MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Minnesota’s backfield is still sorting itself out, and that’s exactly why TJ Thomas matters.
The Golden Gophers spent last season buried near the bottom of the Big Ten in rushing, finishing with 103.2 yards per game. The reasons were obvious enough: injuries hit the running back room hard, Darius Taylor missed half the season, RB2 A.J.
Turner tore his knee in the non-conference portion of the schedule, and the problems kept stacking up. At the same time, the roster has turned over again this offseason, with Fame Ijeboi gone to Purdue and third-down back Cam Davis now graduated.
That leaves Minnesota with openings, and Thomas has moved himself into the conversation.
The Elon transfer arrived with real production already on his résumé. As a true freshman in 2024, he posted 696 rushing yards and six total touchdowns, then earned FCS Freshman All-American honors.
Across his two seasons at Elon, Thomas totaled 1,952 yards as a runner, receiver and return man. He also has multiple years of eligibility ahead of him at Minnesota.
His first months with the Gophers were interrupted by recovery, as he was still working back from upper-body surgery after an injury last fall. Once he was cleared late in the spring, he started showing up consistently in practice and earned the staff’s trust.
Speed is part of what makes him intriguing, especially for an offense that needs more burst in its skill positions. Minnesota’s tailbacks also need to do a better job creating extra yards after contact and making defenders miss.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Gophers’ running backs broke 72 tackles in 13 games in 2024, the fewest missed tackles forced by Minnesota since 2018. The year before, they broke only 61 tackles in 13 games, which ranked among the bottom three in the Big Ten.
Taylor can handle that part of the job when he’s on the field. The question has been availability, and that’s where Thomas can help.