Assessing the state of Gophers football after 7–5 regular season

Where does Minnesota go after finishing its ninth regular season with P.J. Fleck as head coach?

Nov 29, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey (5) celebrates with Paul Bunyan’s Axe after the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Golden Gophers have finished the 2025 regular season with a 7-5 record. Where do they go from here?

In P.J. Fleck's ninth season as head coach, the Gophers had a boatload of questions heading into 2025. He promoted longtime assistant Danny Collins to defensive coordinator, redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey was replacing Max Brosmer at quarterback, and they needed to fill a lot of production on both sides of the ball.

When Minnesota's preseason win total of 6.5 games was released in the offseason, many fans thought it was too low. They needed all 12 games to surpass those expectations, and those seven wins came against teams with a 28-57 combined regular-season record. What's next?

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Historic incoming recruiting class

We're only days away from the early national signing period getting underway for the 2026 class, and it looks like it could be one of Minnesota's best in program history. According to 247Sports, Fleck's best class since arriving in the Twin Cities came in 2024, which ranked 33rd-best in the country. This year's class currently ranks 24th-best in the country, and it's hard to ignore that it's a great sign for the health and future of the program.

Coordinator situation

Collins' first season as Minnesota's defensive playcaller had its fair share of bumps and bruises. His defense allowed 23.4 points per game, which ranked 58th-best at the FBS level. That is significantly worse than last year's 16.9 per game under Corey Hetherman. The only seasons worse under Fleck were 2023 (26.7), 2020 (30.1) and 2018 (26.5). It's hard to imagine that Fleck would give up on a longtime assistant after only one year.

This season was Greg Harbaugh Jr.'s third season calling plays for Minnesota's offense. His unit averaged 23.2 points per game, which ranks 99th at the FBS level. That is a decrease from last year's offense that averaged 26.2 per game, but better than the 2023 season, which averaged 20.9. Three straight years without having a top 75 scoring offense at a Power Conference school is an alarming statistic for his tenure. Minnesota needs better if it wants to take the next step as a program.

Signature wins

Minnesota's best wins of the season were taking home Paul Bunyan's Axe for the fourth time in five years against Wisconsin and knocking off an overrated, ranked Nebraska team at home. They went winless on the road for the first time under Fleck, and they were absolutely embarrassed by Iowa, Ohio State and Oregon.

Explain the 2025 Gophers football season in one photo pic.twitter.com/cSksnVQczS

— Bring Me The Sports (@BMTNSports) December 1, 2025

A 7-5 record and an unbeaten season at home look good on paper. Completely rewriting the narrative against Wisconsin also deserves credit, but once you look deeper into Minnesota's season-long resume, it's hard to find many redeeming qualities.

Final thoughts

Minnesota's final regular-season game against Wisconsin was all I needed to see to know where the health of this program is. It was 25 degrees, windy, and snowing, and it was one of the best home atmospheres at Huntington Bank Stadium all season. Wisconsin entered the game with four wins, and the Gophers had a two-game losing streak, and people still cared. The program is doing everything right off the field, and the fanbase is more engaged than ever.

But on the field, Fleck and the entire program need to do everything they can to avoid a season like this next year. They're 19-17 in the regular season over the last three years, and they haven't been ranked in any major poll since 2022. Lindsey is the real deal, the pieces are in place, and the boat is pointed in the right direction.

There are plenty of changes that can be made, but in year nine, we know who Fleck is. His teams will be as good as their coordinators and coaching staffs. It might be time for him and the entire University to turn their oars in for a motor and upgrade the boat to a new model. College football continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and the University needs to show evidence that it wants to compete at the highest level.