The Minnesota Golden Gophers over the weekend landed a trio of running backs including Rivals top-200 transfer portal tailback A.J. Turner. The Marshall transfer committed to the Gophers on Sunday alongside Michigan transfer Cole Cabana and Washington transfer Cameron Davis.
The Hampton, Virginia native spent three seasons with the Thundering Herd after signing with the program out of high school over offers from Kansas, Kentucky, Northwestern, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, Virginia, Air Force, Akron, App State, Army, Buffalo, East Carolina, FIU, Kent State, Liberty, Memphis, Navy, Old Dominion, Fordham, James Madison and William & Mary
Below, Gophers Nation takes a look at what the Gophers are getting in Turner and what expectations should be for the tight end in 2025.
CAREER OVERVIEW
After being a two-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, Turner appeared in eight games in his true freshman season totaling 17 carries for 100 yards. In 2023, he was kept to just three games, redshirting. In those three games, he has six carries for 20 yards. This fall, the 6-foot-0, 195-pound tailback had a breakout season recording 104 carries for 864 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games. He also had eight receptions for 68 yards and two additional touchdowns.
He has two years of eligibility to use with the Gophers.
