Drake Lindsey returning to Gophers: ‘There was no doubt in my mind’

Drake Lindsey isn’t going anywhere.

Lindsey, the Gophers’ starting quarterback as a redshirt freshman this year, announced Thursday on radio broadcaster Mike Grimm’s podcast that he’ll remain with Minnesota for the 2026 season.

“I got my stuff done right after the Axe game [vs. Wisconsin on Nov. 29], so I decided I was gonna obviously come back,” Lindsey said. “And there wasn’t any other thought in my mind. I love this coaching staff, and I really feel like I’m developing into an NFL quarterback here.

“… Having another year or two or three under these coaches and at this place, I think I can grow and be a really, really good quarterback and a really good person,” Lindsey continued. “So, there was no doubt in my mind.”

Lindsey, a Fayetteville, Ark., native, has guided the Gophers to a 7-5 record in his first year as a starter. He has completed 228 of 361 passes (63.2%) for 2,235 yards and 16 touchdowns with six interceptions. He completed 66.4% of his passes with six TD passes and no interceptions in his last four games.

Lindsey acknowledged he’ll have name, image and likeness opportunities with the Gophers again but downplayed that as a major part of his decision.

“They took care of me, and really it’s not even about that,” he said. “It’s just about being in the right system. And I really feel I’m getting developed here, and that’s the main thing because the ultimate goal is to take this place to new heights and then play in the NFL.”

“I’m super excited for it,” Lindsey said of the bowl game in Phoenix. “One of my favorite memories from last season was having those four or five days in Charlotte and then playing the bowl game. … Bowl prep for me was very beneficial last year, because I got a ton of reps [in practice]."

Lindsey has consulted with teammates to see if they’re planning to remain with the team in 2026. So far, 10 players from the 2025 team have announced they intend to enter the transfer portal when it opens Jan. 2. The most prominent of those is redshirt freshman running back Fame Ijeboi, the Gophers’ second-leading rusher.

“There’s a big part of me that’s recruiting the people that we need to stay and, really, everybody, because we need everybody we can get,” Lindsey said. “After the bowl game, we’ll look in the portal and see what pieces we can add.”

One of the pieces the Gophers will have is their starting quarterback, who plans to keep working to improve all facets of his game.