As we gear up for the 2025 Minnesota Golden Gophers football season, we take a look back. We continue our Top 25 of the last 25 years of Minnesota Golden Gophers athletics with The Top 25 Gopher Football Players from 2000-2025. Twenty-five years is a long time. Trying to pick just 25 players from a team that had 90+ players on it is not an easy task. But, we took a poll with multiple members of the staff here and then with a few editorial selections, we have come forth with our list. I’m sure many
of you will disagree on both the order of this list, and think some that were left off deserve spots over those that were placed on it. Let us know in the comments how you feel.
A reminder that this list only takes into consideration their Gopher Football career. No NFL results were considered. Additionally if a player played for a different collegiate squad prior or after the Gophers, that was also not considered. Sorry Bucky Irving. Just because the list was so long, here are few honorable mentions that did not quite make the final 25 for one reason or another.
Honorable Mentions:
We start with a trio of stars who played mostly before our cutoff, but were incredibly good in the year 2000.
Ben Hamilton—C 1996-2000
Hamilton would be named First Team All-American by Walter Camp, Football News, and the AFCA after helping the Gophers go 6-6 and make the Micron PC Bowl where they would lose to Phillip Rivers and NC State. Hamilton would be drafted by the Denver Broncos in the 4th round of the 2001 NFL Draft.
Karon Riley-DE 1999-2000
Riley transferred to Minnesota from TCU in 1997 and has to set out the 1998 season (remember those days). In 2000 he led the Gophers with 20 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. He was named First Team All-Big Ten and was selected in the 4th round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.
Willie Middlebrooks-CB 1998-2000
Middlebrooks was one of the best cornerbacks in the Big Ten in 1999 and 2000. He missed the last four games of the 2000 season after breaking his ankle, but was still selected in the 1st round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos.
We also honor a group of specialists who may have deserved to be slightly higher on this list, but even if you are the best punter on the list, are you still better than the 4th running back? It’s an argument for sure.
Rhys Lloyd—K 2003-2004
Lloyd of course is most famous for his run for the Axe after kicking a game winning field goal to defeat Wisconsin in 2003. But he was one of the best kickers in the Big Gen leading the conference in made and attempted extra points in 2003 (59/61). His career 72% field goal percentage doesn’t help his case to be higher though.
Emmitt Carpenter—K 2015-2018
Carpenter was the Gophers starting kicker for three seasons from 2016-2018 and was named the Big Ten Kicker of the Year in 2016 after leading the conference with 22 made field goals and a 92% make rate on his field goals. He missed just one extra point in his career going 117/118 and had a career 79% make rate on his field goals.
Peter Mortell — P 2012-2015
Mortell was a fan favorite in his time in the maroon and gold. He was one of the best punters in the conference too leading the Big Ten in yards per punt at 45.1 in 2014 and averaged 44 yards per punt for his career. The self-proclaimed National Holder of the Year in 2015, he went on to give out his own award for several seasons afterwards and gained national attention.
We also need to recognize one of the more recent Gopher stars…
Daniel Jackson—WR—2000-2024
Jackson took a while to develop into the star wide receiver that he became, but there was no one more valuable on the Gophers roster in 2024. He finished the season with a career high 75 catches and 863 yards. He had 8 touchdowns in 2023 with nearly as many yards, but 16 less catches. While not the gaudy stats compared to some of the wide outs on this list, his presence definitely deserves to be recognized.
Now to the Top 25…
#25 (Tie) Briean Boddy-Calhoun—DB 2013-2015
Eric Murray— DB 2012-2015
I know its a copout to start the list with a tie, but these two are so linked in Gopher lore, its only proper they be joined together. The highlights of the Jerry Kill era defenses BBC and Murray roamed the Gopher secondary causing pain on opposing offenses. Boddy-Calhoun lead the Gophers in interceptions in both the 2014 and 2015 season, and had one very memorable interception/ strip in Lincoln in 2014 that helped the Gophers to a huge upset win. He would return two interceptions for touchdowns in his Minnesota career and was named First Team All-Big Ten in 2014. Murray recorded 192 tackles in three seasons starting in the Gophers secondary and played lock down defense. He was a Second Team All-Big Ten in 2014, and both were Third Team in 2015. Murray was drafted in the 4th round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.
