Gophers starting big man to reportedly undergo season-ending knee surgery

Minnesota is expected to lose another starter for the rest of the season.

Nov 8, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Robert Vaihola (22) looks to shoot as Alcorn State Braves forward William Henderson (6) defends during the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Starting Gophers big man Robert Vaihola is set to undergo knee surgery and miss the remainder of the season, according to a report from Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press on Wednesday.

News: #Gophers starting center Robert Vaihola will have knee surgery on Friday and is expected to miss the rest of the season, @PioneerPress learned Wednesday.

Context: The San Jose St. transfer has not played since Nov. 18, when he aggravated that knee issue.

— Andy Greder (@andygreder) December 31, 2025

This season is Vaihola's first at Minnesota after trasnferring in from San Jose State in the offseason. He has not played since Nov. 18, and his season is now over after only five games.

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Vaihola started the first five games of the season for Minnesota in the frontcourt alongside Jaylen Crocker-Johnson. Standing at 6-foot-8, he was the team's primary center, and he averaged 5.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 21.4 minutes per game.

Vaihola joins Chansey Willis Jr. as the second starter from Minnesota's early part of the season to suffer a season-ending injury. The Gophers will now lean on Crocker-Johnson, Grayson Grove and Nehemiah Turner as their primary frontcourt players.

With only five games played, there is a chance Vaihola could apply for a medical redshirt, but the 2025-26 season would've been his fourth at the collegiate level. The Gophers are set for their first Big Ten game of 2026 on Saturday against Northwestern.