New Transfer Addition Provides Minnesota With a Skill Set It Lacked Last Season

The Gophers landed their fifth transfer portal commitment of the offseason on Sunday night from Villanova guard Malachi Palmer. Listed at 6-foot-6, he will provide Minnesota with another versatile wing who has two years of college eligibility remaining.

PORTAL: Villanova transfer guard Malachi Palmer has committed to the Gophers.

Listed at 6-foot-6, averaged 4.6 points and 1.7 rebounds per game last season. Began his career at Maryland. https://t.co/hMDx3ZDtqg pic.twitter.com/JiM8D3MOva
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) May 4, 2026

Hailing from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Palmer was a three-star high school prospect in the class of 2024. He was rated as the 158th-best player in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite. He eventually signed with Maryland and head coach Kevin Willard, over notable top offers from Kansas, Houston and Illinois, among others.

Palmer played 8.5 minutes per game off the bench as a true freshman for the Terrapins in 22 contests. He had 10 points in a nonconference game against Canisius that season, and he finished the year averaging 1.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per game.

Nov 8, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins guard Malachi Palmer (7) looks on during the second half against the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Willard left College Park for Villanova, and Palmer followed him to Philadelphia. He saw a bigger role last season with the Wildcats, averaging 18.3 minutes per game in 33 contests, and he even started four games. He had six games with 10 or more points, most recently scoring 11 points in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Utah State. He finished the year with 4.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.

Palmer entered the transfer portal for the second straight offseason, and he chose to sign with Minnesota over some significant interest from West Virginia.

Fit with the Gophers

Minnesota filled its biggest needs with its first four additions from the transfer portal. You could already make a competitive starting lineup, so they didn't necessarily need to make a huge swing with their final two roster spots. Palmer fills a need for another versatile veteran wing who can probably defend 1 through 4, and consistently knock down threes.

He shot 35.9% from three last season on 2.4 attempts per game. He has been an above-average defender throughout his college career, which makes it easy to find a spot on any rotation in the country.

Palmer might not have the ceiling to crack the top six of Minnesota's rotation when fully healthy, but it's hard to imagine that he won't have a consistent role next season. Kyan Evans, Isaac Asuma, Bobby Durkin, Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, another big man with Malick Kordel or Grayson Grove, and Winters Grady, potentially off the bench, seem like they will be the main core of the rotation.

Palmer will likely compete with players like Nolan Groves, Kai Shinholster and Nolen Anderson for minutes next season. His addition to the roster doesn't completely alter Minnesota's outlook for the 2026-27 season, but he gives them another three-and-D veteran, which is something they desperately needed last season.

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