Transfer portal tracker: Which Gophers are leaving? Notable entries and more

The transfer portal officially opened on Monday, March 24, and it will close on Tuesday, April 22. The Niko Medved era is underway, and the Gophers are busy. Scholarship players are leaving, some are coming back and Minnesota has already signed some transfers. Let's track all the craziness.

Gophers incoming

There are only two scholarship players returning to the Gophers, so Medved has plenty of flexibility with his first roster. Minnesota has been very busy adding commitments from six different plays, and they're likely not done yet.

Player	Position	Former Team	Eligibility
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson	forward	Colorado State	2 years
B.J. Omot	guard/forward	California	2 years
Bobby Durkin	forward	Davidson	2 years
Robert Vaihola	forward/center	San Jose State	1 year
Langston Reynolds	guard	Northern Colorado	1 year
Chansey Willis Jr.	guard	Western Michigan	2 years
Nehemiah Turner	forward	Central Arkansas	4 years

Gophers leaving

Minnesota had 10 players recognized on senior night, but six scholarship players had the opportunity to return. Four scholarship players have entered the portal and two have announced they will return.

Player	Position	Decision
Tyler Cochran	guard	Portal
Kadyn Betts	forward	Portal (Montana)
Frank Mitchell	forward	Portal (St. Bonaventure)
Isaac Asuma	guard	Returning
Brennan Rigsby	guard	Portal (Radford)
Grayson Grove	forward	Returning
Max Sheridan (walk-on)	guard	Portal
Mike Mitchell Jr.	guard	*Portal (pending waiver)
Trey Edmonds	center	*Portal (pending waiver)
Lu'Cye Patterson	guard	*Portal (pending waiver)
Femi Odukale	guard	*Portal (pending waiver)
Dawson Garcia	forward	*Portal (pending waiver)

Gophers' 2025 high school recruits

Medved took over the Gophers' 2025 high school recruiting class, which had three players signed on. Jacob Ross and Parker Jefferson have decommitted from the school, but Philadelphia combo guard Kai Shinholster will stay on board and play for the Gophers next season.

Player	Position	Decision
Parker Jefferson	forward	decomitted
Jacob Ross	forward/guard	decomitted
Kai Shinholster	guard	will remain committed

Notable entries across the country

Cade Tyson, F, North Carolina (interest)

Gophers chances: low

Tyson was among the most interesting transfers last off-season when he ranked second in the country in three-point percentage at Belmont. After one year at North Carolina, he's looking for a new home. The Gophers have reportedly reached out, but they will have a lot of competition.

Robert Smith, G, Delaware State (interest)

Gophers chances: low

Minnesota has reportedly reached out to second-team All-MEAC guard Robert Smith, but he still needs a waiver in order to be eligible next season. If he's playing college basketball next season, he could be an ideal backup two guard for Langston Reynolds.

Jacob Dar, G/F, Rice (interest)

Gophers chances: low

Dar would make a lot of sense as a depth piece for Minnesota's 2025-26 roster. At 6-foot-7, he averaged 7.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game last season for the Owls. With three years of eligibility remaining he could be a great backup forward for Minnesota.

Graydon Lemke, F, Gonzaga (interest)

Gophers chances: realistic

The Gophers have reached out to Lemke, but the chances that they actually sign a 6-foot-10 walk-on transfer from Gonzaga seems relatively low. He would be an intriguing developmental player for Medved and his staff.

Keshawn Williams, G, Colorado State

Gophers chances: realistic

Williams was one of only four Colorado State players to enter the transfer portal after Medved left for Minnesota. He was a former star at Northern Illinois before going to Fort Collins, he could be an interesting reserve guard option for the Gophers if he wants to keep playing for Medved.

Joshua Ola-Joseph, F, Cal

Gophers chances: realistic

Ola-Joseph is back in the transfer portal after spending one season at Cal playing for Mark Madsen. He held an offer from Medved's CSU Rams when he was coming out of high school, so I wouldn't completely rule out the possibility of a return to Minnesota. I have seen crazier things happen.

Kody Williams, G, Hawaii

Gophers chances: realistic

Williams is a former Wayzata High School standout. He averaged 7.0 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game last season with the Rainbow Warriors. He'll likely remain at the mid-major level, but he could be an interesting fourth guard for the Gophers.

Prince Aligbe, F, Seton Hall

Gophers chances: low

Aligbe was the forgotten star on Minehaha Academy's legendary teams led by Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren. After beginning his college career at Boston College, he will look for a new home after spending last season at Seton Hall. A jump down to the midmajor level seems like the most likely scenario.

Demarion Watson, F, Iowa State

Gophers chances: low

Watson led Totino Grace High School to its first Minnesota State Championship in 2022. He was recruited by the previous Gophers staff, but he was never able to catch on at Iowa State. It could make sense for him to drop down to the mid-major level.

Braeden Carrington, G, Tulsa

Gophers chances: low

After winning 2022 Minnesota Mr. Basketball at Park Center, Carrington wasn't able to find the same success with the Gophers. He's back in the transfer portal after one season at Tulsa and it will be interesting to see where/how his college career ends.

Casmir Chavis, G, Arkansas

Gophers chances: low

Chavis was a MN Mr. Basketball finalist in 2024 for Park Center High School. He was originially committed to Washington before flipping to Arkansas to play for John Calipari. Minnesota did not recruit him out of high school, but maybe the new staff gives him a look.

Notable commitments across the country

Terrence Brown, G, Fairleigh Dickinson (Utah)
Andrew Rohde, G, St. Thomas (Wisconsin)
Cam Heide, F, Purdue (Texas)
Kyan Evans, G, Colorado State (North Carolina)
Tre Holloman, G, Michigan State (NC State)
Isaiah Johnson-Arigu, F, Iowa (St. Thomas)
Kendall Blue, G, St. Thomas (Nebraska)
Pharrel Payne, F, Texas A&M (Maryland)
Boden Kapke, F, Butler (Boston College)
Wes Enis, G, Lincoln Memorial (USF)
Daniel Freitag, G, Wisconsin (Buffalo)
Treyson Eaglestaff, G/F, North Dakota (West Virginia)
Nolan Groves, G, Orono High School (Texas Tech)
Jadin Booth, G, Florida Southern (Samford)

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