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Gophers WR who was top recruit in '23 class enters transfer portal

Kenric Lanier II arrived in Minnesota with plenty of hype, but it didn't turn into much production.
Will Ragatz|
Kenric Lanier had a quiet three years at Minnesota.
Kenric Lanier had a quiet three years at Minnesota. | Gophers Athletics

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Minnesota Golden Gophers

Gophers wide receiver Kenric Lanier II is entering the transfer portal, according to a Thursday report from CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz. Lanier arrived on campus as one of the crown jewels of Minnesota's 2023 high school recruiting class, but the hype didn't turn into significant on-field production over the past three years.

A native of Decatur, GA, Lanier was the highest-rated signee in P.J. Fleck's '23 class, according to 247 Sports. He was one of two four-star recruits, along with offensive lineman Greg Johnson, and ranked just ahead of Darius Taylor and others. 247 had Lanier as a top-50 wide receiver in his class, although they were higher on him than consensus. The 6'1" receiver chose Minnesota over prominent offers from Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech.

Lanier redshirted in his first year on campus in 2023. He saw sporadic playing time as a redshirt freshman the following year, catching one pass for 17 yards against Rhode Island. And his playing time didn't take much of a leap this season. Lanier caught three passes for 79 yards, but two of them came in the blowout early-season win over Northwestern State. His only catch against an FBS opponent came with the Gophers down 31-0 against Iowa. On a week-to-week basis, he played only a handful of offensive snaps.

Lanier clearly has some talent and athleticism, but he wasn't able to carve out a major role over the last two seasons in a deep Gophers wide receiver room. He finished sixth in receptions among Minnesota WRs this season behind Le'Meke Brockington, Javon Tracy, Jalen Smith, Logan Loya, and Malachi Coleman. Brockington and Loya are out of eligibility, but the other three could return next season.

Lanier has two years of eligibility remaining. He could've remained at Minnesota and tried to earn a role as a late bloomer, but he appears to be choosing a fresh start and a change of scenery. It'll be interesting to see if he transfers to another power-conference program or if he moves down a level to a Group of 5 school.

A few different Gophers players have entered the transfer portal this week. In addition to Lanier, there's also WR Quentin Redding, OL Reese Tripp, and P Caleb McGrath. In this portal era of college football, others will inevitably join them.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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