–> All-Conference USA first-team DT Jordan Guerad was the first of four transfers to commit to Minnesota Sunday.
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Guerad was one of many prospective Gophers to visit to program over the weekend and he was the second transfer this cycle to commit to the Maroon & Gold. With other top offers from Kansas State, South Carolina and Louisville, he was highly regarded as an instant-impact interior defensive lineman at the major conference level. On3 ranked him as the No. 4 defensive lineman in the portal and the No. 46 overall player.
University of Minnesota show love @Coach_DeBo46 pic.twitter.com/q5MxGZr6K8
— Jordan Guerad (@jordanguerad99) December 10, 2023
Who is Jordan Guerad?:
Jordan Guerad grew up in Valrico, FL, a suburb of roughly 40,000 people east of Tampa Bay. He was incredibly under-recruited coming out of Bloomingdale High School, where he only received D1 offers from FIU, UAB and Tennessee State. Originally recruited by legendary HC Butch Davis, Guerad played right away as a true freshman, earning a 51.2 PFF Grade on 112 total snaps.
FIU moved on from Davis following the 2021 season and brought in former Colorado head coach, Mike MacIntyre. Guerad’s role grew substantially as a true sophomore in 2022, where he earned a PFF Grade of 77.9 on 592 total snaps. He was a preseason All-Conference level player heading into 2023 and he lived up to the hype, continuing to show substantial improvement. His 83.3 PFF Grade was a career-high and he looked like a power conference player playing at a lower level, earning first-team all-conference honors. After entering the transfer portal following the season, he received a plethora of high-level offers across the country. After officially visiting Minnesota over the weekend, and then committing, he will have two years to play one with the Gophers.
- Scouting Report:
Listed at 6-foot-3, 295 pounds, Guerad is the perfect replacement for Kyler Baugh in the Gophers’ interior defensive line. He’s an incredibly impressive run-stuffer earning an 83.3 PFF run-defense grade last season and he’s shown a solid pass-rush ability earning a 76.5 grade in that department. His most impressive game in 2023 was against Liberty, who is set to play Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl and Guerad had 3 pressures and 3 tackles, resulting in a season-high 92.7 PFF Grade. He has all of the intangibles to be an instant impact player on the interior for Minnesota next season.
**Highlights**
— Jordan Guerad (@jordanguerad99) November 27, 2023
Instant Reaction:
Every player that could come back on the Gophers defensive line is expected to in 2023, but none of the DTs have played more than 400 snaps in a season. So with Kyler Baugh off to the NFL, Minnesota needed to find a replacement along the interior. Jordan Guerad was one of the best interior defensive linemen in the portal. Much like Baugh, he has shown consistent improvement throughout his collegiate career and there is no reason why that will not continue under Gophers’ DLine coach Winston DeLattiboudere III. Guerad will be Minnesota’s most accomplished DT next season and will provide a new face on an inconsistent defensive line from a season ago.
What is next?:
With Darnell Jefferies coming off a season-ending injury and Kyler Baugh graduating, I expect Guerad to have the inside track to start alongside Deven Eastern next season along the interior for the Gophers. A quartet of Eastern, Guerad, Jefferies and Richter with young players like Martin Owusu and Riley Sunram behind them is an interesting group for Minnesota next season. Guerad was the second portal commit for the Gophers this cycle and he certainly was not and will not be the last.
Portal Additions:
- New Hampshire, QB Max Brosmer
- FIU, DT Jordan Guerad