#24 Darrell Reid—DE 2000-2004
Reid was a star on the defensive line for Glen Mason in the early 2000’s. His best two seasons were in 2003 and 200 where he led the Gophers in sacks and tackles for loss in both seasons, and in TFL in 2002 as well. He was named Second Team All-Big Ten in 2004 when he recorded 17.5 TFL and 7.5 sacks. Tanner Morgan—QB 2018-2022
#23 Tanner Morgan—QB 2018-2022
Morgan played five seasons at QB for the Gophers starting 47 games as the Gophers signal caller and playing four more in reserve his freshman year. He’s the #2 QB all time for Minnesota completing 661 passes for 9.454 yards. He ended his Minnesota career throwing 65 touchdowns and 32 interceptions and running another eight touchdowns in. His best season was the magical season of 2019 where he led the Big Ten in yards per attempt at 10.2, yards per completion at 15.5 and total passing yard per game at 250.2. He threw 30 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions. Unfortunately he never again found that form and was maligned at times by the Gopher fan base his final three seasons.
#22 Adam Weber— QB 2007-2010
The only QB with more yards than Morgan, Weber was amazingly successful for the situation he was in with four different offensive coordinators in four seasons under Tim Brewster. Weber ended his Minnesota career starting in a QB record 50 games and completing 1,594 passes for 10,917 yards. He threw 71 touchdowns and 51 interceptions in his career. He ran for another 10 TDs. It wasn’t all good as he led the Big Ten in interceptions in both 2007 and 2009 with 19 and 15 respectively. But his 62.2 % completion percentage in 2008 led the conference as well. He was named a third Team Freshman All-American in 2007, and Minnesota Team MVP in 2010.
#21 David Cobb—RB—2011-2014
Cobb was that classic player that came out of nowhere to suddenly become one of the best running backs in the nation. In his first two years as a Gopher Cobb rushed just 11 times for 58 yards. His junior year given the starting job he rushed 237 times for 1,202 yards. He would blow up his senior season rushing 315 times for 1,629 yards and 13 touchdowns. For his Gopher career he averaged 5.1 yards per carry. He was drafted in the 5th round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.
#20 Mark Setterstrom—OG 2002-2005
Setterstrom one one of the beasts on the Gophers offensive line along with another player who will be ranked much higher, who helped the vaunted Gopher rushing attack of the early 2000’s. Setterstrom cleared the way for Minnesota’s star running backs. He was named First Team All-Big Ten in both 2004 and 2005, and Rivals named him a First Team All-American in 2004 and he was a Second Team All-American in 2005. In 2005 the Gophers OL allowed just 3 sacks on the season, the lowest number in Big Ten history. He was selected in the 7th round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams.
#19 Rodney Smith—RB 2015-2019
Smith showed great resiliency in his Gopher career coming back from an ACL tear in the beginning of his senior season and having he best year of his career as a redshirt senior in 2019. In five seasons at Minnesota Smith rushed 879 times for 4,122 yards, good enough for third all-time in the Gopher career rushing list. He ended his career with 29 touchdowns—all on the ground. In 2019 he ran for a career high 1,163 yards and earned All-Big Ten Second Team. He was also All-Big Ten Third Team in 2016 where he scored a career high 16 touchdowns all capped with his signature wave. He led Minnesota in rushing three times, in 2016, 2017, and 2019 and is one of just two Gopher running backs to lead the team in rushing for three seasons since 2000. He has the most all-purpose yards in program history at 5,441.
#18 Ra’Shede Hageman—DT 2010-2013
Hageman was a beast in the middle of the Gophers defensive line in the early 2010’s. His best season was his senior year in 2013 where he was a Third Team All-American and First Team All-Big Ten. He only had two sacks, but led the team with 13 tackles for loss and had a career high 38 tackles. He was selected in the 2nd Round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.
#17 De’ Vondre Campbell—LB— 2013-2015
Campbell came in as a JUCO recruit and played three solid seasons at linebacker for the Gophers. He led the Gophers in sacks his senior season in 2015. He had 92 tackles that season. His most memorable play came in the Big House in 2014 where he returned a 30 yard Pick 6 to help the Gophers win the Little Brown Jug for the first time since 2005. He was selected in the Atlanta Falcons in the 4th round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
#16 Carter Coughlin—LB/ Edge 2016-2019
The anchor of Minnesota’s “Empire Class: of 2015, Coughlin came in as a highly touted Eden Prairie, MN recruit and mostly lived up to the hype. Coughlin led the Gophers in tackles for loss in 2016, 2017, and 2018, and led the team in sacks in 2017 and 2018. He earned All-Big Ten Second Team honors in 2018 and 2019. He was selected in the 7th round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the New York Giants
#15 Blake Cashman —LB 2015-2018
Another Eden Prairie star, Cashman came in much more unheralded than Coughlin. He began his career as a walk-on and became a star linebacker for the Gophers. He led the Gophers in sacks in 2016, and was tied with Coughlin for the most tackles for loss on the team in 2018. He blew up his senior season with 104 tackles to lead the team and earn Second Team All-Big Ten honors. He was selected in the 5th Round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.
