Fleck says Gophers’ QB battle will be 'fierce': Lindsey vs. Pyron for 2025 job

Drake Lindsey vs. Zach Pyron will be the story of Minnesota football this spring.

Sep 14, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey (3) calls a play against the Nevada Wolf Pack during the second half at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Minnesota has already had an offseason full of headlines, but the biggest story moving forward is who will start at quarterback in 2025. Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said the competition between Drake Lindsey and Georgia Tech transfer Zach Pyron is already underway.

Fleck appeared on the latest episode of Big Ten Network's B1G Today on Tuesday, where he was asked about the team’s quarterback outlook following the departure of Max Brosmer.

Lindsey returns to the Gophers program after playing 20 offensive snaps as a true freshman. He will likely compete with Pyron for the starting role, as Pyron joins Minnesota after making four career starts across three seasons at Georgia Tech.

"It's unique in its own right. Every year is its own entity, and just because you did something last year doesn't mean you're going to do it again this year," Fleck said. "Our program is all about earning the opportunity to compete and play in the greatest conference in the country... The quarterback competition is going to be fierce—it really will be. It's going to be a lot of fun; it has already started."

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Lindsey and Pyron have big shoes to fill, as Brosmer just put together one of the best quarterback seasons in recent years for the Gophers. As a New Hampshire transfer, he set the single-season program record for completions with 268, along with 2,828 passing yards, 23 total touchdowns and six interceptions.

"We're replacing a really good football player with Max Brosmer. I don't think you ever replace him, you just find somebody that can run the offense their way and build the offense around them," Fleck said. "That's the fun part of what we're doing right now. We're finding out what our quarterbacks are really, really good at, we've had a lot of time to do that, especially in the bowl prep. Now we're building our offense around what our quarterback's strengths and weaknesses are, and going from there."

There are still more than 200 days until Minnesota hosts Buffalo to kick off its 2025 season. With spring football not even underway, we're a long way from determining who has the upper hand, but Fleck's words are confirmation that it will be a true competition between Lindsey and Pyron.