Gophers open practice recap: Drake Lindsey to Koi Perich, D-line stands out

The Gophers wrapped up their first week of preseason camp on Saturday with a practice open to the public and media. It was the first look we got at the team since the spring, and there was plenty to take away.

Drake Lindsey's bomb to Koi Perich

Was it 70 yards? Was it 60 yards? It was hard to tell exactly, unless you had a tape measure. But, Lindsey's bomb to Perich was the highlight of Saturday's practice. My best guess is it traveled at least 60 yards in the air. Lindsey showcased his rocket arm all night with effortless throws down the field, but his connection with Perich was enough to get Gophers' fans excited.

.@koiperich3 for 7⃣0⃣ yards 👀🃏#RTB #SkiUMah #Gophers pic.twitter.com/9IRpMbqFtP
— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) August 3, 2025

Related: 5 players with the most to gain at Gophers' fall camp

The bomb was Perich's only significant offensive play in the scrimmage portion of Saturday's practice, but he got plenty of work with the offense in the individual drills. Head coach P.J. Fleck mentioned after practice that they didn't want to show the whole bag of tricks, but it's definitely worth monitoring how expansive his offensive role truly is this season.

Mike Gerald at CB2

There is no position I am watching more closely this preseason than the second outside cornerback spot alongside Za'Quan Bryan. Iowa transfer John Nestor and NC Central transfer Jaylen Bowden have the most experience, but redshirt freshman Mike Gerald proved on Saturday that he will be in the mix. He got plenty of first-team reps, and I'd give him the slight edge to start if Minnesota played a game next week, but there's still a long way to go.

Offensive line rotation

It's pretty clear at this point that Minnesota's preferred offensive line rotation is Natan Roy at left tackle, Greg Johnson at left guard, Ashton Beers at center, Marcellus Marshall at right guard and Dylan Ray at right tackle, when everyone is healthy. Roy left Saturday's practice with what looked like potential cramps, but the unit as a whole still has a lot of room for improvement before Week 1.

Defensive line showcase

A lot of people are down on Minnesota's defensive line heading into this season, so I am higher than the consensus, and they showed their potential on Saturday. Jalen Logan-Redding was easily one of the most disruptive players all afternoon. Anthony Smith also played well. Without incoming transfer Mo Omonode and Rushawn Lawrence, the Gophers' defensive line was arguably their most impressive position group of practice.

Lack of deep passes

It's very important not to take too much away from an August 2 practice, but it was pretty obvious how little Minnesota threw the ball deep during the scrimmage portion. Outside of Lindsay's connection with Perich, it was a lot of intermediate routes and undoubtedly more running the football than passing. Is this a sign of their 2025 game plan? I guess we'll find out Week 1.

Other notes

There's always a lot to follow at practice. Two notes: it's clear Nebraska transfer Malachi Coleman was working with the second unit, but his potential as a red zone threat might be too much for Minnesota to ignore. And Redshirt freshman running back Fame Ijeboi stood out a lot during the scrimmage portion.