5 takeaways from the Gophers' final open spring practice

Minnesota held its final open practice to the public this spring on Tuesday, and there are only 135 days until the Gophers host Buffalo in Week 1 at Huntington Bank Stadium. There's plenty to take away before the 2025 season officially gets underway.

1. Drake Lindsey is QB1

P.J. Fleck and the Gophers' coaching staff have repeatedly said that you cannot win a starting job in the spring, but I would be very shocked if Lindsey is the first man under center for the Gophers in 2025-26. He has dominated first-team reps all spring, and it looks like this is his team.

2. Potential offensive line rotation

• LT: Nathan Roy
• LG: Greg Johnson
• C: Ashton Beers
• RG: Marcellus Marshall
• RT: Dylan Ray

Minnesota lost Aireontae Ersery, Quinn Carroll and Tyler Cooper to the next level and Phillip Daniels and Martes Lewis to the transfer portal in the off-season, but they added three offensive linemen from the portal. It looks like they've found a go-to starting group this spring. It's worth noting that Washington transfer Kahlee Tafai has been sidelined for much of the spring, but Nathan Roy and Dylan Ray at both tackle spots, Greg Johnson and Marcellus Marshall at guard and Ashton Beers at center was the most common starting group they've used up front all spring.

3. Notable players not dressed

The Gophers have been in spring practice for nearly three months, which means some players are banged up. Tafai has been out for the majority of spring and he was once again on Tuesday. He was joined by potential starting cornerback Za'Quan Bryan and Nebraska transfer Malachi Coleman as the most notable players not participating.

4. Backup quarterback battle

When Minnesota added Georgia Tech transfer Zach Pyron from the transfer portal in the offseason, he seemed like an obvious choice to backup Lindsey, if not beat him out for the starting job. Based on his reps this spring, it looks like he is in a real competition for the backup gig. Dylan Wittke and walk-on redshirt sophomore Max Shikenjanski have gotten the second and third most reps, while Pyron has done a lot of watching.

5. Potential WR pecking order

The role for Minnesota's WR1 in 2025 seems to still be wide open. The Gophers brought in transfers Logan Loya, Javon Tracy and Malachi Coleman, while they returned Le'Meke Brockington, Christian Driver, Kenric Lanier II, Tyler Williams and Nuke Hayes, among others. Coleman was sidelined on Tuesday, but all seven other players received a lot of work.

Loya and Brockington are two players that seem to have firm roles, but that doesn't mean Tracy or Lanier couldn't be the No. 1 target. Lanier might be the biggest wildcard on the entire Gophers' roster, but this is one positional battle that I will continue to keep a close eye on as we look ahead to the fall.

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