Can transfer portal pickup Javon Tracy be the Gophers' No. 1 WR in 2025?

Minnesota added one of the most talented pass catchers in the portal.

Sep 1, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Redhawks wide receiver Javon Tracy (11) catches the football but lands out of bounds ahead of Miami Hurricanes defensive back Davonte Brown (7) during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Gophers have been one of college football's busiest teams in the transfer portal, landing commitments from 10 players already. One of the most significant additions is Miami (OH) wide receiver Javon Tracy, but can he be Minnesota's No. 1 receiver in 2025?

Listed at 6-foot, 206 pounds, Tracy broke out as a redshirt sophomore in 2024 at Miami (OH). He compiled 57 receptions for 818 receiving yards and seven touchdowns en route to first-team All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) honors.

Javon Tracy’s 2024 stats @ Miami (OH)

🐿️57 catches
🐿️818 yards
🐿️7 TDs

He has the traits to compete for the #Gophers No. 1 WR role in 2025. Might be their biggest portal pickup of the cycle thus far.

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— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) December 15, 2024

Minnesota's top two wide receivers from 2024, Daniel Jackson and Elijah Spencer, are out of eligibility and will not return to the program in 2025. That is 121 receptions, 1,466 receiving yards and eight touchdowns that will need to be replaced next season.

Le'Meke Brockington is the team's top returning wide receiver, but he only had 16 catches for 227 yards and one touchdown this season. The Gophers have talented young players like Cristian Driver, Tyler Williams and Kenric Lanier expected to return, but they desperately need an option to emerge as a true No. 1 wide receiver.

Tracy will have two seasons of eligibility left to become Minnesota's top target. The Big Ten is a different level of competition than the MAC, but he has the traits to carry his high-level production to the next level. He has a very similar skillset and physical profile to previous Gophers receivers like Jackson, Chris Autman-Bell, or even Corey Crooms Jr.

The Gophers have been heavily linked to Nebraska transfer wide receiver Malachi Coleman and I do not think Tracy's commitment takes them out of that game at all. Minnesota has a lot of talented young players already at the position, but another player of Coleman's level could take the group to the next level.

Ultimately, the Gophers could have a different offense next season. With a lot of questions still at quarterback and now a lot of depth at running back, Fleck and his staff could lean more toward a run-first approach.

Tracy has the potential to be the No. 1 receiver, but it's now up to him to prove himself and the staff to trust him.