Our transfer outlook series as we take a look at each of Minnesota's transfer protal commitments, their careers thus far, their fit on the roster, and their potential impact with the Gophers. Next up in our transfer profile is Oklahoma State linebacker transfer Jeff Roberson
CAREER OVERVIEW
Roberson will be playing his sixth year of college football in 2025 with the Minnesota Golden Gophers after spending five seasons in Stillwater with the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
A native of Choctaw, Oklahoma, Roberson was a three-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting cycle out of Choctaw High School. He committed to the Cowboys over offers from Kansas, Memphis, Minnesota, and Nebraska among others. Notably, Roberson is somewhat familiar with Minneapolis as he did make a trip to see the Gophers in the spring of 2019.
During his true freshman season, Roberson appeared in four games, all on special teams. In 2021, he would continue to be a special teams contributor for the Cowboys, this time playing in all 12 games, recording four tackles. After missing the entirety of the 2022 season with an injury, Roberson would play in 14 games for Oklahoma State in 2023, recording 10 tackles in the process.
This past season, however, the fifth-year senior had a breakout campaign for Oklahoma State, recording 58 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks in 12 games played. He also recorded his first career interception in the process.
HOW DOES ROBERSON FIT THE GOPHER ROSTER?
The Minnesota Golden Gophers saw a trio of departures in the linebacker room this offseason as Cody Lindenberg is chasing his NFL dreams, while Tyler Stolsky took his talents to Boca Raton and FAU. Senior linebacker Eli Mau also made his departure.
Notably, only Lindenberg saw regular snaps of those three in 2025 and the program is expected to return several veterans this fall in Maverick Baranowski, Devon Williams, Joey Gerlach, and Derik LeCaptain. Both LeCaptain and Gerlach will be locked into rotational roles this fall while Baranowski and Williams will be expected regulars for the Gophers.
Roberson will fit into the Gophers' plans at linebacker when it comes to competing alongside Devon Williams for the starting spot that is left by Cody Lindenberg.
WHAT SHOULD EXPECTATIONS BE FOR ROBERSON?
Coming off a big season for Oklahoma State, there will be some heightened expectations for Roberson. While it's hard to estimate what his overall impact will be, the Gophers at the least should be able to count on the Oklahoma native to provide quality, productive snaps. Whether that's at a starter or a backup/rotational piece remains to be seen. But Roberson's extensive experience at the Power Five level and continuous development thus far in his career gives a sense of encouragement that the Oklahoma State transfer could play at an even higher level in 2025.
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