Joey Gerlach holds the MLB · Backup spot in Minnesota Golden Gophers’s linebacker room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Joey Gerlach is a redshirt senior linebacker for Minnesota who hails from Woodbury, Minnesota. A three-star recruit from Woodbury High School, Gerlach redshirted in 2022 before appearing in all 13 games during his freshman season in 2023, primarily on special teams with one tackle. He played in all 13 games as a sophomore in 2024, recording 15 tackles. In 2025, Gerlach competed in nine games and recorded 11 total tackles before missing the final four games due to injury. A three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, he has earned three letters at Minnesota.

Minnesota2022 — present