Max Brosmer's gift to Gophers football just keeps on giving

One theme that continues to be talked about ad nauseam throughout the Gophers' offseason media tour is Max Brosmer's relationship with Drake Lindsey. Brosmer was part of the program for roughly a year, but it sounds like he left quite the impact on Lindsey and the rest of the team.

Brosmer came to the Gophers as a sixth-year senior last season, and Lindsey was just beginning his college career as a true freshman. Lindsey realized the opportunity he had to learn behind a veteran like Brosmer and fully embraced it.

"Max Brosmer's gift to the program just keeps on giving, because what he did with Drake Lindsey, and basically put him in the side cart and just ride around with him the entire time he was here. That helped Drake tremendously," P.J. Fleck said at Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday. "It's not just about the quarterback position; it's about how to lead the entire organization. How to lead the team. How to get your resources, which are your weapons around you, to want to play for you."

One thing Brosmer did before last season with the Gophers was take a large part of the offense to his home state of Georgia to train before the year. Lindsey didn't take the offense to Arkansas, but he did bring a group of players to Pensacola, Florida. He even paid for their way down there, according to Fleck.

It's sometimes hard for a team to fully trust a redshirt freshman like Lindsey. He's still very early in his college career, and he doesn't have the same level of experience as many players on that team, but that doesn't sound like an issue.

"It's no secret Drake is a redshirt freshman. There's going to be some ups, and there's going to be some bumpy roads. But what our supporting cast has to understand is, you're there to pull those guys through that," Fleck continued. "For Drake to get them to want to do that, you have to be able to connect them off the field. That's where Drake flourishes."

Fleck and Minnesota had the full young QB experience with Athan Kaliakmanis back in 2023, but there seems to be a different feeling around the program this time. Lindsey has fully embraced the leadership role, and the rest of the team has bought in.

"It's so fun being around Drake Lindsey. He's really the anchor to our football team as a player, and his heart, being that young and being a quarterback, not a lot of people can do that, and [he's] done that," Anthony Smith said. "He has taken a lot of pieces from Max Brosmer and inspires in his own way. Connecting the team in a special way, and I am very excited to see him play this year and show the world what he has to offer."

The Gophers went 8-5 last season with a win in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. It's a season that might not be remembered 50 years from now, but Brosmer's attention to detail with Lindsey's development might be what sets up Minnesota to take the next step as a program over the next few years.