Jalen Smith highlights Gophers' new-look WR room: 'He showed what he can do'

It was an overall shaky game, but Minnesota's wide receivers showed some intriguing potential.

Aug 28, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers wide receiver Jalen Smith (8) runs the ball after a catch for a touchdown against the Buffalo Bulls during the second half of the game at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Mankato, Minnesota native Jalen Smith played one snap in his college career heading into the 2025 season, but the redshirt freshman was the Gophers' No. 1 target on Thursday night with a team-high nine targets.

With a few receptions that were called back after review, it was an up-and-down night for Smith. A shaky start was completely forgotten after he reeled in a 60-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to essentially seal the game.

"Look at a guy like Jalen Smith tonight. He's playing in his first football game. Some things went well, some things didn't go so well," P.J. Fleck said after the game. "When you're a guy, it's different going out there, running four run plays to run out a game last year. We're talking about real football, and there's some things he's going to keep getting better at. I think he showed what he can do, and now we just need to continue to get better at those things."

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Smith signed with Minnesota in the 2024 high school recruiting class alongside Drake Lindsey. It's clear that the two redshirt freshmen have built a serious rapport. Smith finished with two receptions, 76 yards and one touchdown on Thursday night. His nine targets were one more than tight end Jameson Geers, who had eight. Javon Tracy and Darius Taylor both had five targets. Minnesota was credited with only two true drops on Thursday night, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).

"You can't ever bring someone down too much, drops are going to happen, I am going to miss a throw, someone is going to miss a protection. Mistakes are going to happen, it's bound to happen in this league," Lindsey said after the game. "It's an encouraging, serious talk, telling him, hey, I am going to keep throwing the ball [Jalen Smith's] way, and he's going to make that catch next time. Kind of communicating that to him, it was his first start, it was my first start, so I think it's going to be a great connection that we build. He's a tremendous playmaker, so [we] just got to keep getting him the ball."

Thursday night was Smith and Lindsey's first real action, and it's clear that they could be the future of Minnesota's passing attack. The wide receiver room as a whole has some room to grow, but Smith is already a main focal point as a redshirt freshman.