Minnesota’s fall-camp questions start with a familiar trio

When Minnesota previewed fall camp, head coach P.J. Fleck was joined by quarterback Drake Lindsey, running back Darius Taylor and defensive lineman Anthony Smith. The grouping offers a useful map of the coming month even before the first full practice report arrives.

Lindsey represents the offense’s command point. Taylor keeps attention on the backfield, while Smith gives the defense an established presence up front after leading the Big Ten with 12.5 sacks in 2025. Camp will fill in the roles around them, but those three positions frame the first set of questions.

Minnesota opens at home against Eastern Illinois before Mississippi State and Akron visit Huntington Bank Stadium. That runway gives the Gophers three Minneapolis dates to turn camp decisions into a working identity before the first road trip.

Source: Minnesota Athletics