Four-star men’s basketball target Parker Jefferson chooses Gophers over USC

Inglewood (Calif.) senior Parker Jefferson didn’t know much about Minnesota before his official visit, so he was shocked how much the Gophers men’s basketball program grew on him in a short time.

The 6-10, four-star center was impressed enough to pick the Gophers over USC when he revealed his college decision Wednesday night. He announced it live on Instagram after Inglewood’s game.

Gophers coach Ben Johnson and his staff sold Jefferson on the opportunity to have immediate effect in the frontcourt in the Big Ten — and showed him exactly how he’s the right fit for their system.

“Minnesota made me feel so wanted in less than a month,” Jefferson said on Tipton Edits IG live. “Just the feeling I got ever since I stepped on campus. It was a genuine vibe. ... And just how they think I can come in and have an impact as a freshman.”

The 230-pound Jefferson is ranked as a four-star prospect by ESPN and three-star prospect by 247Sports and Rivals. He also had offers from Iowa, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, TCU, Oklahoma State and SMU.

Johnson didn’t offer Jefferson a scholarship until early October, but he still picked up ground quickly. He flew to Los Angeles to watch the young big man in high school workouts. He got him out on the official visit the weekend of the U’s football victory against Maryland.

“They got my family and I on campus in less than three weeks,” Jefferson said. “Ever since I came into this process with Minnesota, it was always love. You could tell it was a real feeling. I just love the genuine vibe their program has.”

The Gophers especially grabbed Jefferson’s attention by talking about his versatility. They showed him NBA game clips with Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic and Houston Rockets rising center Alperen Şengün. Both centers are threats to put the ball on the floor, shoot, pass and post up.

“They just like the fact that I can give them post-up opportunities and also get in a position where I’m more of a playmaker and like a quarterback on the offense,” Jefferson said. “They know I can make those passes. They know I can shoot, and they know I can take it off the bounce.”

First-year USC coach Eric Musselman, the son of ex-Gophers coach Bill Musselman, offered Jefferson a scholarship while coaching at Arkansas last year. Jefferson’s parents are former Arkansas athletes.

Jefferson grew up in Sulphur Springs, Texas, and played his first three high school years at Waxahachie, a southern suburb of Dallas. In the fall, Jefferson moved to Southern California and transferred to Inglewood to play with Jason Crowe Jr., a five-star junior point guard. Jefferson’s older brother, Michael, played basketball at Iona for Rick Pitino. His older sister, Kaylee, played for Sam Houston State.

SoCal Academy senior wing Jacob Ross and Jefferson made their official visits to the Gophers together from Oct. 25-27. Ross joined Philadelphia Penn Charter guard Kai Shinholster in signing with the Gophers to start the early signing period Nov. 13.

Wednesday was the last day of the early signing period, so Jefferson gives the Gophers two four-star prospects in their 2025 recruiting class, the other being Ross.

Shinholster and Ross already have the Gophers ranked sixth in the Big Ten and 43rd nationally by Rivals and 10th in the Big Ten and 58th nationally by 247Sports. The Gophers still could have six scholarships available to add to the class in the spring.