Dartmouth Transfer Taurus Samuels Commits to Minnesota

The Minnesota Golden Gophers picked up a big commitment from the transfer portal Monday when Dartmouth point guard Taurus Samuels announced his commitment to the program following his weekend visit to the twin cities. Taurus is widely expected to be the final commit for head coach Ben Johnson’s 2022-23 season.

Samuels, listed at 6-foot-1 and 190-pounds, is a native of Oceanside, California and started in all 23 games last season for the Big Green. He averaged 9.4 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game during his senior season. While Samuels is listed as a senior, the Ivy League did not play winter sports during the 2020-21 season so he has only played three seasons in college thus far. He has at least one year of eligibility remaining.

Samuels was a three-star recruit out of Vista High School back in 2018. As a sophomore at Dartmouth, he started in 28 of 29 games while averaging 8.4 ppg, 2.1 apg, and 2.7 rpg while shooting 37.9 percent from the field.

Minnesota lost the entire backcourt from this past season and is likely excited to add a veteran transfer player who scored 22 points against Stanford and 23 points against Georgetown in nonconference action last season for Dartmouth. When he officially signs, Samuels will join fellow transfer Ta’Lon Cooper from Morehead State along with freshmen Braeden Carrington and Jaden Henley in the backcourt.

While Samuels will total the 12th scholarship player on the roster, Johnson has previously indicated he is unlikely to use the final scholarship for the 2022-23 season and leave it open for now.