Trey Potts and Mike Brown-Stephens enter the transfer portal

Mar 13, 2023 - 8:26 PM

Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Trey Potts and wide receiver Mike Brown-Stephens each entered their name into the transfer portal Monday afternoon.

Potts’ once-promising tenure at Minnesota comes to an end. As a redshirt sophomore, he stepped in for an injured Mohamed Ibrahim after the season opener in 2021 and rushed for 552 yards and six touchdowns before missing the rest of the season due to an undisclosed medical emergency suffered in the fourth quarter of the Purdue game. Against all odds, Potts returned to the field the following season but struggled to make the most of limited snaps. He finished the year with 101 carries for 474 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

The Gophers brought in Western Michigan transfer running back Sean Tyler this offseason to bolster their backfield and help replace Ibrahim next season. Potts likely saw his competition with Tyler for carries as an uphill battle and will seek a better opportunity elsewhere.

Brown-Stephens’ transfer should come as no surprise. He struggled mightily with dropped passes last season, finishing the year with 22 receptions for 338 receiving yards. Brown-Stephens took time away from the team after the regular season and it was an open question whether he would return to Minnesota after he did not participate in the Gophers’ bowl game.

Western Michigan transfer wide receiver Corey Crooms has all but sewn up the starting slot receiver spot for next season, which would have relegated Brown-Stephens to a reserve role.