With the regular seasons of dozens of bowl-less teams at an end, it’s time for the transfer train to fire up and head out of the station.
The most recent but certainly not the last to witness personnel attrition is Minnesota, with the Golden Gophers losing a trio of players to transfer -- quarterback Demry Croft and wide receivers Hunter Register and Rashad Still. The most noteworthy of the three is Croft.
A university spokesman confirmed to the St. Paul Pioneer Press that Croft, who started the last six games of the 2017 season for the bowl-less Gophers, had asked for a release from his scholarship shortly after Saturday’s loss to No. 5 Wisconsin. Head coach P.J. Fleck granted that request, although it’s unknown what if any restrictions were involved.
Late Monday night, Croft addressed the reports via Twitter.
— SKUBA7™ (@_TheRealDCroft_) November 28, 2017
This season, Croft completed 42 percent of his 122 passes for 674 yards, four touchdowns and seven interceptions. His 87.6 pass efficiency rating is not amongst the top 125 quarterbacks in the country.
Conversely, his 309 yards rushing and four rushing touchdowns were fourth and third on the team, respectively.
As a redshirt sophomore, Croft will have two seasons of eligibility remaining after leaving. Barring something unforeseen, Croft would have to sit out the 2018 season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules if he transfers to another FBS program. A move to an FCS (or lower) school would allow him to play immediately next season.
Still caught passes for the Gophers each of the past three seasons. While he had just two (for 68 yards) in 2017, he had 18 receptions in each of the previous two seasons. Still’s three receiving touchdowns in 2015 was tied for second on the team that year.
— PrinceHenny (@thatboy_still) November 28, 2017
As for Register, he was a three-star member of Minnesota’s 2015 recruiting class. After redshirting as a true freshman, Register caught one pass for six yards in 2016 and then played mainly on special teams this season.
Register, a Louisiana native, announced his decision to transfer on Twitter.