Gophers football transfer portal impact, Part II: Defense

The Gophers football program’s priorities in the transfer portal this offseason largely were on offense, as evidenced by the fact 10 of the team’s portal additions are on that side of the ball. Coach P.J. Fleck and his staff also added four defensive transfers and a kicker, and more movement is possible when the second portal window is open from April 16 through 25, after spring practice.

For now, we’ll take a look at the defensive and special teams transfers.

Situation: The Gophers lose two durable, multiyear starters in Jah Joyner and Danny Striggow, who combined for 9.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss in 2024. Reinforcements were needed to help budding star Anthony Smith and developing edge rusher Jaxon Howard.

Transfer spotlight: Steven Curtis, Illinois State

Comment: Curtis, 6-5 and 255 pounds, earned a starting job as a sophomore this season and was productive with 46 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles and eight quarterback hurries in 14 games at FCS-level Illinois State. The West Palm Beach, Fla., native will have two years of eligibility remaining and also received interest from Boston College, Cincinnati and Kentucky.

Situation: The Gophers relied heavily on interior linemen Jalen Logan-Redding and Deven Eastern last season, but their aim is to rotate players to keep them fresh, so an addition from the portal made sense.

Transfer spotlight: Rushawn Lawrence, Stony Brook

Comment: Lawrence, 6-2 and 270 pounds, bounced back from an injury-shortened season in 2023 by making 42 tackles and collecting eight sacks on his way to earning All-Coastal Athletic Association honors. The Philadelphia native, who also played at Albany and Lackawanna (Pa.) College, has one year of eligibility remaining. Houston, Georgia Tech, Virginia and Washington State were among the programs that recruited him out of the portal.

Situation: With standout Cody Lindenberg off to the NFL, the Gophers sought more depth and experience to complement Maverick Baranowski and Devon Williams, the front-runners to start in 2025.

Transfer spotlight: Jeff Roberson, Oklahoma State

Comment: Roberson, 6-1 and 230 pounds, is a graduate transfer with one year of eligibility remaining after a productive 2024 in which he had 58 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, seven quarterback hurries and one interception. He spent five seasons at Oklahoma State, playing mostly on special teams early in his career and missing the 2022 season as a medical redshirt.

Situation: With four-year starter Justin Walley and senior Ethan Robinson having exhausted their eligibility, the Gophers needed help at this position, preferably someone who can start immediately.

Transfer spotlight: Jaylen Bowden, North Carolina Central

Comment: Robinson (Bucknell) and Tre’Von Jones (Elon) in 2023 were productive plug-and-play cornerbacks from FCS schools, and the Gophers hope they have another in Bowden. At 6-2 and 155 pounds, Bowden isn’t the biggest corner, but he made 19 tackles, intercepted one pass and broke up seven passes in 2024. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

Situation: Dragan Kesich handled the Gophers’ kickoff duties for the past three years and placekicking duties for the past two, so there are holes to be filled.

Transfer spotlight: Brady Denaburg, Syracuse

Comment: Denaburg, who has one year of eligibility remaining, has been Syracuse’s kickoff specialist the past three seasons, with 156 of his 198 kickoffs going for touchbacks. He’s also 13-for-22 on field-goal attempts in his career.

Note: This is Part II of a two-part series. Part I focused on the portal’s impact on the Gophers offense.