Golden Gophers – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Fingers Crossed Golden Gophers Can Retain Drake Lindsey

Posted on November 7, 2025November 7, 2025 by David Shama

At what price Drake Lindsey?

University of Minnesota redshirt freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey is certainly a player of interest to other major college football programs. In his first season as a starter he has made his presence known playing the most valued position in football.

The transfer portal has in recent years ignited a massive movement of players in college football like never before. That, of course, includes gifted quarterbacks such as Kansas State transfer Will Howard who last season led Ohio State to the national championship. California transfer Fernando Mendoza is in position to do the same this year playing for undefeated Indiana.

Lindsey has been pivotal to Minnesota’s success. Playing behind a struggling offensive line and with an okay receiver corps, he has led Minnesota to close wins over Rutgers, Purdue and Michigan State. The Gophers, 6-3 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten games, won those games by a total of 13 points. Lindsey has been a clutch performer in big moments including in the overtime victory against Michigan State last week when he rallied the offense late in the fourth quarter and scored the winning touchdown in OT.

If Lindsey is interested in offers from other schools, he could attract more money from wealthy programs than the Gophers can pony up. ESPN.com’s Max Olson reported back in August that based on a survey of agents and college football general managers the going rate for quarterbacks for the 2025 season was $1 million to $2 million. “The great ones,” the story said, are around $3 million.

The price probably goes up (like most everything else) in 2026 and players will see that before and when the transfer portal window opens in January.

Lindsey rates with the better freshman quarterbacks in the nation (see Tom Luginbill’s October 9 ESPN.com story) and his value is discernible even to a layman. He has completed 62.2 percent of his passes, throwing for 1,743 yards. He has 10 touchdown passes and six interceptions. He has for the most part played with poise and precision in both passing and running the team.

Drake Lindsey photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

The production and potential of the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Lindsey has drawn the praise of many observers including former Gopher record-setting quarterback Tanner Morgan. In September he told Sports Headliners that Lindsey could be a coveted NFL Draft choice, perhaps as soon as the end of next season. By then Lindsey will be draft eligible. “I am really excited about him and what he can become,” Morgan said.

Lindsey’s competitiveness, personality and character have significantly impacted the program. He is seen as a leader but also as a young player eager to learn from others. This curiosity to know more and play better is exemplified by his relationship with Max Brosmer, last year’s Gopher starter who continues to mentor the Arkansas native.

With at least two more seasons of college eligibility, make no mistake that other programs will line up to woo Lindsey if they’re encouraged. He might not be interested, though.

Unlike many college players, Lindsey doesn’t come from an impoverished family. His father is a successful real estate entrepreneur. And in the recruiting process Lindsey formed a bond with Gopher head coach P.J. Fleck and offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. Those relationships are believed to remain strong.

If Lindsey was discouraged about winning games at Minnesota that might prompt a change in residence. Such a mindset is unlikely in place right now. The Gophers might finish the season with an 8-4 record and earn a quality bowl invitation. Next season a core group of outstanding players is eligible to return and with Lindsey produce an even better season. Good players think optimistically, and Lindsey’s view is likely that he can play a significant role in achieving even a stellar season.

The Gophers and other Power 4 programs pay players through revenue sharing from their athletic departments. Players are also significantly compensated through Name, Image and Likeness money they earn for activities such as social media influencing and personal appearances.

At Minnesota and other Power 4 programs around the country compensation to college football players is unknown. But sources talk as evident in the ESPN August story referenced above. And other reports include the rumored NIL money of $10 million or more to bring prize freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood to Michigan for this season and beyond.

Sports Headliners asked the University of Minnesota via the discovery process for specifics regarding revenue share money and its disbursement to players. The reply included this: “Any data we may have regarding payments to individual student-athletes is protected under MN Stat. 13.32 (private student data).”

The Gopher athletic department, per media reports, is believed to be allocating about $15 million to football players in 2025. Many Gophers also have NIL deals, too, including preseason All-American safety Koi Perich and star running back Darius Taylor. The two appear together in a local TV ad for Park Chrysler Jeep.

