The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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126 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2026 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY CLAYTON SAYFIE P.J. Fleck has done what's been asked of him at Minnesota, which is why he was given a new contract this offseason that brings his 2026 compensation up to a whopping $7.9 million. Fleck snapped a 14-game losing streak to Wisconsin and has won four of the last seven battles for Paul Bunyan's Axe. He's taken the Golden Gophers to seven con- secutive bowl games excluding the 2020 season, winning all of them, including last year's Rate Bowl against New Mexico, 20- 17 in overtime. After a rough start against ranked opponents, Fleck's squads have won four games versus Associated Press Top 25 teams in the last three years. The next goal is to get back to double- digit wins for the first time since 2019, though it's a tougher task with the ex- panded Big Ten. The Golden Gophers have an over/under win total of 6.5 games in 2026, per Bet- MGM, with the 10th-most returning pro- duction in college football, according to ESPN. Perhaps the best quarterback Fleck has had in Minneapolis is one of seven return- ing starters on offense. Redshirt sopho- more Drake Lindsey is receiving a lot of preseason hype, with CBS Sports project- ing him to be the No. 4 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, the third quarterback off the board only behind Texas' Arch Man- ning at No. 1 and Oregon's Dante Moore at No. 3. The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Fayetteville, Ark., native connected on 63 percent of his throws (246-of-389) for 2,382 yards and 18 touchdowns with 6 interceptions in 2025 and has a cannon for an arm. Lindsey has weapons around him, in- cluding at wide receiver. Fifth-year se- nior Javon Tracy (37 catches, 454 yards, 6 TD) and junior Jalen Smith (28 receptions, 419 yards, 4 TD) were second and third on the team in receiving last year, respec- tively, and senior transfer Noah Jennings is another potential difference-maker fol- lowing a 23-catch, 323-yard campaign at Cincinnati. Three starters are back on the offen- sive line, as is senior running back Darius Taylor. The Detroit native has had a stellar career, totaling 2,455 yards and 19 touch- downs, but has struggled to stay healthy for full seasons. The Golden Gophers were weak running the football a year ago, av- eraging only 103.2 rushing yards per game to rank 128th in the FBS. It's worth men- tioning that Taylor averaged 5.2 yards per carry and 126 rushing yards per game when he was full-go and attempted 19 or more rushes. The defense, on the other hand, did a great job stopping the run last season, holding opponents to 121.1 rushing yards per contest (27th nationally). The front lived in the backfield, registering 3 sacks (tied for sixth) and 7.1 tackles for loss (11th) per outing, led by fifth-year senior edge rusher Anthony Smith. The 6-foot-6, 285-pound beast led the Big Ten with 12.5 sacks, ranked eighth among the confer- ence's edge rushers with 44 pressures and posted 17.5 TFL. There's all sorts of excitement for the duo of Smith and senior defensive end Karter Menz, who had 6.5 sacks and 9 TFL in 2025. Defensive tackle, meanwhile, is a big ques- tion mark. Oregon plucked junior safety Koi Perich to replace former Purdue transfer and eventual first-round NFL Draft pick Dil- lon Thieneman, leaving another Big Ten program in a lurch. The Golden Gophers will have to make up for his production; Perich played on defense, offense and spe- cial teams, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors last season. The stud on the back end of the defense is senior cornerback John Nestor, a ball- hawk who collected 6 interceptions to tie atop the Big Ten last season. He had a pick and fumble recovery in the 17-7 regular- season finale against Wisconsin. ❑ Minnesota's Returning Talent Offers A Chance To Rise GAME 5 • MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS • OCT. 3 Fifth-year senior defensive end Anthony Smith was named a second-team preseason All-Amer- ican by Athlon Sports. PHOTO BY BRAD REMPEL/MINNESOTA ATHLETICS QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Michigan leads 78-25-3 First Meeting: Minnesota 14, U-M 6 (Oct. 17, 1892 in Minneapolis) Last Meeting: U-M 27, Minnesota 24 (Sept. 28, 2024 in Ann Arbor) Head Coach: P.J. Fleck, 66-44 at Minnesota (10th year), 96-66 overall (14th year) 2025 In Review: 8-5 overall, 5-4 Big Ten Final 2025 Ranking: Unranked Returning Starters: 13 (7 offense, 5 de- fense, 1 specialist) Last Bowl Appearance: 2025 (Rate Bowl vs. New Mexico, W 20-17 in OT) RETURNING LEADERS Passing: Drake Lindsey (2,382 yards, 18 TD) Rushing: Darius Taylor (670 yards, 4 TD) Receiving: Javon Tracy (454 yards, 6 TD) Tackles: Maverick Baranowski (103) Sacks: Anthony Smith (12.5) Interceptions: Josh Nestor (6) 2026 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2025 Result Sept. 3 EASTERN ILLINOIS — Sept. 12 MISSISSIPPI STATE — Sept. 19 AKRON — Sept. 26 at Washington — Oct. 3 MICHIGAN — Oct. 10 at Purdue W, 27-20 Oct. 24 IOWA L, 41-3 Oct. 31 at Indiana — Nov. 7 UCLA — Nov. 14 at Penn State — Nov. 21 NORTHWESTERN L, 38-35 Nov. 28 at Wisconsin W, 17-7 REASONS FOR OPTIMISM • Roster continuity • Schedule on the easier side • QB Drake Lindsey's ascension Minnesota will have a better quarterback than many opponents on the schedule and has a lot of returning production. Not play- ing Ohio State or Oregon helps, too. REASONS FOR CONCERN • Run game • Defensive tackle • Losing S Koi Perich Minnesota has to make some key re- placements on defense, and the running game was less than inspiring last season.