Gophers QB Max Brosmer shows off live arm, accurate passing in spring practice

Saturday offered Gophers football fans — those who are members of the Dinkytown Athletes name, image and likeness collective — a first look at the 2024 team during a spring practice session at the team’s indoor facility.

Most eyes, of course, were on the Gophers’ new quarterback, New Hampshire graduate transfer Max Brosmer, who was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award last year as the nation’s top player at the FCS level. Brosmer showed a live arm and accurate passing during seven-on-seven and individual drills, though he wasn’t perfect — he threw an interception — he is enjoying the process of learning the offense.

“The energy is all that I expected and more,” Brosmer said. “I got to be a part of the team for bowl prep, so I got a little feel for practice. … It’s fun, it’s exciting.”

Coach P.J. Fleck credited Brosmer for his leadership since joining the Gophers and noted that teammates have voted him captain. The coaching staff’s aim now is to keep giving his new quarterback challenges during each practice.

“It’s up to us to be able to close that gap as fast as we can and keep putting them in uncomfortable environments to make them better,” Fleck said of his quarterbacks. “[Brosmer] is a really good player, and the data is out there to support that. … We’ve got to continue to keep that arrow moving for him to be able to keep closing that gap. And I think we did that today a little bit.”

Brosmer played in a passing offense at New Hampshire, while the Gophers’ have relied more heavily on the run. He believes he’ll adapt well.

“This system is very pro-style,” he said. “I go from an FCS school where we’re throwing the ball 50 times a game and where we’re airing it out, to now more of a balanced attack. It’s super helpful for my game as I transition into this new world of the Big Ten and hopefully the NFL.”

Early enrollee freshman quarterback Drake Lindsey worked with the second string on Saturday. His size (6-5 and 235 pounds) and arm were noticeable as he showed accuracy on a long pass.

“He’s incredibly poised for a true freshman,” Fleck said of the Fayetteville, Ark., native. “I mean, he’s got a long way to go, but, boy, is he fun to coach. … Pairing him with a guy like Max just accelerated his growth.”

Sign up for our Gophers Update newsletter

Quinn Carroll has started all 26 games at right tackle for the Gophers over the past two seasons. The coaching staff tried to move Carroll to right guard last year, but no one stepped up and won the right tackle job during training camp, so the former Edina standout played right tackle last year and earned All-Big Ten honorable mention.

Saturday, Carroll was back at right guard, and that’s where the Gophers coaches want to keep him.

“We need to see consistency,’’ Fleck said of the right tackle candidates. “And there’s got to be, ‘leave no doubt about it.’ Just because a job is open doesn’t mean the next guy is going to have the job because it’s open. You’ve got to earn it.”

Fleck pointed to junior Martes Lewis and redshirt freshman Phillip Daniels as right tackle candidates, saying Lewis has gotten a lot better and that Daniels “is an unbelievable athlete who’s got a lot of attitude and plays violently. He’s a great kid.”

Carroll is eager to help at either position. “It’s just trying to find what’s best for myself and what’s best for the team in both the run and pass game,” he said.

The Gophers received their first verbal commitment of the 2025 recruiting class on Saturday when Zachry Harden from Newton High School in Covington, Ga., posted on the X platform that he has selected Minnesota.

Harden, 6-2 and 190 pounds, had offers from 18 other FBS programs, including Texas A&M, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Michigan State and Indiana. He is scheduled to make his Gophers official visit in June. He does not yet have a star rating on 247Sports.com.