Speaking to the press after his team’s Tuesday spring practice. Minnesota Gophers’ head coach P.J. Fleck said they are a fun team to coach and that their effort in practice this spring has been inspiring. He reiterated the team was not a finished product but that they will improve with time. Fleck remarked that new defensive coordinator Danny Collins is putting his own stamp on the defense, and he is very happy with quarterback Drake Lindsey’s high level of play in practices.

He spoke highly of offensive lineman Greg Johnson’s ability and his flexibility on being able to master both the guard and center positions in his offense. Fleck also touched on the joy of having star safety Koi Perich in spring practices and how they will continue find opportunities for him to help the team, including on the Gophers’ offense.

Observations from Gophers Spring Practice

Offense

The first thing that stood out yesterday was how firmly ensconced Lindsey is in the Gophers’ quarterback1 spot. Georgia Tech transfer Zack Pyron did not see a lot of reps yesterday. At the running back position, Washington transfer Cam Davis and Marshall transfer A.J. Turner appear to be first in line to backup Darius Taylor this fall.

Several wide receivers had standout practices yesterday. Miami of Ohio transfer Javon Tracy was the recipient of two perfect Lindsey throws to the end zone. Le’Meke Brockington and Jalen Smith also made nice corner end zone catches and Kenric Lanier II had a productive practice. But the star of the day was Purdue transfer tight end Drew Biber who made a one-handed end zone grab off a ball thrown by backup quarterback Max Shikenjanski.

Seeing reps with the first-team Gophers offensive line were tackles Nathan Roy and Dylan Ray, guards Greg Johnson, Reese Tripp, Marcellus Marshall, and Tony Nelson and at center Ashton Beers and Brett Carroll. Coach Fleck confirmed after practice that Johnson had permanently made the switch back to left guard after starting at center last year.

Defense

Deven Eastern and Jalen Logan-Redding provide the Gophers with experienced defensive tackles who are also team leaders. At the edge positions. coach Collins mentioned Anthony Smith as a possible All-Big Ten candidate in 2025. And Jaxon Howard looked like he has stepped up his game.

The middle linebacking unit will be manned by Maverick Baranowski and Devon Williams who are both young veterans having received valuable on-the-job training these past two seasons with the Gophers. They will be ably backed up by Oklahoma State transfer Jeff Roberson and incoming junior Joey Gerlach.

The Minnesota Gophers cornerback positions are up for grabs at this point after the graduation of Justin Walley and Ethan Robinson. Returnee ZaQuan Bryan is the favorite for one of the outside positions but North Carolina Central transfer Jalen Bowden, holdover Rhyland Kelly, and true freshman Naiim Parrish with battle it out for the other starting spot. And Jai’Onte McMillan has the inside track on seeing the majority of the snaps at the nickel position.

Safety is perhaps the deepest position for this Gophers team with the All-American Perich and the outstanding Kerry Brown teaming up as one of the best tandems in the country. They are ably backed up by soon to be junior Aidan Gousby and Darius Green who started 11 games two seasons ago but was plagued by injuries in 2024.

I asked coach Fleck after practice to comment on offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh saying he’s never been able to run this much of the offense this early.

I think it goes to the players.

I think coaches always push the players to their limits. I think a coach’s job is to take somebody from where they are to where they dream of being, and every day there’s got to be a new carrot, right? It’s not the old carrot. They might’ve got a bite of the carrot, the whole carrot, half the carrot, but the next day, the full carrot’s back and it’s a different carrot.

And I think Coach Harbaugh has a great understanding of what this team can do, what they’re capable of doing, maybe what they haven’t done yet, but what they still can do, and maybe what we’re not going to be that good at and just tossing it out. But this is by far, his statement is very accurate. We’ve never had this much in, done this type of offense and have this much stuff and be still really good at it.

And that’s a credit to our players because they have to do the unrequired in their own time to master it. And the competition is real. Whatever this 105 happens to be, not 105, whatever it is, the competition’s very real to make football organizations into the college level right now, to make college football teams.

That is very real, and our guys know it and they’re competing with each other. There is no against, it’s incredible what these guys are able to do and the connectivity of this football team. They’re really fun to coach and Coach Harbaugh is doing a really good job on offense of pushing them of what they can handle.