Minnesota aiming to flip 2026 QB who's committed to Virginia Tech

The Gophers sent out an interesting scholarship offer on Monday night.

Cougars Quarterback Cole Bergeron 8, Teurlings Catholic Rebels take on STM Cougars Football. Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. | SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Gophers sent out a scholarship offer to 2026 three-star Louisiana QB Cole Bergeron on Monday night. It seems notable because he has been verbally committed to Virginia Tech since August 7, and Minnesota already has a QB pledged to its 2026 class.

"Had a Great Conversation with [Coach Fleck] and [Coach Harbaugh]. I am excited to say I have received an Offer from the University of Minnesota," Bergeron posted on X on Monday.

Had a Great Conversation with @Coach_Fleck and @CoachHarbaugh I am excited to say I have received an Offer from The University of Minnesota @GopherFootball @TomLoy247 @samspiegs @adamgorney @MikeRoach247 @ChadSimmons_ @SWiltfong_ @CodyBellaire pic.twitter.com/bypvZStltZ

— Cole J Bergeron (@ColeJBergeron1) November 10, 2025

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Standing at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Bergeron is a tantalizing prospect. The latest 247Sports Composite ranks him as the 629th-best player in the class of 2026, the 38th-best QB and the No. 22 player in Louisiana. He also holds notable offers from Indiana, Georgia Tech and UCLA, among others, but he was on the U of M campus for an official visit during the Gophers' bye week.

Virginia Tech currently doesn't have a head coach after firing Brent Pry earlier this, which makes it seem innevitable that Bergeron could change plans at some point.

Bergeron is amid a standout senior season at St. Thomas More Catholic High School in Lafayette, Louisiana. His team went 7-3 in the regular season, and they're preparing for the start of the playoffs this Friday.

Minnesota has had three-star Downers Grove, Illinois QB Owen Lansu committed to its 2026 class since July 28, 2024. He has had an up-and-down senior season, and he ranks as the 55th-best quarterback in the country, according to the same 247Sports Composite.

The decision to offer a second quarterback this late in the cycle is interesting because Minnesota hasn't signed two scholarship high school quarterbacks in the same cycle since it added Jacob Clark and Cole Kramer back in 2019. P.J. Fleck and his staff have historically gone with one signal caller per cycle, so the decision to offer Bergeron likely has a reasoning behind it.

The only quarterback currently on Minnesota's roster who is out of eligibility after this season is Old Dominion transfer Emmett Morehead. That leaves Drake Lindsey, Max Shikenjanski, Dylan Wittke and true freshman Jackson Kollock all with the option to return next season. A six-man QB room is certainly not abnormal, but with the current 105-player roster limits, it doesn't seem like the best strategy.

Do the Gophers think Lansu will decommit? Do they expect one of their current quarterbacks to transfer? Maybe they just want to add an extra arm to the QB room in 2026. Ultimately, the only way to find out for sure is by watching the upcoming offseason unfold, which should be an interesting one across the country.