Minnesota vs Buffalo: Who are the projected starters for both teams?
The Minnesota Golden Gophers will face the Buffalo Bulls on Thursday evening in week one of the 2025 College Football Season.
Below, Gophers Nation takes a look at the projected starters on both sides of the ball for the Gophers and Bulls. The Gophers’ starters are purely the projection of Gophers Nation, while Buffalo’s starters are via their week one depth chart.
OFFENSE
| Minnesota | 2024 PFF GRADE | Position | Buffalo | 2024 PFF GRADE |
| Drake Lindsey | 72.0 | QB | Ta’Quan Roberson | 54.4 |
| Darius Taylor | 82.5 | RB | Al-Jay Henderson | 76.7 |
| Javon Tracy | 77.2 | WR | Victor Snow | 74.3 |
| Logan Loya | 74.3 | WR | Jasaiah Gathings | 55.9 |
| Le’Meke Brockington | 52.5 | WR | Nik McMillan | 64.3 |
| Jameson Geers | 56.0 | TE | Evan King | 45.4 |
| Kahlee Tafai OR Nathan Roy | 38.5 / 63.2 | LT | Henry Tabansi | 66.5 |
| Greg Johnson | 60.5 | LG | Alex Heininger | 48.7 |
| Ashton Beers | 62.5 | C | Jake Timm | 65.8 |
| Marcellus Marshall | 59.6 | RG | Tyler Doty | 69.0 |
| Dylan Ray | 61.7 | RT | Trevor Brock | 62.7 |
The only question for the Golden Gophers on offense is who will be starting at left tackle. Will it be redshirt freshman Nathan Roy or Washington transfer Kahlee Tafai?
DEFENSE
| Minnesota | 2024 PFF GRADE | Position | Buffalo | 2024 PFF GRADE |
| Jaxon Howard | 58.7 | RUSH / DE | Kobe Stewart | 70.0 |
| Jalen Logan-Redding | 64.5 | DT | George Wolo | 61.2 |
| Deven Eastern | 70.3 | NT / DT | Cornell Evans | 59.5 |
| Anthony Smith | 72.7 | DE | Malin White | 64.7 |
| Devon Williams | 58.4 | WILL | Dion Crawford | 77.4 |
| Maverick Baranowski | 70.9 | MIKE | Red Murdock | 74.8 |
| Darius Green | 53.7 | NB | Saveon Brown | 69.8 |
| Za’Quan Bryan | 73.1 | CB | Marquis Cooper | 68.8 |
| Koi Perich | 88.9 | FS | Jalen McNair | 71.3 |
| Kerry Brown | 76.7 | SS | Solomon Brown | 77.3 |
| John Nestor | 60.2 | CB | Oliver Bridges | 66.5 |
On defense, the biggest question for the Gophers is probably who will slot into the nickel back role. Darius Green seemed like a good bet to be the starter in fall camp but didn’t practice during the final media availability a few weeks ago. It’s unclear if he’ll be ready to go on Thursday.
Stay tuned for additional Minnesota-Buffalo coverage here at Gophers Nation.
Join Gophers Nation for inside access on the Golden Gophers!
GophersNation.com provides everything that passionate Minnesota fans need. Exclusive, wall-to-wall coverage of the Minnesota Golden Gophers athletes and recruiting.
Not a subscriber? That’s okay! It’s never too late to subscribe to Gophers Nation. Not only will you get access to each week’s full visitors list, but you’ll also have the following perks to go along with your subscription!
* Access to Inside Gophers Nation, our premium message board, where you can talk with fellow Minnesota fans as well as the Gophers Nation staff.
* In-depth breakdowns — Gophers Nation provides the latest analytics, stats, and more on the Golden Gophers, their opponents, and more. Each week, dive deeper into the Golden Gophers’ previous game and future opponents.
*Dedicated team coverage — Gophers Nation every week is ready to provide the latest scoops and coverage on Minnesota Golden Gophers football, basketball, and hockey.
* Complete recruiting coverage — We keep you up to speed on all of Minnesota’s efforts on the recruiting trail. Keep up to date with who the Gophers are targeting from the day they’re offered to the day they sign their letters of intent.
* Full network access — On top of our coverage at Gophers Nation, you’ll also receive FULL ACCESS to ALL On3 fan sites and national message boards, access to Rivals recruiting and high school coverage, featuring the biggest names in the recruiting inudstry, and access to On3’s national talent including some of the nation’s top college analysts in Andy Staples, Brett McMurphy, Pete Nakos, Ari Wasserman, and more.
If that’s not enough, there’s another benefit to signing up for Gophers Nation today!
Join Gophers Nation now for $1 your first week and enjoy a complimentary year of The Athletic – included with your membership.
Sign up here: https://www.on3.com/sites/gophers-nation/join/
