As the Gophers have shown twice over the past three seasons, a team never can have enough running backs. On Tuesday, coach P.J. Fleck added another experienced back to his group.
Gophers add running back Jaren Mangham from Michigan State
Jaren Mangham, who’s had stops at Colorado, South Florida and Michigan State, is the third running back to transfer to Minnesota this offseason.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
May 8, 2024 at 12:27PM
Jaren Mangham, a 6-2, 235-pounder who played the 2023 season at Michigan State, announced on X that he is transferring to Minnesota. The Gophers will be the fourth program for the graduate transfer, who spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons at Colorado, transferred to South Florida for the 2021 season and 2022 as a redshirt campaign and ended up at Michigan State.
Mangham has been productive, rushing 344 times for 1,332 yards and 23 touchdowns in his career. His best season came in 2021 with South Florida, when he rushed 160 times for 671 yards and 15 TDs on his way to American Athletic Conference honorable mention honors. Last year at Michigan State, he was limited by injuries, finishing with 81 yards on 30 carries.
A Detroit native who played at Cass Technical High School, Mangham was a four-star recruit and the No. 1-ranked running back in Michigan in the 2019 recruiting class by Rivals.
Mangham is the third transfer running back the Gophers has added this offseason, joining Ohio University’s Sieh Bangura and Oklahoma’s Marcus Major. His addition will add depth behind presumptive starter Darius Taylor, who averaged 159.2 rushing yards in the five games he started.
Because of injuries and transfers, the Gophers were forced to dig deep into their running back group in 2021, when seven players saw extensive action in the wake of Mohamed Ibrahim’s Achilles tendon injury, and in 2023, when five players, including converted safety Jordan Nubin, logged extensive time.
The Badgers just need one more win for a bowl bid, but that’s been the case going into their past four games, all losses.
