Massive blow to Gophers as Elijah Hawkins plans to enter transfer portal

Gophers starting point guard Elijah Hawkins is expected to enter the transfer portal. He announced his plans to return to the program for the 2024-25 season only 12 days ago, but it seems as if his plans have changed.

Hawkins was a revolution for Minnesota last season, averaging 7.5 assists per game, which ranked second-most in the entire country. He compiled the most assists in a single season in program history with 247.

After transferring in from Howard, it seemed as if Ben Johnson and his staff had found a point guard to build around, but his entrance into the portal now comes as a surprise to most around the program. 

The program publicly announced his return on April 10, but before the portal officially closes on May 1, nothing becomes final.

With such a quick change of heart, there will be plenty of speculation that this decision was driven heavily by an outside NIL offer and I would not be surprised if we see Hawkins commit to a program with a bigger basketball budget than the Gophers.

Mike Mitchell Jr. and true freshman Isaac Asuma are now the only scholarship guards on the roster and Minnesota now has a desperate need for some backcourt depth. 

There are plenty of options in the portal, but this is a massive blow to Minnesota's 2024-25 roster.