Houston lands former Minnesota wide receiver A.J. Barker

Former Minnesota Golden Gophers wide receiver A.J. Barker has found a new home to play college football, and he will be transferring to the Houston Cougars. Barkers' older brother Ross passed along the news to the Pioneer Press about his brothers intent to transfer to Houston:

"He's super excited now that he has a coach that truly believes he's the real deal," said Ross, a former Wisconsin walk-on receiver. "He's gonna do great. I'm excited for him. It's a great opportunity."

Barker is most known for penning a blog post that alleged mistreatment by head coach Jerry Kill. Barkers felt that he was being mistreated during his recovery of a high ankle sprain that he suffered against Purdue on Oct. 27. Despite missing the team's final four games of the year, Barker still led all Golden Gophers receivers with 30 catches, 577 yards and seven touchdowns.

Since Barker was a walk-on at Minnesota he does not have to sit out the usual mandated one year for transferring. Houston head coach Terry Levine offered Barker a scholarship, and he will immediately be an impact player for Houston as they head into their first season as a member of the Big East.