Minnesota, P.J. Fleck Enter Year 10 with High Expectations

Minnesota finished the 2025 season on a high note with a 20-17 victory over New Mexico in the Rate Bowl, a win that could provide valuable momentum as head coach P.J. Fleck looks to push the program to new heights in 2026. 

The Golden Gophers finished with identical overall and conference records in each of the past two seasons, posting an 8-5 mark overall and going 5-4 in Big Ten play in both 2024 and 2025. Now entering the 10th season of head coach P.J. Fleck's "Row the Boat" era, Minnesota will look to recapture the success of its 2019 campaign, when the program finished 11-2 and won the Outback Bowl. 

Fleck’s message at Big Ten Football Media Days presented by Discover preached about the victories his teams have garnered throughout his tenure. 

“Seven and zero at bowl games, seven consecutive bowl games in full seasons,” Fleck said. “[We are] one of seven of 18 Big Ten teams who have had back-to-back eight-win seasons.” 

Drake Lindsey and Co. Ready for Next Step

Minnesota will be led again by redshirt sophomore quarterback Drake Lindsey, who threw for 2,382 yards and 18 touchdowns while only throwing six interceptions in his first year as the starter. In year two, Lindsey said he feels he has a better grip of the offense and what needs to happen for the Gophers to trend in the right direction. 

“I think your first year, you're trying to figure some things out,” Lindsey said. “You're just trying to make sure you can get yourself through, you know, game week and make sure you can execute for your teammates. This year, I'm obviously comfortable within the offense with my teammates, [I’m] growing a lot as a leader.” 

An offensive weapon at Lindsey’s disposal in 2026 will be running back Darius Taylor. The senior back ran for 670 yards and four touchdowns in 2025 and added another 245 yards receiving, an underrated aspect of his game.  

“He definitely is good out of the backfield,” Lindsey said. “He runs routes like a wide receiver, and he catches the ball like a wide receiver… Having him be able to do that, I think, is super beneficial for our offense, and creates a lot, lot of good matchups for us.” 

The Gophers were 5-1 when Lindsey completed more than 65% of his passes last season. Now, with a year under his belt, the signal caller will look to power the offense with elite accuracy. 

Anthony Smith Ready to Lead in Senior Campaign

Defensively, the unit will be led by edge rusher Anthony Smith. Smith led the entire conference in sacks a season ago with 12.5 and will look to terrorize quarterbacks in his fifth and final season in a Golden Gopher uniform. Smith was named a Walter Camp Preseason All-American, proving his impact on the Golden Gophers defense isn’t going unnoticed. Fleck explained that he didn’t have to convince Smith to stay following his monster season. 

“It's about fit and selection, and we broke down exactly why he would want to be here and why he would want to leave,” Fleck said. “It's about your production on the football field, and he wants to produce more.” 

Smith agreed with his coach, stating that when it came to coming back to Minnesota, there was never a doubt. 

“You didn't need to convince me,” Smith said. “It's so easy to come to our program. Whether that's the facility with our staff members, the support staff, the trainers, or the players. I love coming in every single day.” 

The senior said he will be embracing a leadership role he learned from those who came before him. 

“Learning from my past to create my future,” Smith said. “I had a lot of people before me, I had great leaders before me. It will be taking bits and pieces of what I liked from their leadership style and what I kind of didn't like too, and then embracing that.” 

The Gophers schedule features key games coming on Halloween night on the road against Indiana and at home agains Michigan in week five. 

Up and Coming in Minneapolis? 

If Minnesota can pair a veteran-led defense with improved offensive consistency, they have a legitimate opportunity to contend in the Big Ten standings. The Gophers return an experienced roster that has already proven it can win close games, and another step forward could make the program a dark horse in the conference race. 

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