Many of you have been asking for a comprehensive Gophers offseason tracker. Moving forward, I will update this post when new additions are made. Simply check back or refresh! Also, you can read my analysis by clicking on the links within each section.
Scholarship Players in the Portal (8) – the links in this section take you to each player’s public announcement:
QB Athan Kaliakmanis (Committed to Rutgers)
QB Drew Viotto (Committed to Eastern Michigan)
RB Marquese Williams (Committed to Akron)
OT JJ Guedet (Committed to Illinois State)
WR Dino Kaliakmanis (Committed to Rutgers)
RB Zach Evans (Committed to North Texas)
OL Tyrell Lawrence (Committed to Alabama A&M)
Walk-Ons Planning to Enter the Portal (5):
RB Max Grand (Committed to Augustana)
WR Zach Jorgensen (Committed to Northern State)
Incoming Transfer Portal Commitments (7):
New Hampshire QB Max Brosmer. You can read all about Brosmer’s skill set in my new breakdown.
Bucknell CB Ethan Robinson. You can read about Robinson here.
TCU transfer CB Jaionte McMillan. Read more about his versatile skill set.
Ohio RB Sieh Bangura. Read more here.
Penn State WR Cristian Driver. Learn more about him here.
Oklahoma RB Marcus Major. Click here for insight.
Emporia State WR Jaylen Varner. Full insight is available here.
Portal De-Commits (5):
Florida International DT Jordan Guerad committed to the Gophers on Dec. 10, but de-committed on Dec. 16. Shortly after announcing this on Twiter, he committed to Louisville.
A week after committing to the Gophers, Indiana RB Trent Howland withdrew from the transfer portal. He will remain with the Hoosiers in 2024.
Navarro College EDGE Eddy Toussom, who committed to the Gophers on Dec. 10, flipped his commitment to UAB on Dec. 20.
Central Michigan DL Quindario Lee committed to the Gophers on Dec. 20, but re-opened his on Jan. 4. Read more here.
Fresno State QB Logan Fife committed on Dec. 17, but flipped his commitment on Jan. 7.
Areas of the Roster That Could Still be Targeted:
Click here for offense (these positions were addressed)
Click here for defense (still future upgrade opportunities here)
Talent Retained:
Running back Darius Taylor announced he is returning to the Gophers for the 2024 season. You can read his announcement by clicking here. In the current college football landscape, retaining players is an extremely important component of roster building. You construct your young, dynamic talent core and invest in their future development. Then, the portal can be used to fill in gaps and add depth.
I put together this piece that shows you which players announced 2024 NIL deals with Dinkytown Athletes. Read it here.
Coaches Leaving (2): Joe Rossi will become Michigan State’s new defensive coordinator, per Pete Thamel of ESPN. We will see how head coach P.J. Fleck approaches this new opening. Nick Monroe and Danny Collins are potential internal options. You can read about a few of my favorite external defensive coordinators by clicking here.
Special teams coordinator Rob Wenger is stepping down as special teams coordinator, according to a report by Football Scoop.
Coaches Hired (2):
P.J. Fleck hired Syracuse assistant Bob Ligashesky as Minnesota’s new special teams coordinator. You can read about Ligashesky’s background here.
P.J. Fleck hired Rutgers linebackers coach Corey Hetherman as the Gophers’ new defensive coordinator. Learn all about Hetherman’s coaching journey by checking out this article.
Also, click here to read my article on all of Fleck’s coaching staff hires and promotions.
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