The way it looks for 2026, Lindsey—now a proven performer at football’s most important position—will be the highest compensated Gopher ever, perhaps earning seven figures in just revenue share money. To retain him, a total package (including NIL money) of $1.2 to $1.5 million could be necessary, with rival programs willing and able to do more.

That guesstimate is made mostly, but not entirely, on the figures in the August ESPN story: “College football 2025: How much does each position cost?” https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/46050629/college-football-2025-position-cost-transfers

1 comment

Undrafted Brosmer Wins Confidence of Coach, Teammates

Posted on November 3, 2025November 3, 2025 by David Shama

Max Brosmer, the former Golden Gopher who made the Vikings final roster as an undrafted free agent, is now the No. 2 quarterback behind J.J. McCarthy who has a brief pro history already of injuries.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said this afternoon that veteran QB John Wolford is on the practice squad for now, leaving Brosmer as the game day potential replacement for McCarthy who missed all of last season with a knee injury and was out for five games this year with a high ankle sprain.

Brosmer, 24, is two years older than McCarthy who the Vikings made the No. 10 selection in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Brosmer has six years of college football experience, five with FCS New Hampshire and one at Minnesota. McCarthy is not only younger but played only three years of college football at Michigan, including two as the starter.

O’Connell said his two young quarterbacks have become close, but he also welcomes the present of Wolford who the Vikings signed last week. At 30 years old and having played for multiple NFL teams, Wolford brings experience to the quarterback room even though he last played in a regular season game in December of 2022.

McCarthy has now played in three regular season games including yesterday’s impressive performance in the 27-24 win over the Lions in Detroit. He ran for one touchdown and threw two touchdown passes.

Brosmer has played briefly in two regular-season games, attempting eight passes, completing five and throwing for 42 yards. He played in all three preseason games and completed 35 of 58 passes for 364 yards and two touchdowns.

Although the NFL trade deadline is tomorrow, O’Connell didn’t make it sound like the Vikings are anxious to change their quarterback roster. He has expressed confidence in all three of his guys.

O’Connell added that Brosmer has “been able to grow throughout the season” and that the Georgia native prepares as if he is one snap away from going into the game. Having gone through training camp and multiple weeks of the regular season, Brosmer has won the trust of his teammates, O’Connell said.

“…I think the confidence level (of teammates) would be really high in Max (if he had to replace McCarthy),” the coach said. “I know my confidence level would be very, very high in Max knowing he’s a young player, knowing it would be his first opportunity (to get in a game early). …I would have a lot of confidence in Max and certainly I know Max feels the same way.”

Worth Noting

O’Connell is upbeat about the recovery of Aaron Jones who injured the AC joint in his shoulder yesterday against the Lions. The coach said he will have an update on his starting running back later in the week.

O’Connell offered positive reports on players who have had injuries but came out okay after the game yesterday including McCarthy, Christian Darrisaw, Brian O’Neill and Andrew Van Ginkel. He added that as of today Theo Jackson will be in concussion protocol.

Three Vikings who didn’t play in Detroit because of injuries are C.J. Ham, Josh Oliver and Ryan Kelly. Their returns to game action are unknown as they work through rehab.

Radio game day voices of the Vikings, Paul Allen, Pete Bercich and Ben Leber, share their insights about the team with Capital Club attendees on November 11 at the Minnesota Vikings Museum in Eagan. More information about the breakfast gathering and club is available from Patrick Klinger, patrick@agilemarketingco.com.

The new Musco lighting system at Target Center is believed to cost lower seven figures and is paid for by the Timberwolves. The city owned facility now has lighting similar to other NBA venues, spotlighting the action on the court in theater-style.

Anthony Edwards, who suffered a right hamstring strain in a game Oct. 26, is cleared for contact basketball activities, the Wolves announced today. His game availability remains out while he continues to progress with his rehab program.

