Gophers land defensive tackle Chris Smith, a transfer from Harvard

Smith, a 6-3, 300-pounder, was a first-team All-Ivy League selection and will have one year of eligibility at Minnesota.

January 19, 2022 at 7:25PM
The Minnesota Gophers take the field before the start of an NCAA football game between the Gophers and the Wisconsin Badgers Saturday, Nov. 27, 2021 at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. Minnesota defeated Wisconsin 23-13. ] AARON LAVINSKY • aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com
The Gophers took the field for their 2021 regular-season finale against Wisconsin. (Aaron Lavinsky, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Gophers football team on Wednesday bolstered its defensive line with the addition of former Harvard tackle Chris Smith, who announced on Twitter that he is transferring to Minnesota.

Smith, 6-3 and 300 pounds, earned first-team All-Ivy League honors for the Crimson in 2021 after collecting 40 tackles, five tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, three quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles. The Detroit native played 29 career games over three seasons for Harvard, finishing with 72 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He will have a year of eligibility remaining with the Gophers.

The Ivy League did not play in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic, so the league's players didn't get an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA that many others have used to play an additional year.

Smith is the third defensive lineman the Gophers have added through the transfer portal this offseason, joining Darnell Jeffries, formerly of Clemson, and Lorenza Surgers, formerly of Vanderbilt. Minnesota has added six transfers in the offseason.

about the writer

about the writer

Randy Johnson

College football reporter

Randy Johnson covers University of Minnesota football and college football for the Minnesota Star Tribune, along with Gophers hockey and the Wild.

See More

More from Gophers

card image

Nothing is official yet but if things shake out in likely order, the Gophers could be headed to North Carolina for the Duke's Mayo Bowl on Jan. 3