For the second straight day, a Minnesota Golden Gopher forward has entered the transfer portal. On Thursday, a day after Joshua Ola-Joseph entered the portal, Gophers sophomore Pharrel Payne did the same, Rivals has confirmed.
Payne played in 32 games for the Gophers this past season, making 19 starts in the process. Across his 32 games played, Payne averaged 10.0 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. For his career with the Gophers, Payne played in 62 games with 23 starts, posting a career stat line of 9.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists.
Payne was originally a three-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting cycle, choosing the Gophers over Appalachian State, Drake, Loyola (IL), Saint Louis, and UC-Santa Barbara.
With Payne's departure, the Golden Gophers will be replacing much of their front court with now four players departing. Also departing the program this offseason with the aforementioned Joshua Ola-Joseph is Parker Fox and Jack Wilson.
