Transfers will make or break the Gophers on offense

Jack Gibbens went from Abilene Christian to leading the Gophers in tackles in 2021. Kyler Baugh moved from Houston Baptist to anchoring Minnesota’s interior defensive line in 2022 and ’23. And Max Brosmer went from New Hampshire to becoming a difference-making quarterback for the Gophers last year.

Those three players are examples of transfers who recently excelled for coach P.J. Fleck’s program. In this era of name, image and likeness payments and the unfettered ability to transfer from school to school, coaches can address positional needs with what they hope are plug-and-play transfers. The Gophers brought in 22 players, and here are some key transfer players and their positions to watch this season:

With Daniel Jackson’s 75 catches and Elijah Spencer’s 52 receptions needing to be replaced, the Gophers hit the portal hard to find wide receivers. Tracy, a 6-foot, 205-pounder, played three seasons at Miami (Ohio), catching 79 passes for 1,166 yards and nine touchdowns. That includes 57 receptions for 818 yards and seven TDs last year on his way to first-team All-Mid-American Conference honors. He’s become a frequent target of quarterback Drake Lindsey during training camp and look for that to continue once the season starts. Even better: Tracy has two years of eligibility left.

While Darius Taylor clearly is the Gophers bell cow at running back, history shows that a team better have strong complements and backups at the position that takes the most punishment in football. Enter Turner, who rushed for 984 yards in 22 games at Marshall and ranked second nationally last year with an 8.31 yards-per-carry average. He has two years of eligibility remaining, and his speed has been noticeable during training camp.

Minnesota’s top two cornerbacks from 2024 — Justin Walley and Ethan Robinson — exhausted their eligibility, as did versatile nickelback Jack Henderson. That leaves plenty of defensive back snaps to fill, and both Nestor and Bowden will have opportunities to receive extensive playing time.

Nestor, 6-1 and 205 pounds, is familiar with the Big Ten after playing 20 games for the Hawkeyes over the past three seasons. He had 14 tackles in 10 games last fall and is aiming to secure a starting job with the Gophers. He was a two-time winner of Iowa’s hustle award, so effort shouldn’t be an issue with Nestor.

Bowden, 6-1 and 180, played two seasons at FCS-level North Carolina Central and will have two years of eligibility at Minnesota. In 10 starts last year, Bowden had 23 tackles, one interception and eight pass breakups.

Marshall, 6-6 and 330, and Ray, 6-8 and 320, bring size and experience to the right side. A sixth-year senior, Marshall played three seasons at Kent State before spending the past two at Central Florida. He was a two-year starter for the Golden Knights, earning a solid 76.4 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus last year. Ray spent two years at West Virginia before transferring to Kentucky, where he started 12 of 25 games the past two seasons.