Minnesota picks up commitment from Marshall DT transfer Naquan Crowder
The Minnesota Golden Gophers needed to find defensive tackles in this year’s transfer portal class, and on Monday afternoon, they found their first.
Following an official visit over the weekend to the Twin Cities, Marshall defensive tackle transfer Naquan Crowder announced his commitment to the Golden Gophers. Crowder was also receiving interest from programs such as Arkansas and Penn State. He’ll have two years of eligibility remaining.
Crowder entered the transfer portal after just one season with the Thundering Herd, after starting his collegiate career at Division II California University of Pennsylvania. In his lone season with the program, Crowder recorded 26 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, and one sack.
Pro Football Focus thought highly of Crowder as well, grading him with a 76.3 defensive grade on the season, which included a very strong run-defense grade of 83.4 and a tackling grade of 72.7.
A 6-foot-3, 319-pound rising redshirt junior, Crowder spent most of his time with Marshall as a three-tech defensive tackle, playing mostly over the tackle, but he did spend some time on the interior as well as at one-tech. Thanks to both his size and strong skills against the run, Crowder could project well to a one-tech role for the Gophers.
Minnesota is losing three defensive tackles to eligibility this offseason: Deven Eastern, Jalen Logan-Redding, and Rushawn Lawrence. Of their 2025 contributors, Riley Sunram and Jaylin Hicks are both expected to return.
Outside of the defensive tackle position, Minnesota is well equipped for the 2026 season along the defensive line, with key pass rushers Anthony Smith, Karter Menz, and Jaxon Howard all set to return next fall.
Crowder is Minnesota’s fifth commitment out of the transfer portal, joining quarterback Michael Merdinger (Liberty), running back Jaron Thomas (Purdue), offensive lineman Bennett Warren (Tennessee), and linebacker Andrew Marshall (Eastern Michigan).
PORTAL COMMITMENTS
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | YEARS LEFT | 2025 SEASON STATS | MORE ON TRANSFER |
| QB Michael Merdinger | Liberty | 3 | 21-for-41, 350 yds, 1 TD ; 19 att, 28 yds, 1 TD | COMMITMENT STORY |
| RB Jaron Thomas | Vanderbilt | 4 | 2 carries, 15 yards | COMMITMENT STORY |
| OL Bennett Warren | Tennessee | 3 | N/A | COMMITMENT STORY |
| LB Andrew Marshall | Eastern Michigan | 1 | 61 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1 sack | COMMITMENT STORY |
| DT Naquan Crowder | Marshall | 2 | 26 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack | COMMITMENT STORY |
ADDITIONAL MINNESOTA TRANSFER PORTAL LINKS
TRANSFER PORTAL DISCUSSION THREAD
