Freddie Dilione V had 25 points and Kayden Mingo scored with one second left as Penn State snapped an eight-game losing streak by extending Minnesota’s skid to seven with a 77-75 victory on Sunday.
Mingo buried a 3-pointer and Dilione had the final two baskets in a 9-0 spurt to give Penn State a 69-58 lead with 6:31 left.
Cade Tyson made four free throws, Langston Reynolds sank a pair, and Grayson Grove tipped in a miss as the Golden Gophers used an 8-0 run to cut it to 71-70 with 2:31 remaining. Dilione and Reynolds traded baskets before Mingo turned a steal into a layup for a three-point lead with 49 seconds to go.
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson had a layup and Reynolds made the first of two free throws with 31 seconds left to tie it 75-all. Mingo ran the clock down to eight seconds before beginning his game-winning drive to the basket.
Dilione made 11 of 17 shots with a 3-pointer in the first winning effort in Big Ten Conference play this season for the Nittany Lions (10-12, 1-10).
Josh Reed sank four 3-pointers — all in the first half — and scored 18 for Penn State. Mingo scored 14 on 6-for-17 shooting, while Dominick Stewart pitched in with 12 points.
Langston Reynolds had 18 points and seven assists to lead the Golden Gophers (10-12, 3-8). Cade Tyson added 17 points, Bobby Durkin hit four 3-pointers and scored 16 and Isaac Asuma added 12 points.
Reed had 16 points and Dilione scored 13 to guide the Nittany Lions to a 41-31 lead at halftime.
The Gopher women’s gymnastics season is off to a strong start, with two major upsets against No. 6 Arkansas and No. 10 Michigan. Now, the Gophers are climbing in the national rankings.
A standout in both meets was junior and Stillwater native Jordyn Lyden. She led the Gophers on bars against Michigan, earning a season best score of 9.925.
“Beating those teams was really good for our confidence, just knowing that we could go out there and do that, and I think it was really big, especially at home, it’s always exciting to start off with some big wins,” Lyden said.
Head coach Jenny Hansen is in her 12th season at the helm of this team. She credits Lyden for being one of her most consistent gymnasts to rely on.
“I think she’s really setting a standard for our team and really elevating everybody along with her,” Hansen said. “She really works to get every single half tenth, tenth out there. She wants to be scoring 9.9-plus on every event.”
In practice, the Gophers are focused heavily on conditioning, knowing how much the little things contribute in a big way.
“I think all those things matter and add up too when you’re competing,” Lyden said.
A standout alum of the program is new to their coach staff this year. Mya Hooten returned to the team after graduating as the beam coach. The two-time individual national qualifier is a huge addition to the team’s arsenal this season as Hooten helps her former teammates find success.
“She’s just always positive and brings the energy and just really believes in you,” Lyden said.
Their next home meet is against Iowa this Saturday, then top-ranked UCLA and Olympian Jordan Chiles on Feb. 7.
John Mobley Jr. scored 26 points and made five 3-pointers, Bruce Thornton had 23 points, seven rebounds and four steals, and Ohio State beat Minnesota 82-74 in overtime on Tuesday night.
Devin Royal scored five of his 16 points in overtime and Christoph Tilly finished with 11 for Ohio State (13-5, 5-3 Big Ten), which improved to 15-2 all-time against Minnesota in the Schottenstein Center. Mobley, coming off a career-high 28 points and six 3-pointers against UCLA, was 9 of 19 from the field.
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson scored a career-high 26 points — his third straight game with 20-plus — for Minnesota (10-9, 3-5), which has lost four straight games. Cade Tyson, ranked second in the Big Ten in scoring at 20.8 points per game, finished with 15 points.
Crocker-Johnson was fouled while making a basket with 40.2 seconds left in regulation to tie it at 67-all, but missed the ensuing free throw. Mobley missed a long 3-pointer at the other end and Minnesota guard Langston Reynolds raced the other way for a layup that rolled off the rim. The Golden Gophers had another shot at a winner but Tyson’s 3-pointer just before the buzzer did not hit the rim.
Colin White’s steal and fast-break layup gave Ohio State a 76-71 lead in overtime. Thornton scored six points in the extra frame.
Last season, the Buckeyes edged Minnesota 89-88 in double overtime.
Up next
Minnesota: Returns home to play No. 7 Nebraska on Saturday.
Ohio State: Goes on the road to play No. 3 Michigan on Friday.
