SEC transfer RB removed from Gophers' roster

Johann Cardenas no longer appears on Minnesota's roster, despite practicing as recently as Saturday.

Vanderbilt running back Johann Cardenas (34) runs during the Vanderbilt Football Black and Gold Spring Game at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, April 12, 2025. | © Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Vanderbilt transfer running back Johann Cardenas was one of Minnesota latest additions from the spring transfer portal window in April. He was practicing with the Gophers as recently as Saturday, but he was not at practice Tuesday, and he's no longer listed on the online roster, or the sheet handed out by the team to media at practice.

Listed at 6-foot, 215 pounds, Cardenas redshirted his lone season with the Commodores in 2024. He was a heralded high school prospect from Katy, Texas, and an intriguing addition to Minnesota's RB room. He was a three-star recruit and the 506th-best recruit in the country according to the final 247Sports Composite.

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Cardenas was firmly behind Darius Taylor, A.J. Turner and Cameron Davis on Minnesota's RB depth chart, but he had four years of eligibility left, and he was set to compete with the younger players on the roster for a future role.

There has been no reason revealed for Cardenas' removal from Minnesota's roster. The Gophers will now look ahead with Fame Ijeboi, Trey Berry, Xavier Ford and Grant Washington as the only underclassmen running backs on their roster.

This is a developing story.