This time last year there were a lot of questions about the future of the quarterback position for the Gophers. Veteran Cole Kramer had won the Quick Lane Bowl against Bowling Green and a transfer to New Hampshire was expected to be the team’s future QB1. This year it’s a different story.

Max Brosmer joined the Gophers and watched them win the Quick Lane Bowl last year, and now, 12 months later, the quarterback room looks very different. Brosmer only played one season with the Gophers, but his impact will be felt well beyond the 2024 season.

“I feel good knowing I didn’t take any days for granted. I tried as hard as I could every single day and that’s something I can remember,” Brosmer said Saturday. “That was also the ideology of this team: we will try as hard as we can every day. You can look back on that and feel really good about the work you did,” knowing that you did your best every day.

There are still many questions about the Gophers quarterback position in 2025, but Brosmer has set a standard for the signal-caller to meet. Returning freshman Drake Lindsey will likely compete with Georgia Tech transfer Zach Pyron for the starting role, and Brosmer liked what he saw from Lindsey as a true freshman.

“The first thing is his work ethic and his passion for football. That’s a standard we’ve built in the quarterback room,” Brosmer said. “No team will be successful without a quarterback who simply loves football and a quarterback who is extremely motivated every day and not just a few days but every single day.”

Minnesota will also bring back veteran Dylan Wittke, who transferred from Virginia Tech last offseason, and former preferred walk-on (PWO) Max Shikenjanski, who is the only quarterback left on the 2023 roster. There is much more stability to the position group as a whole.

“That’s what I wanted to kind of bring to the quarterback room…to show them how much it actually cost,” Brosmer explained. “Hopefully it was good enough to show you how much work goes into the summer and off-season. We have seven wins, so it will take more to get more wins next season.”

In the modern world of college football and the transfer portal, it’s sometimes difficult to get every single player on a team to buy into the culture. Brosmer only played one season in Dinkytown, but it’s clear the program is in a better position now than when he arrived last December.

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