Minnesota Basketball: Jaylen Crocker-Johnson returning for 2026-27 season
Minnesota star forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson will be back for the 2026-27 season, Gophers Nation can confirm.
The 6-foot-8, 230-pound big man who followed Niko Medved from Colorado State to Minnesota averaged 13.4 points and 6.8 rebounds across 24 games and 31.5 minutes per contest.
The San Antonio, Texas, native notably missed the last month of the regular season for Minnesota while dealing with an injury; he’s also not slated to play in Minnesota’s Crown tournament appearance this week.
Johnson, after a strong start to the season, emerged in early December as a true go-to scoring threat for Minnesota, averaging 15.3 points per game from December 3 through January 28. He ended the season scoring 10 points or less in his final four games, though his biggest game of the stretch, 22 points, helped catapult Minnesota to a 76-73 win over a top-10-ranked Michigan State team.
What it means for Minnesota
With Crocker-Johnson back in the fold for next season, Minnesota has its likely No. 1 scoring option, barring a significant pickup in the transfer portal.
The Golden Gophers this offseason will say goodbye to forward Cade Tyson, who in his lone season with the program posted an impressive 19.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
It also means the return of Minnesota’s top rebounder from this season, among those who played in 10 games or more. Only forward Robert Vaihola, who played in just five games, averaged more than rebounds per game at 7.6. Crocker-Johnson’s defensive rebound percentage of 20.1% was by far the best of any Gopher, while his 7.5% offensive rebound percentage.
The rising senior was also among Minnesota’s best defenders this season, with a defensive rating of 107.4. The only regular with a better defensive rating was Grayson Grove at 104.9.
Crocker-Johson was arguably the most important piece of the offseason puzzle for Minnesota this offseason, and his return is a big box for Niko Medved and staff to check off early in the process.
