The Minnesota Golden Gophers have picked up some much-needed help in the secondary. Defensive back transfer Craig McDonald has been deemed eligible to play by the NCAA, a program spokesperson confirmed to Gophers Nation; while waiting for a decision, McDonald had to sit out each of the Golden Gophers' first four games of the season.
McDonald being cleared was first reported by Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press.
A former standout out at Minnehaha Academy, McDonald signed with Iowa State as part of the Cyclones 2020 recruiting cycle, where he played in 13 games for the Cyclones in 2021, including making two career starts. He recorded 41 tackles in his first full season of action, including 1.5 tackles for a loss while also recording two interceptions.
After the 2021 season, McDonald entered the transfer portal and transferred to Auburn, where he spent the 2022 season, playing in two games against Mercer and Penn State. For his career, the Minnesota native has appeared in 19 games. This offseason, following the firing of Bryan Harsin at Auburn, McDonald entered the transfer portal before choosing to continue his career at home, enrolling on campus in May.
While he did miss the first four games of the season for the Golden Gophers, McDonald still has two more years of eligibility following this season.
The clearing of McDonald could not have come at a much better time for the Gophers. The Minnesota secondary in each of their last two games has been torched, as the program has suffered back-to-back losses in the process. Over the last two games, the Golden Gophers have allowed 814 passing yards while allowing six passing touchdowns.
It is unclear if McDonald will be ready to go for this weekend's home matchup against Lousiana.
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