The Minnesota Golden Gophers appear to have their first roster departure of the 2025 season. According to Minnesota’s online roster, Golden Gophers redshirt freshman running back Johann Cardenas is no longer with the program.
Cardenas leaves the programs just months after committing to the Gophers out of the transfer portal, after one season at the University of Vanderbilt. The former four-star prospect did not see a time with the Commodores last fall and was facing an uphill battle in playing time this fall with the Gophers.
Cardenas was set to enter the season likely as the program’s fifth running back behind Darius Taylor, A.J. Turner, Cam Davis, and Fame Ijeboi. However, despite the likely lack of playing time this fall, Cardenas would have been in line for potential playing time in 2026 with Taylor and Turner both NFL Draft eligible while Cam Davis will exhaust his eligibility this fall.
How does Cardenas departure affect the Gophers?
The good news for the Gophers is that Cardenas departure shouldn’t impact them too much for the upcoming 2025 season. As previously mentioned, Cardenas was set to be the No. 5 tailback on the Gophers’ depth chart at least heading into this season.
The Gophers have three running backs who will see a considerable amount of snaps this fall in Darius Taylor, A.J. Turner, and Cam Davis. Redshirt freshman Fame Ijeboi who saw the field briefly as a true freshman is expected to have a bigger impact in 2025 though his exact role is still to be determined.
Beyond Cardenas, the Gophers still have quite a bit of depth by numbers. with a trio of true freshmens on the roster in Grant Washington, Tre Berry, and Xavier Ford. In total, the Gophers will have seven running backs on their roster for the 2025 season. The program also holds a pair of 2026 running back commitments from El Dorado (TX) standout Ryan Estrada and Malvern Prep (PA) talent Ezekiel Bates.
