5 impact transfer players for the Gophers

The Minnesota Golden Gophers added 19 players through the transfer portal this offseason.

Which of them are most likely to make an impact this fall?

Hear are five I’ve got my eyes on:

The Gophers hit the reset button on the wide receiver room this offseason, with two graduating, five transferring out, and eight new arrivals between incoming transfers and freshmen. Head coach P.J. Fleck also cut loose longtime wide receivers coach (and co-offensive coordinator) Matt Simon and brought in former Minnesota wide receiver Isaac Fruechte to lend a fresh voice to the position group.

Of the three transfer wide receivers who signed with the Gophers, Noah Jennings seems to be the one to watch. His previous season in Cincinnati was nothing to write home about, as he finished the year with 23 receptions for 323 receiving yards. But Jennings turned a lot of heads this spring with the Gophers, including hauling in a 74-yard pass from Drake Lindsey on the second play of the spring game.

“Noah is a freak athlete,” Lindsey said of Jennings after the spring game. “I think his speed is something we haven’t necessarily had here in my time. I think he threatens people vertically deep.”

Jalen Smith, Javon Tracy, and Jennings could make for a formidable starting trio.

Minnesota needs to rebuild the right side of the offensive line, and former Tennessee offensive tackle Bennett Warren is the only transfer they brought in to help them up front.

He is currently locked in a battle with redshirt freshman D.J. Shipp for the starting right tackle position, but the Gophers need one of them to emerge and take control of a spot that was too often a liability last season.

It’s no secret that the biggest question mark on defense is the defensive tackle position. Deven Eastern, Jalen Logan-Redding, Rushawn Lawrence, and Nate Becker led all defensive tackles in snaps last season, and all four are gone. Before Minnesota brought in transfers Naquan Crowder, Xion Chapman, and Sid Kaba, redshirt sophomores Jaylin Hicks and Riley Sunram were the only defensive tackles on the roster who had seen the field.

I wouldn’t count out Sunram, Hicks, or Theo Randle in the competition to be part of the rotation, but of the three transfers, I think Crowder has the best chance to make an impact up the middle. The space-eating defensive tackle finished last season with 26 total tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, three quarterback hurries, one pass break-up, and one forced fumble for the Marshall Thundering Herd.

“He’s a big guy that fills the gap and then he’s also a really athletic dude that can make plays,” All-Big Ten defensive end Anthony Smith said of Crowder in the spring. “He moves really well laterally and vertically.”

Last month, Anthony Smith was named the Big Ten’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. When opposing offensive coordinators game plan for the Gophers this fall, neutralizing Smith is going to be a primary objective. That is likely to create more one-on-one matchups for the rest of the defensive line, which should be music to the ears of Minnesota rush ends Karter Menz and T.J. Bush.

Bush was Cal’s top pass rusher a season ago, leading the Golden Bears with 5.5 sacks, four quarterback hurries, and 11.5 tackles for loss. Menz had a breakout season as a redshirt sophomore, racking up nine tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. Together, the pair should give the Gophers a lethal combination at rush end.

Cornerback Aydan West earned the trust of former Minnesota defensive coordinator and current Michigan State defensive coordinator Joe Rossi last season when he saw 400 defensive snaps as a true freshman, finishing the year with 19 total tackles, one tackle for loss, and one pass break-up.

And the surest sign that he has already earned the trust of Fleck and defensive coordinator Danny Collins was when he saw limited action in the spring game, suggesting the Gophers know what they have. The cornerback spot opposite John Nestor was a revolving door last year as Minnesota struggled to find the right fit.

West and Nestor are likely to be your starting cornerbacks when the Gophers open against Eastern Illinois.