The Minnesota Golden Gophers will begin the next step in their preparation for the 2025 football season later this month with spring practices.

No position group this spring will have as many eyes on it as the quarterback position. The Gophers will look to find their next starting quarterback after a strong season from New Hampshire transfer Max Brosmer this past fall in his lone season with the program.

With Max Brosmer off to the NFL, Minnesota faced an inexperienced quarterback room and needed a veteran presence.

Early in the transfer portal window in December, the Gophers landed Georgia Tech transfer Zach Pyron. The former four-star quarterback had an up-and-down career with the Yellow Jackets, flashing plenty of potential but struggling to find consistency in both playing time and performance.

In his three seasons with Georgia Tech, Pyron completed 88-of-155 passing attempts for 995 yards and five touchdowns with seven interceptions in 19 career games played. He also had 79 rushing attempts for 271 yards and six touchdowns.

Looking for a fresh start, Pyron entered the portal following Georgia Tech's regular season, visited Minneapolis after the portal opened, and committed a few days later. With the Gophers, Pyron will have two years of eligibility remaining.

However, Pyron is not going to be handed the starting job. While the Gophers' coaching staff, including head coach P.J. Fleck, will say it's an open competition, it is widely expected to be a battle between Pyron and talented redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey.

Lindsey, a former high three-star prospect, appeared in three games for the Gophers as a true freshman, completing 4-of-5 passing attempts for 50 yards and one touchdown. P.J. Fleck and the Gophers have not been shy about their high expectations for the Arkansas native, who was the Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior at Fayetteville High School, right in the backyard of the University of Arkansas.

This past fall, Lindsey made sure to stay close to Max Brosmer and was a "sponge," according to P.J. Fleck.

"Drake has attached himself to Max's hip," Fleck said about Lindsey's relationship with Brosmer in December as the Gophers prepared for their January 3 Duke's Mayo Bowl matchup against Virginia Tech.

"As well as Dylan (Wittke). You see Max somewhere, and Drake is right there. It's just not the football piece," Fleck added. "It's the mannerisms. It's how you lead. It's what you say. It's when you say it. It's how you say it. Drake has been able to take all that and apply it now to bowl prep. Bowl prep is a cap of the 2024 season, it's a reward. It's a celebration for the paper, it's also early spring ball. It's already a jump forward to 2025. So it's critical every rep that he (Drake Lindsey) has."

While the battle between Pyron and Lindsey leads the quarterback conversation, the competition for the third-string quarterback spot will also be intriguing to watch this spring.

The Gophers return redshirt sophomores Dylan Wittke and Max Shikenjanski this fall at the position.

Wittke previously transferred into the program from Virginia Tech last fall, while Shikenjanski walked on as part of the Gophers' 2023 recruiting class. They also added Laguna Beach, California native and four-star prospect Jackson Kollock to the room this offseason as part of their 2025 recruiting class.

Wittke made his collegiate debut this past season against Maryland but did not record any stats. He has three years of eligibility remaining entering this spring. Shikenjanski has not appeared in any games through his first two seasons.

Kollock will push Wittke and Shikenjanski for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart. The 6-foot-4, 222-pound signal-caller had a terrific career at Laguna Beach High School, passing for over 7,000 yards and totaling 115 touchdowns. As a senior, Kollock had 1,711 passing yards and 29 total touchdowns.

While Kollock is a work in progress and patience will be required in his development, one could also argue that he has the highest upside of any quarterback on the Gophers' 2025 roster long term.

Overall, the Minnesota quarterback room surely has potential. There is quite a bit to like about the prospects of either Pyron or Lindsey being the starting quarterback, with each bringing their own style of play. That being said, neither is a proven commodity.

Pyron, as previously mentioned, has flashed potential but has struggled with consistency. Can he put it all together with the Gophers? Lindsey has tremendous raw natural talent but is inexperienced, and only time will tell if he's cut out to be a Big Ten starting quarterback.

The Gophers have quality depth, but ideally, Wittke, Shikenjanski, and Kollock will see action only in mop-up duty this fall.

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