Minnesota has brought back all-time leading rusher Mohamed Ibrahim as running backs coach, one of eight new hires to the staff announced Friday by coach P.J. Fleck.
Ibrahim, who spent six years at Minnesota and the 2023 season in the NFL with the Detroit Lions, worked with the Gophers in 2024. He was running backs coach at Kent State last year. Ibrahim finished his college career with 4,668 rushing yards and 53 touchdowns, which was also a Gophers record.
Another former Gophers player, Isaac Fruechte, was hired as wide receivers coach after serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at North Dakota for the last two seasons. Fruechte played for Minnesota from 2012-14 and spent three years in the NFL with the Vikings and Lions before beginning his coaching career.
Fruechte replaces Matt Simon, who was not retained after finishing his ninth season under Fleck with the Gophers. Simon also served as co-offensive coordinator, so that role will now be handled solely by Greg Harbaugh Jr. Simon was one of four primary position coaches and eight assistants overall who won’t return in 2026.
Another notable addition was Matt Limegrover as assistant offensive line coach. Limegrover was the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the Gophers from 2011-15 under coach Jerry Kill, before departing for Penn State. He was most recently the offensive line coach at Kent State from 2023-24.
John Blackwell buried a 3-pointer at the buzzer and scored 27 points to help Wisconsin overcome an 11-point second-half deficit to beat Minnesota for a 10th straight time, 78-75 on Tuesday night.
Blackwell’s winner came after Cade Tyson, who scored 14, hit a 3-pointer with five seconds left to tie it.
Blackwell made 8 of 14 shots — 5 of 7 from 3-point range — and all six of his free throws for the Badgers (12-5, 4-2 Big Ten Conference), who have won three straight and five of their last six. He added six rebounds and five assists.
Braeden Carrington came off the bench to hit seven 3s and score 21 for Wisconsin — both career highs for the senior. Nolan Winter had 12 points and 11 rebounds for his eighth double-double this season. Nick Boyd scored 11.
Jaylen Crocker-Johnson totaled 20 points and eight rebounds for the Golden Gophers (10-7, 3-3), who have lost two straight following a five-game win streak. Isaac Asuma finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Langston Reynolds added 12 points and 10 assists for his second double-double.
Crocker-Johnson had 10 points and Minnesota held Wisconsin scoreless over the final 5:11 to take a 35-28 lead into halftime.
Asuma hit a 3-pointer and Crocker-Johnson followed with with a three-point play to give Minnesota its largest lead at 41-30 early in the second half.
The Golden Gophers played with a lead until Carrington hit three 3-pointers and Blackwell scored five in an 14-0 run that gave Wisconsin a 66-57 lead with 7:27 remaining.
A state tournament run was capped with a championship last year.
“Indescribable,” said Hill-Murray junior forward Emily Pohl. “It was something so special. It was double overtime, so it was a lot of adrenaline really quick. But it was really, really special.”
Pohl and company are back for more. Hill-Murray is again one of the best girls hockey teams in Minnesota. This season, at any given time, there could be five Pohls on the Pioneers bench.
“Obviously, we all have the same downtime and the same schedule, which is easy,” said freshman forward Anna Pohl.
Three members of the Pohl family play for the team, and their parents, Krissy Wendell Pohl and dad John Pohl, are co-head coaches and work at the school.
“We joke our family spends more time together than any other family in the history of earth,” said John Pohl, who works as Hill-Murray’s athletic director.
The youngest, Lucy Pohl, is the only member of the family who plays defense. The eighth grader now has the same carpool stop in her first year on varsity.
“I’ve talked about it before, but it’s super nice because they push me every day at practice and they make me a better player each day,” Lucy Pohl said.
If you’re a Minnesota sports fan, you’ve gathered by now that John Pohl and Krissy Pohl are two of the most accomplished University of Minnesota Gophers hockey players ever. Krissy Pohl was an Olympian and John Pohl played in the NHL.
“It’s kinda hard to find their highlights,” said Emily Pohl. “My dad likes to, sometimes he’ll pull up his own and we’ll watch those with him, but he usually gets made fun of by the four girls when he does that.”
Emily Pohl is one of the top prospects in the state. People know her parents. So when she committed to play college hockey for Minnesota’s rival Wisconsin, people were talking.
