Dawson Garcia left big shoes to fill on his way out in the Gophers frontcourt. Parker Jefferson was supposed to be up next, but the team's top incoming men's basketball recruit decided new coach Niko Medved's system wasn't the best fit for him.

After Medved replaced Ben Johnson, and after the initial roster shakeout, the Gophers didn't have have any experienced frontcourt players returning. The lone post from last season is freshman Grayson Grove, a promising redshirt from Alexandria, Minn.

Medved knows size and depth in the frontcourt is a must for the Gophers to compete in the Big Ten. He used the transfer portal to fill that void this spring.

Jaylen Crocker-Johnson, the only player to follow Medved from Colorado State to the U, might be a breakout candidate with the combination of versatility, athleticism and physical toughness to make the transition to major conference competition.

The 6-8, 230-pound Crocker-Johnson averaged 9.0 points last season as a third option. He had 12 points and five rebounds in Colorado State's win against Memphis in the NCAA tournament first round in March.

A former Ohio Valley Conference freshman of the year at Arkansas Little Rock in 2023-24, Crocker-Johnson is the type of talent who had shown major growth after one season under Medved.

In previous years at Colorado State, Medved developed David Roddy and Nique Clifford from productive starters in their first year into all-league and NBA-caliber players by the time they left college.

Crocker-Johnson was the first player to sign with the Gophers out of the portal. The latest piece to be added to the Gopher transfer class was Central Arkansas' Nehemiah Turner.

At 6-10 and 265 pounds, Turner is the biggest Gophers big man since 6-11, 285-pound Jack Wilson in 2023-24, but Wilson was not in the primary rotation two seasons ago.

The Gophers picked up four four-star transfers (Cal's BJ Omot, Davidson's Bobby Durkin, Northern Colorado's Langston Reynolds and Western Michigan's Chansey Willis Jr.) in the backcourt, but they missed on a few frontcourt players before Turner's commitment brought a sigh of relief last week.

Last season, Turner started 10 games as a freshman, but he didn't truly thrive in a primary role until late in the year. He averaged 19 points, six rebounds, nearly three assists and two blocks in his last nine games, including an impressive 37-point performance vs. Stetson.

Turner is a physical inside presence who potentially will be the perfect starting complement to Crocker-Johnson.

But he'll likely also rotate with San Jose State transfer Robert Viahola for minutes in the middle. Viahola, who is 6-8 and 260 pounds, is no question the team's top rebounding threat.

Playing in the same league as Colorado State in three seasons, Viahola was one of the top rebounders in the Mountain West, including highs of 18 and 19 boards in games last season.

Big Ten opponents also landed some of the top frontcourt transfers in the nation, including UAB's Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan), former Texas A&M and Gophers big man Pharrel Payne (Maryland), South Dakota State's 6-11 Oscar Cluff (Purdue) and Arkansas' 7-2 Zvonimir Ivisic (Illinois). Michigan also added Morez Johnson and Aday Mara from Illinois and UCLA, respectively.

Garcia and Parker Fox were both out of eligibility for the Gophers. Frank Mitchell transferred to St. Bonaventure. But newcomers Crocker-Johnson, Turner and Viahola have multiple years of eligibility remaining.

The Gophers, who have reached out to 6-10 Gonzaga transfer Graydon Lemke, are still expecting to add another post with two or three more signings before the summer. But the core of their team appears to be set, including a completely new frontcourt in Medved's first year.

Big Ten opponents named

The Big Ten announced which men's basketball teams will play each other at home and on the road.

The Gophers have only home games vs. Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska, Rutgers, UCLA and USC.

The Gophers only play on the road against Illinois, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue and Washington.

And the Gophers will play Indiana, Northwestern and Wisconsin both home and away.