Nov 28, 2024; Paradise Island, Bahamas, BHS; Davidson Wildcats forward Bobby Durkin (2) reacts against the Providence Friars during the second half at the Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Where does Minnesota's incoming transfer portal class rank nationally?

Originally posted on Minnesota Golden Gophers on SI
By Tony Liebert | Last updated May 20, 2025 3:23 PM ET

The Gophers have added eight players from the transfer portal in Niko Medved's first offseason as head coach. There have three more roster spots availible, so there's always a chance they add more, but the majority of the 2025-26 team is built, which means we can look at where the major recruiting sites rank their haul.

On3: 22nd

On3's Team Transfer Portal Index focuses more on how much a team improved rather than the quality of players they added, but Minnesota ranks 22nd on their latest list, which is eighth among Big Ten teams. The Gophers' average rating of each transfer portal addition is 74.0, which ranks 17th in the conference.

Western Michigan's Chansey Willis Jr. and Langston Reynolds from Northern Colorado received the highest On3 Industry Rating at 92.0, followed by Davidson's Bobby Durkin at 91.0, B.J. Omot at 90.0, and Chance Stephens at 89.0, while Nehemiah Turner, Robert Vaihola and Jaylen Crocker-Johnson are undranked according to the list.

Related: Where every Gophers basketball transfer portal departure landed this offseason

247Sports: 49th

247Sports uses its own formula that weights the top recruit for each team at a higher value, which decreases for each player. Minnesota is far lower on their list, coming in at No. 49, which is 10th in the Big Ten.

Durkin is far and above the best player in their class according to 247Sports with a 93.0 rating. Willis Jr. is second at 91.0, followed by Omot at 90.0, Crocker-Johnson at 89.0, Vaihola and Reynolds at 88.0, Stephens at 78.0, and then Turner is the only player unranked.

Reaction:

It's important to take these rankings with a grain of salt. The transfer portal is still relatively new, and the rankings probably will change between now and the start of the season, but the fact that Turner, Vaihola and Crocker-Johnson are unranked on On3 makes me discredit their list a little bit.

Minnesota undoubtedly made dramatic improvements to its roster this offseason. Its best additions: Durkin, Willis Jr. and Reynolds are all coming from mid-major conferences, so they'll need to prove themselves in the Big Ten. We have plenty of evidence of rankings being essentially meaningless, so only time will tell how impactful the Gophers' additions are this season.