Former Gophers quarterback Demry Croft transfers to Tennessee State

Former Gophers quarterback Demry Croft has found his new school: Tennessee State.

Croft on Sunday morning announced on Twitter that "Tennessee State is my new home.'' Croft took his official visit to the Nashville school this weekend with his parents.

The Rockford, Ill., native will have two years of eligibility remaining at Tennessee State, a Football Championship Subdivision school that plays in the Ohio Valley Conference. Because he is transferring to a lower-division school, Croft will not have to sit out a season and will be eligible to play in 2018.

Croft started the final six games of the 2017 season for the Gophers before asking for and receiving his release from coach P.J. Fleck following the season-ending loss to Wisconsin. Croft began the season as the co-starting QB with senior Conor Rhoda and played in the first two games, but he was suspended by Fleck for two games for an undisclosed disciplinary violation and didn't see action in a third game after being reinstated.

Croft replaced Rhoda in the second quarter of the Oct. 14 game against Michigan State and threw three fourth-quarter touchdown passes in the 30-27 loss. He made his first start against Illinois in a 24-17 Gophers win, but struggled, going 5-for-15 for 47 yards and a TD with two interceptions. His best game was in Minnesota's 54-21 rout of Nebraska, in which he rushed 10 times for 183 yards and three TDs, including a 73-yarder. The rushing total was a school record for a quarterback. He also completed nine of 15 passes for 105 yards against the Cornhuskers.

Croft went 2-4 in his six Big Ten starts, completing five or fewer passes in four of them, and he had three games of 47 or fewer passing yards. He finished the season 51-for-123 passing for 674 yards and four TDs with seven interceptions. He rushed 79 times for 311 yards and four TDs.

Upon announcing on Twitter on Nov. 27 that he was leaving the Gophers program, Croft said that he was falsely accused of damaging a door and that led to an indefinite suspension.

Tennessee State had two quarterbacks as starters in the 2017 season, with junior Treon Harris, a transfer from Florida, starting the first five games before giving way to sophomore Michael Hughes. The Tigers went 6-5 overall and 2-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference as Hughes completed 86 of 162 passes for 1,304 yards and 15 TDs with six interceptions. Harris was 58-for-106 for 729 yards and two TDs with two interceptions. He also rushed for 318 yards and three TDs.