Spring football is rapidly approaching, with the Gophers set to begin football activities later this month.
Minnesota will have 17 high school early enrollees and 19 new transfers on campus for practice. The Gophers coaches are tasked with getting these players, particularly the transfers, up to speed quickly. They will also use the spring to learn what all of the players do best. Then, during the break between spring ball and fall camp, the coaches can adapt schemes around each athlete’s strengths.
The overall dynamic of spring ball is different this year since there is not a second portal window. Coaches have a clear understanding of their roster and aren’t concerned about players potentially transferring out. Many coaches are pleased with the elimination of the second window, but they aren’t considering (or acknowledging) one variable. In the past, if a spring practice evaluation revealed a weakness, teams could turn to the portal for reinforcements. For example, Minnesota added cornerback John Nestor last spring. Now teams don’t have that luxury – what’s on your current roster is what you have to work with in 2026.
The elimination of the spring portal places even greater emphasis on efficient and strategic roster building during the first window. Once the lone portal window closes, there are limited remedies available for patching potential personnel holes. At that point, creative coaching and rapid player development are your primary options.
As the Gophers prepare for spring ball, it is worth keeping an eye on several position group storylines. In part one of this multi-part series, here are two position groups you should watch closely:
The Right Side of the O-Line
There are several position groups worth monitoring during spring ball, but the offensive line stands out as one of the most important.
In recent season, Minnesota has invested heavy four-year recruiting resources into developmental offensive linemen. Now, it’s all about seeing physical and technical growth from many of those players.
Right guard Marcellus Marshall and right tackle Dylan Ray, who were brought in as one-year bridge starters, are both out of eligibility. This means the Gophers will be tasked with finding a pair of new starters on the right side. During the portal window, Minnesota added Tennessee transfer Bennett Warren, who will likely compete for the right tackle job. Warren was a highly-rated high school recruit, but only saw 116 snaps across two seasons with the Vols. Warren has long arms, good length and a wide body type. Minnesota will now work on refining Bennett’s physical traits by tuning up the technical components. We’ll get our first look at him during spring ball practices.
If Warren doesn’t win the job, who emerges? Is it someone like developmental tackle Daniel Shipp. The second-year high school tackle from California possesses a long frame and excellent movement skills. It just comes down to whether Shipp is ready from a physical and technical standpoint. Former Purdue transfer Jaden Ball could also see reps as Minnesota determines the best option throughout spring ball and training camp.
At right guard, one would anticipate Tony Nelson has a strong chance to earn the starting job. Nelson, a fifth-year player, saw action later in the season. Minnesota could also explore sliding Brett Carroll over to right guard. Carroll began his college journey playing center, but the team may see what he can do at right guard. If that’s the case, Ashton Beers would stay at center. Also, in the event nobody else emerges within the interior, Beers has the ability to slide over to right guard (with Carroll at center in that scenario). Minnesota offensive line coach Brian Callahan will be experimenting as he determines the best combination.
This offseason, player development is extremely important along the line of scrimmage. Minnesota needs several less experienced offensive linemen to take huge steps forward entering 2026. Who will those players be? We will find out between now and the season opener vs. Eastern Illinois.
New Faces in the Interior DL
This year, the Gophers are building their entire defensive tackle group from the ground up. It is essentially going to be like an HGTV television series titled, “Flip My Defensive Tackle Room.”
The Gophers are tasked with replacing 92 percent of their total 2025 defensive tackle snaps. Jalen Logan-Redding, Deven Eastern, Rushawn Lawrence and Nate Becker are all out of eligibility. That means Jaylin Hicks (82 snaps in 2025) and Riley Sunram (44 snaps) are the only returning defensive tackles who saw any snaps last year.
This offseason, Minnesota added three transfer defensive tackles – Xion Chapman (Florida International), Naquan Crowder (Marshall) and Sid Kaba (Marshall). Chapman had one year of solid productivity at the Group of 5 level and provides the most pass rushing juice of the three. Crowder is more of a space-eating nose tackle who can be impactful vs. the run. He will align over the nose for Minnesota. On the other hand, Sid Kaba, who played from wider shades on a rotational basis, is a pocket-pushing interior defensive lineman. All three of them played in stylistically different defensive schemes, so the coaches will be rapidly teaching them new defensive concepts during spring ball. Crowder and Kaba were in 3-3-5 structures, while Chapman played in a multi-front base 3-4 defense. I would guess Chapman and Crowder have the best chance of making an impact this year.
So, outside of the transfers, who else is returning that you should know about? Well, Jaylin Hicks saw a little action at three-technique defensive tackle last season. Hicks has a blend of twitch and length from the interior alignments. He simply needed to keep getting stronger. Riley Sunram also returns as a potential rotational nose tackle skill set. We’ll see where Sunram is at as he enters his third season around the program. Another wildcard player in the room is former Purdue transfer Mo Omonode. Before joining the Gophers, Omonode missed Purdue’s spring ball practices due to a back injury. Minnesota added him during last year’s spring portal window, but he wasn’t physically ready to contribute on the field. He is on the roster, which indicates he may give it a go in 2026.
Theo Randle is another player who could see rotational action if he develops. Randle, a fourth-year player, dealt with a season-ending injury during the 2025 season. He hasn’t emerged yet, but should have plenty of opportunties based on the depth chart being wide open.
Ultimately, I want to see each new defensive tackle in person. What do they look like from a physical and athletic standpoint? Also, how could they fit within the Gophers’ front structure? I have some ideas based on film study, but want to confirm those thoughts during spring ball. Looking ahead, Minnesota will need significant contributions from both transfers and young players at this position. Strong player development will be essential.
At the end of the day, the position groups mentioned in this article are extremely important. Winning the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball is an integral component of success. This year, Minnesota will be relying on strong player development and talent maximization to achieve that goal.
