Minnesota Golden Gophers
Big Ten
0-0 (0-0 conf)
SP+ #70
Ratings
2025 final
- SP+
- 1.5 (#70)
- SP+ Offense
- 23.8
- SP+ Defense
- 20.8
- SRS
- 0.7
- FPI
- 1.1
- Elo
- 1516
- Talent
- 711
- Recruiting
- 227 (#28)
2026 Outlook
Projected wins
5.6p10 4.0 — p90 8.0
| Round | Prob | |
|---|---|---|
| Win conference | 0.1% | |
| Make CFP | 0.0% | |
| Quarterfinal | 0.0% | |
| Semifinal | 0.0% | |
| Natl. final | 0.0% | |
| Natl. champ | 0.0% |
Schedule
proj record 5.7–6.3
Schedule
32nd
toughest of 136
Offenses faced
64th
toughest of 136
Defenses faced
20th
toughest of 136
Strength of schedule — how tough this team's opponents are, ranked 1 (hardest) to 136 (easiest) · by 2025 SP+ · 1 FCS game.
| Wk | Opponent | SP+ | Score | Proj | Win% | Res |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | vsEastern Illinois | FCS | 44-4* | +40.8 | 99% | — |
| 2 | vsMississippi State | +4.1 | 26-27 | -0.7 | 48% | — |
| 3 | vsAkron | -13.9 | 39-17 | +21.3 | 90% | — |
| 4 | @Washington | +18.4 | 24-33 | -9.2 | 29% | — |
| 5 | vsMichigan | +12.4 | 24-33 | -8.6 | 30% | — |
| 6 | @Purdue | -6.1 | 28-28 | -0.2 | 49% | — |
| 8 | vsIowa | +19.7 | 23-31 | -8.3 | 31% | — |
| 9 | @Indiana | +32.4 | 18-36 | -18.4 | 13% | — |
| 10 | vsUCLA | -8.7 | 29-22 | +6.8 | 66% | — |
| 11 | @Penn State | +18.1 | 18-33 | -15.2 | 18% | — |
| 12 | vsNorthwestern | +5.8 | 27-28 | -1.3 | 47% | — |
| 13 | @Wisconsin | -4.4 | 27-27 | -0.7 | 48% | — |
* FBS-vs-FCS estimate from the SP+ gap — no per-game model for FCS opponents.
Quarterbacks · 4
2026 · 70
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB | 1st | Drake Lindsey | FR | 6'5" | 230 | — |
| QB | 2nd | Michael Merdinger← Liberty | FR | 6'2" | 210 | ★★★ |
| QB | 3rd | Max Shikenjanski | SO | 6'2" | 185 | — |
| QB | 4th | Dylan Wittke | SO | 6'1" | 215 | ★★★ |
Running Backs · 7
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RB | 1st | Darius Taylor | JR | 6'0" | 215 | ★★★★ |
| RB | 2nd | Cam Davis | SR | 6'1" | 215 | ★★★★ |
| RB | 3rd | Grant Washington | FR | 5'10" | 200 | ★★★ |
| RB | 4th | A.J. Turner | JR | 6'0" | 195 | ★★★ |
| RB | 5th | Xavier Ford | FR | 5'10" | 210 | — |
| RB | 6th | Jaron Thomas← Purdue | FR | 6'0" | 210 | ★★★ |
| RB | — | TJ Thomas Jr.← Elon | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Wide Receivers · 8
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WR | 1st | Le'Meke Brockington | SR | 6'0" | 195 | ★★★ |
| WR | 2nd | Javon Tracy | JR | 6'0" | 205 | ★★★ |
| WR | 3rd | Jalen Smith | FR | 6'1" | 195 | — |
| WR | 4th | Zion Steptoe← Tulsa | JR | 5'11" | 195 | ★★★ |
| WR | 5th | Noah Jennings← Cincinnati | JR | 6'0" | 190 | ★★★ |
| WR | 6th | Perry Thompson← Auburn | SO | 6'3" | 220 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 7th | Logan Loya | SR | 5'11" | 190 | ★★★★ |
| WR | 8th | Quentin Redding | SR | 5'7" | 160 | — |
Tight Ends · 5
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TE | 1st | Jameson Geers | SR | 6'5" | 250 | — |
| TE | 2nd | Drew Biber | SR | 6'4" | 245 | ★★★ |
| TE | 3rd | Kaden Helms← Oklahoma | JR | 6'5" | 238 | ★★★ |
| TE | 4th | Pierce Walsh | SO | 6'4" | 250 | ★★★ |
| TE | 5th | Frank Bierman | SR | 6'4" | 250 | — |
Offensive Line · 2
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | — | Greg Johnson | JR | 6'6" | 325 | — |
