What kind of roster could the Gophers build with reported $5-6 million budget?

Minnesota is expected to have a lot more money to play with this offseason.

North Dakota Fighting Hawks guard Treysen Eaglestaff (52) moves the ball on Friday, March 7, 2025, at Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. / Samantha Laurey / Argus Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Niko Medved was officially introduced as the new head coach of Gophers men's basketball on Tuesday, and Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) spending was a hot topic. With the introduction of revenue sharing potentially on the way, the Minnesota Star Tribune's Chip Scoggins reported Tuesday that Minnesota's budget for next season could be between $5-6 million.

Mark Coyle didn’t give specific amount for money between NIL and revenue sharing devoted to men’s basketball but sources have told me they want/expect to be in $5-6 million for roster payroll.

— Chip Scoggins (@chipscoggins) March 25, 2025

Revenue sharing still has to cross the finish line with a court ruling set for later this year, but it just seems like a matter of when at this point. If finalized, schools will be able to share a portion of their athletic department revenue with student-athletes, which dramatically helps schools like Minnesota.

We may never know the Gophers' specific budget, at least for the 2025-26 season, but what kind of roster could Medved's staff build with that money? Revenue sharing would create an increase in budgets across the country, but $5-6 million is a substantial improvement for the Gophers, and it would help them be competitive in the transfer portal as well as retention of their own roster.

2025-26 roster outlook

There are a lot of questions surrounding which Gophers players will opt to remain on the team through the coaching change and which Colorado State players could follow Medved to Minnesota. There seems to be positive news on both of those fronts, but anyone who follows college sports knows how quickly that can change. Between players on the Rams last season and Minnesota players on the roster, there are nine decisions to monitor.

Players to monitor:

• Isaac Asuma (returning?)
• Kyan Evans (Colorado State)
• Rashaan Mbemba (Colorado State)
• Jaylen Crocker-Johnson (Colorado State)
• Brennan Rigsby (returning?)
• Paker Jefferson (remain committed?)
• Grayson Grove (returning?)
• Kyle Jorgensen (Colorado State)
• Jon Mekonnen (Colorado State)

Transfer portal strategy

If Minnesota were to have all nine of those players on its roster next season, that would leave six open scholarships. If their budget is, in fact, $5-6 million, could we see the new staff be more aggressive with some targets that might cost more NIL money? North Dakota's Treysen Eaglestaff is near the top of that list, along with Fairleigh Dickinson's Terrence Brown. Minnesota has also shown interest in Binghamton forward Gavin Walsh and James Madison guard Bryce Lindsay.

Another name is monitor is Northwestern Oklahoma guard Camron McDowell. The 6-foot-6 junior was second nationally at the Division II level in scoring this season, averaging 27.3 points per game. As of Tuesday night, we can confirm that Medved and the Gophers had not reached out with interest, but Medved's staff at Colorado State did before he was hired at Minnesota.

Way-too early potential 2025-26 lineup

• G: Isaac Asuma
• G: Kyan Evans
• G/F: transfer? (Treysen Eaglestaff)
• F: Rashaan Mbemba/Jaylen Crocker-Johnson
• F/C: transfer? (Gavin Walsh)

In each of the last three seasons at Colorado State, Medved opted to play pretty small, with no player taller than 6-foot-8 in the starting lineup. The Big Ten is a different beast, and it will be interesting if he opts to take that team-building strategy with him.

Overall, it's still far too early to predict what Minnesota's 2025-26 roster could look like, but as Medved and his staff begin recruiting the transfer portal, players who once seemed unrealistic could be within reach with an improved spending budget.

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