Josh Minott and Luka Garza, now with the Celtics after playing the three previous seasons for the Wolves, are averaging career high numbers in minutes played per game. Minott’s is at 21.8 minutes and averaging a career best 8.3 points. Garza is at 14.3 minutes and is near a career high in points per game, 6.2 compared to 6.5 in 2022-2023 with the Wolves.

Former Gopher men’s basketball player Parker Fox has been hired by the Big Ten Network to provide color commentary on telecasts.

The hiring of Derek Shelton as the new Twins manager was ripped by a knowledgeable source who reached out to Sports Headliners. He described it as a typical blunder by the Pohlads, a safe, cheap and sad hire.

Talk among a couple of knowledgeable Twins sources is that baseball and business operations boss Derek Falvey didn’t want to fire Rocco Baldelli after the season but was told to by ownership. Falvey hired Baldelli in October of 2018 and the two were believed to have a solid relationship.

Rawlings and Minor League baseball announced Gold Glove winners yesterday including High-A Cedar Rapids second baseman Kyle DeBarge who is the No. 11 prospect in the Twins farm system. The 22-year-old former 2024 draft pick had just six errors in 279 chances last season.

Ty France, who started the season with the Twins before being traded to the Blue Jays, won the American League Gold Glove Award for his fielding at first base. He was +10 Outs Above Average in 2025.

The 6-3 Gopher football team has lost all three of its road games, with remaining away games at Oregon and Northwestern. The Gophers, on a six-game home winning streak, have one remaining game in Minneapolis, the season finale against Wisconsin. Minnesota was 4-2 in away games last year including the bowl win in Charlotte.

The Golden Gopher 2027 lineup of Big Ten home games is a marketing dream for selling tickets at Huntington Bank Stadium. Minnesota has five league games (happens every other year) with a glitzy lineup of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Washington and Wisconsin.

With last Saturday’s 45-0 win over Marist, St. Thomas head football coach Glenn Caruso and associate head coach Wallie Kuchinski coached their 200^th game with the Tommies. Their all-time record is 163-37 at St. Thomas.

The Minnesota Football Coaches Association has a membership drive to exceed 1,200 members. The organization is a pillar for the success of high school football in the state with its awards, events, scholarships and other activities to promote the game. https://www.mshsca.org/joinnow

2 comments

J.J. McCarthy and Teammates Pull Off a Stunner in Motown

Posted on November 2, 2025November 2, 2025 by David Shama

J.J. McCarthy made a resounding return as the Vikings’ starting quarterback today as Minnesota made timely plays on offense and used a physical defense to upset the Lions in Detroit, 27-24.

McCarthy, who had missed the previous five games with an ankle injury, threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score as the Vikings improved their season record to 4-4 against the defending NFC North Division champion Lions who entered the game as almost a double-digit favorite. The Lions had won five straight over Minnesota prior to today.

In the closing minutes of the fourth quarter McCarthy made a couple of his biggest plays. With less than two minutes to go and trying to protect a three-point lead, McCarthy scrambled for four yards on a busted first downplay. Then on third down and five, he threw a gutsy first down pass to Jalen Nailor that allowed the Vikings to run out the clock.

McCarthy, known for his meditation preparation on game day, entered Sunday with only two previous games of NFL experience. J.J. doubters were plentiful after his early season’s underwhelming performance but today the 22-year-old was commanding in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage while delivering strong arm throws and running with speed and athleticism in a game that may turn out to be a turning point in his career.

McCarthy guided an improved offense that finally had all its starting offensive linemen except center Ryan Kelly. They gave McCarthy time to throw and opened holes for revived performance by running back Aaron Jones who had 78 yards on nine carrier before leaving the game with an upper body injury.

The Vikings weren’t going to win the game, though, without a harassing defense that held the Lions hyped running game to 65 yards and bothered quarterback Jared Goff for four quarters. Goff entered the game with a 116.4 passer rating and 74.9 passing completion percentage in home games. Today he faced a blitz-focused defense that sacked him five times while holding him under his normal performance.

