Oklahoma State’s most recent transfer portal departure has already found a new home.

On Monday, OSU linebacker Jeff Roberson announced he was entering the transfer portal and looking to close his career elsewhere. Roberson wasted no time finding his next school, as he committed to Minnesota on Thursday.

Roberson began his career at OSU in 2020 and mostly played on special teams and as a backup throughout the first few years of his career. After missing the entire 2022 season with an injury, he came back in 2023 to play largely the same role.

However, his luck changed in 2024. With so many injuries throughout the OSU defense, the Cowboys needed players to step up at every position, and Roberson took advantage. In 2024, Roberson played in every game and finished with 58 tackles, nine tackles for loss and an interception. Before entering the transfer portal, Roberson’s numbers from 2024 would have made him OSU’s leading returning tackler.

Roberson’s departure was about as surprising as any move at OSU this offseason. Considering he had spent the first five seasons of his career in Stillwater and finally carved out a sizeable role last season, it appeared Roberson would carry that momentum into 2025 as a leader of the OSU defense.

Instead, he used his extra opportunity and leap to find a better situation as OSU overhauled its coaching staff and continues to bring in various defensive players through the transfer portal. However, going to Minnesota was the second surprising part of his decision. Early predictions were for Roberson, a Choctaw native, to stay in his home state and play at Oklahoma next season. As he makes his way north to play for PJ Fleck’s team next season, there is no doubt Roberson can have an impact to finish his career.

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The Gophers football program addressed a need in the middle of its defense for the 2025 season with Oklahoma State linebacker Jeff Roberson on Thursday night.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound graduate transfer from Choctaw, Okla., totaled 58 tackles, including 8.5 for lost yards, three sacks and one interception in 12 games in 2024. He had a middling 57.7 grade from Pro Football Focus, along with 19 pressures, but also 11 missed tackles last season.

Roberson played 670 snaps last season, but only 107 across 2021 and 2023. He played special teams as a freshman in 2020 and missed the 2022 season with injury.

Roberson will help fill the void left by leading tackler Cody Lindenberg; the Anoka native declared for the NFL draft after the regular season and skipped the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Maverick Baranowski and Devon Williams top the U’s depth chart at linebacker going into next season.

The Gophers have added 15 total players via the NCAA transfer portal since early December and are still looking for help at cornerback and possibly defensive line.

Originally Published: January 10, 2025 at 12:00 AM CST

TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER

The Cowboys went to the SEC to pick another linebacker out of the portal.

Ole Miss transfer Trip White, who was listed at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds last season, pledged to Oklahoma State, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. White played in all 13 of the Rebels’ games this past season, his redshirt sophomore year. He made one tackle, primarily playing special teams.

White played in three games while maintaining a redshirt as a true freshman in 2022. He appeared in five games in 2023, and to this point has totaled nine career tackles.

Out of Parkview Magnet in Little Rock, Arkansas, White was a three-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class and chose Ole Miss over offers from Arkansas, Kansas State, Baylor, Louisville, Oklahoma State, Indiana and others. The 247Sports Composite system tabbed White as the No. 1,103 player in the class, the No. 109 linebacker in the class and the No. 12 player from Arkansas in 2022. He also started as his team’s quarterback as a high school senior, throwing for 2,035 yards and 19 touchdowns to go with 445 rushing yards and seven more scores.

White becomes the third linebacker the Pokes have grabbed out of the portal, joining Bryan McCoy (Akron) and Brandon Rawls (Saginaw Valley State). White’s addition comes a few days after Jeff Roberson hopped in the portal. With Roberson, Nick Martin, Collin Oliver and Kendal Daniels all gone from last season’s squad, OSU’s linebacker room — like most position rooms — will look quite a bit different heading into 2025. Kap Dede is set to coach that group, with new OSU defensive coordinator Todd Grantham bringing him in from Western Kentucky.