The Athletic: Grading the Big Ten’s transfer portal classes (Minnesota: B-)

[BleedGopher]

Per Manny:

Minnesota​

• 2025 record: 8-5
• Portal players added/lost: 19/21
• Career snaps added/lost: 8,204/4,782
• Top players added: WR Zion Steptoe (Tulsa), WR Perry Thompson (Auburn), TE Kaden Helms (Oklahoma), edge TJ Bush (Cal), LB Andrew Marshall (Eastern Michigan)

After operating at a 50-50 clip between high school recruits and the portal last year, P.J. Fleck went heavier on high school recruits (31) this cycle and signed a top-30 class. The portal additions include 10 players who played at least 200 snaps last season, but only half did so for P4 programs. Fleck signed a trio of quality receivers who will help second-year starting quarterback Drake Lindsey, but he lost two high-end talents in his secondary in Koi Perich (Oregon) and cornerback Za’Quan Bryan (USF). It just feels like the Gophers sort of broke even.

Grade: B-

Grading the Big Ten’s transfer portal classes, from Indiana’s ‘A’ to Michigan State’s ‘D+’

The defending national champs filled some big holes in the portal, most notably at quarterback with the arrival of Josh Hoover from TCU.

www.nytimes.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[gopherbadgerman]

Fair. Obviously when you lose a big name its going to hurt a grade.

 

[GopherTheJugular]

Fair. Obviously when you lose a big name its going to hurt a grade.

Any other name on the back of that jersey and we'd be talking about an upgrade at safety. "Addition by subtraction", "can't get any worse", etc.

 

[A_Slab_of_Bacon]

I suspect portal grades are about as good as draft grades ... that is to say ... not really.

I hope we did well, but only time will tell.

 

[GoldRush]

Bryan is not much of a loss aside from depth. Perich is obviously a loss but if you view it from a salary standpoint and what we have behind him, not a huge loss. I would say our portal class is more A-/B+ at least on paper.

 

[MNVCGUY]

I suspect portal grades are about as good as draft grades ... that is to say ... not really.

I hope we did well, but only time will tell.

Draft, recruiting, transfer portal......the grades should all happen after the season (or in the case of a recruiting class, multiple years later) but we are in that time when they need content to fill the down time so the rankings happen now.

We have lost a few good players to the portal but overall it has been a net positive over the years. Hopefully this turns out to be a strong group but time will tell.

 

[Gophergrandpa]

It feels better than a B- to me. We gained players with, in aggregate, double the snap count of the players we lost. Recent game day experience and battles at the college level are a positive, I think. I prefer these guys for plug-and-play impact (over highly-rated guys out of HS who haven't seen the field in two years). Plus, I think PJ did well this year recruiting for need and fit, neither of which attributes are (or can be) the subject of a unitary overall grade for a transfer player. The author might have taken fit into consideration--I can't tell because the full article was behind a paywall.

Losing Perich hurts; losing Bryan kind of hurts. But it appears we have gained several more potential impact players than we have lost. Including some on offense where we had relative deficits last year. So, my biased view is that this is actually about a B+ transfer class. But as many have observed, the first fact-based opportunity to grade this transfer class will occur at about the halfway point of the 2026 season.

What I feel a little queasy about is that we brought in only transfer OL to potentially help shore up the RT position. And that guy, though highly-rated out of HS, is a RS So who hasn't played much yet. Could he be a development piece? Maybe our 2026 RT comes from within. We've got a few young guys who are bigger than this transfer OL guy, and who have practiced in our system for a year or two.

Go Gophers.

 

[boozer]

Any other name on the back of that jersey and we'd be talking about an upgrade at safety. "Addition by subtraction", "can't get any worse", etc.

people are really overstating how bad the perich season was. he took a step back from his freshman season and made a few mistakes, but "can't get any worse" is crazy. the dude had a game winning pick 6 lol.

 

[MNVCGUY]

people are really overstating how bad the perich season was. he took a step back from his freshman season and made a few mistakes, but "can't get any worse" is crazy. the dude had a game winning pick 6 lol.

Think it is a combination of him not playing at a superstar level and the epic disaster that the Cal game was for him.

Totally agree that he was not as bad as some on here have tried to make him out to be he just didn't live up to the hype that came from his freshman season. The bar for him was set incredibly high and he failed to reach that bar. Still a solid player just not the star it looked like he was going to be.

 

[btowngopher]

All depends on how the incoming guys pan out, but as far as proven production at this level, in vs out I give the transfer class a C+/B-, lost Perich and Ijeboi, brought in Bush, Aydan West, maybe throw Helms in there. Just these would seem like a negative grade, but the potential of the unknown/unproven incoming guys is greater than that of the outgoing in my opinion. But unless some of the unproven blow up, this transfer class doesn’t move the needle much for me as far as elevating the program.

 

[Arminius]

The moment we secured Edge TJ Bush, I thought this could be a helluva D-line in 2026.

There's some other nice parts at WR, TE, and DB, too.

 

[GopherTheJugular]

The author might have taken fit into consideration--I can't tell because the full article was behind a paywall.

