Taylor Landfair, the 2022 Big-Ten Player of the Year (and legitimate candidate for National Player of the Year), has entered “The Portal.” Like it or not (and I know some Readers do not), every modern-day college athlete with eligibility remaining has the right to enter the portal and play somewhere else next year, should they choose – without penalty, and no excuses required. Technically, a player entering “The Portal” can choose to stay where they were, but I see zero chance of Landfair staying a Gopher.
Landfair has amazing potential and 2 years of eligibility left, and she will be one of the most sought-after transfer in the country, if not #1. Yes, she underperformed this year, but whatever you imagine was the reason that Landfair did not shine in 2023, I guarantee you that there will be plenty of coaches who think they can fix it. She will get multiple offers from teams with legitimate Final Four and Championship aspirations. I guess I’d be surprised if she lands in Nebraska, but I assume that she will get offers from Wisconsin, Penn State, Purdue, Illinois and dozens of other schools. And it will happen fast (if it hasn’t already by the time you read this); Landfair will be enrolled somewhere else in January.
I am sorry to see Landfair go. When she arrived, in the Spring of 2020, along with Wenaas and Shaffmaster, I thought this trio would certainly take the Gophs to at least one Final Four. The one consolation for the Gophers is that Left-side Hitter is a position where we have depth – with Wooker, Julia Hanson, and Olivia Swenson on the way. IF (and it’s a big IF) no one else leaves, we might be okay.