The Gophers' latest roster retention could be one of their most important in 2026

Minnesota will have one of its most promising young defenders back for another season.

Dec 26, 2025; Phoenix, AZ, USA; New Mexico Lobos running back Damon Bankston (1) is tackled by Minnesota Gophers linebacker Emmanuel Karmo (2) and defensive back Koi Perich (3) during the first half of the Rate Bowl at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Gophers' official NIL collective Dinkytown Athletes confirmed on Monday that freshman linebacker Emmanuel Karmo will be back for another season in 2026. It could be one of their most significant roster retentions of the offseason, and here's why.

🔒 👇 Defense 🔒👇

🏈 〽️ @EmmanuelKarmo28 Will Be Back in 2026 〽️🏈@cubfoods is a proud sponsor of Gopher Athletics pic.twitter.com/xNmJtzqybT

— DinkytownAthletes (@DTAthletes) January 5, 2026

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Karmo was the consensus No. 1-ranked high school recruit in Minnesota in the 2025 cycle. He signed with his hometown Gophers of numerous top programs such as Ohio State, Oregon and USC, among others. The Robbinsdale Cooper product was a four-star prospect and the 336th-best player in the entire country according to the 247Sports Composite.

Listed at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, Karmo quickly established himself as a difference maker in the Big Ten as a true freshman. He played 222 total snaps in 2025, with 57% of his defensive snaps coming at inside linebacker and 39.7% coming from an edge position. He finished the year with 14 total tackles, nine quarterback pressures, two pass breakups and one sack.

With second-leading-tackler Devon Williams out of eligibility, Minnesota is looking for an inside linebacker to fill in alongside Maverick Baranowski in 2026. Karmo now leads a group of options for the starting role alongside Matt Kingsbury, Joey Gerlach, Mason Carrier and recent Eastern Michigan transfer portal commit Andrew Marshall. Karmo has the highest ceiling out of any player in that group.

Minnesota has seen do-it-all safety Koi Perich reveal his intentions to enter the transfer portal, but top players such as Anthony Smith, John Nestor and Baranowski will all return to the defense in 2026. Karmo doesn't have the same level of production at the college level as the aforementioned group, but he's the type of player who could unlock a new level for Minnesota's defense in 2026.

The Gophers had to fend off top programs to sign Karmo out of high school, and they likely had to do it again in order to convince him not to enter the transfer portal this offseason. Minnesota has seen breakout freshmen such as Bucky Irving, Phillip Daniels and Fame Ijeboi leave in the modern transfer portal era, but they've now avoided a similar situation with Karmo.

Retention is arguably more important than transfer portal recruiting in modern college football roster construction, and retaining Karmo should be viewed as one of Minnesota's biggest wins this offseason. The Minnesota native is now a serious breakout candidate in 2026.