I doubt it, that would be a ton of work to do for each team, and almost impossible since you'd have to have like our knowledge level of the Gophers, but for all the B1G teams.

 

[swede2]

Bryan is not much of a loss aside from depth. Perich is obviously a loss but if you view it from a salary standpoint and what we have behind him, not a huge loss. I would say our portal class is more A-/B+ at least on paper.

I bet if you polled the average fan of any CFB team they would give their portal class the same grade. These kind of things are great exercises to keep our football starved minds from atrophy during the offseason. Where does the grading scale break down? I would venture that an "A" or "B" now would be reserved for teams that improved. A "C" would probably mean, did not get worse or appreciably better. Of course, below that would mean you got worse. Except for the teams who have the resources and can buy name brand players on big deals, I would think that a vast middle ground of CFB teams would garner a "C" at this point.

 

[gopherbadgerman]

people are really overstating how bad the perich season was. he took a step back from his freshman season and made a few mistakes, but "can't get any worse" is crazy. the dude had a game winning pick 6 lol.

Well yeah he left.

Coping mechanism here lol

I’d agree his was up and down and didn’t tackle very well. If people think we’re better without him I totally disagree

 

[MNVCGUY]

Well yeah he left.

Coping mechanism here lol

I’d agree his was up and down and didn’t tackle very well. If people think we’re better without him I totally disagree

There is potential that we are a better team without him. If we can get similar production to what we got out of Koi last year from someone else (which is not impossible because he was solid but not spectacular), AND we can use the money saved by not having to pay Koi superstar money to upgrade at other positions there is a chance the net effect on the team is a positive with him leaving.

Best case scenario would always have been Koi staying but it is possible that his leaving made some of the other portal moves we were able to make happen. Unfortunately we will never really know for sure because it is so tough to know what players are actually getting.

 

[GoldRush]

I bet if you polled the average fan of any CFB team they would give their portal class the same grade. These kind of things are great exercises to keep our football starved minds from atrophy during the offseason. Where does the grading scale break down? I would venture that an "A" or "B" now would be reserved for teams that improved. A "C" would probably mean, did not get worse or appreciably better. Of course, below that would mean you got worse. Except for the teams who have the resources and can buy name brand players on big deals, I would think that a vast middle ground of CFB teams would garner a "C" at this point.

I think grading these things is also relative to your payroll. At least that's how I view it. I certainly don't ever expect the Twins to get the free agents the Yankees do.

 

[gopherbadgerman]

There is potential that we are a better team without him. If we can get similar production to what we got out of Koi last year from someone else (which is not impossible because he was solid but not spectacular), AND we can use the money saved by not having to pay Koi superstar money to upgrade at other positions there is a chance the net effect on the team is a positive with him leaving.

Best case scenario would always have been Koi staying but it is possible that his leaving made some of the other portal moves we were able to make happen. Unfortunately we will never really know for sure because it is so tough to know what players are actually getting.

Yes anything is possible. Do you think we’re better off with him leaving?

 

[Gophergrandpa]

All depends on how the incoming guys pan out, but as far as proven production at this level, in vs out I give the transfer class a C+/B-, lost Perich and Ijeboi, brought in Bush, Aydan West, maybe throw Helms in there. Just these would seem like a negative grade, but the potential of the unknown/unproven incoming guys is greater than that of the outgoing in my opinion. But unless some of the unproven blow up, this transfer class doesn’t move the needle much for me as far as elevating the program.

I think you are undervaluing the three interior DL the Gophs brought in.

 

[btowngopher]

I think you are undervaluing the three interior DL the Gophs brought in.

I think I’m fair in saying they are unproven at this level. It’s not like they were all conference players at their previous schools either.

 

[Johnny Olson]

Our new Senior Kicker has kicked one extra point in his career.
Go figure?

 

[mngg11]

Yes anything is possible. Do you think we’re better off with him leaving?

Absolutely. There are things that you can't quantify which have a hugely positive impact on the team. Locker room distraction/primadonna being gone is the main one. Mehkai Smith will ball out.

 

[EG#9]

I don't think Bryan was a loss as we were playing several corners over him by the end of the season which was probably the reason for his transfer. The MSU transfer in, Gerald, and Parrish all probably would have been penciled in above Bryan as the potential counterpart to Nestor on the outside.

I also think it's maroon colored glasses to count on any of the receivers we brought in to be big upgrades. Thompson has the size and recruiting pedigree, but not the results. The other two have had modest production. Not saying one of these guys can't hit big, just that I don't see a sure thing. We couldn't get open at all against teams like Oregon and Ohio State, so we badly need some guys to step at WR.

Koi could be debated forever. At the very least we can agree that he had a very odd Sophomore season, even if we disagree on the reasons for that.

The Tackle we got from Tennessee and the DT's we took from G5 schools were probably some of our biggest expenditures. I think how we did on the lines will go a long way to determine how we feel about this transfer group in the Fall.

 

[gopherbadgerman]

Absolutely. There are things that you can't quantify which have a hugely positive impact on the team. Locker room distraction/primadonna being gone is the main one. Mehkai Smith will ball out.

We will all find out together.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Yes anything is possible. Do you think we’re better off with him leaving?

