Due to traveling last night, we didn't get to do a proper commitment article for Minnesota's new offensive lineman, Kentucky transfer Dylan Ray. With that, we're going to jump Ray to the front of the line when it comes to our transfer outlooks here at Gophers Nation.

Below, Gophers Nation takes a look at Ray's career thus far, how he fits the Gophers roster, and what expectations should be.

Ray comes to Minneapolis after spending time at both West Virginia and Kentucky. A former walk-on at West Virginia, Ray joined the Mountaineers program in 2021 and spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons in Morgantown, including playing 32 snaps in 2022. Following the 2022 season, Ray entered the transfer portal and found himself landing in Lexington with the Wildcats.

During his time in Lexington, Ray played in all 25 games with the Wildcats including making 12 starts, 10 of which came in 2023.

According to Pro Football Focus, Ray played 978 snaps over the last two seasons including 411 snaps this fall. Additionally with 1,010 career snaps including 535 career pass blocking snaps, Ray has allowed 23 career total pass pressures and six sacks.

The Gophers this offseason are going to say goodbye to Aireontae Ersery and Quinn Carroll at tackle but also will be saying goodbye to Tyler Cooper in the interior. While Ray has the size to play tackle at 6-foot-6 and over 300 pounds, a majority of his time spent has come at left guard. Of his 26 career games played, 24 have been spent at left guard and two have been spent at right guard.

As of now, the Gophers in 2025 are looking at a potential guard duo of Tony Nelson at left guard and Ashton Beers at right guard. Both Nelson and Beers had ups and downs at the position this fall. With that, Ray is going to have a chance to compete for a starting role with the Gophers. Outside of Greg Johnson at center, there is no position on the offensive line where there's a truly solidified starter for the 2025 season. The Gophers saying goodbye to their top three tackles this season in terms of snaps is a tough swallow and perhaps the Gophers try Ray at the tackle position in the spring and early fall camp to see if he can handle the position.

It might be a tough ask for a career guard to move to tackle in his final year of eligibility but it may be worth a try. That being said, the additions of Marcellus Marshall and Kahlee Tafai do help alleviate some of the concerns at tackle.

I believe Ray adds at the very least great depth for the Gophers on the offensive line. His ability to play either guard position could end up being huge for Minnesota over the course of a season. If the Gophers do perhaps try him at tackle, that would only add to his versatility heading into 2025.

As a blocker, Ray has been solid and could flourish under offensive line coach Brian Callahan who has been one of the more underrated offensive line coaches in the country during his tenure in Minneapolis. As mentioned above, he's only allowed 23 total pass pressures on 535 pass-blocking snaps in his career and has only allowed two sacks. His run blocking historically has been solid and not great as well.

If Ray wins a starting job with the Gophers, he should be able to be a quality starting guard for the Gophers who can be relied upon to hold his own in the Big Ten as he did for most of his career in the SEC. If he doesn't win a starting job, Ray should still see a sizeable role with the Gophers and see his fair share of action, providing strong depth and versatility off the bench.

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