Gophers men’s basketball targets Macalester guard Caleb Williams, among other transfers

Recruiting the transfer portal has been essential to adding depth to the Gophers men’s basketball roster this spring for Ben Johnson, who still has holes to fill inside and out.

One of the top candidates to possibly bring scoring and shooting to the Gophers backcourt is a familiar name to sports fans in a couple of ways.

Quarterback Caleb Williams was picked No. 1 overall in last week’s NFL draft by the Chicago Bears, but Macalester’s Caleb Williams is a Division III guard in the portal who recently visited the Gophers.

The 6-2 Wild Rose (Wis.) native drew interest from several other Division I programs, especially after scoring 41 points in an exhibition loss against the Gophers at Williams Arena last season.

Williams averaged 20 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 25 games for the Scots to earn All-MIAC honors as a junior. His school-record 51-point performance came in a win against Concordia (Moorhead) in January.

The Gophers are also expecting to host another transfer recruit with Texas San Antonio big man Trey Edmonds this weekend. He also reportedly could visit Mississippi and Cincinnati.

A 6-10, 255-pound junior, Edmonds averaged 7.0 points and 5.8 rebounds last season. The Colorado native had 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting in UTSA’s 102-76 loss against the Gophers at the Barn on Nov. 10.

Being able to land Williams and Edmonds would help the Gophers make up for losses to the portal at key positions on the perimeter and in the post. Oregon guard Brennan Rigsby and Canisius forward Frank Mitchell signed with the U from the portal.

Former Minnesota Prep Academy guard Lu’Cye Patterson, who averaged 14.6 points at Charlotte last season, entered the portal Tuesday. Patterson, a Minneapolis native, is considering the Gophers.

With the transfer portal closing Wednesday, the Gophers are expected to retain leading scorer and rebounder Dawson Garcia, top three-point shooter Mike Mitchell Jr. and sixth man Parker Fox.

Former Gophers point guard Elijah Hawkins, who said he’d be returning next season and then entered the portal, committed to Texas Tech. He averaged 9.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 7.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game last season.