I don't think that is a question that can be answered right now.

The tough part is like mngg11 mentioned we don't know what kind of locker room presence Koi was. If he had one foot out the door early in the season chances are he wasn't the greatest teammate or the most bought in but who knows.

It is entirely possible that him moving on was best for both the team and the player.

 

[Gophergrandpa]

Our new Senior Kicker has kicked one extra point in his career.
Go figure?

I've got to think that the local kid, Daniel Jackson--whose been on the roster for two years--is ticketed to do FGs and PATs, and that the transfer kicker--who is supposed to have a strong leg and goes 215 lbs--handles KO duty. With 105 scholarship players, teams have the luxury of carrying two or three kickers (three last year for the Gophers), and you can certainly split kicking duties if you've selected wisely.

 

[Lifeleadership]

Bryan is not much of a loss aside from depth. Perich is obviously a loss but if you view it from a salary standpoint and what we have behind him, not a huge loss. I would say our portal class is more A-/B+ at least on paper.

I agree. Perich has a big upside no doubt but he also led the Big 10 in missed tackles. I like Koi but he did not make the impact most thought he would, including me. I like the fact that we were able to grab some more portal needs due to his salary we could replace. The only concern I have is at kicker but Fleck must really like Daniel Jackson. I trust the coaching staff. I think the Gophers did very well to address some needs in the portal. Go Gophers!

 

[Gophergrandpa]

I think I’m fair in saying they are unproven at this level. It’s not like they were all conference players at their previous schools either.

I can't disagree when you say "unproven at this level." But, it is almost impossible to get interior DL--a precious commodity--who are already proven P4 performers to make lateral or downward transfers. The three DL PJ is bringing in are all "risers," mature players who started off at small schools, transferred to G5 schools and now transferring up to the B1G. These are the kind of players--late bloomers with a lot to prove--that Cignetti has deployed to great advantage.

Of course, these guys (all who enter with two years to play) will have to prove it on the field. But purely as a "grading" matter, I think PJ killed it at the DL position this year. DL is one of the toughest positions to recruit (if you are a non-helmet school) and the Gophers are competing against 68 other P4 schools for transfer DLmen. Given this immensely competitive environment, PJ came up with the guys ranked (on 247) as the 14th, 22nd and 76th best DL transfers in the portal. This is IMHO a haul.

By comparison, Penn State, with huge recruiting and NIL advantages, the unique ability to pick clean the 2025 ISU roster, and tons of playing time to offer, came up with the 39th, 41st, 42nd, 69th and 73rd best DL transfers. That also is a true haul, but PJ's class is better and more concentrated.

Illinois, like the Gophers and Penn State--rebuilding its interior DL--was able to sign the 116th, 123rd, 204th and 226th best DL in the portal.

Our fiends at Iowa garnered the 27th and 241st best DL in the portal.

Indiana, the transfer king, got one interior DL ranked the 144th best DL in the portal.

Michigan also got one DL transfer, ranked 45th best DL in the portal.

As I said, I have no idea how these physically mature, "rising" DL guys will show on the P4 playing field. But if we are simply going by rankings, PJ killed it with this DL transfer class; it is a B+/A- at the DL position in my opinion. How did he do it? No doubt by redeploying some of the huge dollars that got freed up when Koi decamped to Oregon. Go Gophers!

 

[Gophers1992]

The rating makes sense as we had what looks like a few solid additions but not a lot of eye popping adds. And yes Koi was disappointing last year but you're fooling yourself if you don't think that's a big loss.

That said, I think the biggest thing to be excited about is having relatively few losses to both the portal and the draft. Bringing back Drake, DT, Anthony Smith is huge.

 

[Panthadad2]

There is potential that we are a better team without him. If we can get similar production to what we got out of Koi last year from someone else (which is not impossible because he was solid but not spectacular), AND we can use the money saved by not having to pay Koi superstar money to upgrade at other positions there is a chance the net effect on the team is a positive with him leaving.

Best case scenario would always have been Koi staying but it is possible that his leaving made some of the other portal moves we were able to make happen. Unfortunately we will never really know for sure because it is so tough to know what players are actually getting.

True. Even if you assume Perich would bounce back for a nice season next year and there were no locker room issues (no idea if that's true), it's impossible for us to know how much the team might still benefit from not paying a safety seven figures and spreading those funds to more important spots of need. That said, I'm sure the Gopher GM and Fleck are tracking that with inside info.

 

[Lifeleadership]

True. Even if you assume Perich would bounce back for a nice season next year and there were no locker room issues (no idea if that's true), it's impossible for us to know how much the team might still benefit from not paying a safety seven figures and spreading those funds to more important spots of need. That said, I'm sure the Gopher GM and Fleck are tracking that with inside info.

I agree. I may be one of the few that do not believe Koi was a big loss for us. He did not play up to his potential and was not worth the money. Does that mean he will not be good for Oregon? Nope. I expect he will bounce back and have a good season on a playoff team. But in order for the Gophers to sniff the next level, I believe his NIL dollars will help the Gophers in the long run.
I'm still a fan of Koi. I just like how Fleck took full advantage of the extra dollars to fill some needs.