The Vikings were frequently more physical than the Lions led by linebacker Blake Cashman who had 11 tackles. It was Cashman who chased down Detroit running back David Montgomery and punched out the ball in a timely third quarter play. Minnesota recovered and ended a Detroit drive with Minnesota holding a 17-14 lead.

The Vikings took over at the Lions’ 35-yard line. McCarthy took the Vikings on a short drive that resulted in his nine-yard touchdown drive to put the Vikings ahead 24-14.

In the fourth quarter Levi Drake Rodriguez blocked a Detroit field goal attempt that could have narrowed the score to 24-20. The play was part of special teams contributions to the win.

Myles Price returned a kickoff 61-yards to set up the Vikings first score in the opening quarter that tied the game at 7-7. In the second half he would have had a 99-yard TD return if not for a holding penalty by Tavierre Thomas that negated the score.

The timing of the win couldn’t have been better for the Vikings and the NFC North Division standings. The division leading Packers lost to the Panthers and now have a record of 5-2-1. The Bears and Lions are both 5-3, and within reach of the Vikings with nine more games remaining on the schedule.

Medved: Tyson ‘Poised to Have Great Year for Us’

After exhibition game wins over North Dakota State and North Dakota at Williams Arena last month, new coach Niko Medved’s Golden Gophers open the regular season at home Monday night against Gardner-Webb. In those two exhibitions, Minnesota’s leading scorer was North Carolina transfer Cade Tyson with 28 and 24 points. Look for Tyson to make that a trend this fall and winter.

Tyson played sparingly at Carolina last season after he transferred from Belmont where he averaged 15 points in 61 career games. During the 2023-204 season at Belmont he was second in the nation in three-point field goal percentage at 46.5.

Tyson, a 6-foot-7 guard-forward, was one of the top transfers in the portal when he decided on Carolina. But he admitted to Sports Headliners recently that his confidence “definitely took a hit” with the Tar Heels. Not so far with the Gophers though, making 18 of 26 field goal attempts, including 10 of 15 three-pointers in the exhibition games.

“…He went to North Carolina and sometimes I think fit matters,” Medved told Sports Headliners. “Maybe it just wasn’t the right marriage for both parties. And you know he’s looking for another opportunity, and I think he’s a great fit for what we do.

“And he’s hungry, he’s got a chip on his shoulder. He’s a worker and…I think fans (already) have seen—you know, it’s early—kind of what he’s capable of doing. So, I think he’s poised to have a great year for us.”

How does Tyson fit with the Gophers? Medved likes players who can play multiple positions, and he labels Tyson a “sneaky good rebounder.” He also describes Tyson as “an exceptional rebounder” who moves well without the ball and has the ability to get to the basket and draw fouls.

Could he be the go-to player when the Gophers have to win late in games? Medved thinks so, but adds that his team is still figuring out roles. “I definitely know one thing. If he’s open, I feel like it’s going in.”

The Gophers beat out Iowa for Tyson who Medved said comes from “great stock.” His brother Hunter plays in the NBA for the Nuggets.

Isaac Asuma, unlike Tyson, has struggled with his shooting in the exhibition games. The sophomore point guard is 6 of 17 from the field including 2 of 8 on three-pointers.

Medved isn’t concerned. “He’s shot the cover off of it in practice. When you watch him every day in practice, and his mechanics, and his shooting, he really shoots it well.

“I just think it’s a small sample size. …He’s a young guy. He’s a sophomore. …He just needs to see a few go in in (during) the games and I think he can really take off. I think he’s going to be a terrific shooter, and we’ve seen that in practice.”

Medved inherits a program that two of the last three seasons finished last in the Big Ten standings. “…I think for this team the goal is when the season is over, I hope people are more excited about Gopher hoops than they are going into the season,” Medved said.

“I think there is some excitement around Gopher basketball. Whatever that looks like, we’ll see. But I like the way this team is working and we just gotta keep taking it one day at a time.”

Comments Welcome