Transfer portal: UCLA's Logan Loya has intriguing potential in Minnesota's WR room

The Gophers football team completely shook up its wide receiver room this offseason, adding three different players from the transfer portal. Javon Tracy from Miami-Ohio and Nebraska's Malachi Coleman have stolen all the headlines, but UCLA transfer Logan Loya could wind up being one of the most underrated additions of the entire offseason.

Many Gophers fans are drooling over the long-term potential of Tracy and Coleman, and rightfully so, but Loya will be the most experienced pass-catcher on the roster next season.

After starring at high school football powerhouse St. John Bosco in Bellflower, Calif., Loya was a consensus four-star recruit in the class of 2020, earning notable top offers from Oregon, Sourthern Cal and Nebraska. He opted to remain close to home and play for the Bruins.

He struggled to find the field in each of his first two years in Westwood, playing less than 75 snaps in both seasons. He then played 339 snaps as a redshirt sophomore in 2022, catching 18 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns.

His most productive collegiate season came as a redshirt junior in 2023 when he played a career-high 514 snaps. He caught 59 balls for 655 yards and five touchdowns, which are all career highs. His production fell off a little bit last season under first-year head coach DeShaun Foster as he finished the year with 29 receptions, 348 yards and four touchdowns.

Newest #Gophers WR Logan Loya (@LoganLoya17) made one of the craziest catches you will ever see in 2023… 🤯

He is now the most experienced WR on Minnesota’s roster.

pic.twitter.com/WX8LZCWh3x
— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) December 23, 2024

Listed at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, Loya played 51.5% of his 313 snaps last season from the slot position. That was a substantial decrease from the 94.5% of snaps he played from the slot in 2023. Since his best season came from almost exclusively the slot, you could imagine there's a good chance that's where he will line up for Minnesota.

Last season, Elijah Spencer was the Gophers' top slot option. He played 59.9% of his 590 snaps from that position. At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, he has a very different skillset than Loya, but Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck has reiterated that he plans to play to his players' strengths.

Recruiting sites like 247Sports and On3 view Loya as a notch below Tracy and Coleman on their transfer portal rankings. According to 247Sports, Coleman is the 35th-best transfer portal wide receiver; Tracy is 55th and Loya is 57th.

Spring practice will have a large impact in determining the pecking order of the top targets on Minnesota's roster, but Loya's experience playing power conference football gives him a leg up on the competition. He doesn't have the multiple years of eligibility like Tracy or elite traits like Coleman, but he has the potential to be a great option for the Gophers in his final season of college football.