| OT | — | Bennett Warren← Tennessee | FR | 6'7" | 325 | ★★★ |
Defensive Line · 13
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL | 1st | Karter Menz | SO | 6'5" | 240 | — |
| DL | 2nd | Jaxon Howard | SO | 6'4" | 250 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 3rd | Naquan Crowder← Marshall | SO | 6'3" | 320 | ★★★ |
| DL | 4th | Rushawn Lawrence | SR | 6'2" | 270 | — |
| DL | 5th | Sid Kaba← Marshall | SO | 6'3" | 275 | ★★★ |
| DL | 6th | Jalen Logan-Redding | SR | 6'4" | 295 | — |
| DL | 7th | Xion Chapman← Florida International | SO | 6'4" | 300 | ★★★★ |
| DL | 8th | Nate Becker | SR | 6'6" | 300 | — |
| DL | 9th | Lucas Finnessy | SR | 6'3" | 255 | — |
| DL | 10th | Jaylin Hicks | FR | 6'3" | 260 | — |
| DL | 11th | Adam Kissayi | FR | 6'8" | 255 | — |
| DL | 12th | Riley Sunram | FR | 6'5" | 305 | ★★★★ |
| EDGE | 1st | TJ Bush Jr.← California | JR | 6'3" | 265 | ★★★ |
Linebackers · 10
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LB | 1st | Maverick Baranowski | JR | 6'2" | 230 | ★★★ |
| LB | 2nd | Devon Williams | SR | 6'1" | 230 | ★★★ |
| LB | 3rd | Andrew Marshall← Eastern Michigan | JR | 6'2" | 235 | ★★★ |
| LB | 4th | Matt Kingsbury | SO | 6'3" | 230 | ★★★ |
| LB | 5th | Emmanuel Karmo | FR | 6'2" | 225 | ★★★★ |
| LB | 6th | Joey Gerlach | JR | 6'3" | 225 | ★★★ |
| LB | 7th | Mason Carrier | FR | 6'3" | 235 | — |
| LB | 8th | Derik LeCaptain | SR | 6'2" | 235 | ★★ |
| LB | 9th | Jeff Roberson | SR | 6'2" | 230 | — |
| LB | 10th | Ethan Stendel | FR | 6'3" | 235 | — |
Defensive Backs · 15
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CB | 1st | Aydan West← Michigan State | FR | 5'11" | 190 | ★★★ |
| CB | — | Elisha West← Michigan State | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| CB | — | Parker Knutson← Southwest Minnesota State | — | — | — | ★★★ |
| DB | 1st | Kerry Brown | SO | 5'10" | 190 | ★★★ |
| DB | 2nd | John Nestor | JR | 6'1" | 205 | — |
| DB | 3rd | Aidan Gousby | JR | 6'0" | 190 | — |
| DB | 4th | Jai'Onte' McMillan | SR | 5'10" | 190 | — |
| DB | 5th | Darius Green | SR | 6'0" | 210 | — |
| DB | 6th | Mike Gerald | FR | 6'0" | 190 | — |
| DB | 7th | Garrison Monroe | SO | 6'0" | 205 | ★★★ |
| DB | 8th | Zack Harden | FR | 6'1" | 200 | — |
| DB | 9th | Rhyland Kelly | JR | 6'1" | 200 | — |
| DB | 10th | Simon Seidl | FR | 5'10" | 180 | — |
| DB | 11th | Naiim Parrish | FR | 5'11" | 175 | ★★★ |
| S | — | Mekhai Smith← Lehigh | — | — | — | ★★★ |
Special Teams · 6
| Pos | Depth | Player | Cl | Ht | Wt | ★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K | 1st | Beckham Sunderland← Michigan | SR | 6'1" | 216 | — |
| LS | 1st | Alan Soukup | SO | 6'1" | 210 | — |
| P | 1st | Tom Weston | SO | 6'3" | 215 | — |
| P | 2nd | Zachary Robbins← Utah State | FR | 6'3" | 220 | — |
| PK | 1st | Brady Denaburg | SR | 5'11" | 195 | — |
| PK | — | Daniel Jackson | FR | 5'10" | 175 | ★★★ |
Projected Season
2026 · win prob / game
Exp. Wins
5.7
Exp. Losses
6.3
Toss-ups
4
bars: model win probabilityfav / toss-up / dog
2025 · pct vs FBS
SP+ Off
23.832
Off PPA
+0.1129
Pass PPA
+0.2039
Rush PPA
+0.0319
Success
41%32
Explosive
1.1510
PlayerMedian (50th)percentile vs league
SP+ Trend
points vs avg team
— Overall— Offense— Defense
SP+ = opponent-adjusted points vs an average team. Overall & Offense higher = better; Defense lower = better.
