The Minnesota Gophers made one of their last roster moves before the 2026 season by adding a veteran leg to the mix, signing fifth-year kicker Luke Drzewiecki out of the transfer portal on Friday morning.
That’s a notable late shakeup for a team that opens in two weeks against Eastern Illinois at Huntington Bank Stadium on September 3. By this point, Minnesota’s roster and depth chart were largely expected to be locked in.
Drzewiecki arrives with real production behind him. The Michigan native spent his first four college seasons at New Mexico, then turned in a strong senior year by hitting 18 of 19 field goals and all 36 of his extra-point tries.
That performance earned him his first All-Mountain West Honorable Mention. He also made the Mountain West All-Academic Team in each of his four seasons with the Lobos, where he majored in Economics.
His path to Minnesota opened only recently. Drzewiecki had been trying to carve out a professional future, including a shot at Baltimore Ravens rookie minicamp this summer, before becoming eligible earlier this week.
The reason for the sudden opening traces back to a class action lawsuit against the NCAA out of Texas, which Drzewiecki joined on August 19 along with roughly two dozen student athletes from the 2022 freshman class who had been denied a fifth year of eligibility.
That development followed a July 31 ruling in Colorado, where U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte Sweeney issued a preliminary injunction that made every high school athlete from the 2022 high school class immediately eligible for a fifth college season.
Drzewiecki had previously been ruled ineligible under the NCAA’s new age-based eligibility model, which takes effect with the 2026-27 academic year.
The NCAA could still push back with an appeal, but the reporting suggests a blanket waiver for the 2022 class may be the more likely outcome as the league looks to avoid court.
Drzewiecki also has recent history against Minnesota. In the 2025 Rate Bowl in December, he went 3-for-3 on field goals when New Mexico faced the Gophers.
The eligibility fight has already spilled beyond football. The Colorado and Texas cases followed the same route taken by college basketball players weeks earlier, including a pair of Gophers from 2025-26 who may now have a path back to college basketball, too.
In Other News...
Gophers Enter Opener Prep With One Key Camp Question Still Hanging
Minnesota wrapped up its final open practice of fall camp at Huntington Bank Stadium as the Gophers turn their attention to Thursdays season opener against Eastern Illinois. The last look before game-planning begins offered a chance to check on a roster still taking shape, with running back A.J. Turner back in contact work for the first time since ACL surgery and quarterback Drake Lindsey drawing notice for the way he has handled camp.
P.J. Fleck has spent much of camp talking about growth, readiness and the next step for a team that is about to move from evaluation to preparation. Turners return adds another layer to the backfield conversation, while Lindseys progress gives Minnesota something to monitor as the opener approaches and the Gophers start sorting out what camp developments will actually carry over once the game plan is set. [Read more 🡒]
Gophers Camp Just Raised A Few Real Opening Week Questions
Three weeks into preseason camp, Minnesota is starting to get a better sense of what its 2026 opener might look like, and P.J. Fleck is still trying to strike the right balance between building readiness and not getting too far ahead of himself. The Gophers have been working through the usual camp mix of competition, evaluation and health checks, with quarterback Drake Lindsey and running back AJ Turner both taking part in practice and Lindsey expected to be under center against Eastern Illinois.
The final open practice also offered a fresh look at how the roster is coming together, from notable performances to injury updates that could shape the early depth chart. Minnesota added kicker Luke Drzewiecki as part of the ongoing roster work, and the next few practices will keep sorting out who is ready now, who is still coming along and which questions still need answers before the first kickoff arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Gophers Still Face Two Big Roster Questions Heading Into 2026
Fall camp has done a lot to sharpen the picture around Minnesotas 2026 football team, and a few names are already making a strong impression. Aydan West, TJ Bush and Drake Lindsey have all shown up in ways that suggest the Gophers are getting useful contributions from multiple spots, which is exactly the kind of early positive a staff wants to see when it starts sorting out roles and depth for a new season.
Even so, two familiar questions still hang over the roster. Minnesota is still looking for more interior pass rush from its defensive tackle group, and the wide receiver room has yet to produce a clear top option. Those are not small issues for a team trying to build a more complete offense and a more disruptive defense, and they will be worth watching as camp gives way to the real evaluation that comes with the season ahead. [Read more 🡒]