With Cade Tyson signed, here's what the Gophers' depth chart could be in 2025-26

Reynolds, Asuma, Durkin, Tyson and Crocker-Johnson in the starting five?

Langston Reynolds | Minnesota Gophers

The first roster under head coach Niko Medved at the University of Minnesota is coming together and it appears that he's put together a deep team with experienced players who can create off the dribble and shoot the three.

The latest addition came Sunday with the commitment of 6-foot-7 wing Cade Tyson. Tyson played sparingly at North Carolina last season, but he led the nation by connecting on 46.5% of his three-pointers while playing for Belmont in 2023-24 — and he did that on 5.5 attempts per game.

Based on the look of the roster, it appears that Medved could be planning to play four players who qualify as point guards or combo guards, three players who can play shooting guard or forward, and then two or three guys who are built to play in the post but can also stretch the floor. Overall, there's a lot of flexibility and depth for Medved to play with.

The guards: Willis Jr., Asuma, Reynolds and Stephens

• Chansey Willis Jr.: 16.8 points, 5.8 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 42.4/28.4/72.4
• Isaac Asuma: 5.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 43.7/35.7/63.6
• Langston Reynolds: 16.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 59.3/40.9/66.9
• Chance Stephens: Limited to 7 games at Maryland last season

Asuma was Medved's first priority when he was hired as head coach, and it's a good bet that the hometown guard will play big minutes as a true sophomore. Willis Jr. was outstanding at Western Michigan last season, but Reynolds was even better at Northern Colorado. Stephens is a wild card, having played only seven games due to injury last season.

Best guess: Reynolds and Asuma start while Willis Jr. provides the spark and ball-handling off the bench. All of them will play quality minutes. We're guessing Reynolds gets the start over Willis due to his three-point shooting and size (he's 6-4 compared to Willis at 6-2).

The guard/forwards: Durkin, Omot and Tyson

• Bobby Durkin: 13.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 40.6/35.5/85.0
• Cade Tyson: 16.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 49.3/46.5/85.5
• B.J. Omot: 16.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 41.6/28.2/70.0

Durkin and Tyson are both 6-7 and Omot has a ton of length at 6-8. Durkin was really good at Davidson last season and he brings dynamic scoring skills and an ability to rebound. He also hits his free throws, which will be a sight for sore eyes in Minnesota. Tyson didn't play much at North Carolina last season, but he led the nation in three-point shooting (46.5%) at Belmont in 2023-24. Omot was a star at North Dakota before an injury limited him to four games last season at Cal.

Best guess: Two of the three will be in the starting lineup. It all depends on what Medved wants to do. If he wants more length and defense, he could go with Omot in the starting lineup. If he wants to maximize shooting and size, Durkin and Tyson would be the better duo.

The "bigs": Crocker-Johnson, Vaihola and Turner

• Jaylen Crocker-Johnson: 9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 49.1/35.4/75.9
• Robert Vaihola: 7.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 53.6/NA/64.3
• Nehemia Turner: 8.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 51.3/26.7/68.5

Crocker-Johnson is a lock to start after following Medved to Minnesota from Colorado State. He could blossom into a really good player in the Big Ten, using his ability to stretch the floor as a shooter, score in the paint and rebound at a high level to succeed. Medved raved about how tough Vaihola was on the glass at San Jose State, and Turner, per Medved, has a "high ceiling" as a 6-foot-10 big man.

Best guess: Crocker-Johnson starts, Vaihola is the first big off the bench and Turner's role grows with the season. Remember, Turner only has one year of college hoops under his belt (last season at Central Arkansas), so he still has three years to develop with the Gophers.

The others: Grove, Reader, Sheridan, Meister, Shinholster

We could be wrong about Grayson Grove since he chose to stick around through the coaching change and was one of Minnesota's top recruits in 2024, but it might be hard to crack the rotation as a redshirt freshman. Erick Reader, Max Sheridan and 2025 recruit Kai Shinholster all seem unlikely to play significant roles.

The depth chart

There isn't a true center on the 2025-26 roster unless Turner gets significant playing time, so our preview of the depth chart will feature two guards and three forwards in the starting lineup. We can see Medved playing eight guys routinely, perhaps nine if Turner is in the mix right away.

Position	Starter	Backup	Backup
Guard	Reynolds	Willis Jr.	Stephens	Sheridan
Guard	Asuma	Willis Jr.	Shinholster
Forward	Durkin	Omot	Grove
Forward	Tyson	Vaihola	Reader
Forward	Crocker-Johnson	Turner

We could also be completely wrong about this. Until then, this looks pretty good.