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Sep 6, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back John Nestor (17) celebrates his teams win after the game against the Northwestern State Demons at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Handing out Gophers football regular-season superlatives

Originally posted on Minnesota Golden Gophers on SI
By Tony Liebert | Last updated Dec 9, 2025 2:23 PM ET

The 2025 Gophers football team still has a bowl game left, but P.J. Fleck has routinely said that's a celebration of the previous season, and almost the first game of the next season. Let's go back to Minnesota's 12-game regular season and hand out some superlatives. I handed out some midseason awards on Oct. 14, so let's see how they've changed.

*Note: The only rule I am using for this selection process is one player cannot win multiple awards.

MVP: John Nestor, CB

Nestor's remarkable performance in the finale against Wisconsin put him over the edge for this award. He had nine tackles, two interceptions and one fumble recovery, as Minnesota won Paul Bunyan's Axe for the fourth time in five years. He finished with 47 total tackles, five interceptions, and six PBUs en route to being Minnesota's highest graded defensive player according to Pro Football Focus (PFF) at 78.5 for the season.

Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Nestor could easily be the choice for three awards on this list, and his value shouldn't be overlooked. He played in only 10 games after transferring to Minnesota from Iowa in the spring, but I don't think the Gophers would've been 7-5 without his production at cornerback.

*Midseason: Drake Lindsey

Best offensive player: Drake Lindsey, QB

Lindsey completed 63.2% of his passes for 2,235 yards, 20 total touchdowns and six interceptions in his first regular season as Minnesota's starting quarterback. It was far from perfect at times, but he showed enough evidence that he's a player you want to build your offense around. Minnesota's offensive line was shaky, Darius Taylor was hurt and the wide receivers were underwhelming. It's hard to argue for another player for this list.

Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

*Midseason: Le'Meke Brockington

Best defensive player: Anthony Smith, DE

Smith was one of the most productive pass rushers in college football this season. He finished with a team-high 10.5 sacks, which ranked ninth-most in all of FBS. He struggled with consistency at times, and he had six games with a PFF grade below 70. It's hard to argue that any defensive player on Minnesota's roster had a more productive season.

Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

*Midseason: Devon Williams

Best transfer: Tom Weston, P

Minnesota's transfer portal class was overwhelming this season. Outside of Nestor, it's hard to argue that any other pickup exceeded expectations, except for Ouachita Baptist's finest, Tom Weston. He replaced longtime Gophers punter Mark Crawford, and he might've been an upgrade. His 42.8-yard average was better than all but one of Crawford's seasons, and his 20 punts inside the 20 were five fewer than Crawford's entire five-year career with the Gophers.

*Midseason: John Nestor

Best position coach: Mariano Sori-Marin, LBs

This is the first repeat award winner from my midseason superlatives. There was no position group on Minnesota's roster more consistent than linebacker, and Sori-Marin deserves a ton of credit in his first season leading the group. Maverick Baranowski and Devon Williams had career years according to any major statistic, while Matt Kingsbury and Emmanuel Karmo have incredibly bright futures at the position.

*Midseason: Mariano Sori-Marin

Best freshman: Nathan Roy, LT

Roy played the most offensive snaps on Minnesota's entire roster with 702 this season. The former four-star high school recruit showed that he can be a serious force in the Big Ten with a 68.1 PFF Grade. After seeing Phillip Daniels leave for Ohio State last offseason, retaining Roy should be one of Minnesota's biggest offseason priorities.

*Midseason: Nathan Roy

Surprise player: Karter Menz, DE

Menz had played only 23 career snaps before this season, and that role grew to 334 in the 2025 regular season. Smith and Jaxon Howard were Minnesota's top two defensive ends, but Menz usurped players like Lucas Finnessey and Illinois State transfer Steven Curtis for the No. 3 role, which was not a given before the season. He finished with 21 QB pressures, according to PFF and 5.5 sacks. He has a bright future along Minnesota's defensive line.