Handing out midseason superlatives for Gophers football

We've officially reached the midway point of the Gophers' 2025 regular season. Minnesota has a 4-2 record through its first six games. Let's hand out some midseason superlatives and break down the team's biggest standout performers so far.

MVP: Drake Lindsey, QB

This is the easiest answer on this list. Without Lindsey's performances against Rutgers and Purdue, Minnesota is likely 2-4 at this point in the season. The Gophers' first-year starter has arguably exceeded expectations, completing 60.1% of his passes for 1,284 yards, 10 total touchdowns and three interceptions. He has set himself up for a big second half.

Oct 11, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers quarterback Drake Lindsey (5) throws the ball as Purdue Boilermakers defensive end Breeon Ishmail (58) defends during the second half at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Best offensive player: Le'Meke Brockington, WR

The NFL's Offensive Player of the Year is never given to the MVP, so I decided to take a similar approach. Brockington leads the team with 23 catches for 253 receiving yards and three touchdowns. After battling injuries throughout his career, he has been Minnesota's most consistent offensive weapon up to this point of the season.

Best defensive player: Devon Williams, LB

Williams might also be the most-improved player on Minnesota's entire team. His career high is 52 total tackles for a season, and he already leads the team with 50 through six games. He's also second on the team with 1.5 sacks. His 80.1 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade is the second-highest on Minnesota's defense out of players with at least 75 snaps.

Best transfer: John Nestor, CB

This choice is another no-brainer. Nestor has been a revelation for Minnesota's defense after transferring in from Iowa last spring. He leads the team with three interceptions, and he has been the most productive cornerback on the roster with a 67.0 PFF Grade.

Best position coach: Mariano Sori-Marin, LBs

This season is Sori-Marin's first as a college football position coach, and he deserves a ton of recognition for how Minnesota's linebackers have played. They had big shoes to fill with Cody Lindenberg off to the NFL, and Maverick Baranowski, Williams, and even true freshman Emmanuel Karmo have been solid for the most consistent position group on the team.

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Best freshman: Nathan Roy, OT

Instead of limiting this award to true freshmen, I decided to include redshirt freshmen, and it's hard to argue that Roy hasn't been the most impressive freshman, other than Lindsey, through six games. His 70.1 PFF grade is the highest by any Minnesota offensive linemen, and he has allowed only seven pressures in 209 pass-blocking snaps. He looks like a future NFL offensive lineman.

Surprise player: Karter Menz, DE

Menz has made huge improvements as a redshirt sophomore. He has seemingly jumped players like veteran Lucas Finnessy and Illinois State transfer Steven Curtis on the edge position depth chart, which was not a given before the season. He has eight pressures on 71 pass-rushing snaps, and it looks like his role will only continue to grow.