Minnesota vs. Virginia Tech opt-outs and injury report: Top players not participating in Duke's Mayo Bowl

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The Duke's Mayo Bowl is set to kick off on Friday at 7:30 p.m. EST. The Minnesota Golden Gophers and Virginia Tech Hokies will compete in the game. However, neither team will be at full strength because of opt-outs and injuries.

Duke's Mayo Bowl opt-outs and injuries for Minnesota and Virginia Tech

Minnesota injuries

Aidan Gousby

Safety Aidan Gousby is not expected to be available for the Duke's Mayo Bowl after missing the final three games of the season with an undisclosed injury.

Minnesota transfer portal entrants

Phillip Daniels

Starting right tackle Phillip Daniels will not be available for the Golden Gophers in the Duke's Mayo Bowl after committing to Ohio State.

Jordan Nubin

Running back Jordan Nubin is not expected to be available for the bowl after entering the transfer portal. He played 60 snaps this season.

Virginia Tech injuries

Kyron Drones

Starting quarterback Kyron Drones ended the year with an undisclosed injury. He is not expected to be available for the Duke's Mayo Bowl.

Collin Schlee

Backup quarterback Collin Schlee is also dealing with a late-season undisclosed injury. However, head coach Brent Pry told reporters that there is a possibility that he could be available for the bowl game.

Virginia Tech transfer portal entrants

Xavier Chaplin

Starting left tackle Xavier Chapin is unavailable for the Duke's Mayo Bowl after entering the transfer portal and signing with Auburn.

Braelin Moore

Starting center Braelin Moore is reportedly expected to sign with LSU after entering the transfer portal. He is not expected to be available for the bowl game.

Mansoor Delane

Starting cornerback Mansoor Delane entered the transfer portal and committed to LSU. As a result, he will not be available Friday for the Hokies.

Mose Phillips

Starting safety Mose Phillips has reportedly signed with the Missouri Tigers after entering the transfer portal. As a result, he will not play in the bowl game.

Sam Brumfield

Linebacker Sam Brumfield is not expected to be available after entering the transfer portal. He played 378 snaps this year.

Keli Lawson

Linebacker Keli Lawson committed to UCF after entering the transfer portal. he played 276 snaps this season.

Malachi Thomas

Running back Malachi Thomas played 168 snaps this season but will not play in the bowl game after entering the transfer portal.

C.J. McCray

Defensive end C.J. McCray is in the transfer portal after only playing 64 snaps this year.

Jalen Stroman

Safety Jalen Stroman has been out with an injury all year. He has also entered the transfer portal.

About the author

Alexander O'Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex's favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex's favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex's proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

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Edited by Rajdeep Barman