Gopher Football’s Top NIL Earners Revealed

2025 was a disappoint season for the Minnesota Gophers. P.J. Fleck was starting a redshirt freshman quarterback, but heading into the season there was legitimate hope this team could win nine or ten games.

Not only did they win just seven, but Fleck got embarrassed by Iowa in his ninth season on the job, and they didn’t perform well against Northwestern, either. Minnesota is headed to the Rate Bowl against New Mexico in Phoenix, but the page needs to be flipped to 2026.

If the Gophers are going to be better next year, it will be because Drake Lindsey, Koi Perich, and Darius Taylor contribute in a big way. They aren’t going to be cheap to keep around, either, as the transfer portal will soon heat up.

MN Gophers spending big on key roster talent

The college sports landscape has changed amidst the introduction of NIL spending. Roster creating, especially in revenue generating sports, is not simply a byproduct of recruiting anymore. Dollars are attached to expectations, and Charley Walters revealed the substantial amount Minnesota will need to pay their stars.

It is expected to cost the Gophers at least $1 million to retain redshirt QB Drake Lindsey for his sophomore season next year. That would make him and 2016 junior defensive back Koi Perich at least a $2 million duo. Add Darius Taylor and the cost could exceed $3 million for trio.

Charley Walters – Pioneer Press

Drake Lindsey hardly set the world on fire this season. He completed 63.2% of his passes, with 16 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. At times, he looked every bit of a redshirt freshman. However, he also showed off his special arm talent, and there’s clearly a path for development.

Needing to pay a guy like Lindsey seven figures to retain his services is indicative of what college football has become, way too expensive… Minnesota will likely pony up for the Arkansas native who has always had a soft spot in his heart for the home state Razorbacks. It’s also probably helpful that his mentor, Vikings QB Max Brosmer is still in town.

Perich earned a hefty jump in NIL funds after leading the Big Ten in interceptions as a true freshman. The Minnesota native was nowhere near as noticeable this year, but he did record his first pick six. It seems logical he’ll be back, but the number will only increase.

Of the trio, Darius Taylor would seem to be the most expendable. An extremely talented running back, but rarely can be counted upon to remain on the field. Taylor played in just nine games for the Gophers while nursing a hamstring injury, and someone else paying for him to be injured on their sideline wouldn’t be the worst outcome.

Attendance still an issue for Minnesota Gophers

P.J. Fleck has the best recruiting class in history for the Minnesota Gophers for 2026. He held onto that talent despite the 7-5 record, but he’ll need to do much better in order to generate additional interest in the program. Walters added this about attendance for the Gophers:

Meanwhile, Gophers football attendance has decreased for a second straight season, averaging 46,519 for its seven games this year in 50,085-capacity Huntington Bank Stadium. The Gophers’ highest attendance average in history was 62,954 in 1957 at Memorial Stadium. The Metrodome years topped out at 60,985 in 1985; and the Huntington Bank Stadium high is 52,355 in 2015. During Fleck’s nine seasons at Minnesota, home attendance — excluding the abbreviated COVID 2020 season — has averaged 45,257.

Pioneer Press

When things are good at Huntington Bank Stadium, they can be really good. The problem is that Fleck has largely failed to sustain consistency. It might have seemed odd to storm the field after beating Nebraska, but it could have held more weight if the season trended in a positive direction.

At some point Fleck needs to reach a new level. He is 6-0 in bowl games at Minnesota, but has won less than nine games each of the past three seasons. An outlier 11-2 season with Tanner Morgan in 2019 is the high-water mark, and he’s shown zero semblance of returning to those heights since.