Gophers football lands O-line transfer Marcellus Marshall from Central Florida

With tackle Phillip Daniels entering his name into the transfer portal on Monday — and signing with Ohio State on Wednesday — that meant the Gophers offensive line would have only one returning starter for 2025 in center Greg Johnson.

The holes to fill include senior guard/tackle Quinn Carroll and guard Tyler Cooper, who have no eligibility remaining for 2025, and junior left tackle Aireontae Ersery, who is expected to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL draft.

On Wednesday, the Gophers added a reinforcement to the line with the commitment of former Central Florida guard Marcellus Marshall from the transfer portal.

Marshall, 6-5 and 310 pounds, has started 23 of 25 games the past two seasons for the Golden Knights after spending the 2021 and ‘22 seasons at Kent State. The Morgantown, W.Va., native will have one year of eligibility remaining with the Gophers. Marshall visited the Gophers last weekend and also visited Florida State and Northwestern.

Marshall has played both guard positions, center and tackle during his career, earning All-Big 12 second-team honors at guard in 2023 and All-Mid-American Conference honors at tackle for Kent State in 2022.

In Daniels, the Gophers lost a 6-5, 315-pounder who started four games this season and was expected to be a mainstay on their offensive line in 2025. But he apparently found what Ohio State offered — presumably in name, image and likeness compensation along with program stature and playing opportunity — to be more appealing.

Daniels, a Cincinnati Princeton High School graduate, originally committed to Pittsburgh in July 2022 before signing with the Gophers five months later. Along with Minnesota, Daniels visited Purdue and Boston College during his high school recruitment.

Ersery and safety Koi Perich were named second-team All-America by The Sporting News. Ersery, the Big Ten’s Offensive Lineman of the Year, received his third All-America honor this week, while Perich, a true freshman from Esko, Minn., received his first.