Ranking the last five Gophers WR rooms: Is this year the most talented?

Gophers wide receiver Le'Meke Brockington is entering his fifth season after signing with the Gophers as a high school recruit in the class of 2021. Minnesota added three receivers from the transfer portal this offseason, but he's now a veteran presence at the position — and he has high expectations for the group heading into 2025.

“This is the most talented wide receiver room we’ve ever had, probably the most experienced, most versatile" he said at Minnesota's internal media day Wednesday. "I think these guys right here are probably some of the hardest workers. We love being around each other. Even outside of football, we love hanging out with each other. It's something special."

“This is the most talented WR room we’ve ever had.”

Lemeke Brockington’s full media availability at the Gophers internal media days today. pic.twitter.com/26WaF72baQ
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) July 16, 2025

It's fair to assume Brockington was reffering to the five years he has been with the program, so it gave us a perfect opportunity to look deeper at his claim. Let's rank the last five Gophers WR rooms.

5. 2021

Chris Autman-Bell: 36 receptions, 506 yards, 6 TDs
Michael Brown-Stephens: 23 receptions, 392 yards, 1 TD
Dylan Wright: 18 receptions, 365 yards, 2 TDs
Brady Boyd: 2 receptions, 18 yards

Related: Darius Taylor excited to play with 'twitchy' Marshall transfer A.J. Turner

The Gophers seriously struggled to pass the ball in 2021, with just over 2,100 total yards for the season. Brockington redshirted that season, and Minnesota badly missed someone with his big-play ability.

big gap

4. 2022

Daniel Jackson: 37 receptions, 557 yards, 5 TDs
Michael Brown-Stephens: 22 receptions, 338 yards, 0 TDs
Dylan Wright: 17 receptions, 280 yards, 1 TD
Chris Autman-Bell: 11 receptions, 214 yards, 1 TD
Le'Meke Brockington: 11 receptions, 203 yards, 1 TD

Jackson emerged as a true No. 1 option in 2022, and Minnesota went five deep at the position. Their biggest issue was that four players were fighting for the No. 2 role, and nobody seemed to take it. They were missing some consistency.

3. 2024

Daniel Jackson: 75 receptions, 863 yards, 4 TDs
Elijah Spencer: 52 receptions, 684 yards, 6 TDs
Le'Meke Brockington: 18 receptions, 282 yards, 1 TD
Cristian Driver: 7 receptions, 49 yards, 1 TD

Jackson's 2024 season was the best from a Gophers wideout since 2019. It was also the first time Minnesota had established No. 2 and No. 3 options since that season. Everything seemed to fall into place after a slow start.

2. 2023

Daniel Jackson: 59 receptions, 831 yards, 8 TDs
Corey Crooms Jr.: 28 receptions, 376 yards, 0 TDs
Chris Autman-Bell: 6 receptions, 88 yards, 1 TD
Le'Meke Brockington: 5 receptions, 73 yards, 1 TD
Elijah Spencer: 9 receptions, 65 yards, 3 TDs

Many people might rank 2024's crew higher, but I am not letting shaky QB play hurt my view on the 2023 group. Jackson was still a true No. 1, Crooms was an underrated No. 2, and they went five deep with Autman-Bell, Brockington and Spencer.

**1. 2025 *('24 stats)**

Javon Tracy: 57 receptions, 818 yards, 7 TDs
Logan Loya: 29 receptions, 348 yards, 4 TDs
Le'Meke Brockington: 18 receptions, 282 yards, 1 TD
Cristian Driver: 7 receptions, 49 yards, 1 TD
Malachi Coleman: n/a

With three incoming transfers, there are a lot of unknowns about Minnesota's receiver room, but on paper, it certainly has the potential to be one of their best since 2021.

Transitioning from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) to the Big Ten isn't easy, but Tracy has a chance to be a true No. 1, Loya has great No. 2 potential, and Brockington is a big play waiting to happen. From a depth perspective, Driver, Coleman and young players like Kenric Lanier II and Nuke Hayes make this group easily the deepest they've had since 2019.

Brockington's quote is a fun headline, but if you look deeper, he might not be that far off. Minnesota's offense has a lot of moving parts, but they have plenty of talent at wide receiver heading into 2025.