Jan. 3—The first outgoing transfer from the Gophers football program after the Guaranteed Rate Bowl is a big one.
Running back Ky Thomas, the U’s leading rusher in the 2021 season, announced Monday morning that he plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal; the move became official by afternoon.
“I want to thank my coaches, teammates and The University of Minnesota,” he wrote on Twitter.
With a physical running style in his second season, Thomas led Minnesota with 824 yards on 166 carries and six touchdowns in 2021. He was named offensive MVP in last week’s Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix, when he rushed for 144 yards, one touchdown and one lost fumble on 21 carries.
Thomas and Mar’Keise Irving shouldered the rushing load when three other running backs were lost with season-ending injuries and a fourth entered the transfer portal midseason. Irving, a true freshman, was second on the team with 699 yards on 133 carries and four touchdowns.
Starter Mo Ibrahim ruptured his Achilles tendon in the season-opening loss to Ohio State on Sept. 2, and backup Trey Potts suffered an undisclosed injury that led to a six-night stay in Indiana hospitals after the Purdue win on Oct. 2.
Ibrahim and Potts have said they will return to the Gophers for the 2022 season. Bryce Williams, who was rehabbing his lower left leg injury in Arizona during bowl week, is also expected to come back. The trio’s healthiness and effectiveness will be major questions going into next fall.
Minnesota is also adding tailback Zach Evans from Rockwall, Texas, in the 2022 class; Evans will enroll in January.
During bowl prep in Arizona, Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said he anticipated all players would be back for the 2022 season but didn’t rule out surprise departures.
After the bowl win over West Virginia, Fleck praised the running backs’ togetherness and hoped it would continue. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been around a unit that is so selfless,” Fleck said inside Chase Field in Phoenix. “That is very difficult in the college football landscape right now. We have really good running backs. This year proved you need a lot of running backs. One thing I love about these guys is they care for each other. There is not one person that is selfish inside that running back room. That is very difficult, especially in 2021 going into 2022, where we are with the college football landscape.
“(Running backs coach) Kenni Burns deserves a lot of credit. You can’t imagine the things he went through to be able to prepare these guys to be able to play. And then Mohamed Ibrahim, the way he’s been able to coach. Trey Potts finally joining us for the bowl trip; that is the first time he’s been around our team (since early October). You think about all these things that happen. These guys were so close; I hope they stay that way because it’s the pure form of college football. Not afraid to talk about that. I know we’ve got a lot of options out there and different things like that. These guys are really special.”
With the return of Ibrahim, Potts and Williams, as well as Irving and Evans, Thomas’ exit might not be shocking given the abundant depth and the current transient nature of college football, but it still seems surprising with his status as leading returning rusher going into next season.
BRIEFLY
Edina offensive tackle Quinn Carroll, the top recruit in the state of Minnesota in the 2019 class, has left Notre Dame and entered the NCAA transfer portal as a graduate transfer. Carroll had the Gophers as a finalist coming out of high school before he picked the Irish. Carroll, who tore his ACL in 2019, has up to three seasons of eligibilty remaining. In 2021, he played 70 snaps on special teams in 12 games and 23 snaps on the O-line in three games. Minnesota is losing both of its starting tackles (Daniel Faalele and Sam Schlueter) going into 2022. … Gophers receiver/tight end Nnamdi Adim-Madumere also announced Monday he intents to enter the NCAA transfer portal. The Fort Worth, Texas, product redshirted in 2019, switched positions and did not play in 2020-21. He thanked the U for “everything they have done for me, developing me into the man I am.” … With Thomas and Adim-Madumere, Minnesota has had 14 players exit the program since October. Five Power Five programs have had more players leave from Aug. 1 to Saturday: Virginia (19), Syracuse (16), Indiana (16), Florida State (15) and Michigan State (15). … Linebacker Jack Gibbens and cornerback Coney Durr accepted invitations to play in the Hula Bowl in Orlando later this month. They will join Schlueter at the college showcase event.