“A lot of people are like ‘I can’t believe that happened,’” said John Pohl. “But you know, the University of Minnesota was the right place for Krissy and me, 100%. We both had phenomenal experiences. The University of Wisconsin is 100% the right place for Emily. It’s what she’s wanted for a long time. She’s had a goal to be able to play there and get recruited by them. We are fully supportive of it. Could not be prouder of her. Could not be happier for her. Although Krissy and I will and always will be Gophers, Em’s gonna be a Badger. We absolutely love it and could not be happier for her.”
“I got an overwhelming lot of love and support,” said Emily Pohl. “Not very much backlash. I guess you could say, like, ‘Why would you do this?’ I think anyone that knows me knows that I was gonna do what the best fit for me was.”
Being at Dropshot pickleball courts in Shakopee, Minnesota, is where Rob Gray thrives.
The former University of Minnesota Gopher kicker and punter craved competition in his later life and found pickleball, where he quickly excelled, becoming a Senior Pro player.
But no matter how hard he worked out, it wasn’t enough to stop his health decline.
“It got to the point where I would pretty much stand in one spot and make my partner do most of the work,” Gray said.
He was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease back in 1999, battling against time with just one kidney that eventually started to fail.
“I knew I was going to need one, and if I didn’t get one, I was going on dialysis Nov. 1 or even in Oct. 3,” Gray said.
That’s when a connection on the court turned into something much bigger.
Matt Skahen has been playing with Gray for several years now. His strong faith drove him to offer up a life-saving gift to his friend.
“I do just believe it was ordained, that Jesus knew exactly when he brought us together, that, ‘Hey Matt, you’re going to have two healthy kidneys your whole life because you’re going to give one to Rob eventually,” Skahen said.
Gray never asked for the donation, but Skahen took all the steps to get tested, found out he was a perfect match and never looked back.
“I do think that I would have regretted it for the rest of my life,” Skahen said.
On Nov. 6, the two friends underwent surgeries at Hennepin Healthcare, and the transplant was successful.
Both Gray and Skahen were back to playing pickleball together just six weeks after the operations.
Gray already feels the difference of having a healthy kidney.
“It definitely changes your energy level. My brain fog went away, my mind is more active,” he said.
Skahen’s kidney donation holds more value than a person may think. The National Kidney Foundation says there are currently over 100,000 people on the waiting list.
Only 17,000 people receive a kidney each year, and every day, 12 people die waiting for a kidney, according to the foundation.
“Yet there are 300 million people in the United States with two kidneys. There has to be a way that this education can get out there so we can start saving lives,” Gray said.
He and Skahen hope they can be an example of how easy and low-risk a transplant can be.
“You don’t have to be extraordinary to do something extraordinary,” Skahen said.
Gray added, “It’s just an overwhelming feeling of brotherhood and love. It’s just, I couldn’t be more thankful.”
A brotherhood only divided by one thing, rivalry Bloomington alma maters.
“We still rib each other a little bit about it,” Gray said. “I think there’s some people from Kennedy and Jefferson that would be like, ‘You gave him a kidney?”
Call it fluky or coincidental, or just unlucky, Minnesota Gophers’ top weapon Mara Braun is coming off consecutive breaks in the same bone in the same foot in back-to-back seasons.
“Kind of confused why it had happened again,” said Braun. “We did a lot of testing, looked back at testing, strength testing and jumping, everything that I had been doing, and everything looked normal. So, it just was frustrating.”
Braun only played five games last season before suffering the same injury in practice. They took every precaution this time around.
“The second time was harder for sure because you’re doing the same thing over and over again,” she said. “But I think it’s really paid off and I’ve felt like I said better than ever.”
The Gophers open this season on Tuesday against North Dakota at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. Braun has that date circled.
“Excited, ready to go,” she said. “Ready to compete against another team. And just give my best, see what I can do for the first game. But probably a little anxious. But yeah, I’ll be ready to go. It’ll be fun.”
Without Braun, Minnesota found some mojo late last season, winning the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament. With her and those who have developed around her, big things could be in store if everyone stays healthy.
“Any given night, anyone can step up,” said Braun. “That’s gonna be huge for our team this year. Just knowing that we’ve had players in those situations that can produce, and we’ve seen it first-hand. So just having that confidence in them, and them in themselves.”
So, how far can this team go in the 2025-2026 season?
“From day one, our goal’s been the tournament, and we still have our eyes on that,” said Braun. “We just want to be playing our best basketball towards the end of March and just see where that can take us.”
