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Five Gophers football players announced their intentions to leave the program across five straight days after Minnesota beat Wisconsin for Paul Bunyan’s Axe in the regular-season finale on Nov. 26.
Then after a few days with no movement, defensive back Michael Dixon, a key piece in the team’s plans for 2023, said Dec. 4 he was out, too, and on Dec. 7, veteran linebacker Braelen Oliver added he was done at the U as well. All told, Minnesota has had seven players exit since the NCAA transfer portal opened.
Meanwhile, the Gophers have added two transfers via the portal for a net loss of five players.
Compared to its Big Ten West competition as of Friday morning, Minnesota has had the third-fewest amount of departures behind Illinois (minus-1) and Purdue (minus-3). Iowa is at minus-7, Wisconsin and Northwestern are minus-8 and Nebraska is last at minus-12..
“Fans in college football, especially in Minnesota, need to wrap our heads around it a little bit: The game has changed. Recruiting has changed. Transferring has changed,” Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said on Dec. 4. “Transfer used to be, ‘Oh, what’s wrong?’ That just happens (now). A guy gets told something else, wants to go somewhere else because of the guys in front of him. I get that. That is why there is a transfer portal.”..
“We’ve benefited off the transfer portal,” Fleck said Dec. 4. “We’ve got guys who have made a ton of plays for us this year that were from the transfer portal. Thank goodness we have the transfer portal.”..
You’ve got to look at it as half full, which we always do,” Fleck said on the assessment of the portal. “We know that there is going to be that type of attrition for all the right reasons.”
www.twincities.com
Then after a few days with no movement, defensive back Michael Dixon, a key piece in the team’s plans for 2023, said Dec. 4 he was out, too, and on Dec. 7, veteran linebacker Braelen Oliver added he was done at the U as well. All told, Minnesota has had seven players exit since the NCAA transfer portal opened.
Meanwhile, the Gophers have added two transfers via the portal for a net loss of five players.
Compared to its Big Ten West competition as of Friday morning, Minnesota has had the third-fewest amount of departures behind Illinois (minus-1) and Purdue (minus-3). Iowa is at minus-7, Wisconsin and Northwestern are minus-8 and Nebraska is last at minus-12..
“Fans in college football, especially in Minnesota, need to wrap our heads around it a little bit: The game has changed. Recruiting has changed. Transferring has changed,” Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said on Dec. 4. “Transfer used to be, ‘Oh, what’s wrong?’ That just happens (now). A guy gets told something else, wants to go somewhere else because of the guys in front of him. I get that. That is why there is a transfer portal.”..
“We’ve benefited off the transfer portal,” Fleck said Dec. 4. “We’ve got guys who have made a ton of plays for us this year that were from the transfer portal. Thank goodness we have the transfer portal.”..
You’ve got to look at it as half full, which we always do,” Fleck said on the assessment of the portal. “We know that there is going to be that type of attrition for all the right reasons.”
How has Gophers football fared in transfer portal compared to Big Ten West foes?
Minnesota has had seven players exit since the NCAA transfer portal opened Dec. 5.
www.twincities.com