Minnesota Golden Gophers 2026 Season Preview

Drake Lindsey won more games as a freshman starter than any quarterback in school history, and he did it while completing 63 percent of his throws for 2,382 yards, 18 touchdowns and just six interceptions. At 6-5 and 230 pounds he has the frame scouts want, and he saved his best for the stretch run, posting an 8-to-0 touchdown-to-interception ratio over the final five games. Fleck has said publicly that Lindsey commands the offense at a level beyond his experience, and the second-year leap the staff is banking on would raise the whole team's ceiling. The room behind him is short on proven snaps, with junior Max Shikenjanski and North Carolina transfer Michael Merdinger competing to back him up.

The Gophers kept their Nos. 2 through 4 pass-catchers and reloaded through the portal. Javon Tracy, a 6-0 senior who arrived from Miami of Ohio, and sophomore Jalen Smith combined for 65 catches and 873 yards a year ago, and Cincinnati transfer Noah Jennings projects as the most likely third option after a productive stretch at the FCS level. Junior Pierce Walsh returns at tight end with Oklahoma transfer Kaden Helms added for depth. It is a veteran, experienced group, exactly the kind of supporting cast that lets the staff put more on Lindsey's plate.

Senior Darius Taylor is the engine. He led the team with 915 scrimmage yards (670 rushing, 245 receiving) despite hamstring trouble that cost him three games, and he spent the offseason working with a chef and taking Pilates classes to stay healthy. Taylor bypassed the portal to finish his career in Minneapolis, and if he holds up he should clear 1,000 rushing yards comfortably while giving the passing game a reliable safety valve. Marshall transfer A.J. Turner, who averaged 8.3 yards a carry for the Thundering Herd in 2024, headlines the depth behind him.

The line is where the season may be decided. Minnesota ranked near the bottom of the country running the ball, around 3.6 yards per carry, and the ground game has to improve for the offense to take a step. The anchor is left guard Greg Johnson, a 6-6, 325-pound senior regarded as one of the best interior linemen in the league and a preseason first-team all-conference pick. Center Ashton Beers headlines three returning starters, and sophomore left tackle Nathan Roy has already drawn scouting attention. Right tackle is the open question, with redshirt freshman Daniel Shipp and Tennessee transfer Bennett Warren in the mix. The unit did protect well, allowing just 24 sacks, so the priority is push up front, not pass protection.

The pass rush is the strength of the team. Senior end Anthony Smith led the Big Ten with 12.5 sacks, dominated the bowl game and then turned down a jump to the NFL to return to Minneapolis, and at 6-6, 285 pounds he profiles as one of the better defensive line prospects in the conference. He anchored a front that piled up 39 sacks, ninth-most in the nation, including a school-record nine in a single game against Nebraska. Cal transfer TJ Bush Jr. balances the other edge after amassing 91 pressures and 13 sacks over three seasons at Cal and Liberty, and junior Karter Menz, a 6.5-sack rusher, gives the staff a third option who can share the field in sub packages. The concern is inside: Minnesota lost its top four tackles, so 310-pound Marshall transfer Naquan Crowder has to become an immediate anchor.

Maverick Baranowski headlines the second level. The senior tied for sixth in the Big Ten with 103 tackles and returns as the defense's leading tackler and emotional center. Junior Matt Kingsbury slots in alongside him after logging meaningful snaps a year ago, and the group is experienced enough to weather the loss of Devon Williams. This is a downhill, physical unit that should hold up against the run.

The secondary has to replace Perich, and the Gophers believe they are equipped to. Redshirt junior safety Kerry Brown graded out as the more dependable back-end defender even before Perich's exit, and Iowa transfer corner John Nestor arrives with 11 starts, six pass breakups and six interceptions to his name. Michigan State transfer Aydan West and nickel Garrison Monroe add depth. The pass defense slipped last fall, ranking outside the top 80 in yards per attempt, so the coverage has to firm up even with a ferocious rush in front of it.

Kicking is the worry. Minnesota made just two of seven attempts from 40-plus yards a year ago, a shortfall that arguably cost the team a Big Ten win at Northwestern, and the job is an open competition between Michigan transfer Beckham Sunderland and sophomore Daniel Jackson, who drilled a 51-yarder in the spring. Neither has attempted a college field goal. Australian junior Tom Weston is a steadying presence at punter after averaging 42.6 yards with a solid net, but with Perich gone the Gophers must find new primary returners for both punts and kickoffs, and the return units, which fell in the national rankings, are under new coordination.