#14 Marqueis Gray —QB/WR 2009-2012
The rest of the blog voted Gray higher than I would have, but there is no doubt he was a face of the Gophers in the transition years from Tim Brewster to Jerry Kill. Gray generally saw time as a running QB or at wide receiver in 2009 and 2010 before being the starting QB in 2011. His best year at wide out came in 2010 where he caught 42 balls for over 500 yards and six TDs. His QB play in 2011 wasn’t amazing as he had a completion percentage barely over 50% and was evenly split with 8 TDs and 8 interceptions. But, he also ran for nearly 1,000 yards and added six more touchdowns. His senior year in 2012 he ran the ball for more than he threw it and split time evenly between QB, WR and even some running back. He is one of those that the idea of him is definitely remembered more fondly than his actual impact….but the voters are the voters.
#13 John-Michael Schmitz —C 2018-2022
One of the trio of stars that came in PJ Fleck’s initial recruiting class that was poached from Western Michigan, JMS developed into one of the best offensive linemen in the Big Ten by the time he graduated. He started 35 games at center in his career including all 25 in his junior and senior seasons. He got better and better moving his way from All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in 2020, the Second team in 2021, and First Team in 2022. He was the best center in the nation in 2022 nearly earning consensus First Team All-American honors, with only Walter Camp putting him on the Second Team. He was selected in the 2nd Round of the 2023 NFL Draft by the New York Giants.
#12 Tyler Nubin—S 2019-2023
Nubin was another player who started his career slow but burst onto the scene by his last two years and became on one of the best defensive backs in the Big Ten. He started all 36 games he played in his final three years between 2021-2023 and was the classic ball hawking safety. His 13 interceptions are a Minnesota program record. He earned Second Team All-Big Ten honors his junior year before being recognized as one of the best safety’s in the nation his senior year. He was named First Team All-Big Ten, Second Team All-American by Walter Camp, AP, and FWAA, and a First Team All-American by the Sporting News. He was selected in the 2nd Round of the NFL Draft in 2024 by the New York Giants.
#11 Matt Spaeth—TE— 2003-2006
Spaeth was a multi-talented tight end starting as a blocking beast for the Gopher rushing attacks of the late Mason-era and then developed into one of the best pass catching tight ends in program history. He began his career as a First Team Freshman All-American in 2003 before he earned All-Big Ten First Team honors in 2005 and 2006. He was a First Team All-American as a senior in 2006 when he caught 47 passes for 564 yards and four touchdowns while also clearing the way for Amir Pinnix to run wild. He was selected in the 3rd Round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
And Now For the Top 10:
#10 Maxx Williams —TE 2013-2014
Williams played just two seasons as a Gopher before heading to the NFL, but in those years he cemented himself as the best tight end in the last 25 years. He started seven games as a redshirt freshman in 2013 led the team in receiving yards with 417 and tied for the team lead in receptions with 25 and receiving touchdowns with 5. His sophomore season would be even better as he and Mitch Leidner had a connection. Williams led the Gophers in receptions with 36, receiving yards with 569, receiving touchdowns with 8 and was fourth in yards-per-reception with 15.8. His yards and touchdowns are single season records for a Gopher tight end. He earned all the honors including being named the Kwalick-Clark Big Ten Tight End of the Year and All-Big Ten First Team. He was just the third sophomore to ever be named a Mackey Award Finalist as the nations top tight end. He was both a First Team Academic All-American as well as being named First Team All-American by Sporting News, FWAA, and Phil Steele. He was named a Second Team All-American by Associated Press, Walter Camp and CBS Sports. Unfortunately for Gopher fans he left after his redshirt sophomore season and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the Second Round of the 2015 NFL Draft. But Gophers fans will always remember his amazing plays in the 2014 season fondly.