Advanced
2025 · opponent-adjusted PPA / play
| Split | Offense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | +0.11 | +0.18 |
| Passing | +0.20 | +0.25 |
| Rushing | +0.03 | +0.11 |
| 1st Down | +0.02 | +0.01 |
| 2nd Down | +0.04 | +0.17 |
| 3rd Down | +0.47 | +0.58 |
Scoring Trend
2025 · pts/game
PPG For
23.3
PPG Against
23.4
Differential
-0.2
— Points for— Points against
dots: W / L2025
- Overall
- 7-5
- Home
- 7-0
- Away
- 0-4
- Neutral
- 0-1
- Conference
- 5-4
- Non-Conference
- 2-1
- One-Score (≤8)
- 3-1
- Avg Margin
- -0.2
Situational Splits
2025 · record · pts
| Split | Record | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | |||
| Home | 7-0 | 30.1 | 13.0 |
| Away | 0-4 | 8.3 | 38.0 |
| Neutral | 1-1 | 27.5 | 27.5 |
| Competition | |||
| vs Ranked (SP+ 25) | 0-3 | 6.3 | 41.7 |
| Conference | 5-4 | 19.6 | 27.1 |
| Non-conference | 3-1 | 30.8 | 13.5 |
Season History · last 12
0 AP top-10 · 10 postseason
| Season | Record | Conf | SP+ | AP | Post |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7-5 | 5-4 | #70 | — | 1-0 |
| 2024 | 7-5 | 5-4 | #27 | — | 1-0 |
| 2023 | 5-7 | 3-6 | #63 | — | 1-0 |
| 2022 | 8-4 | 5-4 | #16 | #21 | 1-0 |
| 2021 | 8-4 | 6-3 | #18 | — | 1-0 |
| 2020 | 3-4 | 3-4 | #48 | — | — |
| 2019 | 10-2 | 7-2 | #13 | — | 1-0 |
| 2018 | 6-6 | 3-6 | #45 | — | 1-0 |
| 2017 | 5-7 | 2-7 | #72 | — | — |
| 2016 | 8-4 | 5-4 | #24 | — | 1-0 |
| 2015 | 5-7 | 2-6 | #46 | — | 1-0 |
| 2014 | 8-4 | 5-3 | #49 | — | 0-1 |
Recent Form · last 5
3-2 SU · 2-2 ATS · O2/U2
Betting Profile
2025 · 12 w/ line
| Straight up | 8-5 |
| ATS | 3-827% |
| Over / Under | 6-6 O-U |
| — ATS splits — | |
| As favorite | 0-5 |
| As underdog | 3-3 |
| Home | 2-4 |
| Away | 0-4 |
vs closing line · splits show cover–no cover
Recruiting Classes
avg #45 · 26 blue-chip
■ 5★■ 4★■ 3★157 rated signees
| Class | Natl | Pts | 5★ | 4★ | 3★ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | #28 | 227 | 0 | 5 | 16 |
| 2025 | #49 | 201 | 0 | 3 | 11 |
| 2024 | #37 | 212 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
| 2023 | #45 | 201 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| 2022 | #49 | 189 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| 2021 | #37 | 199 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 2020 | #38 | 199 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| 2019 | #45 | 194 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2018 | #38 | 207 | 0 | 3 | 22 |
| 2017 | #59 | 171 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
247Sports composite · class rank vs all FBS
Roster Talent
2026
Portal in 19net -1Out 20
Portal avg stars (in / out)3.1 / 2.9
Notable Portal Moves
| ▲ | Xion Chapman | DL | 4★ | ← Florida International |
| ▲ | Perry Thompson | WR | 4★ | ← Auburn |
| ▲ | Sid Kaba | DL | 3★ | ← Marshall |
| ▲ | TJ Bush Jr. | EDGE | 3★ | ← California |
| ▼ | Koi Perich | S | 4★ | → Oregon |
| ▼ | Cristian Driver | WR | 4★ | → — |
| ▼ | Za'Quan Bryan | CB | 3★ | → South Florida |
| ▼ | Kahlee Tafai | OT | 3★ | → California |
returning PPA · portal · talent composite · 2026
Injury Report · 0
No injuries reported.
Team News
5 items
- Standout Byron defensive lineman Jaymeson Smith makes college commitmentJul. 8—BYRON — Jaymeson Smith was content to take his time choosing a college football program. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound defensive end/tight end had four Division II offers on the table and one from a Division I school. He was leaning a little heavier toward one program and school in particular. So, when the University of Minnesota Duluth coaching staff presented an enticing offer to Smith, he ...MINN12d
- Defensive standout adds to list of Byron football players to commit to play in collegeJul. 5—BYRON — The list of college commits on the Byron High School football team keeps growing. Rising senior safety and receiver Beau Nicklay is one of the latest Bears' players to share his verbal commitment to Division II University of Minnesota-Duluth on social media on June 30. As a junior, Nicklay recorded 32 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and one interception returned for a touchdown. ...MINN15d
- EA Sports CFB 27 Ratings Revealed for Gophers' Top Offensive and Defensive PlayersMinnesota will have a talented roster in this year's college football video game.MINN25d
- Entering Year10 of PJ Fleck, what have a we loved (or hated)?Things to love and things to hate as PJ Fleck enters his 10th season leading the Minnesota Gopher Football programMINN26d
- Iowa football offers 2028 Minnesota TE prospectAfter a visit with Iowa football on June 19, the Hawkeyes have extended a scholarship offer to a skilled 2028 Minnesota tight end prospect.MINN29d