For both Max Brosmer and Drake Lindsey, the first day they met at the University of Minnesota marked the beginning of a new chapter.
“I was like, ‘this kid’s huge. I wish I was that big,’” Brosmer said. “That was back when (Lindsey) weighed 250.”
Brosmer, four years older and Minnesota’s starting quarterback in 2024, quickly became a mentor to Lindsey, a true freshman, as they navigated the Golden Gophers QB room together.
“He earned my respect really quick because he was always in the building,” Lindsey said, now the Gophers’ starting QB. “Once you earn that respect, you’re gonna listen to somebody that’s older than you and that’s had success. It kind of felt like we were both in a new place together at the same time. Which also really helped. We were both learning things about Minnesota together.”
Now, 22 months since that first Gophers report day. Brosmer has moved on. He impressed the Minnesota Vikings so much in training camp that he made the team as an undrafted free agent.
“When I saw he was going to the Vikings it was obviously a blessing because you have one of your close friends back in the city,” Lindsey said. “I had 100% faith the whole time because I’ve seen him work. I’ve seen his consistency, day in and day out. So, there was no doubt in my mind. Ultimately, it’s just really cool the situation he’s in now and just happy for him.”
On a fall Monday night, the pair signed autographs at a Minneapolis restaurant, the friendship continuing. The mentorship never stopped. Brosmer requests the Gophers film from Lindsey every week.
“There’s gonna be mistakes. There’s gonna be some amazing plays. And everything in between,” said Brosmer. “I just do my best to pick through the film with a fine-tooth comb. As long as I’m doing my job with the Vikings, I have a few minutes to do what I can with Drake.”
“I really do try and talk to him as much as I can,” said Lindsey. “Just because of the friendship we have but also, he’s super, super smart. And that’s something I’ll always try to keep feeding off of because you always try to find one thing that can get you better throughout the week that maybe you can apply to your game on Sunday, and for him on Sunday.”
Brosmer has captured the attention of a specific subset of Minnesota football die-hards that root for both the professional and collegiate. With the quarterback injuries the Vikings have had, it’s common to see his supporters on social media lobbying for many more snaps in purple. But is Brosmer aware of this?
“To be honest, not to the extent that you’re speaking on,” Brosmer answered as Lindsey laughed to his right. “I do my best to get off social media throughout the year. It’s more of an offseason thing. So maybe I’ll go back after the season and ‘oh this is pretty funny.’”
Two quarterbacks who have come a long way — and are still just a few miles apart.
“Sometimes I’ll text Drake, ‘hey, what coverage do you think this is?’” said Brosmer. “Test him with stuff that I’m seeing. So eventually down the road, he can be like ‘oh, I saw that text three years ago, I know exactly what defense that is.’”
A student at the University of Minnesota who was assaulted near campus last month is back practicing with the hockey team.
Sources previously told WCCO they feared the injuries would end his ability to play.
A police report says two people assaulted him near Fourth Street and 16th Avenue just before 11 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20.
The U sent a crime alert out warning other students after it happened.
The University of Minnesota Police Department hasn’t said if it’s connected to any other crimes in the area.
Gophers men’s hockey coach Bob Motzko says he can’t talk about what happened, but that the player is now back on the ice.
“My goodness can he skate. Like he is electric level of skating. And we hope very soon that he’s going to be back,” said Motzko. “It’s really noticeable and we’re excited to get him back.”
Police are not releasing the victim’s name to protect his privacy. They haven’t indicated any arrests.
Julian Sayin passed for 326 yards and three touchdowns, Carnell Tate had 183 yards receiving and top-ranked Ohio State rolled to a 42-3 victory over Minnesota on Saturday night.
It was the third 300-yard game in five starts for Sayin, who completed 23 of 27 passes.
Tate finished with 183 yards on nine receptions. The junior receiver had seven receptions for 163 yards in the first half, including three for at least 44 yards. Five of his catches came on the first play of Ohio State’s drives, including a 44-yard touchdown on the opening play of the Buckeyes’ fifth series where he beat Minnesota cornerback Za’Quan Bryan on a go route and hauled in a 44-yard pass from Sayin in the end zone to extend the Buckeyes’ lead to 21-3 with 8:04 remaining in the first half.
Jeremiah Smith caught two touchdowns while CJ Donaldson, Bo Jackson and Lincoln Kienholz had rushing scores for the Buckeyes (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten).
