Cal head coach credits Drake Lindsey ahead of Gophers clash: 'He's a really good player'

Saturday's game between Minnesota and Cal will feature two exciting young quarterbacks.

Sep 6, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears head coach Justin Wilcox before the game against the Texas Southern Tigers at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Gophers' Week 3 game at Cal will feature two first-year starting quarterbacks. Gophers redshirt freshman Drake Lindsey and Golden Bears true freshman Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele have two very different journeys, but Saturday night will provide a big opportunity to establish themselves on a national level.

Lindsey had an entire season last year to learn behind Max Brosmer, so he's a redshirt freshman, compared to Sagapolutele, who is a true freshman and a whole year younger. Anyone who has attended college can relate to how much maturing happens in their first year away from home.

"Depends on the person. It's such a unique transition: high school to college. Some guys, and where they come from, what their capacity is to learn, how they've come up," Cal head coach Justin Wilcox responded when asked about the importance of a redshirt year. "You never really know until they're here."

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It has been well-documented how much Lindsey's redshirt season learning behind Brosmer has helped his development. Through less than six quarters of college football this season, Minnesota's new QB1 has completed 61.4% of his passes for 429 yards, four total touchdowns and an interception.

"He's a really good player. He can throw the ball downfield, he's big, and he's tough to get down," Wilcox continued. "He does a really good job. More experience always helps. How different is it? I don't know if I could give you a calculation on that."

Young quarterbacks like DJ Lagway, Bryce Underwood and Julian Sayin are likely more familiar to casual football fans, but Saturday's matchup will feature two of the better underclassmen signal callers that many people do not know about.

Lindsey played high school football in Arkansas, and Sagapolutele hails from Hawaii. Their journeys to big-time college football couldn't be much different. They'll have a great stage to showcase their skills on ESPN at 9:30 p.m. CT on Saturday night.