Oklahoma Sooners Football Recruiting: Minnesota Grad Transfer Gaelin Elmore to Visit This Weekend

Turns out, Scott Pagano isn’t the only D-line grad transfer taking a look at Oklahoma.

On March 23, Minnesota lineman Gaelin Elmore announced his intention to transfer from the Gophers. Elmore played in 29 games during his time in the Twin Cities, racking up 22 tackles, 9.5 TFLs, 4 sacks and a forced fumble. At 6-6, 275 pounds, Elmore played both end and tackle roles for the Gophers.

Elmore tweeted on Saturday that he will be visiting Oklahoma this coming weekend.

Per The Football Brainiacs, Elmore plans to visit five schools before making a decision, and OU will be the first. West Virginia and South Carolina are also in the mix for his services.

Elmore would compete for playing time as soon as he steps on campus, as the Sooners are looking for depth and playmakers for their new four-down front. They’d also appreciate getting a guy with experience at multiple positions who can help ease the transition and mentor other players.

One potentially complicating factor in Elmore’s recruitment is the circumstances surrounding his departure from Minnesota. While Elmore says there are no hard feelings between him and the program, the last few months have certainly been tumultuous. Elmore has been highly critical of the Minnesota leadership, including president Eric Kaler and AD Mark Coyle, for their handling of the school’s sexual misconduct investigation regarding 10 Gophers players.

Elmore was a public leader of the threatened boycott that almost cancelled Minny’s Holiday Bowl matchup with Washington State. The Gophers ultimately decided to play.

I do think it’s very impressive that Elmore was able to complete his coursework in three years and put himself in this position. Elmore also overcame tremendous adversity in his childhood, facing homelessness and bouncing around foster homes, just to attend school in the first place. He’s obviously a hard worker and an asset to any team.

Here’s a video on that from October:

With several more official visits coming, it may be awhile before Elmore makes a decision. But the Sooners are impressing most of their visitors these days, and hopefully will make a big impression on the lineman.