Report: NIL money increasing for Gophers—is it enough to save Ben Johnson?

A report says Johnson's spot on the hot seat has fluctuated throughout this season.

Minnesota's head coach Ben Johnson talks to the players during the first half in the game against Michigan State on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. / Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Is Minnesota Gophers men's basketball coach Ben Johnson in danger of being fired?

According to ESPN's Jeff Borzello, the chances of Minnesota firing Johnson have "fluctuated" throughout the season. The Gophers struggled in the nonconference portion of the schedule and started Big Ten play with an 0-6 record. They’ve since won six of their last ten conference games, but last weekend’s home loss to last-place Penn State was a bad look.

Borzello acknowledged as much, but also noted, "this will be the fourth season without an NCAA tournament appearance or an above-.500 Big Ten record" for the Gophers under Johnson.

How much of the blame should Johnson shoulder?

In June 2022, just before Johnson’s second season leading the Gophers, athletics director Mark Coyle applauded Johnson and the University of Minnesota rewarded him with an extension through the 2027 season. That’s pretty much when the bleep hit the fan—right as NIL started crushing the Gophers.

Johnson had to replace 10 players in his first season, but he managed to land in-state commitments from Mr. Basketball winner Braeden Carrington, Pharrel Payne, and Joshua Ola-Joseph, while also securing Dawson Garcia and Ta’Lon Cooper through the transfer portal.

Ahead of the 2023-24 season, Johnson had to replace his starting point guard (Cooper) and leading scorer (Jamison Battle, who transferred to Ohio State). He did so effectively by bringing in Elijah Hawkins and Mike Mitchell via the portal, along with four-star recruit Cam Christie.

But then, bigger NIL money lured Hawkins and Payne into the transfer portal after last season, while Christie opted for the NBA draft.

Forced to replace that trio—and others, as Carrington and Ola-Joseph also entered the portal—Johnson brought in Lu’Cye Patterson, Frank Mitchell, Femi Odukale, Trey Edmonds, Brennan Rigsby, and Tyler Cochran for this season. Cochran has missed the entire year due to injury, and the others have been inconsistent.

What could have been? More NIL money coming?

One can’t help but wonder how good Minnesota would have been this season if Hawkins, Payne, Carrington, and Ola-Joseph had stayed. Last March, Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo pointed out that, had the Gophers’ roster remained intact, they would be near the top of the Big Ten in 2024-25.

That didn’t happen—largely due to a lack of NIL money. According to Borzello, though, that’s expected to change. “If Johnson sticks around, he’s expected to have more NIL to spend on next season’s roster,” he reported.

Johnson has been vocal about how NIL money is effectively the difference between winning and losing. It’s hard to argue otherwise—though it isn’t always the case, as mid-major programs have proven with deep NCAA tournament runs in March and April.

“It is the most important single thing that any program can have,” Johnson said in January, comparing NIL to Major League Baseball, where some teams spend like the Dodgers while others spend like the Twins.

Johnson has shown he can recruit NBA talent (Christie) and has landed impact transfers like Garcia and Hawkins. If he finally has the NIL money to keep players at Minnesota—or even attract higher-caliber recruits—does he deserve a chance to show what he can do?

Time will tell...

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