Injuries Opened the Door for Three Gophers Defenders This Spring

There were three Gophers who worked their way up the defensive depth chart this spring.

Dec 26, 2025; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers linebacker Nate Cleveland (53) against the New Mexico Lobos during the Rate Bowl at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Gophers' spring portion of the offseason wrapped up over the weekend with the Maroon-Gold spring game. A few minor injuries to some potential starters opened the door for some unknown players to emerge. Here are three defensive players whose stock rose the most this spring.

1. Nate Cleveland, LB

Dec 26, 2025; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers linebacker Nate Cleveland (53) against the New Mexico Lobos during the Rate Bowl at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Cleveland was a tremendous special teams player for the Gophers as a true freshman. He played 84 snaps and recorded a 67.6 overall grade, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). He appeared in eight games last season, so he will be a true sophomore in 2026. Maverick Baranowski, Emmanuel Karmo and Matt Kingsbury return as presumably the top three options at linebacker this season, but veteran Joey Gerlach is still recovering from a season-ending injury, which opened the door for a player like Cleveland to emerge.

Will Cleveland have a huge role in 2026? Probably not, but much like Kingsbury, who was ranked outside the top 1,200 nationally as a high school prospect, Cleveland has already proven that his 1,711th-ranking in the 247Sports Composite in the 2025 class was far too low. He had a game-high 10 tackles in the spring game, and it is clear that he will work his way onto the field sooner rather than later.

2. Naquan Crowder, DL

Crowder was the 10th-ranked prospect in Minnesota's 19-player transfer portal class, according to 247Sports. He began his college career at Division-II California University of Pennsylvania before spending last season at Marshall. The consensus No. 1 player in Minnesota's portal class, Xion Chapman, was notably sidelined for the majority of spring with a minor injury. That opened the door for Crowder and he took advantage.

The 6-foot-1 defensive tackle had three total tackles in the spring game, and he looked like the most disruptive player along the interior all spring. Minnesota also added its Marshall teammate Sid Kaba, but it looks like Crowder could be the most impactful addition at defensive tackle.

3. Parker Knutson, DB

Veteran defensive back Aidan Gousby seemed like an option to start for the Gophers at nickel cornerback this season after expanding his role to that position last fall. He was out for most of the spring with a minor injury, which opened the door for Knutson to establish himself after transferring in from Southwest Minnesota State.

Lehigh transfer safety Mekhai Smith was also sidelined in the spring game, but Knutson came up big with three total tackles and an interception. He has the versatility to play safety and nickel cornerback. His spring indicates that he will work his way onto the field in some capacity this fall.