With one-third of the Gophers' football season in the books, there are enough data points to begin to assess the program's most-recent work in the NCAA transfer portal.
Minnesota brought in 20 players last winter and roughly one-third of them have been impactful starters or significant contributors as the Gophers (3-1, 1-1 Big Ten) head into Saturday's conference home opener against Michigan.
On defense, the positive additions include cornerback Aydan West (Michigan State), defensive end TJ Bush (California) and defensive tackle Naquan Crowder (Marshall). On offense, it's primarily receiver Noah Jennings ( Cincinnati ) and running back TJ Thomas (Elon).
Kickers Luke Drzewiecki (New Mexico) and Beckham Sunderland (Michigan) have been successful in their roles, as well.
That means two-thirds of the new players at Minnesota have contributed little. That's fine for players intentionally brought in as depth and developmental pieces, but it's more concerning, or problematic, if the intent was for them to play bigger roles this fall.
While still early in the season, junior offensive tackle Bennett Warren ( Tennessee ) tops the list of newcomers who haven't yet clicked. And given the turnover at tight end from last season, more production from Kaden Helms (Oklahoma) would have been welcomed both in the blocking and pass-catching areas.
The Gophers' total roster spending is roughly $20 million this season — which puts them approximately 16th in the Big Ten, per The Athletic — with an unspecified fraction of that total budgeted for additions via the portal.
"The job of the head coach is to maximize your resources, trust your people, and when I look at who we brought in here, we were able to maximize the resources we have to bring the best fit for us into this program," head coach P.J. Fleck told the Pioneer Press this week. "You're never perfect, but I truly love how these players fit and the production that they're having."
The highest-paid players coming out of the portal are believed to be at quarterback, on the offensive and defensive lines and cornerback. What the U paid for their new players isn't publicly known, but it requires maneuverability to sign players within a frantic, two-week window in January.
Going into the portal window, the Gophers outlined positions of need and what they were able to spend on every position. "It looks clean on the board," Fleck said, but it doesn't take long for "chaos" to take over a nascent free-agency period without real price controls.
"Then it's how bad do you need that player?" Fleck said. "What are we willing to do to get that player? How does that affect a different position? If you take from a different position, you're going to have to find a way to add back to that (other) position. … It's unique."
Gophers defensive coordinator Danny Collins recalled talking to West over the phone late in the 2025 high school recruiting cycle, when the 6-foot defensive back was coming out of state champion Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Md.
"Man, this is a great kid," Collins recalled thinking. "He fits us. We were late in the process. He goes on to a different school."
During West's freshman year at Michigan State, head coach Jonathan Smith was fired in November. West entered the portal in January, and Minnesota was the first school to reach out. He said he also heard from Kentucky, Northwestern, UCLA, Cal, Syracuse, Pittsburgh among others.
West was struck by Fleck's recruiting strategy when he got on campus.
"He was genuine and said, 'It's going to be hard to play for me,' " West told the Pioneer Press. "He was so straightforward with me saying that, and that's honestly what made me respect him the most because he wasn't trying to sugarcoat it. He wasn't trying to just get me here."
West and older brother/fellow defensive back Elisha immediately committed to the U. While Elisha suffered a season-ending injury, Aydan has the second-highest overall grade among U defensive starters (78.9) and the second-highest coverage grade (81.7), per Pro Football Focus. He has started all four games and has 12 tackles, two pass break-ups and a fumble recovery.
Fleck doesn't look at Jennings as a transfer because, he said, "It feels like he's been here forever. He's really helped us in the pass game."
Jennings started his career at Charleston Southern, then left Cincinnati after one season. In the portal, he heard from other Big XII schools as well as some "looks" from Southeastern Conference members he didn't name.
"Just glad and proud I'm able to be here at Minnesota," Jennings said.
The senior from Charleston, S.C., leads the Gophers with 32 targets and has produced 19 catches for 275 yards and one touchdown. Quarterback Drake Lindsey was a big reason he picked Minnesota.
"I did my research when I hit the portal, so when I seen we have an elite-caliber, first-round quarterback, I already knew what I was getting myself into," Jennings said.
When Cal coach Justin Wilcox was fired in November, Bush knew it was time to move on to his third school. "A lot of staff left, my coach left, so I feel like it kind of forced my hand to get get out of there," he told the Pioneer Press.
Bush visited Georgia Tech before coming to Minnesota and was hearing from a couple of other Big Ten schools, including Michigan State, as well as South Carolina in the SEC.
"Really just wanted a big culture-oriented team; a team that had driven goals," said Bush, who started his career at Liberty. "I feel like a lot of teams out there just really care about the wins and losses, but I care deeper than that."
Fellow defensive end Anthony Smith has seen how much Bush cares come through in tough love.
"When we are watching film, he's going to talk his smack to me," Smith said. "He's going to talk smack to Karter Menz. It goes back and forth. I think it's brought Karter Menz out of his shell. He talks a lot more, so I do like that," Smith said. "It's just that competitive nature that he brings to the D-Line. … He's going to be on you, and if you're not at your best, he's going to let you know. It's really good for the D-line."
Bush is tied for third on the team with 17 total tackles and is third with seven pressures, per PFF. (Smith and Menz have 13 apiece.) Bush is tied for the team lead with four tackles for lost yards, including two sacks.
When a court case in Louisiana opened the door in August for Drzewiecki to potentially become eligible this season, the Gophers moved quickly.
After his fourth year wrapped at New Mexico in 2025, the senior went undrafted and joined the Baltimore Ravens ' rookie minicamp, but he didn't sign with the NFL team. Then in the summer, he joined one of many nationwide court challenges to the NCAA's new eligibility rules that limit players to five seasons in five yeras.
New Gophers special teams coordinator Daniel Da Prato coached Drzewiecki at New Mexico last year.
"Once we were able to contact him, immediately it was, 'Let's get this thing done tonight,' " Da Prato said. "As you guys know, coach Fleck is (all about) let's get it done right now. Very fortunate to get it done, get (Drzewiecki) on a plane, get him over here, get him acclimated."
A judge deemed Drzewiecki eligible to play soon after kickoff of the season opener against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 3, but it was too late for Week 1. Over the next three games, the native of Shelby Township, Mich., is 6 for 6 on field goals, including a career-long 51-yarder in the 27-24 win at Washington on Saturday.
After two transfers disappointed on the right side of Minnesota's offensive line last year, the U went back to the portal for a tackle and signed Warren.
The 6-foot-7, 300-pound junior from Houston lost the position battle with sophomore Daniel Shipp in preseason camp but split snaps with Shipp in the opening two weeks. That share fell in Week 3, and Warren didn't see the field on offense against the Huskies last week.
"I think everybody's process is completely different. I think everybody grows at their own timeframe," Fleck said. "I think he's getting better every single day, and as we continue to go through the season, I'd expect him to continue to get better and contribute to this football team a lot."
