Gophers recruit and four-star big man Parker Jefferson will start his college basketball career next season with a different school after deciding to reopen his recruitment Saturday.
“I will be asking for a release,” Jefferson told the Minnesota Star Tribune on Saturday. “It was a different look and wasn’t really what I felt would be a good fit.”
The 6-10 senior from Inglewood, Calif., was the second member of the Gophers’ 2025 recruiting class to make the announcement after firing of Ben Johnson, who was replaced by Colorado State’s Niko Medved on Monday.
Jefferson said earlier in the week he was looking forward to discussing his future with Medved “after hearing good things about him.”
But on Thursday, SoCal Academy three-star wing Jacob Ross asked out of his signed letter of intent as well. The third member of Johnson’s class was Philadelphia Penn Charter guard Kai Shinholster, who hasn’t announced changing his decision.
Medved, who coached Colorado State to a third NCAA tournament in four years, started reaching out to current players and recruits this week, which included bringing back freshmen Isaac Asuma and Grayson Grove.
“I don’t want anyone coming here if they don’t feel their opportunity is what they want,” Medved said earlier this week.
Junior forward Frank Mitchell and senior guard Brennan Rigsby committed to St. Bonaventure and Radford, respectively, after entering the portal.