#9 Marion Barber III—-RB— 2001-2004
Barber was one head of the Gophers vaunted two-headed rushing attack in the early 2000’s under Glen Mason. The Plymouth native was a star running back and defensive back in high school, and Glen Mason made the decision to play him on offense instead of safety. It worked out well. Barber ran for 742 yards his freshman season before missing most of his sophomore season with injuries. His junior and senior seasons in 2003 and 2004 are some of the best in Gopher history. He ran for 1196 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2003 and 1269 yards and 11 TDs in 2004. He was named First Team All-Big Ten in 2003. He currently ranks #6 all-time in program history with 3,276 rushing yards, #5 in all-purpose yards with 4.495, #4 in rushing yards per game at 86.2, #5 at yards per carry at 5.7, and #3 in touchdowns with 35. Barber was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 4th round of the 2005 NFL Draft.
#8 Rashod Bateman—WR— 2018-2020
I’m sure many of you think Bateman should be higher on this list. He was an amazing player. But, what we really got were two great years of Bateman, which in comparison to some of the other wide outs above him, just was a more limited sample. PJ Fleck got a steal getting him out of Georgia, and he made an immediate impact on the field. Bateman caught 51 passes for 704 yards and six touchdowns in 2018, but really turned it on in the magical season of 2019. Bateman caught 60 passes and led the Big Ten with 1,219 yards and a 20.3 yard per reception average. He was named First Team All-Big Ten in 2019 and a Third Team All-American. He returned in the COVID season of 2020 but only played part of the season before handing it up and getting ready for an NFL career. He still caught 36 passes for 472 yards and a pair of touchdowns in five games and earned Third Team All-Big Ten honors. Bateman was a First Round selection by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2021 NFL Draft. Relive the Bate show below.
#7 Ron Johnson—WR 1998-2001
Johnson was the original best wide receiver in Gopher history before the crop of new talent came into the U in the middle and latter part of the 25 year span. Only Johnson’s last two seasons county on this list, but they were by far the two most impressive of his career. His junior season in 2000 Johnson caught 59 passes for a Big Ten leading 1067 yards and 11 touchdowns. He followed that up in 2001 with 56 catches for 895 yards and 9 touchdowns. He was awarded First Team All-Big Ten honors in 2000 and Second Team in 2001. He is third all-time in program history in receptions with 198, receiving yards with 2,989, second in receiving touchdowns with 31, and holds the Big Ten record for most consecutive games with a reception with 46. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the 4th round of the 2002 NFL Draft.
#6 Tyler Johnson—WR 2016-2019
The other famous Johnson Gopher receiver, Tyler Johnson holds just about every receiving record the Gophers have. His career got off to a slow start with just 14 catches his freshman season. That number jumped up to 35 his sophomore season in 2017 as he gained 677 yards and led the Big Ten with a 19.3 yard per reception average. His junior year was his big breakout as he caught 78 passes for 1,169 yards and a Big Ten leading 12 touchdown passes. He rounded out his Gopher career with the best single season for a wide out in program history. Johnson’s 86 receptions is first all-time in program history as is his 1,318 yards and his 13 touchdowns. Johnson was named First Team All-Big Ten in 2018 and 2019. For his Minnesota career, Johnson is the program leader in yards with 3.305, touchdowns with 33, 100-yard receiving games with 16, and is tied for most consecutive games with a TD with Ron Johnson and Ernie Wheelright with 7. His 204 yards in the Outback Bowl win over Auburn is the second most in a single game in school history, and his 12 receptions in that game is one short of the single game record. Skip to the end of the extensive highlight video below to see Johnson’s game winning plays in that game. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 5th round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
#5 Greg Eslinger—C— 2002-2005
Eslinger was the brusing center for the best rushing attack in college football for a few years in the early 2000’s. He spearheaded the Mason era rushing attack and was one of the best centers in the country. Eslinger was named a First Team All American in 2004 and 2005 and was named the 2005 Big Ten Center of the Year, the Outland Trophy winner as the most outstanding interior lineman in the country and the Rimington Trophy winner as the nation’s best center during his senior season. Eslinger is one of just two Gophers to ever earn First Team All-Big Ten honors three times and started all 50 games of his college career. A two-year team captain, Eslinger anchored an offensive unit that twice led the Big Ten in rushing with 256.8 yards per game in 2004 and 273.1 yards per game in 2005. He was named to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2025, the 20th Gopher ever enshrined. He was drafted in the 6th round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos.
