Gophers get Craig McDonald, former Minnehaha Academy star, as transfer from Auburn

McDonald played at Minnehaha Academy and started his college football career at Iowa State.

May 8, 2023 at 1:39AM
Iowa State defensive back Craig McDonald (27) follows a play during the first half of the Cheez-It Bowl NCAA college football game against Clemson, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Craig McDonald spent two seasons at Iowa State, playing in the 2021 Cheez-It Bowl, before transferring to Auburn last year. (Phelan M. Ebenhack, Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Auburn transfer and former Minnehaha Academy athlete Craig McDonald will be returning home to play football for the Gophers, he announced Saturday night on Twitter.

McDonald, a 6-2, 200-pound sophomore defensive back, started his career redshirting at Iowa State in 2020. The Minneapolis native recorded 41 tackles and tied for the team lead with two interceptions in 13 games for the Cyclones in 2021, which included three starts.

After transferring to Auburn last year, McDonald played in two games at safety without recording any statistics. He entered the transfer portal last month and, as a two-time transfer, will require an NCAA waiver to be eligible to play this fall.

In high school, McDonald won a Class 4A championship in football and Class 2A championship in basketball during his career. He was named defensive MVP of the Minnesota high school football all-star game in 2019.

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about the writer

Marcus Fuller

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Marcus Fuller covers Gophers men's basketball, national college basketball, college sports and high school recruiting for the Minnesota Star Tribune.

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