The Gophers football team’s first addition of the 2026 transfer portal class is to-be redshirt sophomore quarterback Michael Merdinger, according to On3.com.
With redshirt sophomore Drake Lindsey the clear QB1 for Minnesota next fall, Merdinger will come in and compete for the backup spot with last year’s No. 2 Max Shikenjanski.
The 6-foot-2, 210-pound signal caller spent one season at North Carolina in 2024 and one year at Liberty in 2025. He was born in Tel Aviv, Israel and was a three-star recruit out of Cardinal Gibbon High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The U offered him a scholarship during the 2024 recruiting cycle, but he went to the Tar Heels, where he completed 9 of 12 passes for 86 yards and one interception against Connecticut in the Fenway Bowl. He didn’t appear in another game as a true freshman.
For Liberty last year, Merdinger completed 21 of 41 passes for 350 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions across five games.
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