The Minnesota Football program has been active in the transfer portal over the first week that the portal has officially been opened and on Saturday night, Western Michigan WR Corey Crooms announced he'll be calling Minneapolis home.
Crooms made the decision while on his official visit to the Gophers. The Country Club Hills (Ill.) native will have one year of eligibility remaining in his collegiate career.
While technically the second transfer portal commitment for the Gophers this postseason, Crooms is now the lone member of the Gophers' 2022-23 transfer class. Markus Allen, who originally announced his intentions to transfer away from the University of Wisconsin, committed to the Gophers at the end of November before deciding this week to exit the portal and return to Madison.
This past season, Crooms had 57 receptions for 814 yards and five touchdowns for Western Michigan. It was a second-straight, 40+ receptions, 750+ yard season for the Illinois native. In 2021, he posted a statline of 44 receptions and 768 yards as well as six touchdowns. For his career, Crooms has 115 receptions for 1,766 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Additionally, this season, Crooms earned a 74.8 overall grade from PFF including a passing grade of 75.8.
The Western Michigan transfer will join a Minnesota offense that in 2023 will look to have a bigger impact through the air. The Gophers in 2022 averaged just 185.9 yards per game through the air though when you have a running back as good as Mohamed Ibrahim, being one-dimensional does not hurt just as much. However, the safety valve that is Ibrahim will not return in 2023 after exhausting his eligibility, meaning the Gophers' passing attack will need to be much more formidable in 2023.
The Gophers' wide receiver room is talented on paper but will need to be more consistent going forward, adding Crooms should help in those efforts. Crooms will lead the wide receiver room along the likes of Chris Autman-Bell who was lost earlier this season with an injury but will return in 2023 as the Gophers' likely No.1 wide receiver.
Outside of Autman-Bell, players such as Daniel Jackson (33 receptions, 484 yards, three touchdowns), Mike Brown-Stephens (22 receptions, 338 yards), and Dylan Wright (15 receptions, 266 yards, and one touchdown) will all return. That doesn't include star tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford who totaled 40 receptions for 481 yards this season.
With rising third-year quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis showing promise at the end of the season as the Gophers' starting quarterback, there is an opportunity for the Gophers to take a major step forward in the passing game next season.
What Crooms brings to the Gophers:
Crooms brings a big play ability to the Gophers' offense that they missed desperately outside of the talents of Chris Autman-Bell. A strong route runner, Crooms has the ability to lineup both outside, inside, and in the slot thanks to his sub-4.5 speed. Pairing him with Autman-Bell should only benefit both players, Crooms speed and big play-making abilities will open up opportunities for Autman-Bell and vice versa. That’s not including Brevyn Spann-Ford and the impact he'll have on opposing defenses and their game plans.
What's next for Minnesota?
With Crooms now in the fold for the Gophers, they'll look to add to other areas in the transfer portal. PJ Fleck and his program have targeted the offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, and secondary as key areas that they'll look for immediate help in the portal from. Adding another wide receiver isn't out of the question either, as the Gophers'' were pushing heavily for Croom when they already had Allen committed to the program.
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