The Minnesota Golden Gophers' coaching search is only a few days old, but the Gophers' top target in the search has become clear.

Gophers Nation can confirm recent reports that Colorado State head coach Niko Medved has emerged as the Gophers' top target. Gophers Nation has been reporting Minnesota's targeting of Medved since early Thursday morning, in the early hours following the firing of Ben Johnson at 1:15 a.m. Thursday.

Medved is currently in his seventh season with the Colorado State Rams, posting a record of 133-82 with the program. On Saturday evening, the Rams also clinched their third NCAA Tournament appearance in four years by defeating Boise State in the Mountain West Conference Tournament.

For his career, Medved has also found success at Furman, where he turned a struggling Paladins program into a contender within the Southern Conference in just four seasons before leading a quick turnaround at Drake in 2017-18.

Medved took over the Colorado State program in the 2018-19 season, going 12-20 in his first year before posting five 20+ win seasons in the last six years for the Rams. He holds a career record of 219-172, a .560 winning percentage.

The 51-year-old is a Minneapolis native and began his coaching career with the Gophers as a student manager before coaching down the street at Macalester College. He also returned to the program in 2006 to serve as an assistant coach under then-head coaches Dan Monson and Jim Molinari.

If athletic director Mark Coyle and the rest of the Gophers' administration can get the deal across the finish line, the hiring of Medved would be a strong one for the Gophers. Medved has been a proven program builder, turning around programs in disrepair at Furman, Drake, and Colorado State.

With the Gophers, the Minneapolis native would be tasked with rebuilding a program that has had just one winning season since the 2017-18 season and has failed to make the NCAA Tournament in 11 of 14 seasons since 2010-11. The program's last trip to the NCAA Tournament came in the 2018-19 season.

Currently, Medved, who signed an extension with Colorado State last April, is set to make $1.75 million with the Rams next season. As part of his extension, his salary would increase to $1.9 million by the 2028-29 season, while option years in 2029-30 and 2030-31 could increase his salary to as high as $2 million.

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