Gophers get transfer QB commitment from Georgia Tech’s Zach Pyron

Last week on the opening day of early signing period, Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck said he’d “absolutely bring in a transfer quarterback” to compete for playing time in 2025. On Wednesday, Fleck got one.

Zach Pyron, who was a third-year sophomore at Georgia Tech this season, announced on the X platform that he has committed to play for the Gophers. Pyron, 6-3 and 220 pounds, was a backup for the Yellow Jackets and played in 10 games this season, completing 35 of 63 passes for 409 yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions. He also rushed 36 times for 115 yards and four touchdowns.

In three seasons at Georgia Tech, Pyron started four games and appeared in 19. He completed 88 of 155 passes (56.8%) for 995 yards and five TDs with seven interception. He also rushed 79 times for 271 yards and six TDs. His best game came in 2022 when he rallied Yellow Jackets from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Virginia Tech 28-27. Pyron had a 56-yard TD pass to complete a 90-yard drive and a 9-yard TD run to cap a 73-yard march for the decisive points with 3:30 left.

A four-star recruit out of Pinson Valley High School in Pinson, Ala., Pyron was the 18th-ranked quarterback in the nation in the 2022 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.

With the Gophers, Pyron brings experience to a young quarterback room that includes Drake Lindsey, a true freshman who’s been considered the heir apparent to starter Max Brosmer; Dylan Wittke, a transfer from Virginia Tech who’ll be a redshirt sophomore in 2025; Max Shikenjanski, a walk-on who’ll be a redshirt sophomore; and incoming freshman Jackson Kollock from Laguna Beach, Calif.

Fleck said he was transparent with all his quarterbacks about the plan to bring in a transfer to compete.

“It always starts with: Can the quarterback lead the team? Period,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s the first guy, the second guy, the third guy, the fourth guy, the fifth guy, we know we want to have five quarterbacks on our roster, and every single one of them has to have the intangible to lead the entire football team.”