Minnesota Football Countdown to Kickoff: #98 Adam Kissayi
The countdown is officially on.
Today marks just 98 days until Minnesota football returns to the field for its 2026 season on September 3 at Huntington Bank Stadium against the Eastern Illinois Panthers.
As we do every year, Gophers Nation will count down to kickoff every day with our Minnesota football countdown to kickoff series.
Each day, we will highlight a current Gopher who wears the number of days remaining till kickoff. For today, that player is redshirt junior defensive end Adam Kissayi. If no player wears that number, Gophers Nation will highlight a player from the past.
Let’s dive into today’s player profile on Adam Kissayi.
Recruitment Rewind
As a prospect coming out of American Heritage High School in Palm Bay, Florida, Kissayi was considered a high three-star prospect in the Rivals Industry Rankings, ranked No. 503 nationally, the No. 49 EDGE rusher, and a top-70 player out of the state of Florida.
He originally committed to Minnesota in June of 2023, but one month later earned an offer from the Clemson Tigers and quickly afterwards flipped his commitment to the Tigers. He’d sign with Clemson in December of 2023. His stay was short in South Carolina as he’d enter the transfer portal that spring and quickly landed with the Gophers.
Kissayi’s career at Minnesota
Kissayi as a true freshman in 2024, did not see the field for the Golden Gophers but did appear in seven games this past season, recording three tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
He made his collegiate debut against FCS Northwestern State, recording two tackles and one tackle for loss in the process. He also played against Rutgers, Ohio State, Purdue, Nebraska, Iowa, Michigan State, and Oregon.
2026 Outlook
Kissayi enters 2026 as a member of the Gophers’ defensive end rotation, working behind Anthony Smith. Cal transfer T.J. Bush will likely take most of his snaps at RUSH end as well, but could float over to the defensive end side if needed. For the most part, Kissayi should see quality snaps in 2026; his overall numbers, however, will ultimately be hampered by Smith playing in front of him. If Kissayi can put together a strong 2026 campaign, it could help catapult him into being the favorite to be the Golden Gophers’ starting defensive end come 2027.
