By Saturday night, however, Fleck and his staff were back to building up the offense. This time, it’s 2024 freshman FCS All-American running back, TJ Thomas, a soon-to-be junior out of Elon who totaled 961 yards and 11 touchdowns in during his FCS career with the Phoenix.

Kaba now joins his teammate at Marshall from last season, Naquan Crowder and Florida International transfer Xion Chapman as the third addition to Minnesota's interior defensive line this season. Crowder and Chapman are likely the favorites to start next season, but Kaba has great potential with two years of eligibility remaining.

Perich joins two other key players from last year’s team — redshirt sophomore cornerback Za’Quan Bryan and redshirt freshman running back Fame Ijeboi — in exploring their options at other programs. The majority of the group, however, is comprised of role players, little-used backups, hardly-knew-ya freshmen or walk-ons.

The Gophers made moves to shore up two positions through the transfer portal, securing commitments from former Auburn wide receiver Perry Thompson and former Marshall defensive tackle Naquan Crowder.

Jennings officially entered the transfer portal on Jan. 5, and the Gophers moved fast, getting him on campus for an official visit on Friday. He began his college career at the FCS level with Charleston Southern, where he had more than 400 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024.

Isaac Fruechte played two seasons of college football at Minnesota. The North Dakota offensive coordinator is now heading back to the Gophers as their receivers coach.

Former Tulsa wide receiver Zion Steptoe and former Florida International defensive lineman Xion Chapman committed to the Gophers out of the transfer portal on Saturday, Jan. 10. Steptoe is the third wideout to commit to the Gophers, joining Noah Jennings from Cincinnati and Perry Thompson from Auburn.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/minnesota as Two major roster decisions still looming for Gophers football.

During the 2025 season, the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers traveled to Chicago to take on the Northwestern Wildcats in the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. FOX 9's DOC 9 team tagged along to give an incredible look at football being played at the historic Wrigley Field.

In a flurry of activity in the portal’s opening five days, the Gophers football program has added a total of nine incoming transfers, including a handful of new players who will likely be called on to contribute immediately next fall.