The Gophers football team hosted their first open practice to the general public on April 15, allowing fans to watch the team before the season started. 

Minnesota finished last season with an 8-5 record. They won Paul Bunyun’s Axe back from Wisconsin and went on to win against Virginia Tech in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

With the start of a new season comes new players, expectations and opinions from fans.

At the end of the 2024 season, the Gophers lost their main quarterback, Max Brosmer, to the 2025 NFL draft. Minnesota fans were left questioning who would fill the gap at quarterback.

Redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey is the quarterback the fans are talking about.

David Currell was raised to be a Gophers fan his whole life. The 68-year-old has been a season ticket holder for quite a few years. Currell said that when it comes to quarterbacks, he is all in on Lindsey.

“I think he is a special talent,” Currell said.

Currell is not the only fan with faith in Lindsey for this upcoming season. 

Adam Anderson, a 35-year-old lifelong Gophers fan and member of Dinkytown Athletes, said he also thinks Lindsey is the right guy to take advantage of the talent around him. 

“It’s clearly Drake Lindsey to me,” Anderson said. “He’s got a big arm, he makes good decisions.” 

Lindsey is not the only Gopher that fans are talking about. There are talks of defensive back Koi Perich possibly joining Lindsey on offense next season.

Perich wore a split jersey representing both offense and defense over the past week. Anderson is one of the fans excited to see what Perich will do. 

“I think he is by far the most talented player we have, so get him on the field as much as possible,” Anderson said. “I would compare him to Michael Jordan, but he’s also kind of like LeBron James.”

A new quarterback is not the only thing that Gophers fans are excited for in this 2025 season. Multiple fans talked about the development of the Gophers’ offense and defense. 

After last season, the Gophers lost their defensive coordinator, Corey Hetherman, to the University of Miami. The team then promoted Danny Collins, who joined the Gophers in 2017, to be the 2025 defensive coordinator. 

University of Minnesota junior Brady Taylor is excited to see what Collins will do in his new position. 

“I’m really excited for the D-line guys that we got,” Taylor said. “That was our strength last year and I think that we can rely on that again with our new defensive coordinator.” 

Gophers football gained multiple transfers and new players during the offseason. University senior Gavin Hougo is interested to see how certain positions are going to play out with the movement of players.

“Curious to see how the O-line ends up shifting out,” Hougo said. “We had, I believe, two or three players graduate or declare for the draft, so I’m just curious to see how the continuity comes together.” 

These open practices are not just meaningful for the fans, but they also matter to the team. 

Gophers head coach PJ Fleck said having fans at the practice adds a little bit of pressure to the players. He said that it adds excitement and environment to the indoor facility. 

Fleck added that it is really about performing under the pressure of the situation. 

“How are you going to respond when everyone is watching? When the pressure is applied on you,” Fleck said. “It’s all about the next play, so I think our fans create that type of energy.” 

While Fleck said that the fans add pressure to the players, Gophers running back Darius Taylor said there is no difference. 

“What we do is what we do. How we practice is how we practice,” Taylor said. “It looks like chaos out there, but it is controlled chaos. We all understand what’s going on.” 

The Gophers’ first game of the 2025 season at Huntington Bank Stadium against Buffalo on Aug. 28.