Minnesota returns some rising stars in the Big Ten in 2025. What should be expected from PJ Fleck's crew this fall?
In the Big Ten there are programs that are clearly siting toward the top of the conference and thinking about a spot in the College Football Playoff and there are teams that are in clear need of rebuilding or laying a foundation. Minnesota is neither of those programs going into the 2025 college football season. So what exactly is Minnesota? The Gophers could be considered a bit of a wild card team that is capable of giving any top-tier team a legitimate scare while also being a team that could drop some games in frustrating fashion to hold them back. Minnesota is a team with good mental toughness but lacking in some of the key areas that hold them back from making any legitimate push for a spot in the Big Ten championship game and the College Football Playoff. But they are not to be taken lightly on any given Saturday in the Big Ten.
Here is a quick look at the Minnesota Golden Gophers heading into the 2025 college football season.
2024 in Review
Minnesota started off the season losing a nailbiter against North Carolina in a defensive battle and dropped a 27-24 game against Michigan a few weeks later to head into October with a 2-3 record. But Minnesota started to put some things together and form a bit of an identity. Minnesota bounced back from the Michigan loss by pulling a 24-17 upset of then-No. 11 USC and followed that with a road win at UCLA and a home win against Maryland. Minnesota then upset no. 24 Illinois on the road at the start of November and gave Penn State a massive scare later in the month before falling 26-25 against the playoff-bound Nittany Lions. But the season ended on a winning note with a victory against rival Wisconsin in Madison and in the Duke's Mayo Bowl against West Virginia.
Head Coach Profile
Time flies when you are having fun, and the Gophers have been doing that for the most part since the arrival of PJ Fleck back in 2017. Yes, Fleck is entering his ninth season at the helm of the Golden Gophers as he continues to instill the Row the Boat mentality for the program. Fleck is 56-39 in his time with Minnesota and owns an impressive 6-0 record in postseason bowl games with the program, including last season's Duke's Mayo Bowl victory. Fleck is 86-61 for his coaching career, including his four seasons building up the Western Michigan program, which brings him within reach of his 100th career win. That milestone may have to be celebrated next season, but Fleck continues to be a coach who will have his name thrown around the coaching search rumor mill if things go well for him this fall.
Top Offensive Player
Minnesota has one of the Big Ten's top-10 rushers from last season returning in 2025 with Darius Taylor. Taylor rushed for 986 yards and 10 touchdowns last season as a sophomore. Taylor also had 350 receiving yards on 54 receptions with a pair of receiving touchdowns for Minnesota last season.
Taylor was 10th in the Big Ten in rushing yardage and is one of the top returning rushers for 2025 along with Penn State's Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton. Expect Taylor to be heavily featured in the Minnesota offense once again this fall, and he should eclipse the century mark as a result.
Top Defensive Player
Minnesota will return one of the top rising defensive stars in the conference with Koi Perich. Perich wasted little time racking up some impressive numbers as a freshman last season with five interceptions to lead the Big Ten. Perich had 46 total tackles and 2.5 TFL. He is also a special-teams weapon for the Gophers with action on punt and kickoff returns.
2025 Schedule Preview
- Aug. 28 (Thur) vs. Buffalo
- Sept. 6 vs. Northwestern State
- Sept. 13 at Cal
- Sept. 27 vs. Rutgers
- Oct. 4 at Ohio State
- Oct. 11 vs. Purdue
- Oct. 17 (Fri) vs. Nebraska
- Oct. 25 at Iowa
- Nov. 1 vs. Michigan State
- Nov. 14 (Fri) at Oregon
- Nov. 22 at Northwestern (Wrigley Field)
- Nov. 29 vs. Wisconsin
Penn State will not play Minnesota this season but the Gophers still face some of the stiffest challenges the Big Ten will have to offer this fall. Minnesota will have to play on the road against Ohio State in early October and will play a Friday night game at Oregon in mid-November. Minnesota will get a bye week before playing at Oregon on that Friday night and the other bye week will come before jumping into Big Ten play at the end of September with a home game against Rutgers. Minnesota will also get a Friday home game against Nebraska, which could be a pivotal game for both teams in mid-October. That also gives Minnesota an extra day to prepare for its next game at Iowa the following week.
This looks like a schedule that could see a max of nine wins if things go really well, but a season around the .500 mark is not unrealistic to expect from Minnesota. Still, it should end in a bowl game.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: A Penn State fan's quick guide to the Minnesota Golden Gophers in 2025
Category: General Sports
