Gophers to add Minnesota Mr. Football for the first time since 2022

Incoming freshman Roman Voss was officially awarded Minnesota Mr. Football on Sunday.

Gophers TE coach Eric Kohler (left) with Roman Voss (middle) and Gophers offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. (right) | Picture via: @romanvoss2 (X)

Jackson Country Central (JCC) High School star Roman Voss officially added 2025 Minnesota Mr. Football to his trophy case on Sunday.

A huge congrats to Roman on being selected as https://t.co/T05NNhTnCC for MN in 2025 pic.twitter.com/i8qATdJovy

— JCC Football (@JCCHuskiesFBALL) December 7, 2025

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Voss led JCC to its second straight Minnesota Class AA State Championship last month. He officially signed with the Gophers' 2026 high school recruiting class on Wednesday. He took home the 2025 Minnesota Gatorade Player of the Year on Friday, and he added Minnesota Mr. Football on Sunday.

He was a dominant quarterback for the Huskies with 1,902 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, 1,893 rushing yards and 30 more scores on the ground. He also added 18 tackles and one pick-six as a safety. He's expected to play tight end for the Gophers.

Voss will be the first Gophers player to win Minnesota Mr. Football since Cade Osterman took home the honor in 2022 with Elk River. He joined the Gophers as a preferred walk-on (PWO), but never appeared in a snap before transferring to North Dakota State after only one season in the Twin Cities. Owatonna running back Jason Williamson was the last Mr. Football to sign with the Gophers as a scholarship player in 2018, but a multitude of injuries cut his career short.

Other notable recent Minnesota Mr. Football award winners to play for the Gophers include Jeffery Jones in 2013 and Phillip Nelson in 2011.

Voss was viewed as the consensus top high school recruit in Minnesota when he verbally committed to the Gophers over Alabama in June. He has since been surpassed by Forest Lake DL Howie Johnson on 247Sports, who signed with the Gophers, and Triton High School star Pierce Petersohn, who signed with Virginia Tech, on Rivals. He also trails Johnson on ESPN.

He's expected to enroll at the University of Minnesota in the summer, and join the program for preseason practice in the late summer and early fall before the 2026 season.