Two realistic transfer portal wide receiver targets emerge for Minnesota

The Gophers are still looking to add their first wide receiver from the transfer portal this winter.

Nov 22, 2025; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Auburn Tigers wide receiver Perry Thompson (3) is tackled by Mercer Bears safety Juwan Johnson (13) during the second quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images | John Reed-Imagn Images

The Gophers have been busy in the transfer portal since it officially opened on Friday, with four additions and plenty more visitors. They're still looking to fill their biggest need, which is wide receiver. Here are two realistic targets they could be interested in this winter.

Perry Thompson, Auburn

Thompson is a player that Minnesota reportedly has its eye on, and he's followed by new wide receivers coach Isaac Fruechte on X. Listed at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, he was highly-touted in the 2024 high school recruiting class. He was a consensus four-star prospect, and the 247Sports Composite rated him as the 44th-best player in the entire country, the 11th-best wide receiver and the No. 5 player in Alabama.

Auburn Tigers wide receiver Perry Thompson (3) spins off a defender as Auburn Tigers take on Georgia Bulldogs at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. Georgia Bulldogs defeated Auburn Tigers 20-10. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Thompson immediately saw the field 100 times as a true freshman in 2024. He reeled in five catches for 126 yards and one touchdown. His role grew to 404 total snaps last season, and his production grew to 17 catches for 154 yards. He'll have two more years of eligibility remaining at his new program.

Thompson fits the mold of receivers that Minnesota has targeted in the transfer portal previously, such as Dylan Wright, Tyler Williams and Malachi Coleman; former four-star high school prospects who didn't live up to their full potential. He'd be an interesting fit in Minnesota's wide receiver room alongside Jalen Smith and Javon Tracy.

B.J. Fleming, North Dakota

Fleming is a player whom Fruechte already recruited from Northern Arizona to North Dakota before the 2025 season. After three seasons in Flagstaff, he finally broke out last season with 48 catches for 817 yards and seven touchdowns. Listed at 6-foot, 180 pounds, he did the majority of his damage as an outside receiver in Grand Forks.

With only four scholarship wide receivers set to return for the Gophers in 2026, they'll likely need to add multiple players at the position through the portal. Fleming wouldn't transform their wide receiver room, but he has familiarity with Fruechte, and he likely wouldn't command as lucrative a financial package as a player like Thompson.

It seems inevitable that Minnesota will add to its wide receiver room through the portal, and I would be surprised if it doesn't add multiple players this winter. Fleming and Thompson are two potential targets, but there will be plenty more between now and the start of the 2026 season.