The Golden Gophers (3-2, 1-1) won the coin toss got a 27-yard field goal from Brady Denaburg before Ohio State’s defense shut them down the rest of the way. The Golden Gophers went 66 yards in 13 plays on their first drive before the Buckeyes held them to 35 yards on their next seven series, including five three-and-outs.
Drake Lindsey was 15 of 26 passing for 94 yards.
Jayden Fielding was wide left from 53 yards on the Buckeyes first drive before they scored touchdowns on their next three possessions to take control of the game.
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele threw three touchdown passes and California beat Minnesota 27-14 on Saturday night for the Golden Bears’ third straight win to open the season.
“It was a big win for us,” Sagapolutele said. “We knew coming into this that it was going to be a big game and a big test. Throughout the week we prepared right. Guys were fired up about this. We just came out swinging, way better than we did last week.”
Cal (3-0) got its stiffest test after easy wins to open the season and Sagapolutele delivered once again and showed unusual poise for a freshman quarterback.
Sagapolutele finished 24 for 38 for 279 yards and the three short scoring passes to help the Bears earn the win against a power conference opponent.
The Golden Gophers (2-1) were in the game until special teams mishaps in the fourth quarter proved costly. Brady Denaburg missed a 51-yard field goal that could have tied the game with less than 10 minutes to play and Koi Perich muffed a punt at his own 8 the next Minnesota possession.
Sagapolutele made Minnesota pay with a 2-yard TD pass to Jordan King that made it 24-14 with 6:55 to play.
“None of it happens without the quarterback,” coach Justin Wilcox said. “Jaron, he just continues to impress. His demeanor out there. Just his understanding of the offense and what we’re asking him to do. … You all see the accuracy and the way he can throw the ball. He threw some amazing passes again tonight. It’s not all that surprising because we see it every day.”
Cal struck first when Sagapolutele threw a 3-yard TD pass to Jacob De Jesus in the first quarter and Minnesota answered with 43 seconds left in the half on Cam Davis’ 1-yard run.
But Sagapolutele managed to move the Bears 48 yards in the closing seconds to take a 10-7 halftime lead on Abram Murray’s 45-yard field goal.
The teams traded TDs in the third quarter with Drake Lindsey giving Minnesota the lead with a 3-yard pass to Jameson Geers and Sagapolutele answering with a 9-yarder to Mason Mini that put Cal up 17-14 in the closing seconds of the third quarter.
Minnesota: The Gophers weren’t seriously threatened in the first two games against Buffalo and Northwestern State but fell short against the Bears. Minnesota was hurt by the absence of star running back Darius Taylor, who missed the game with a leg injury.
California: The Bears started 3-0 for the second straight season and fifth time in nine years under coach Justin Wilcox. Now Cal needs to carry that over for the rest of the season. The Bears haven’t finished with a winning record since going 8-5 in 2019.
Minnesota: Hosts Rutgers on Sept. 27 in Big Ten opener.
California: Visits San Diego State on Saturday night.
Drake Lindsey passed for 290 yards and two touchdowns in his debut and Darius Taylor rushed for 141 yards on 30 carries to help Minnesota wear down Buffalo 23-10 in their season opener on Thursday night.
Jameson Geers had four catches for 38 yards and a score and redshirt freshman Jalen Smith jogged into the end zone with a wide-open 60-yard reception that broke the game open early in the fourth quarter.
New defensive coordinator Danny Collins had his group flying all over the field, as the Gophers stifled Bulls senior Al-Jay Henderson, a1 ,000-yard rusher last season, to 25 yards on 11 attempts. Ta’Quan Roberson, in his first start at quarterback after transferring from Kansas State, went 12 for 20 for 107 yards with a 40-yard touchdown pass to Victor Snow.
Lindsey, a redshirt freshman from Arkansas, finished 19 for 35 with one interception in the second quarter that was simply bad luck.
Geers ran a crossing route into Mitchell Gonser’s zone, when the linebacker delivered a hockey-style check that leveled the fifth-year tight end. Lindsey threw to where he expected Geers to be, and when his foot went airborne while his back hit the ground, the ball hit the top of it and bounced straight into Gonser’s arms. Taylor tracked him down to save a touchdown and limit him to a 54-yard return.
Minnesota Golden Gophers wide receiver Javon Tracy (11) runs with the ball while being defended by Buffalo Bulls cornerback Keontez Bradley (9) during the college football game between the Buffalo Bulls and Minnesota Golden Gophers on August 28th, 2025, at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN.
Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Brady Denaburg made all three of his field goal tries and two extra points in his first game for the Gophers after transferring from Syracuse, taking the edge off three stalled drives inside the 20-yard line. Another red-zone possession ended with a stuffed tush-push run by Geers on fourth-and-1 at the 11.
Buffalo: The Bulls have most of their starting defense back from a team that went 9-4 in coach Pete Lembo’s first season, and this group will clearly cause some stress for quarterbacks in the MAC. Linebacker Red Murdock had a sack among his 16 tackles for the Bulls.
Minnesota: The Gophers soft-launched their two-way deployment of sophomore safety Koi Perich, who took a handful of snaps on offense and caught Lindsey’s first pass for 12 yards. Perich, a second-team preseason AP All-America pick, had two tackles on defense and four fair catches on punts with one 18-yard return.
Buffalo plays at home on Sept. 6 against Saint Francis, the Pennsylvania university in its final season in the FCS before it drops down to the NCAA Division III level in 2026.
On Sept. 6, Minnesota hosts FCS foe Northwestern State, which took a 20-game losing streak into this season.
The Gopher volleyball team starts it’s 2025 campaign Monday night, across the border in Sioux Falls, South Dakota as part of the AVCA First Serve.
Head Coach Keegan Cook is now on his third year with the program; the previous two seasons ended with a lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament. But he thinks the next chapter of Gopher volleyball has started.
“Hopefully I remember these early years as the good that precedes the great,” he said. “Transitions are are pretty precarious now in college athletics, especially coaching transitions. So I feel good about the work that we’ve done reestablishing a foundation, and now I think it starts to get good.”
One of the few players that stayed through the coaching transition is senior Julia Hanson. The 6-foot-1 outside hitter has become the Gopher’s go-to terminal player and she was one of 30 players in the country to be named to the AVCA Player of the Year watch list.
Cook said that there were “some signs” of her potential early in his tenure with the Gophers, when he was still figuring out who the team was.
“Often times she wasn’t on the starting side in practice, but she would make the starting side’s life miserable for long periods of time. And that was our first clue that there was something there,” Cook said. “Didn’t take long, when she got her opportunity to really jump on it. It was probably her fifth or sixth match with 20-plus kills when you realize you’re watching somebody change their life.”
This year, redshirt freshman setter Stella Swenson and a turnover in the middle blocker position has changed the look for the Gopher’s offense.
“That started with getting better at serve receive,” Cook said. “To build an offense on a foundation of receiving the ball at a higher level. Twelve weeks and a damaged nerve in my arm later, I think we are a better receiving team.”
Minnesota is ranked 11th in the preseason poll, and Cook is aware of the expectations put on the program to reach new heights.
“Fans are always a little impatient but not as impatient as coaches,” he said. “We’re three years into this, or entering our third year, and the urgency is high to get this program back where it belongs.”
The Gophers take on No. 9 Texas A&M at 8:30 p.m. Monday.
Max Brosmer’s short-but-stellar stay shaped Minnesota into a dangerous passing team last season, when the Gophers threw the ball more times than they ran it for the first time in 17 years.
Brosmer is in the NFL now, a promising prospect playing just down the road with the Vikings who has handed the reins to the offense to redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey. Therein lies the biggest questions facing the Gophers in 2025: How quickly can Lindsey develop, and how committed will coach P.J. Fleck and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Greg Harbaugh Jr. remain to the passing attack?
With Darius Taylor returning to the backfield, a steer of the play calling back toward the program’s roots wouldn’t be at all surprising. The junior, who rushed for career highs of 986 yards and 10 touchdowns in 12 games last season, was fifth in the Big Ten in rushing yards per game in 2024.
“Whatever the game plan calls for, I’m going to do, and my quarterback will do as well,” Taylor said. “I think our team is more than capable of playing in both facets of the game.”
The Gophers, who open at home against Buffalo on Aug. 28, won an eighth straight bowl game to finish 8-5 last year. Taylor also caught 54 passes for 350 yards and two scores during the process, as Brosmer’s prowess in his lone season after transferring from New Hampshire also gave him a boost as a receiver.
“I love catching the ball,” said Taylor, who began his high school career in Detroit as a wide receiver. “It’s exciting to get into space.”
Minnesota running back Darius Taylor (1) runs the ball during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Wisconsin, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Madison, Wis.
