Aaliyah Crump Might Be Exactly What the Gophers Need in the Transfer Portal

Will Minnesota pursue a former Minnetonka High School star this offseason?

Feb 5, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Aaliyah Crump (23) between plays during the second half against the LSU Tigers at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

There have been numerous former Minnesota prep stars to enter the college basketball transfer portal this offseason, and Texas guard Aaliyah Crump could be a seamless fit into the Gophers system. The former Minnetonka High School star is looking for a new program, but will she consider a Minnesota homecoming?

Crump was an elite five-star recruit in the 2025 recruiting class. She was teammates with current Gophers forward Tori McKinney on the 2024 Minnetonka team, which won the Class AAAA state championship. She played her senior season of high school hoops at powerhouse program Montverde Academy in Florida.

Crump was offered a scholarship by the Gophers in 2021, and she even took a visit to the school. Texas is one of the top programs in the country, but Minnesota now has a Sweet 16 selling point towards any potential recruits.

Aaliyah Crump posting about her Gophers' scholarship offer on X. | Picture via: @crump_aaliyah (X)

From an off-court perspective, you can quickly talk yourself into why she might consider a return to the Twin Cities. She is seemingly friends with multiple players on the roster, and she valued the Gophers' interest as a high school prospect. For the sake of not going full-TMZ, you can also go the other direction. Based on social media posts, she appears to be in a relationship with Atlanta Hawks forward Asa Newell. It would be interesting to monitor whether or not that factors into her college decision.

From a basketball perspective, Crump might be the perfect target for Minnesota to add this offseason. At 6-foot-1, she has the ability to play on and off the ball in the backcourt. She averaged 3.6 assists per game as a senior at Montverde and 1.4 assists per game as a freshman at Texas. She'd be a fascinating backcourt partner for Mara Braun in 2026-27.

For any transfer portal addition this offseason, Minnesota will need to ask itself how much it trusts incoming freshmen stars Tori Oehlrein and Natalie Kussow. There's plenty of reason to think both players could contribute early in their college careers. The Gophers will need to decide if they want that to happen in the starting lineup or off the bench.

Crump is a high-profile transfer, so she would likely garner a spot in the starting lineup. She also has three years of eligibility remaining. She could regain her confidence this season, and then become a potential No. 1 option in 2027-28 when Braun and Grace Grocholski run out of eligibility.

You can make the case for and against Crump's fit with the Gophers system. Her recruitment will be an interesting one to monitor this offseason.