Minnesota’s defense finally found its hands Thursday.
After opening preseason camp without an interception in the first public practice and then going through a long stretch of the second session without a takeaway, the Gophers’ defense flipped the script in a hurry during one team period. Linebacker Matt Kingsbury jumped starter Drake Lindsey for a pick, and a few snaps later Lehigh transfer safety Mekhai Smith intercepted backup Max Shikenjanski.
For two players battling for roles, those are the kind of plays that matter. Minnesota wants its defense to live on forcing turnovers, but last season the Gophers managed just 16 takeaways in 13 games, a number that ranked 67th nationally.
That burst on defense was the headline, but it was hardly the only thing that stood out in the second of three practices open to reporters before the Sept. 3 opener against Eastern Illinois at Huntington Bank Stadium.
At kicker, Michigan transfer Beckham Sunderland looks like he may be pulling ahead. He drilled four field goals from 40 to 50 yards on Thursday, while Daniel Jackson added one from that range.
Brady Denaburg, last year’s kicker, is also still with the team while the federal court injunction on extra eligibility for qualifying players in the Class of 2022 remains in place. Denaburg is the lone player from last year’s roster who can still explore another season, though the Tenth Circuit is set to hear the NCAA’s appeal of the injunction soon.
New special teams coordinator Daniel Da Prato said he’s used to carrying three kickers on depth charts, and Denaburg’s presence would help Minnesota get there. Still, Denaburg went just 14 of 21 on field goals last fall, good for 67%.
Freshman tight end Roman Voss had been one of the early camp storylines after lining up all over the field, including at wildcat quarterback. Thursday was quieter.
The Jackson County Central High School product bobbled a pass before securing it for a short gain late in a team period, then dropped two straight passes, including one where a defender hit him in the back on the second miss. He did answer with a difficult catch in traffic.
On the offensive and defensive line front, right tackle D.J. Shipp and linebacker Joey Gerlach wore the orange “juice” jerseys, which are handed out for hustle in the previous practice.
Shipp is fighting Tennessee transfer Bennett Warren for the right tackle job, and Warren was out Thursday with a leg injury that is expected to be short term. That opened the door for Shipp, who Fleck said had “such a phenomenal day the other day,” adding, “He looked like a young Aireontae” - a reference to former All-American tackle Aireontae Ersery, drafted in the second round by the Houston Texans in 2025.
Gerlach, meanwhile, is still working back from the season-ending knee injury he suffered last year, and he made his presence felt by beating a block from receiver Javon Tracy to disrupt a play for running back TJ Thomas. Danny Collins said, “It’s cool when you come from injury like that and football is taken away from you, you can see the guys that really love football,” he said. “When they come back, how hard they play.”
There were also some injury updates elsewhere. Cornerback John Nestor and tight end Pierce Walsh both wore added protection on their injured hands Thursday but still participated in some parts of practice. Running back Zeke Bates, safety Zahir Rainer and receiver Hayden Moore were among those held out, though Moore, a freshman with promise, is not expected to miss much time.
Special teams coordinator Daniel Da Prato also offered a glimpse into what it was like to join Fleck’s “Row the Boat” culture. He described “a … two-hour and 33-minute culture meeting where we learned about the culture and toured the facility,” and said, “I walked into the facility and I got to learn what is going on because I’m (now) a part of the culture.”
Da Prato saw that culture from the other sideline last year when he was New Mexico’s special teams coordinator in Minnesota’s 20-17 Rate Bowl win in Phoenix on Dec. 26. He joined Fleck’s staff in January.
The second week of camp wraps with a closed, live scrimmage Saturday, designed to feel as close to a real game day as possible inside the stadium. Fleck said, “It’s giving the guys the expereince,” then added, “Then you start to get a good feel of who is going to play and who isn’t.”
In Other News...
Minnesota Needs These Transfer Additions To Deliver Right Away
Minnesota spent the offseason leaning hard into the transfer portal, adding 19 newcomers in hopes of retooling quickly and avoiding another slow start. Among that group, five names stand out as the ones most likely to matter right away: Noah Jennings, Bennett Warren, Naquan Crowder, T.J. Bush and Aydan West. Each arrives with a chance to help in a different way, and each comes in at a time when the Gophers need immediate answers more than long-term projects.
The next step is sorting out how much of that promise translates once the competition for starting roles gets serious. Jennings, Warren, Crowder, Bush and West all bring something the staff can work with, but the real test is how fast they can turn prior production and experience into something Minnesota can count on this fall. For a team that leaned so heavily on outside additions, the early returns from those five could tell a lot about how quickly the roster is ready to settle in. [Read more 🡒]
Drake Lindsey Now Carries Minnesotas Biggest Burden On Offense
With the season approaching, Minnesotas list of returning difference-makers starts with the one player who can change the look of the whole offense. Drake Lindsey is the quarterback back in the fold, and that alone puts him at the center of everything the Gophers want to do next fall. In a ranking of the programs ten most important returning players, he stands above a group that also includes John Nestor, Maverick Baranowski, Ashton Beers, Kerry Brown, Greg Johnson, Darius Taylor and Anthony Smith.
The burden is obvious because the position is obvious. Minnesota can build around talent elsewhere, but Lindsey is the player most tied to whether the offense takes a real step forward or stays stuck in the same place. The rest of the roster provides pieces, and there is no shortage of names worth watching, but the Gophers ceiling still runs through the quarterback room and the return of a player expected to carry more than just the usual share of attention. [Read more 🡒]