The Gophers football program over the weekend added a massive offensive lineman who’ll join the team for the 2024 season and an edge rusher who committed to Minnesota’s 2025 recruiting class.
Aluma Nkele, a 6-6, 355-pound tackle from Gardena, Calif., on Saturday announced on the X platform that he is transferring from Texas-El Paso to Minnesota. He started five games and played in 10 for the Miners in 2023 after seeing action in three games in 2022. He will have two years of eligibility remaining. Nkele, who played at Long Beach City College in 2021, entered the transfer portal on April 22.
Nkele is the 12th player the Gophers have added via the transfer portal since the end of the 2023 season. Minnesota has lost 18 players in the portal, including five offensive linemen.
Enoch Atewogbola, a three-star recruit from Avon (Ind.) High School, announced his commitment to Minnesota on the X platform. The 6-4, 215-pounder is rated as the 23rd-best recruit in Indiana and the 85th-ranked edge rusher in the 2025 recruiting class, according to recruiting-focused website 247Sports. Atewogbola received an offer from the Gophers on Wednesday and committed on Friday. His other scholarship offers included Boston College, Marshall, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan.
Atewogbola is the seventh player to commit to Minnesota’s 2025 recruiting class, joining Laguna Beach (Calif.) quarterback Jackson Kollock, Cooper edge rusher Emmanuel Karmo, Middleton (Wis.) defensive lineman Torin Pettaway, Mentor (Ohio) tight end Cross Nimmo, Andover wide receiver Cameron Bagalle and Covington (Ga.) cornerback Zachry Harden.
* On Monday, wide receiver Jaylen Varner, who transferred to the Gophers from NCAA Division II Emporia State in January, re-entered the transfer portal. Varner’s decision comes in the wake of the Gophers adding former Georgia four-star wideout Tyler Williams in the portal.
* Jacie Hambrick allowed only one run and three hits to pitch the Gophers softball team to a 5-1 victory over Iowa in Iowa City. Jess Oakland and Taylor Krapf each hit home runs for the Gophers (26-22, 12-8), who completed a three-game sweep of the Hawkeyes
* Former Gophers long snapper Brady Weeks received an invitation to Vikings rookie minicamp. Weeks was a five-year starter for Minnesota, appearing in 59 career games and snapping the ball 509 times.
* Gophers lefthander Will Whelan was named Big Ten freshman of the week. The Lino Lakes native pitched 5⅓ innings of relief for the Gophers over three appearances. He allowed only one run on one hit and three walks while striking out four.
Randy Johnson covers University of Minnesota football and college football for the Star Tribune, along with serving as a producer for Puck Drop, the Star Tribune’s enhanced online hockey coverage.
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