P.J. Fleck talks Conor Rhoda, Antoine Winfield Jr. and positional depth
The Gopher football team practiced inside TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday afternoon with over 100 junior recruits visiting campus this weekend. Tempo continued to be a theme throughout the session as the players flew between drills and worked 1-on-1 with coaches. Head coach P.J. Fleck said he wants to consistently test his players. With only three of the 12 total installs implemented, Fleck said their “how” is being tested.
“How mentally tough are they?” Fleck said.
Fleck is testing the players’ ability to respond to adversity through a variety of organized situations in practice. He said inexperience is showing up on offense, but it is related to players having limited exposure to games.
“There’s not a lot of experience out there that has played a ton of football on the offensive side,” he said.
Fleck said it won’t get any easier as the 2018 roster will be younger in almost every way next year. With limited depth up front on both sides of the ball, the coaches will value the experience young players receive this year.
“We are going to get a lot younger in 2018 than we actually are going to get older,” Fleck noted. “The D-Line depth, the offensive line-depth, we have to establish more depth here.”
It may take creativity to establish a depth chart and rotation that maximizes the potential of every player on the field. However, Fleck said they will be as creative as possible.
“We are going to do what we have to do in year one, no matter what that is,” he said.
Fleck noted the inexperience is less noticeable on the defensive side of the ball because of the leadership in the secondary from Antoine Winfield Jr. He said he stood out on the practice field Saturday.
“I tell you what, [Winfield is] everywhere,” Fleck said. “[Winfield has] been leading our secondary. He hasn’t been out here that long, obviously, but man, did he take over our defense today. You can tell that young man loves to play the game.”
Fleck added, “our players respond to [Winfield] and I think that’s contagious on defense. You can see that a lot more on the defense side of the the ball than on the offensive side. “
The quarterback competition continues to progress on offense and Fleck said he will look for a quarterback who can command the offense, while being a decisive decision-maker.
“Who’s going to own and command the team on offense and then who can make the most elite, decisive decisions?” Fleck said.
The quarterback competition will likely feature Demry Croft and senior quarterback Conor Rhoda as practices continue to progress. Fleck said convincing Rhoda to return started with a meeting shortly after he was hired as the head coach.
“I met with every single player on this football team just to kind of talk of them and build a relationship,” Fleck said. “I sat him down, talked to him; he stressed his concerns.”
Fleck said he couldn’t guarantee anything to Rhoda other than the degree he would receive at the University of Minnesota, his exposure to the H.Y.P.R.R. culture, and his development as a man.
Fleck told him, “’you’ve got a great shot at becoming the quarterback just because it is wide open.’” He added, “I love that [Rhoda] is the one actually commanding a little bit from the football team on the offensive side.”
Conor Rhoda said the decision to return was easy after a 7:30 a.m. meeting with Coach Fleck on a Saturday morning. Rhoda considered leaving the game to pursue a job in sales, which is his desired profession.
“It was an easy sales job on [Fleck’s] part. Looking to transfer or moving on from this University had nothing to do with my choice,” Rhoda said. “It was my scholarship wasn’t going to be renewed. As soon as he offered that spot, there was no way I was missing out on that.”
Fleck said the quarterback competition continues to evolve, but like every positon on the team, he wants to keep the players guessing. He noted the decision to practice at TCF Bank Stadium was related to this philosophy.
“We always want to keep them moving, guessing. I’m not into comfort,” he said.
Quick practice notes:
The defensive backfield is showing growth with players like cornerbacks Antonio Shenault and Kiondre Thomas showing growth. Their technique and footwork have improved and I was particularly impressed with Thomas’ hip swivel and light footwork. He may be a contributor as a redshirt freshman because of his technique, build, and skill-set.
In addition, Tai’yon Devers appears to have added some weight, but hasn’t lost his quickness and burst. He has the ability to cover up the field and get after the passer. This is a rare skill-set for a prototypical defensive end. He could almost stand up and play as an edge rusher/outside linebacker if necessary. It will be interesting to see the creative ways Fleck and defensive coordinator Robb use Devers in the defense.
The punting competition might be a little closer than everyone thinks. I was particularly impressed with Jacob Herbers in team punting drills today. He is striking the ball well and may push Ryan Santoso. Santoso had some consistency issues last year and Herbers has really taken the leap.
Finally, another player I was attracted to came in the wide receiver room. Freshman Brock Annexstad has the chance to develop into a solid receiver. He has a nice frame and can adjust to the ball well in traffic. I’m particularly curious to see how he stacks up when defensive backs get more physical with him at the line of scrimmage. He won’t be an immediate contributor, but is a developmental project to monitor throughout spring and fall practices.