MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Minnesota made a clear change on special teams, and the logic behind it is easy to trace.
P.J. Fleck moved on from longtime coordinator Bob Ligashesky after a season in which the Gophers’ special teams lagged badly by the numbers.
ESPN’s SP+ rankings had Minnesota 123rd out of 136 FBS teams last year, third-worst among Power Four programs. That backdrop included the Northwestern loss at Wrigley Field, when the kicking game sputtered, and the Rate Bowl win, when a late kick return touchdown nearly flipped the whole game.
Now the Gophers are turning to Daniel Da Prato, who arrives after serving as New Mexico’s special teams guru last fall. Da Prato has spent more than 20 years in Division I coaching, and his recent résumé stands out. In his first season with the Lobos, New Mexico jumped from 126th in special teams SP+ in 2024 to 13th in the country in 2025.
A big part of why Da Prato was a fit is the kind of consistency his kickers have delivered. That’s been a sore spot for Minnesota, which has struggled the last two seasons in placekicking. The Gophers were tied for the most missed field goals in the Big Ten in 2024, finished 17th in the league in field goal percentage, and went just 2-for-7 from 40 yards and beyond this past fall.
Da Prato’s kicker at New Mexico, Luke Drzewiecki, missed only one kick all season and went 3-for-3 against Minnesota in Arizona. Before that, Da Prato spent two seasons at Texas State as associate head coach and special teams coordinator, and the Bobcats finished tied with Auburn for the best field goal percentage in the nation at 100 percent.
No one’s expecting Minnesota to suddenly become perfect overnight, but that track record is exactly why the conversation has shifted. The real question now is what a successful kicking game actually looks like.
P.J. Fleck was the first to take a swing at defining it.
In Other News...
Gophers Fans Just Got A New NIL Tradition For Game Days
Gophers fans heading into the fall will have a new pregame option tied directly to Minnesota athletics. Dinkytown Athletes announced a partnership with Indeed Brewing to launch MN Honey Light, a light honey ale made with Minnesota wildflower honey, with a portion of sales going to support the University of Minnesota womens athletic programs.
The beer is set to make its public debut at a release party on Sept. 3, then roll out at sporting events and Minnesota liquor stores later in the fall. For a fan base that already treats game days as a ritual, this adds another local touchpoint to the experience, while also giving supporters a way to back womens sports through something they can pick up on the way to the game. [Read more 🡒]
Minnesota Must Replace Koi Perich With A New Secondary Difference-Maker
Koi Perichs departure leaves Minnesota with a familiar kind of challenge in the secondary: finding not just a replacement, but a player who can tilt a game the way a versatile safety can in P.J. Fleck and Danny Collins defense. The Gophers have leaned into flexibility at that spot for a reason, and now the next man up will have to handle more than one job as Minnesota sorts through the options at free safety, strong safety and nickel.
Kerry Brown, Aidan Gousby, Garrison Monroe and sophomore Zack Harden are all in the mix to help fill the void, giving the Gophers a handful of candidates rather than a single obvious answer. Transfers Mekhai Smith and Parker Knutson add depth to the room, but the larger question is whether Minnesota can uncover another secondary difference-maker before the fall ends and the real workload begins. [Read more 🡒]
Gophers Kicker Battle Just Became A Bigger Headache Before The Opener
Minnesotas placekicking picture has turned into one of the stranger camp storylines, with the Gophers bringing in New Mexico transfer Luke Drzewiecki to compete for the job while the legal process around his eligibility keeps shifting. Drzewiecki is still eligible under a Louisiana state court ruling, and Brady Denaburg is also in the mix as Minnesota sorts through a position battle that was already going to draw attention heading into the season.
P.J. Fleck has acknowledged the situation is complicated, and the staff is preparing for different eligibility outcomes as the opener gets closer. For a team that would much rather have clarity than courtroom drama at kicker, the uncertainty has added another layer to a job that often swings from afterthought to spotlight in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]