Gophers' Phillip Daniels enters transfer portal, leaving one returning offensive line starter

Phillip Daniels, a redshirt freshman offensive lineman who started three games this season, has entered his name into the transfer portal, a source with knowledge of the situation told the Star Tribune.

Daniels, 6-5 and 315 pounds, played in all 12 games this season after redshirting in 2023. He played both right tackle and right guard and was considered a strong candidate to start at right tackle in 2025.

The Cincinnati native originally committed to Pittsburgh in July 2022 before signing with the Gophers five months later. Along with Minnesota, Daniels visited Purdue and Boston College during his high school recruitment.

Daniels’ departure leaves the Gophers with only one returning offensive line starter — center Greg Johnson — for 2025.

Gophers offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery on Monday was named third-team All-America by the Associated Press, making him the second Minnesota offensive lineman in three years to receive an AP All-America honor. He joins center John Michael Schmitz, who received first-team honors in 2022.

A junior from Kansas City, Mo., Ersery is projected as a first-round draft pick by several NFL-focused publications. According to Pro Football Focus, the 6-6, 330-pounder gave up only one sack and one quarterback hit in 398 opportunities during the 2024 season. He started all 12 games this year and has started the past 38 games of his Gophers career at left tackle.

Earlier this month, Ersery was named the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year.

Ersery has a year of eligibility remaining but is expected to forgo his senior season and the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Jan. 3 to make himself available for the NFL draft. He has accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl on Feb. 1 in Mobile, Ala.

“[Ersery] kind of makes it so you don’t have to worry about the left side of the line,” Gophers offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. said.

Ersery is the sixth Gophers player under coach P.J. Fleck to earn All-America honors, joining Schmitz, safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (2019), wide receiver Rashod Bateman (2019), running back Mohamed Ibrahim (2020 and 2022) and safety Tyler Nubin (2023).

Rushawn Lawrence, a transfer defensive tackle from FCS-level Stony Brook, announced on the X platform that he has committed to the Gophers. Lawrence, 6-2 and 270 pounds, will have one year of eligibility remaining.

A Philadelphia native and Monsignor Bonner High School standout, Lawrence had 42 tackles and eight sacks this season, earning All-Colonial Athletic Association honors. He spent two seasons at Stony Brook, playing in only four games in 2023 before suffering a season-ending injury and collecting 20 tackles and one sack in 2022. Before that, he played one season at Lackawanna (Pa.) Community College and one at Albany.

The Gophers beat out Oklahoma to land Lawrence, who also received interest from Houston, Georgia Tech, Virginia and Washington State, among others. Lawrence is the 10th player to commit to the Gophers since the transfer portal opened last Monday.