Kayla Wolf / AP
There’s hardly a Gophers player who’s generated more hype than safety Koi Perich, who was a first team All-Big Ten selection as a freshman last season and will also add wide receiver to his existing kick returning role this year in an attempt to maximize the myriad talents of the second team preseason All-America pick.
“Why wouldn’t you take one of your best players,” Fleck said, “and find unique ways to put the ball in his hand?”
New defensive coordinator Danny Collins must replace six starters, including cornerback Justin Walley, a third-round NFL draft pick. But with Perich and Kerry Brown at safety, seven interceptions return from last year. And between Deven Eastern and Jalen Logan-Redding, there are 61 career starts back for the interior of the line. Then there’s defensive end Anthony Smith, who’s considered Minnesota’s best NFL prospect for 2026 after his 11½ tackles for loss last season were the most by a Gophers player in six years.
“I think Anthony Smith can be the best one to ever play here, since we’ve been here on the defensive line,” said Collins, who’s been on Fleck’s staff for all nine seasons. “I think the sky is the limit for him.”
The Gophers are counting on depth to carry their wide receiver group with transfers Logan Loya (UCLA) and Javon Tracy (Miami of Ohio) bringing nearly 2,500 career yards between them. Loya is a sixth-year player who was a captain for the Bruins last season. Tracy was a first team all-conference pick in 2024 for the RedHawks who has two years of eligibility left. Le’Meke Brockington is the leading returning player, with redshirt freshman Jalen Smith the most likely prospect to carve out a contributing role — along with the wild card that is Perich.
“There’s not this one name that everybody knows like Daniel Jackson or Rashod Bateman or Tyler Johnson,” Fleck said, listing three former Gophers currently with NFL teams, including last season’s leading receiver, Jackson. “But collectively it has a chance to be one of our best units we’ve ever had here. They’re very selfless.”
Three mainstays are gone from the offensive line including Aireontae Ersery, a second-round draft pick by the Houston Texans. With Greg Johnson moving from center to guard and Ashton Beers going vice versa, the Gophers will have a new starter at each position. The right side was filled out with the transfer portal: guard Marcellus Marshall (Central Florida) and tackle Dylan Ray (Kentucky).
Though the Gophers have road games against two of the top seven teams in the preseason AP poll, defending national champion Ohio State and defending Big Ten champion Oregon, they’ve got a lighter load than many of their conference peers by facing only two others among the predicted top 10 teams in the Big Ten media poll: Nebraska (home) and Iowa (road).
Minnesota’s nonconference slate also includes Northwestern State, which went 0-12 last season in the FCS, and California, which tied for 14th in its first year in the ACC and came in 15th in the preseason media poll.
EAGAN, Minn. — The Minnesota Vikings are closer to finalizing their 53-man roster.
On Monday, the team announced their first wave of cuts.
Former Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Mo Ibrahim and offensive lineman Chuck Filiaga are among the first cuts. Running back DeWayne McBride, who Minnesota drafted in the seventh-round of last year’s draft, was also cut.
Among those speculated to be cut is 2022 first-round draft pick Lewis Cine. On Monday, the safety was listed third on the depth chart behind Cam Bynum and Theo Jackson.
According to the team’s depth chart, there are still 77 players on the roster, which means they need to cut 24 more players before Tuesday’s 3 p.m. deadline.
Some players cut may be signed to the team’s practice squad, but no announcements on that have been made.
The Vikings regular season kicks off on Sunday, Sept. 8 against the New York Giants. The team’s home opener is that next week, Sept. 15, against the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. You can watch that game on WCCO.
Here is the full list of Monday’s cuts:
QB Matt Corral — 2024 Free Agent
RB DeWayne McBride — 2023 seventh-round pick
TE Sammis Reyes — 2024 Free Agent
RB Mo Ibrahim — 2024 Free Agent
CB Jaylin Williams — 2024 Free Agent
TE Neal Johnson — Claimed off waivers
WR Justin Hall — 2024 Free Agent
OLB Owen Porter — 2024 Undrafted Free Agent
OL Chuck Filiaga — 2024 Free Agent
OL Doug Nester — 2024 Undrafted Free Agent
OL Matt Cindric — 2024 Undrafted Free Agent
OL Spencer Rolland — 2024 Undrafted Free Agent
DL Tyler Manoa — 2024 Undrafted Free Agent
The team also terminated the contract of veteran cornerback A.J. Green III, who signed with the team earlier this year.
