Gophers RB Trey Potts, WR Michael Brown-Stephens enter NCAA transfer portal
Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Trey Potts (3) celebrates his 15-yard touchdown run during the first quarter of a college football game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Western Illinois Leathernecks on September 10, 2022 at Huntington B ((Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota football team lost a pair of skill position players on Monday as running back Trey Potts and wide receiver Michael Brown-Stephens entered the NCAA transfer portal.
They’re the 10th and 11th players to leave the program after a 9-4 season, a win over rival Wisconsin and beating Syracuse in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The Gophers have had eight defensive players, and now three offensive players leave the program.
Brown-Stephens played in 22 games with the Gophers the last two seasons, making 49 catches for 770 yards and two touchdowns. He was not with the team during the bowl game.
Potts ran for 1,029 yards and nine touchdowns the last two seasons. He played in 12 games in 2022 after playing five games in 2021, missing the last eight after suffering an undisclosed injury in a win at Purdue that required him to be hospitalized for a week before returning back to Minnesota.
Both Brown-Stephens and Potts will have two more years of eligibility.
The news means the PJ Fleck and the Gophers likely lean on Zach Evans, transfer Sean Tyler and incoming freshman Darius Taylor to lead the running back room. Bryce Williams returns as the lone running back with more than 10 carries last season.
The Gophers have a loaded receiver room back, led by Chris Autman-Bell, who is back for his seventh season. Also returning are Dylan Wright, Daniel Jackson and Brevyn Spann-Ford. Minnesota also added Corey Crooms, and Elijah Spencer from the transfer portal.
Minnesota will have two spring practices open to the public, March 28 and April 4, before the April 22 Spring Game at Huntington Bank Stadium.