Gophers football team adds defensive tackle Mo Omonode, a transfer from Purdue

The 6-foot, 286-pounder played three seasons for the Boilermakers and has one year of eligibility remaining.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
April 22, 2025 at 3:47PM
The Gophers take the field before a 2024 game at Huntington Bank Stadium. (Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Gophers on Tuesday added bulk and experience to their defensive line when former Purdue defensive tackle Mariere “Mo’’ Omonode announced on the X platform that he has committed to Minnesota out of the transfer portal.

Omonode, 6-foot and 286 pounds, played three seasons for the Boilermakers, mainly in a rotational role as an interior lineman. Over 33 games in his career, he has 32 tackles, five tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.

Omonode was three-star recruit out of West Lafayette (Ind.) High School in the 2022 class. He was the 27th-ranked prospect in Indiana and the 237th-ranked defensive lineman nationally in his class. Omonode’s scholarship offers included seven Mid-American Conference teams, plus Navy, Air Force, Marshall, Harvard, Yale and Princeton, among others.

Omonode entered the transfer portal on Friday after Purdue’s spring practice ended. He is the second player to commit to Minnesota since the portal’s spring window opened last week, joining Iowa defensive back John Nestor.

about the writer

about the writer

Randy Johnson

College football reporter

Randy Johnson covers University of Minnesota football and college football for the Minnesota Star Tribune, along with Gophers hockey and the Wild.

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