Every college football program in America will lose players that either don't qualify for academic reasons, transfer, or leave the team for other reasons. Minnesota is no exception. Many of their names are never again heard after their departure. Ever wonder which former Gophers could still be playing for the team, and whether or not they would have added depth to the current squad? Following is a list of former Gophers, where they are now, and what kind of season they are having so far. Click on their highlighted names to view their player profile pages on the websites of their current teams:
| Name | P | School | Yr. (if a Gopher) | Notes |
| Otis Hudson | OT | Eastern Illinois | Sr. | 6'5 331 lb. Hudson is a starting right tackle |
| Alex Daniels | DL | Cincinnati | Sr. | Daniels is a force on the Bearcats' defense |
| Tramaine Brock | S | Belhaven College | Sr. | Brock has 10 tackles and .5 sacks this season |
| E.J. Jones | CB | Illinois State | Sr. | Jones already has 3 interceptions and 15 tackles |
| Hasan Lipscomb | RB | Blinn College? | Fr. | Listed in Blinn's Media guide, but is not on the web roster and doesn't have stats for the first 2 games |
| Roszell Gayden | OT | College of the Sequioas | So. | A 4 star JUCO recruit, may still come back to Minnesota |
| Clint Brewster | QB | Tennessee Tech | So. | Hasn't played yet, but another backup QB with a few years in the program couldn't have hurt the Gophers |
| Brodrick Smith | WR | Kansas State | So. | Transfer year - will not play |
| Ralph Spry | WR | Auburn | Jr. | Transfer year - will not play |
| Tray Herndon | WR | Vanderbilt | Jr. | 1 reception for 17 yards this season |
| Vince Hill | WR | ? | So. | On the Temple squad last year, no longer on their online roster |
| Tim McGee | DT | Memphis | Sr. | Backup defensive lineman for the Tigers |
| Willie Dyson | DL | NW Missouri St. | Jr. | No statistics this season |
| Justin Chatman | CB | North Texas | Jr. | No statistics this season |
| Tommy Becker | LB | St. Thomas | Sr. | Very good Division 3 linebacker |
I'll put together a similar post around mid-season, and one more at the end of the season. If I missed any players that are on other teams, let me know in the comments section. My own take is that Minnesota could have benefitted from having Otis Hudson and Roszell Gayden as options at tackle, E.J. Jones and Tramaine Brock as additional defensive backs, Alex Daniels as a defensive end, and Clint Brewster as an experienced backup quarterback. Reasons for player departures aside, what do you think?