Minnesota Countdown to Kickoff: No. 45 DE Sam Macy
Kickoff of the Minnesota Golden Gophers’ 2025 season is just 45 days away, bringing redshirt freshman defensive end Sam Macy into our player spotlight today.
Macy was a three-star prospect in the 2024 recruiting cycle. He committed to Minnesota over offers from Air Force, Army, and Navy as well as several FCS offers. As a standout at Chanhassen High School, Macy recorded 38 tackles, three tackles for loss, and three sacks as a senior while helping lead Chanhassen to a perfect 13-0 season and a state title.
Macy enters 2025 after missing all of last season with an injury. Macy was already likely probably a season or two away from being at the point he’d be developed enough to be ready to see the field. With an injury knocking him out all of last season, Macy’s development timeline was also likely affected.
In the short term, perhaps Macy can find the field this fall in a depth role, but we expect his overall snaps to be limited. Long term, the Chanhassen, Minnesota native still has quite a bit of upside and still has the potential to be a productive player for Minnesota in the future.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers will kick off their 2025 season on August 28 against the Buffalo Bulls at Hunginton Bank Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and will be televised natioanlly on Fox Sports 1.
