The Big Ten's breakout star nearly committed to the Gophers

Identifying talent was never Ben Johnson's biggest weakness as Minnesota's head coach.

Keaton Wagler on his official visit to Minnesota. | Picture via: @KeatonW34 (X)

Illinois true freshman guard Keaton Wagler has been one of the biggest surprise players in the Big Ten this season, and he continues to shoot up NBA Draft boards. He nearly committed to Minnesota as a high school recruit.

The Fighting Illini had a busy offseason, signing top players in the transfer portal such as Andrej Stojakovic and Zvonimir Ivisic. With veteran guard Kylan Boswell back for another season, nobody thought a true freshman would lead the team in scoring.

Hailing from the Shawnee, Kansas area, Wagler wasn't even that highly touted of a high school prospect. Standing at 6-foot-6, the 247Sports Composite rated him the 261st-best player in the class of 2025, and the No. 4 player in Kansas. He has shattered those expectations through 13 games.

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Wagler is averaging 15.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game this season on 46.0% shooting from the field, 42.2% from three-point range and 82.4% from the free-throw line. He has started every single game for Illinois, but he nearly signed with Minnesota.

Dec 29, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) and teammate Kylan Boswell (4) react in the closing minutes of the second half against the Southern University Jaguars at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Ben Johnson and the previous Gophers' coaching staff offered Wagler a scholarship on August 22, 2024, which was the same day as Illinois. He even took an official visit to Minnesota on September 7, 2024, before checking out Champaign, and committing to the Fighting Illini a few weeks later. He was seriously considering Johnson and the Gophers.

Before the Gophers and Illinois even got involved in his recruitment, current Minnesota head coach Niko Medved offered Wagler a scholarship on July 23, 2024, and he eventually took an official visit to Fort Collins, Colorado, as well.

What does this mean? It means talent evaluation was never Johnson's main issue as head coach of the Gophers, and it's certainly not Medved and the current staff's issue either. Now, closing the deal and getting that talent to the Twin Cities, and then even staying there, is a different story.

The Fighting Illini are 10-3 and currently ranked 20th in the country. Wagler is working his way into NBA Draft lottery discussions. The latest big board from ESPN had him as the 21st-best prospect. Medved and the Gophers will play in Champaign on Saturday, Jan. 17. Wagler's story is another one that's fun to hypothesize about how different it would look if he would've committed to the Gophers.