Why Grayson Grove's Return Gives Minnesota Flexibility Heading into 2026-27

Gophers forward Grayson Grove will officially return to the program for the 2026-27 season, according to a post on X from the school's official NIL collective Dinkytown Athletes on Monday.

💣🔥〽️Grayson Grove will be Back in the Barn for 2026-27 season〽️🔥💣

Northland Ford Dealers - Proud sponsor of Gopher Athletics. pic.twitter.com/vFM2PUufwC
— DinkytownAthletes (@DTAthletes) March 30, 2026

Grove was one of two players to stick with the program through last year's coaching change, alongside Isaac Asuma. He will now return to the program for a third season after finding his groove as a redshirt freshman.

Injuries to Robert Vaihola, Nehemiah Turner and eventually Jaylen Crocker-Johnson thrust Grove into a starting role during the final stretch of the season. In 11 total starts, he averaged 6.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. It was clear that he began to find some serious confidence in the final stretch of the season, and he shot 55.6% from the field in those 11 games. He'll now have the opportunity to continue his development alongside Crocker-Johnson, who also announced his return on Monday.

Hailing from Alexandria, Minnesota, Grove was pretty unheralded as a high school prospect, and he signed with the Gophers over top offers from Niko Medved's Colorado State squad, St. Thomas and Illinois State, among others. He took a redshirt in his first college season in 2023-24.

Grove was a bit of an unknown heading into the 2025-26 season. At 6-foot-9, he was a bit undersized to be a true center and a bit of a tweener as a true four. With all of Minnesota's frontcourt portal additions in the transfer protal, he didn't really have a clear path to playing time. He showcased his versatility as a defender and a facilitator from the frontcourt position as one of Minnesota's most improved players.

In Medved's ideal world, Grove is probably not a starter in 2026-27, but his return will give them serious flexibility for how they plan to build their frontcourt. He's a homegrown talent who has shown that he can take on multiple different roles. It's challenging to find a player on the open market who would be comfortable with a potential backup role, and it's hard to imagine that Grove doesn't trust whatever plan Medved and his staff have for his development.

Minnesota now has Crocker-Johnson, who's a proven option as a starter, and Grove, who could be a great option off the bench. They now need to decide if they want Crocker-Johnson at the four or five. Do they look to bring back Robert Vaihola as a potential center? Or look for a proven option on the open market? Grove's return raises their floor to a pretty comfortable level in the frontcourt heading into 2026-27.

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