A Twins Rooting Guide for the College Football Playoffs

[Matt Braun]

Image courtesy of (L to R): Aaron Slegers (© Bruce Thorson-Imagn Images), Jason Reitz (© Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images), Connor Prielipp (© Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Football is at its apex. The NFL is closing in on the postseason, while the collegiate ranks play out their multitude of wacky, eccentric bowl games and new, expanded playoff system. You've probably already seen a million different analyses of the remaining matchups, so how about a new, entirely Twins-focused one? Here are the current and notable past Twins players with ties to teams in the College Football Playoffs. 

Indiana
An upstart football powerhouse, the Hoosiers have consistently churned out MLB talent. Led by future fourth overall pick Kyle Schwarber, Indiana made the College World Series tournament in 2013 but fell to Mississippi State. Though Schwarber was the star of the team, the Twins had their eye on someone else: the 6’10” right-handed pitcher, Aaron Slegers, whom they drafted in the fifth round that year. Their most recent selection from the college—a 31st round third baseman named Luke Miller in 2017—did not sign with the team.

Ohio State
The Buckeyes are an oddly moribund program in terms of impact MLB talent: Nick Swisher and Dave Burba are the only two Ohio State products with a career rWAR over 3, though Dillon Dingler and Dominic Canzone could soon change that. Still, the Twins looked to Columbus for their 2010 first-round pick, right-handed pitcher Alex Wimmers. He labored in the minors before debuting in 2017, totaling 24 ⅔ innings in his Twins (and big-league) career. 

Georgia 
Minnesota claims a Bulldog in their system: 2025’s 12th-rounder, Kolten Smith. The righty served as a swingman for Georgia, striking out hitters at an impressive rate yet never holding an ERA below 5. He has yet to pitch for a Twins minor league team. Smith also broke a streak of 24 years between Georgia draftees by the Twins; the organization’s previous selection from Athens was fifth-round right-hander Jeremy Brown in 2001, who never pitched beyond rookie-ball. Recent Twin Kyle Farmer also played college ball with the Bulldogs. 

Texas Tech
Eight of the top 10 Texas Tech products by rWAR are pitchers, which is perhaps unsurprising considering one of the greatest quarterbacks ever claims the college as his alma mater: this is the university for powerful arms. It’s fitting, then, that top Twins pitching prospect Andrew Morris was a fourth-round selection in 2022 from Lubbock. The 24-year-old broke out with a 2.88 ERA in 2023, split between A Fort Myers and A+ Cedar Rapids, before dominating for AA Wichita the following year. He’s now a Saint and a likely candidate to pitch for the big-league squad in 2026. Minnesota tried to add two Red Raiders in 2021 in Brandon Birdsell and Dylan Neuse, but only Neuse signed; he last played in the system in 2023. 2025 half-season relief ace and past, future one-that-got-away hurler, Danny Coulombe, also went to Texas Tech. 

Oregon
Of all the teams in the CFP, the Twins have the greatest recent relationship with the Ducks. They selected the 6’11” pitcher Jason Reitz in the fourth round in June, likely hoping his awesome size augurs a unique look from the mound. 2023 eighth-rounder, Jace Stoffal, was also a Duck, although he retired before the 2024 season. Minnesota selected Jake Reed in the fifth round in 2014; he eventually debuted in 2021 and bounced around for three seasons before leaving baseball after 2023.

Then, there are a pair of top 100 picks: right-hander (and Minnesota native) Madison Boer in 2011, who topped out at AA, and utility man Spencer Steer in 2019, who became a top prospect before his inclusion in the infamous Tyler Mahle deal in 2022. 

Ole Miss
Lance Lynn is the Rebel with the best MLB career. That is the only mention he will get in this article.

Minnesota looked to Oxford with their ninth-round selection in 2023, right-handed pitcher Jack Dougherty. He has yet to pitch in the system with what appears to be a nagging shoulder issue. The Ole Miss product you all know, though, is former piranha Matt Tolbert, who spent four deeply memorable seasons with the Twins as a gritty Nick Punto clone. 

Miami
A four-time College World Series champion, the Hurricanes have been relatively eschewed by the Twins, who have only inked three Miami products since 2010, and haven’t looked to Coral Gables since taking pitcher Andrew Cabezas in 2018. 

Tertiary catcher Chris Hermann, who played for the Twins between 2012 and 2015, went to Miami, as did the team’s 2008 first-round pick, Carlos Gutierrez. But the most notable former Hurricane was a 19th-round diamond in the rough: Danny Valencia. The one-time third-place finisher in the rookie of the year vote could never match his 2010 season with the Twins, yet ended up playing in nine seasons as a journeyman bat who usually flashed enough slugging prowess to earn another contract. 

Alabama
We conclude with what could be the most relevant college for Minnesota's future pitching staff. The Twins just selected Crimson Tide ace Riley Quick with the 36th overall pick in the 2025 draft. Ranked as the 10th-best prospect in the system by MLB.com, Quick’s bowling ball sinker could anchor a nasty east-west profile. Look for him to speed through the ranks in 2026. Minnesota double-dipped and handed nearly $200K to right-handed Alabama reliever Jonathan Stevens in the 16th-round; he’s already pitched in the system.

The most MLB-imminent player with Tuscaloosa ties is lefty Connor Prielipp. The Twins made a rare aggressive play in 2022 with the Wisconsin native, handing him nearly $2 million despite a blown-out elbow, thanks to the strength of his wipeout slider. He finally stayed healthy in 2025 and should impact the big-league team in some capacity in 2026.

 

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[bean5302]

Indiana making the CFP while the Gophers remain mired in mediocrity hurts my eyeballs.

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

Indiana making the CFP while the Gophers remain mired in mediocrity hurts my eyeballs.

Baby steps.  They won a bowl game.

[oregontwin]

Ducks/Trevor Larnach

[ashbury]

2 hours ago, oregontwin said:

Ducks/Trevor Larnach

Larnach is a bit of a polarizing figure at this site but you don't have to actually duck before uttering his name.  😀

[Matt Braun]

9 hours ago, oregontwin said:

Ducks/Trevor Larnach

Close, but he went to Oregon State 

[IndianaTwin]

I don't care if Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva AND Rod Carew had gone to Alabama, I'm still going to root against them in football. 

[Permanent Twins Fan]

Nice break from a slow off-season for the Twins. I predict Georgia over Texas Tech 34-24 in the championship. Jacob Rodriguez should have won the heisman.