#4 Eric Decker—WR 2006-2009
Decker goes down as the most prolific wide out in Gopher history. His 227 career receptions are 14 more than Tyler Johnson. He averaged 5.0 receptions per game, with Bateman the next closest at 4.7. He’s second all-time behind Tyler Johnson in career receiving yards at 3,119 and did it in four less games. His 24 career touchdowns rank him 4th in program history. He broke out his sophomore season when Adam Weber took over at quarterback for Minnesota and never looked back. Decker caught 67 passes for 909 yards and 9 TDs that season before his career best junior year. In 2008 Decker caught a Big Ten leading 84 passes for a conference best 1,074 yards. He was on pace to equal those numbers his senior season before he injured his foot and missed four games to end his career. He was All-Big Ten First Team in both 2008 and 2009. Decker was drafted in the 3rd Round of the 2010 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos.
#3 Mohamad Ibrahim—RB— 2018-2022
There have been a lot of amazing running backs to come through the University of Minnesota. None have more rushing yards, yards per game, 200-yard rushing games, 100-yard rushing games, or touchdowns than Mohamad Ibrahim. He jumped into action immediately as a freshman as the Gophers running backs suffered significant injuries and would carry the ball 202 times for 1,160 yards and nine touchdowns. With Rodney Smith healthy again in 2019 he took a step back and saw his output decrease to 114 carries for 604 yards and 7 touchdowns. He would explode in the COVID season of 2020 leading the Big Ten in carries with 201, yards with 1,076, and touchdowns with 15 earning Big Ten Running Back of the Year honors along with 3rd Team All American honors. He would be lost for the 2021 season after tearing his ACL in the opener against Ohio State having allready run for 163 yards and a pair of touchdowns before his injury in the third quarter. But his 2022 season will go down as one of the best in program history. He had the most carries ever by a Gopher running back in a season with 320. The most yards ever in a season with 1,665. The most touchdowns ever with 20—which was the most in the nation. The most 100-yard rushing games in a season with 8. He earned 2nd Team All-American honors for his efforts. He goes down as one of the best to ever do it as a Gopher.
#2 Antoine Winfield Jr—-S— 2016-2019
When you think of one of the best defensive backs to ever come out of the University of Minnesota, one of the first names that pops into your head is Antoine Winfield, Jr. Despite missing major portions of two seasons with injury, Winfield made that large of an impact that every Gopher fan around for his tenure in Dinkytown can name their favorite play of his. He started his freshman year by being named a Freshman All-American after recording 52 tackles and returning an 82-yard pick six to the house against Maryland. He would played just four games in 2017 after injuring his hamstring against the Terrapins. The next year it was just five games before again, injuring himself—this time a foot injury against Maryland that cost him the rest of the season. Before he was lost, he did grab one of his most memorable interceptions to lock up a victory for the Gophers over Fresno State at home and returned a punt for a touchdown. But his final big breakout season would come in 2019. He would record 88 tackles, and lead the Big ten with seven interceptions and 111 return yards. He added another famous interception against Fresno State to seal a huge non-conference double OT win. He added a pair of picks in the Gophers huge win over Penn State. He would earn consensus First Team All-American honors and Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year Honors and go on to be selected in the 2nd Round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
#1 Laurence Maroney—RB— 2003-2005
The number one spot on this list goes to another one of the best running backs in the nation in the 20000’s. Laurence Maroney out of East St. Louis came in and had three of the most consistently successful seasons a running back has ever had as a Gopher. His freshman year in 2003 he would win Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-American honors as he ran 162 carries for 1.161 yards and 10 touchdowns. His 6.9 yard per carry average led the conference and is the best in school history. He sophomore season was more of the same, another 217 caries for 1,348 yards and 12 touchdowns and a Big Ten All-First Team honor. He split the carries with Marion Barber III the first two years, but his junior season in 2005 he was the main bellcow with a big of Gary Russell thrown in. He led the Gophers to a win at Michigan and rushed 281 times for 1,464 yards and 10 touchdowns en route to another Big Ten All-First Team nomination and being named a Rivals First Team All-American. He rushed for over 200-yards three times in 2005, the most in a season in school history. Maroney ranks high in the career records as well. The fourth most yards in school history, The second highest yards per game total, His 5.96 yards per carry is the second highest in the 2000’s behind only Russell. He has the second and third longest string of consecutive 100-yard rushing games. he has the second longest run in Gopher history at 93 yards. He did what he did, and did it well for three straight seasons and was the focal point of the Minnesota offenses of the early 2000’s. He was selected in the 1st Round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots.
