Official 2026 Roster Movement Thread - Who's In and Who's Out?

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salzie said:
Probably, but they're spending the money they had allocated to him, so he'd have to take discount.

They're recruiting as if he's 100% gone
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I'm glad they don't seem to be waiting around on Koi. I am sure we would take him back if he wanted to come back for the right price but can't be held hostage by a guy who is exploring his options.

Based on how things are playing out it seems like he is almost certainly gone which is not surprising given that most players that go into the portal don't come back.
 


Added Helms....seems like we are pretty close to a full roster at the moment but clearly there is going to be more movement because we are still having guys visit. Numbers always seem to work themselves out eventually.
 

20 former Gophers entered the portal. None of them have signed at this time. Today is the 7th day it has been open. 4500 plus guys total entered the portal on day one. There are still 3700 plus in the portal as some added their names. Some former Gophers will sign I'm sure but it sure looks like a lot of guys are not going to be going to their preferred destination if they are even able to find one.
For perspective...the Gophers have signed 14 guys.
 

60's Guy said:
20 former Gophers entered the portal. None of them have signed at this time. Today is the 7th day it has been open. 4500 plus guys total entered the portal on day one. There are still 3700 plus in the portal as some added their names. Some former Gophers will sign I'm sure but it sure looks like a lot of guys are not going to be going to their preferred destination if they are even able to find one.
For perspective...the Gophers have signed 14 guys.
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This is an important lesson that the things have changed in both directions.

There are many players in the portal who were pushed out. The schools have to do it now to stay competitive. There were always a handful of players who used to transfer down a division and a smaller handful of players who would transfer to other BCS programs, but now teams have to cut down in order to bring in the talent. It's transactional.
 


And, other than Koi and Femi, a majority of the guys leaving the Gophers are former walk-ons or guys that hardly played. I'm guessing many of those guys have opportunities at lower levels but might be waiting it out a little bit to see if they get a better offer when a program strikes out on their preferred transfers.
 

GophersInIowa said:
And, other than Koi and Femi, a majority of the guys leaving the Gophers are former walk-ons or guys that hardly played. I'm guessing many of those guys have opportunities at lower levels but might be waiting it out a little bit to see if they get a better offer when a program strikes out on their preferred transfers.
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I do agree with those that think it is a little strange that none of our guys have found a new destination yet but as you said things are very much still in flux with guys moving around.

The whole portal process is fascinating. Fans just see the number of players available in the portal but many don't factor in how hard it must be for teams to stay on top of all the new editions.....make quick evaluations on who you might want AND can realistically get. Then you have to get those players in for a visit and establish or renew the relationship (if you recruited the player out of high school). On top of all that there is now the added layer of agents and financial negotiations.

High school recruiting is a slow process, where you have time to get to know players and their families while tracking their progress over multiple years. Portal recruiting is a quick sprint where the entire process is shoved into an extremely short window of time.
 


Scottsdale Gopher said:
I'm curious about the terminology you and others are using. In the base 4-2-5, I often think the Gophers are playing three safeties, with one near the line of scrimmage. Is that what you mean by corner or nickel? i.e. You are saying Gousby would play as the fifth defensive back in the base defense?
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I am not sure what he was saying but what I was saying is that in the Wisconsin game and bowl game Gousby played some wide corner if I recall

I also wouldn’t mind having him playing the nickel/OLB in a 4-2-5


He is simply a bad deep S in my opinion
 



need at least one more high impact DT. Even if they love Sunram et al., it would not seem wise to try to build a 4 man rotation with only 1 guy with playing experience at any level (and none with P4 experience). Will be disappointed with our haul until we get another real guy up front.
 

boozer said:
need at least one more high impact DT. Even if they love Sunram et al., it would not seem wise to try to build a 4 man rotation with only 1 guy with playing experience at any level (and none with P4 experience). Will be disappointed with our haul until we get another real guy up front.
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Agree that another DT feels likely. Shame that Becker is hanging it up with a year still left as he seemed solid but must be ready to get on with real life.
 

boozer said:
need at least one more high impact DT. Even if they love Sunram et al., it would not seem wise to try to build a 4 man rotation with only 1 guy with playing experience at any level (and none with P4 experience). Will be disappointed with our haul until we get another real guy up front.
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Still would like another experienced DT. We lost a lot of experience there. Wild card for me is Mo Omonode, who played a lot of snaps at Purdue, I believe, before transferring here. Turns out Omonode was injured (might not have been candid with Gopher staff?) and never played a snap in 2025. He came here with one year of eligibility remaining, but didn't walk on senior day. He is still on the Gopher roster; hasn't entered the portal. If he has or gets an injury waiver from the NCAA, we would have another experienced DT to help with Sunram, Hicks, etc. in the 2026 season.
 

Gophergrandpa said:
Still would like another experienced DT. We lost a lot of experience there. Wild card for me is Mo Omonode, who played a lot of snaps at Purdue, I believe, before transferring here. Turns out Omonode was injured (might not have been candid with Gopher staff?) and never played a snap in 2025. He came here with one year of eligibility remaining, but didn't walk on senior day. He is still on the Gopher roster; hasn't entered the portal. If he has or gets an injury waiver from the NCAA, we would have another experienced DT to help with Sunram, Hicks, etc. in the 2026 season.
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I keep forgetting about Omonode. You’re right, he might be the other starting DT with underclassmen rotating in behind them. Hopefully 2-3 of them are ready to contribute this year. A good DL would complete transform the defense. Assuming they can be put in places to be successful.
 



GreasyGopher said:
I keep forgetting about Omonode. You’re right, he might be the other starting DT with underclassmen rotating in behind them. Hopefully 2-3 of them are ready to contribute this year. A good DL would complete transform the defense. Assuming they can be put in places to be successful.
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Omonode has a lot of playing experience--played lots of snaps for three years at Purdue. Quick, leverag-type guy--like our old favorite Richardson. Hope he is healthy this coming season. We will need him.
 

Gophergrandpa said:
Still would like another experienced DT. We lost a lot of experience there. Wild card for me is Mo Omonode, who played a lot of snaps at Purdue, I believe, before transferring here. Turns out Omonode was injured (might not have been candid with Gopher staff?) and never played a snap in 2025. He came here with one year of eligibility remaining, but didn't walk on senior day. He is still on the Gopher roster; hasn't entered the portal. If he has or gets an injury waiver from the NCAA, we would have another experienced DT to help with Sunram, Hicks, etc. in the 2026 season.
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Nate Becker also still has a year of eligibility. He played a lot for us at the end of the year. He walked, so I assume he's leaving, but he could play valuable snaps next year if he chooses to return.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Nate Becker also still has a year of eligibility. He played a lot for us at the end of the year. He walked, so I assume he's leaving, but he could play valuable snaps next year if he chooses to return.
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Because he walked, I have been counting him as gone. But you never know ...
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
Nate Becker also still has a year of eligibility. He played a lot for us at the end of the year. He walked, so I assume he's leaving, but he could play valuable snaps next year if he chooses to return.
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Really enjoyed Nate's improved play this year. He got after it!
 


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