The Gophers opened training camp Monday, and the first days of August already have the roster sorting itself into winners, hopefuls and players still trying to grab a job before the opener against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 3 at Huntington Bank Stadium.
Minnesota is coming off an 8-5 season in 2025 and returns a lot of production, but there are still several spots that need answers before the games start counting. Fans will get an early look Friday at the open practice at 10:30 a.m. at Athletes Village, then again at the open evening session at the stadium on Aug. 20.
The most obvious question is how Minnesota replaces Koi Perich at safety after his transfer to Oregon last winter. The first name to come up was Zach Harden, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound sophomore from Covington, Ga.
P.J. Fleck has already put Harden in the same conversation as Tyler Nubin.
“Tyler asked the same question you did: What are you going to do at safety?” Fleck said.
“I said, ‘Well, you haven’t met Zach Harden yet.’ Then I call Zach over and have him be introduced to Tyler Nubin.
You look at Zach and he’s almost bigger than Tyler right now. I (said) to Tyler, ‘He’s just like you.
He loves ball, hits like you, plays like you.’ ”
Harden appeared in 11 games as a true freshman, though only 14 of those snaps came on defense. Garrison Monroe is another strong contender after playing 16 career games over two seasons, even if injuries wiped out much of last year for the Shakopee native.
Kerry Brown is back after 30 games played, and Aidan Gousby brings 31 games of experience, but Fleck sees Gousby as more of a movable piece who could spend more time at nickel or even corner. Minnesota also added two transfer safeties, Mekhi Smith from Lehigh and Parker Knutson from Southwest Minnesota State, with Smith currently ahead in the pecking order.
The right side of the offensive line is another area under the microscope. Last year’s portal additions there never settled in, and the offense paid for it. Guard Marcellus Marshall and tackle Dylan Ray struggled, while tackle Kahlee Tafai barely played before transferring to California after the season.
This time around, Minnesota brought in just one offensive lineman in January, and plenty is riding on Bennett Warren. A former four-star recruit out of Houston, Warren played only 116 snaps in two years at Tennessee before transferring. He got off to a slow start in spring ball and seemed to trail sophomore Daniel Shipp of Eastvale, Calif., which is not exactly a comforting sign.
At right guard, Tony Nelson moved ahead of Marshall in the Rate Bowl win over New Mexico last January, and the Tracy, Minn., native appears positioned to keep the spot. If the Gophers don’t get better play from the right side, the whole offense could again be dragged down with it.
Inside, the defensive line looks almost unrecognizable. Deven Eastern, Jalen Logan-Redding, Rushawn Lawrence and Nate Becker are all gone, and that leaves Minnesota with a major rebuild at tackle. Fleck called it “the big question” at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago last week, though he also pointed out that Big Ten preseason defensive player of the year Anthony Smith can slide inside from his usual end spot.
Naquan Crowder looks like the leading candidate to anchor the group. The Marshall transfer is 6-1, 310 pounds and was considered excellent against the run in the Sun Belt Conference last season, according to PFF. He also stood out in spring practice and is the top option to line up over the center this fall.
Riley Sunram of Kindred, N.D., and Jaylin Hicks of Harlem, N.Y., are expected to take on much bigger roles after getting only a small taste of action last season. Fleck singled out Hicks, who is 6-3 and 260 pounds, as “really twitched up (and) really long.”
Beyond that, there are several players with something to prove: fifth-year transfers Xion Chapman from Florida International and Sid Kaba from Marshall, plus senior Theo Randle of Houston and freshman Howie Johnson of Forest Lake. Randle and Chapman were both hurt during spring ball. “They might not be household names to everyone else yet, but they’re in it (to take) the next step,” Fleck said.
There are other battles worth watching, too. Tight end has been completely reshaped without last year’s top three players, and Pierce Walsh, Jacob Simpson, Oklahoma transfer Kaden Helms and freshman Roman Voss are the names to know there.
At linebacker, with Devon Williams gone, the competition looks like it comes down to Matt Kingsbury or Emmanuel Karmo, though Fleck said Minnesota has six “legit” options at the spot. Maverick Baranowski returns as the defense’s leading tackler and remains the center of that unit.
Cornerback is another spot to watch closely. Michigan State transfer Aydan West looked starter-ready in spring, and Minnesota needs that kind of reliability opposite highly-graded John Nestor. Jaylen Bowden, who came from North Carolina Central, had trouble locking down a starting job a year ago and pushed the Gophers to lean on other defensive backs last season.
Quarterback is settled at the top with Drake Lindsey as the unquestioned starter, but the backup race is still open. Max Shikenjanski is the incumbent No. 2, while freshman Brady Palmer and Liberty transfer Max Merdinger are also in the mix. Minnesota wanted to spend more money on a QB2 in the portal, but other needs - including safety and defensive tackle - absorbed those resources.
And at wide receiver, Javon Tracy and Jalen Smith remain the top two options, with Cincinnati transfer Noah Jennings continuing to push for the No. 3 role. The Gophers highlighted him Monday with a catch from Lindsey, and it was the kind of play he was making regularly throughout spring practice.
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