Ten Minnesota players to watch against Buffalo
The Minnesota Golden Gophers kickoff their 2025 season on Thursday night against the Buffalo Bulls.
It will be the first opportunity for most Gophers fans to see the numerous transfer portal additions that P.J. Fleck and his staff made this offseason. But it will also serve as an opportunity for several returning Gophers with new roles to make their own first impressions.
Below are ten Minnesota players for Gophers’ fans to watch against the Bulls on Thursday night.
QB Drake Lindsey
The Golden Gophers don’t need Drake Lindsey to be perfect on Thursday night against Buffalo, nor will he have to be perfect next week against Northwestern State. That being said, this will be the first opportunity for the masses to get a strong look at what the redshirt freshman quarterback could do for the Golden Gophers as the starting quarterback. We know the raw talent that Lindsey possesses, he has all the tools to be a top-of-the-line quarterback. But how does he handle pressure? How will he handle exotic looks from Buffalo? Will he be able to make pre-play adjustments when necessary? While Lindsey posted an impressive stat line on Thursday would certainly be a fun discussion point on Friday and throughout the weekend, we’re much more interested in getting early answers for those questions.
RB AJ Turner
Darius Taylor is still going to be the starting running back for the Gophers. But this will be Turner’s first opportunity to make a strong impression on his new team and in front of the Gophers’ fanbase. Last year for Marshall, Turner was fantastic, 104 carries, 864 yards, six touchdowns. His 8.3 yards per carry was the best in the nation. He had over 10 runs of 15+ yards, he’s a home run threat anytime he touches the ball. Having that ability behind Taylor on the depth chart is going to be huge for the Gophers this fall as Greg Harbaugh is going to rely on his veteran ladened running back room to really be the main driving force of the offense.
WR Logan Loya
One of three transfer wide receivers to join the program this offseason. Loya will make his Golden Gophers debut on Thursday night as the starting slot receiver. Heading into the season, we expect Loya to have quite the role within the Gophers’ offense. While his 2024 stats were nothing overly special with 29 receptions and 348 yards, he brings over 45 games of experience to the wide receiver room and a history of production in Power Four football. He has 109 career receptions for over 1,300 yards and is just two seasons removed from a 59-reception, 655-yard season in 2023. Don’t be surprised to see Loya become a favorite target for Drake Lindsey early this season. He may not post overly impressive receiving yards numbers, but we wouldn’t be surprised if he’s pushing 50-60 receptions by the end of the season thanks to being a safety blanket for Drake Lindsey.
WR Javon Tracy
Another wide receiver transfer, Tracy offers the big play upside compared to Loya. Over the last two seasons for Buffalo, Tracy totaled 79 receptions for 1,166 yards and 14.4 yards per reception while totaling nine touchdowns. Last fall for Miami (OH), Tracy had five games in which he averaged 19+ yards per reception. The 6-foot-0 outside receiver has strong consistent hands with just two drops last season on 76 targets while also recording nine contested catches on 15 attempts. There’s always an adjustment period from the Group of Five (now six) to the Power Four. The Gophers brought in Tracy because they needed a sure fire, big play threat in the passing attack. Thursday is a great opportunity, against a familiar opponent and talent for Tracy to start his season strong.
LT Kahlee Tafai / Nathan Roy
Who will start for the Gophers at left tackle is one of the bigger questions heading into Thursday. The good news is we’ll get that answer, very quickly. However, how will Tafai or Roy perform? Last season, Tafai struggled with the Washington Huskies against higher quality opponents but did a quality job against some of the weaker competition. Adding to that, Tafai missed the spring while recovering from surgery, so he in reality only had a handful of weeks to work with offensive line coach Brian Callahan.
With Roy, the redshirt freshman only saw the field twice last season, totaling 20 snaps. If he’s given the nod, this will be his first opportunity to get an extended look. He has the size, arms, and athleticism to be an anchor on the left side and while Buffalo’s defensive line isn’t world beaters, it would provide a quality first test. Either way, no matter if it’s Tafai or Roy, the Gophers need their left tackle to be strong this fall, in hopes of making life easier for Lindsey.
RT Dylan Ray
The Kentucky transfer not only made the move from Lexington to Minneapolis, but he also moved from guard to tackle. The Gophers believe that Ray has the skillset and athleticism to be successful at tackle. Thursday night’s game will be a good test for Ray. The good news is if Ray struggles, Marcellus Marshall, who started at right guard, has experience at tackle as well. The depth at tackle is okay for the Gophers but is far from ideal, they really need Ray to be able to perform at a quality level at right tackle.
RUSH Jaxon Howard
Will 2025 be a breakout season for Minnesota rush end Jaxon Howard? We may find out as soon as Thursday. The Minnesota native’s first season with the program last year was quiet. That being said, after playing in just 27 snaps over the first three games, Howard saw his role increase the rest of the season, though he still only averaged about 14 snaps over the final seven games that he played in. Notably, Howard struggled to generate pressure in 2024 with just four over 125 snaps. With him being the starting RUSH end this season, he’ll need to be much more productive in that aspect.
CB John Nestor
The Iowa transfer put together a strong camp for the Golden Gophers and now as a result will likely be starting opposite of Za’Quan Bryan on Thursday night. Nestor played a small role for Iowa in 2025 and was expected to be a bigger contributor for the Hawkeyes before deciding to enter the transfer portal. But now, he’s found himself with a starting role with the Gophers. We’ll be keeping a close eye on Nestor throughout Thursday’s game.
CB Mike Gerald
After only appearing in the Gophers’ bowl game last season against Virginia Tech, Gerald is now in line to be a main piece of the Gophers’ cornerback rotation. He likely enters week one as the third cornerback in the rotation and will see his fair share of snaps. It wouldn’t be surprising to Buffalo to test Gerald early and often when he’s on the field, especially if they can get him matched up with veteran wide receiver Victor Snow.
K Brady Denaburg / Daniel Jackson
While it’s still unclear who’s going to be the Gophers’ starting kicker come Thursday, the game will serve as the first opportunity for the Gophers’ kickers to make impressions this fall. The kicking game is a major question mark entering the fall and if Minnesota hopes to put together a potential eight plus win season, they’re going to need Denaburg or Jackson to make some big kicks along the way. The Gophers struggled in one-possession games a season ago and part of those struggles were due to missed field goals from the usually consistent Dragan Kesich. It was a reminder that even the best kickers can still go through funks but Kesich still had the track record from the 2023 season for the Gophers to remain confident in him. Neither Denaburg nor Jackson have that track record, making each and every make or miss, all the more important.
