Biggest offseason questions P.J. Fleck and the Gophers must answer

The next two months will dramatically impact Minnesota's outlook heading into the 2026 season.

Oct 17, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Darius Taylor (1) runs the ball against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Gophers are preparing for the Rate Bowl against New Mexico later this month, but offseason moves are already in full swing. Between player retention, transfer portal recruiting, and coaching staff turnovers, Minnesota faces a lot of questions. Here are the biggest questions they need to answer before the 2026 season.

Will Darius Taylor return for his senior season?

Taylor entered the 2025 season with massive expectations, which was his third at Minnesota. Things didn't go exactly to plan, due to a few injuries throughout the season, but he still averaged 121.3 yards per scrimmage in the six games that he started and finished. When healthy, he's still one of the most explosive running backs in the country.

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He has one season of eligibility remaining, and the recent news of redshirt freshman Fame Ijeboi entering the transfer portal made Taylor's decision of potentially entering the NFL Draft over returning for another season that much bigger.

Will there be more coaching staff changes?

Minnesota hired a new defensive coordinator, defensive line coach, linebackers coach and running backs coach last offseason. It's already in the market for a new defensive line coach this offseason after dismissing Dennis Dottin-Carter after only one season with the position. The head coaching carousel has begun to cool down, but the assistant coach market is just heating up.

What's the transfer portal strategy?

Minnesota's transfer portal class last offseason was nothing short of a disappointment. Outside of John Nestor and maybe Tom Weston at punter, it's hard to argue that any other player met expectations. They will need to have better success this offseason if they want to make improvements past 7-5 in 2026.

The three biggest positions of need should be defensive line, wide receiver and cornerback, but how hard do they pursue those positions? Do they make low-risk moves? Or big swings? Their transfer portal decisions will have a big impact on the 2026 roster.

Ijeboi and wide receiver Kenric Lanier II are probably their two biggest losses so far, and any other significant entries will obviously impact their strategy. There might be fewer question marks on this year's roster compared to last season, but that doesn't mean this year's offseason won't be as important. The base of the roster is built through the high school ranks, and there are still some finishing touches that will need to be made through the portal.