Graduate transfer quarterback Max Brosmer will be behind the center as Gophers football’s next quarterback. He brings three years of starting experience from the University of New Hampshire.
Heading into their bowl game, the Gophers saw Athan Kaliakmanis and Drew Viotto enter the transfer portal, leaving redshirt freshman Max Shikenjanski as the only eligible quarterback for the following season.
Redshirt senior quarterback Cole Kramer led the Gophers to a 30-24 win over Bowling Green in the 2023 Quick Lane Bowl. Brosmer joined the team on the trip to Detroit and participated as the scout team quarterback.
Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck said in a press conference on March 23 Brosmer has been exceptional in his transition to Minnesota and in acclimating to the team on and off the field.
Fleck said players voted for Brosmer to be named captain for next season, citing his leadership as a significant reason for their decision.
“[Brosmer’s] only been here two months,” Fleck said. “[He was] thrown into everything that [he needed] to be able to handle academically, athletically, socially, spiritually, serving and giving.”
Fleck added being quarterback and captain at Minnesota comes with expectations. Brosmer, following Fleck’s words, said joining the team, along with the expectation to be a veteran, has been a great experience.
Brosmer ranked near the top of every statistical category among quarterbacks in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) last season. He threw for 3,449 yards, 29 touchdowns, five interceptions and 313.6 yards per game in 2023. His performance helped mark the Wildcats as the fifth-highest-scoring offense in the FCS.
When asked about Brosmer, right tackle Quinn Carroll said the first thing that comes to his mind is not Brosmer’s statistics but his intangibles.
“He’s a clear leader,” Carroll said. “He showed up and was ready to lead vocally and with stuff that he had never done before.”
Carroll added Brosmer has gone full speed and taken command of the offense since his first day with the team.
Along with joining a new program, Brosmer will have to adapt to the addition of coach-to-player helmet communication technology.
Brosmer said the technology is an adjustment he and Gophers offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. are working through during practices.
“We’re having a blast, me and Coach Harbaugh are trying to find the ins and outs of how communication is best,” Brosmer said. “[We are figuring] out if I like to hear the plays better or read them from my wristband.”
The new rule allows communication between the player and coach until there are 15 seconds on the play clock or the ball is snapped. According to Brosmer, he and Harbaugh are learning how to work around this time frame during spring practices.
Brosmer said the Gophers’ “balanced offense” is a change from New Hampshire, where they threw the ball “50 times a game.” He expects the change will support his style of quarterbacking.
With New Hampshire and Minnesota having similar offenses and schemes, according to Brosmer, memorizing the language of a new playbook has been the most difficult part of his transition.
“You’re learning a whole new language,” Brosmer said. “It’s like learning a foreign language, and being able to communicate that effectively when things are flying around is difficult at times.”
