deep all day if you let him. But make the mistake of getting too close, and he has no problems taking you to the hole.

Tomes is smooth with the ball in his hands and finds open teammates when the defense collapses down on him. He reminds me of… former Golden Gophers PG Marcus Carr, who carried Minnesota for two seasons under Richard Pitino, before moving on and making a couple of NCAA tournament runs at Texas.

Cedric Tomes owns (single-game) school records at East Ridge for FG made (17), FG attempts (29), points (41), 3PT made (9), 3PT attempts (15) and single-season records for points (735) FG attempts (587), 3PT attempts (253) and free throws made (186).

Related: Multiple Fights Break Out at Over-Crowded MN Prep Hoops Event in Eden Prairie

How was Tomes involved in that prep hoops fight over the weekend in Eden Prairie?

Cedric currently plays for D1 Minnesota, in the Prep Hoops AAU Circuit, where he is a featured starter on their team. Over the weekend, he showed off some of his elite talent in front of an over-packed crowd at Eden Prairie high school, where he hit a buzzer-beating three pointer that put D1 Minnesota on top at halftime.

Minnesota committed Cedric Tomes with the buzzer beater just before half one@adidasD1MN @PHCircuit #PHBATL pic.twitter.com/nGVHMRgOXF

— Ryan James (@RyanJamesMN) May 10, 2025

Cedric Tomes to Jack Thelen. @PHCircuit #PHbatl pic.twitter.com/UyDiPcLo8u

— Ryan James (@RyanJamesMN) May 10, 2025

The game never finished, after multiple fights broke out in the crowd during the second half, a situation that quickly escalated into mass chaos that needed over 100 police officers and a helicopter to get control of. The Battle of the Lakes Prop Hoops tournament, which was scheduled into Sunday, was cancelled.

Tomes attends the same high school (East Ridge) that Ben Carlson went to and set records at, before the 2020 HS grad played four years of division one basketball for Wisconsin (2 yrs) and Utah (2 yrs).

Tomes chose his home state Gophers over early offers from Iowa State and UNI. Without a doubt, Nike will have to work to fight off bigger schools for the next year, before National Letters of Intent are signed.

Niko Medved, Gophers add Maryland transfer Chance Stephens

On Friday, the Minnesota Gophers got their eighth transfer portal commitment of Medved’s 3-month Gophers head coaching tenure, former Maryland guard, Chance Stephens. The 6’3″ shooting guard spent two years at Maryland, after transferring from LMU in between his true freshman and sophomore seasons.

.@sniperstephens3 is a Gopher‼️〽️

Release: https://t.co/jInIA7xjYu pic.twitter.com/1U950PbO5b

— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) May 9, 2025

When Chance Stephens — who was a two star recruit out of high school — left Loyola Marymount after the 2022-23 season, he was graded as a three-star (87 overall) transfer portal prospect. Two years later, he has yet to receive his portal ranking, but I can’t imagine it will be that high anymore.

Related: Homegrown Former Gopher Commits to… Wisconsin

Stephens logged four to eight minutes in Maryland’s first three games of the 2024-25 season, topping out at 11 minutes against Florida A&M on November 11. He got limited playing time in three more games between November 27 and December 4… then never touched the floor again all season.

What are the Minnesota Gophers getting in Stephens?

As a freshman at Loyola Marymount, Stephens played 17.3 minutes per game, averaging 6 points, 1 rebound and 0.5 assists, in 28 games, shooting 37% from deep. Unfortunately, the Riverside, CA native tore his a patellar tendon just a couple weeks into 2023-24 Terps camp, which forced him to miss that entire season.

Chance Stephens – Minnesota Transfer

The 6'3 shooting guard averaged 6.0 points and 1.0 rebounds during his freshman year at Loyola Marymount in 2023

Stephens can be one of the best shooters in the Big Ten. He shot 37.4% from 3 at LMU and was hurt the next season at Maryland pic.twitter.com/laUEiAFb0o

— Joe Jackson (@joejacksonCBB) May 9, 2025

Unfortunately, by the time he returned from the injury that cost him the entire season prior, Chance wasn’t who the Terps were hoping he’d be. But now, he’ll come to Minnesota with one final opportunity to prove he is a power four talent. We’ll see if he can make the most of it.

There is plenty of returning talent for next year’s Golden Gophers, but there’s been plenty of turnover this offseason, too. On offense, they’re making changes yet again at the most important position in all of sports, quarterback.

Out is Max Brosmer, who’s hoping to hear his name called this weekend during the 2025 NFL Draft. Talented true junior Drake Lindsey is Max’s expected replacement, after Georgia Tech transfer Zach Pyron re-entered the portal last week.

On defense, not only are the Minnesota Gophers trying to find replacements for previous staples on the front seven like (DL) Jah Joyner, (LB) Cody Lindenberg and (DL) Danny Striggow, but they’re also deploying a new defensive coordinator, Danny Collins, for the second-straight season.

Mo Omonode sticks in Big Ten and lands with Minnesota Gophers

Thus, PJ Fleck and his staff were on the transfer portal hunt for more talent up front. On Tuesday, they found some in Purdue soon-to-be senior defensive tackle Mo Omonode, who currently has one year of eligibility remaining.

In his three seasons as a Boilermaker, Omonode operated as a rotational nose tackle, and produced some impressive PFF grades (see below). In other words, he’s exactly what the Minnesota Gophers defense was looking for.

RTB🚣🏾🚣🏾 pic.twitter.com/MCWPWqYKvW

— Mariere Omonode (@moomonode50) April 22, 2025

Mo Omonode played in in 33 games during his career with the Purdue Boilermakers, where the Indiana native racked up 32 total tackles and 3.5 sacks. More impressive are his PFF grades. Last season, Omonode posted a 71.6 PFF grade, which was actually down from the 80.2 mark he earned as a sophomore.

Kevin Kane, the former Purdue defensive coordinator, is now part of Fleck’s staff in Minnesota, which explains part of this move. The expectation should be that Omonode immediately works in with the MN Gophers returning DL talent, including Anthony Smith, Deven Eastern, Jaxon Howard, Lucas Finnessy and Jalen Logan-Redding. Another transfer, Rushawn Lawrence, will also be a part of that mix.

MN Gophers defense to have plenty of familiarity

P.J. Fleck lost five total starters from the Minnesota Gophers defense last season — Jah Joyner, Danny Striggow, Cody Lindenberg, Justin Walley, and Ethan Robinson — who are all looking for NFL jobs this offseason. Of course, the most exciting part of the defense remains sophomore Koi Perich.

Related: Koi Perich Playing Offense and Defense for Gophers?

He’s going to factor in on both sides of the ball this season, and that could make him among the most dynamic players in college football. As a true freshman he picked off a conference-leading five passes and recorded 46 tackles. The Minnesota Gophers have already kicked off their spring practices. They open the season on August 28 against Buffalo at Huntington Bank Stadium.