Three weeks into preseason camp, the Gophers have started to sort out some of their biggest roster questions. Kicker isn’t one of them.
Minnesota added New Mexico transfer Luke Drzewiecki on Friday, bringing another leg into a competition that already included Beckham Sunderland, Daniel Jackson and Brady Denaburg. For now, the battle is only getting messier as eligibility rulings continue to shuffle the deck.
Drzewiecki, a Shelby Township, Mich., native, spent four seasons with the Lobos and arrives after an ultra-accurate year for new U special teams coordinator Daniel Da Prato. Last season, he connected on 18 of 19 field goals, good for 95%, and made all 36 of his extra points. Over his career, he has hit 78% of his field-goal attempts and 98% of his kickoffs.
“He’s a really accurate kicker,” head coach P.J. Fleck said.
“He’s a tremendous teammate. He has been great in the few days he’s been here.
Our players do a great job of embracing every member of this football team. He fits in really, really well.”
The eligibility picture is still being sorted out for both Drzewiecki and Denaburg. Drzewiecki has temporarily picked up an extra year through a court ruling in Louisiana, while Denaburg also gained a year through a federal court case before Friday’s ruling changed the landscape.
In Denver, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the NCAA a stay, reversing a federal judge’s decision that had allowed athletes in the class of 2022 eligibility for a fifth season.
Drzewiecki remains eligible because he and about 30 others successfully petitioned to play through state court in Louisiana, and the NCAA has not yet appealed there. Denaburg’s status, meanwhile, is still unresolved.
“We are preparing for some of those guys not to be eligible and we are preparing for everybody to be eligible,” Fleck said ahead of the season opener against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 3.
That uncertainty has made camp more active than usual at the position.
“We have spent a lot more time on field than we normally have just because there are more guys getting kicks and more guys rotating,” Fleck said.
For the moment, the Gophers have a mix of experience and inexperience in the room. Sunderland and Jackson have not kicked a field goal in a college game. Denaburg struggled from long range last season, which helped push Minnesota to bring in Drzewiecki.
Fleck described Denaburg’s eligibility as “in limbo,” though he is still allowed to practice.
“Let’s give some direction of exactly what they are going to be able to do,” Fleck said. “It’s lawsuit after lawsuit.
It’s just a ping-pong match. Just goes back and forth.”
Elsewhere in camp, freshman running back Ryan Estrada has drawn attention since arriving from El Paso, Texas. Offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh said Estrada has handled pass protection, often the toughest early hurdle for a young running back trying to earn playing time.
Defensive coordinator Danny Collins said the new five-for-five eligibility rule should help younger players get on the field sooner, including in specialized roles such as third-down packages.
The Gophers also have brought back their chrome gold helmets, with a player wearing one in the annual media guide. Minnesota last used the helmets at Ohio State late in the 2023 season.
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