Luke Drzewiecki spent his college career kicking for New Mexico, and this offseason it turns out the best offer on the table came from the last team to beat him. On3's Pete Nakos reported that Drzewiecki has signed with Minnesota, capping a portal move that reshapes the Golden Gophers' specialist room ahead of the season.
New Mexico kicker Luke Drzewiecki has signed with Minnesota, @On3 has learned. All-conference selection. https://t.co/wMrfFrcNOy
The New Mexico-Minnesota connection isn't a coincidence. The two programs met in the 2025 Rate Bowl on December 26 at Chase Field in Phoenix, and Minnesota walked off with a 20-17 overtime win when quarterback Drake Lindsey found Jalen Smith for a 12-yard touchdown on the game's final play. Drzewiecki actually gave the Lobos a brief 17-14 lead in overtime with a 36-yard field goal before Minnesota answered.
That bowl trip ended up being the beginning of a bigger shakeup for New Mexico's staff. Special teams coordinator Daniel Da Prato left the Lobos to take the same job at Minnesota, one of several New Mexico assistants who moved on to Power Four programs after the season. Da Prato had overseen a New Mexico special teams unit that ranked among the nation's best in kickoff returns, and Drzewiecki was one of three players on that unit to earn All-Mountain West honors.
As a senior, Drzewiecki made 17 of 18 field goals and went a perfect 36-for-36 on extra points, numbers that made him one of the most reliable specialists in the Mountain West. New Mexico head coach Jason Eck once said of him, "Luke's been so damn accurate, you can almost count those as three-point opportunities," explaining why the Lobos leaned on him instead of going for it on fourth down. New Mexico finished 9-4 in 2025, its first winning season since 2016.
Now Drzewiecki gets to kick for the program that ended that breakout season, reunited with the coach who helped him become an all-conference player in the first place. It's a reminder of how the portal era has scrambled old rivalries — the guy who beat you in a bowl game might be signing your best specialist six months later. Minnesota picks up a proven, high-percentage kicker without having to develop one from scratch, while New Mexico now has to replace both its kicker and the coach who coached him up in the same offseason.