Ranking the impact of every transfer portal addition Minnesota made last offseason

The Gophers' last transfer portal class struggled to meet expectations.

Nov 22, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers wide receiver Javon Tracy (11) runs in for a touchdown against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

Before the 2026 transfer portal officially opens, it's a great time to look back at Minnesota's 2025 cycle. They signed 22 players from the transfer portal, so let's rank them in terms of regular-season impact.

Serious Contributors

There were only 11 incoming transfers who played more than 100 snaps for Minnesota in the regular season. It's hard to rank any players who saw the field less than that, so we're going to split all 22 additions into three different categories.

• 1. John Nestor, CB

Nestor was pretty clearly Minnesota's top-performing transfer this season. He was their highest graded defensive player, per Pro Football Focus (PFF), and he had a team-high five interceptions. It's hard to imagine where their cornerback room would've been without him.

Sep 6, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back John Nestor (17) intercepts a pass against the Northwestern State Demons during the second quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

• 2. Tom Weston, P

Weston was an unknown addition from Division-II Ouachita Baptist. He was arguably an upgrade over longtime Gophers punter Mark Crawford, with a solid 42.8-yard average and 20 punts inside the 20.

• 3. Javon Tracy, WR

Minnesota presumably brought in Tracy to be its No. 1 wide receiver, and it's hard to argue that he wasn't at least a little underwhelming. With 35 catches for 439 yards and six touchdowns, he showed flashes throughout the year, and he'll have one more year of college eligibility to improve those numbers.

Sep 6, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers wide receiver Javon Tracy (11) catches a touchdown pass against the Northwestern State Demons during the second quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

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• 4. Dylan Ray, RT/RG

Ray was the most productive of the three portal offensive linemen for the Gophers. He started 10 games at right tackle and the other two at right guard. He ended the season with a 64.1 PFF grade.

• 5. Drew Biber, TE

Biber was an intra-conference transfer from Purdue, and he backed up Jameson Geers at the tight end position. He finished the season with 18 catches for 136 yards, and he filled the TE2 role well for Minnesota.

Nov 29, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers tight end Drew Biber (87) celebrates with Paul Bunyan’s Axe after the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

• 6. Marcellus Marshall, RG/LG

Marshall finished the season with the worst PFF grade on Minnesota's entire offense, out of players with at least 20 snaps. He started all 12 games, and he was supposed to be a stable veteran presence, but he was almost the exact opposite.

• 7. Rushawn Lawrence, DT

Lawrence played 273 defensive snaps on the Gophers' defensive line. He backed up Deven Eastern and Jalen Logan-Redding, and he provided some much-needed depth at a position that badly needed it.

Oct 17, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive lineman Rushawn Lawrence (16) tackles Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) during the second half at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

• 8. Brady Denaburg, K

Denaburg was relatively disappointing in his lone season as the Gophers' placekicker. He converted 14 of his 21 field goals. They will need more consistency from the position in 2026.

Sep 27, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers kicker Brady Denaburg (92) kicks a 26-yard field goal against Rutgers Scarlet Knights as punter Tom Weston (42) holds during the third quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nick Wosika-Imagn Images | Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

• 9. Cameron Davis, RB

Davis provided some solid veteran depth at the running back position, but not much more than that. Darius Taylor and A.J. Turner both went down with injuries, and redshirt freshman Fame Ijeboi took the lead-back role.

• 10. Malachi Coleman, WR

Coleman was one of the most highly-touted additions for the Gophers as a former top 100 high school recruit. He played only 37 snaps in the first seven weeks of the season, but he played 137 in the final seven. If he returns to Minnesota in 2026, his role could continue to blossom.

• 11. Logan Loya, WR

Loya came to Minnesota as a potential security blanket for Drake Lindsey, but he slowly fell down the depth chart. He finished the season with only 10 catches for 61 yards.

Injured/reserve players

Every player in this section either suffered a season-ending injury or logged fewer than 100 snaps on the season. Every player except Roberson has the option to return, but it's hard to differentiate their impact in 2025.

• A.J. Turner, RB

• Kahlee Tafai, OL

• Jeff Roberson, LB

• Jaden Ball, OL

• Jaylen Bowden, CB

• Mo Omonode, DL

Didn't play

Players like Pyron and Cardenas didn't even make it to Week 1 before leaving the team. Richter acted as the team's backup punter, while Curtis didn't see the field once, despite never publicly suffering an injury.

• Emmett Morehead, QB

• Brody Richter, P

• Zach Pyron, QB

• Johann Cardenas, RB

• Steven Curtis, DE