The Gophers held their fifth practice of the spring on Tuesday and it was the second session open to the media. After working the Big Ten Tournament during the last public practice, this was my first chance to see part of the 2019 squad in action. In this type of setting, it’s hard to learn too much outside of physical or technical changes.
The first takeaway was the physical growth of every player on the roster. After being a young team for the past couple years, this is the first spring practice where Minnesota looks physically developed across position groups. This was particularly apparent along the offensive line. The Gophers have so much returning talent and the younger players such as Blaise Andries, Curtis Dunlap Jr. and Daniel Faalele have progressed from a physical and technical standpoint. It’s easy to see the offensive line is going to be one of the strongest position groups on the roster. The addition of Jason Dickson could provide another lift for the Gophers at the tackle spot. Coach Fleck has been talking extensively about freshman JJ Guedet this spring. I was very impressed with how much he has added to his frame since high school. Guedet is going to develop into a really talented player and we’ll see how quickly he adjusts to the next level.
Outside of the offensive line, the tight end group might have developed the most from a physical standpoint. Jake Paulson and Ko Kieft have both added additional weight, which should help Minnesota’s zone blocking scheme. When tight ends need to clear the edge or wham block downhill, they have the power to go head-to-head with defensive ends or linebackers in the second level. Earlier this offseason, I chose Brevyn Spann-Ford as one of my breakout players for this year. With the physical improvements he made, he’s looking the part as a big target and matchup threat for the Gophers offense.
The physical growth was clear on the defensive side of the ball, too. I was particularly intrigued by the mass added by Kamal Martin. If it’s possible, he looks physically stronger and will be a big part of the defense this year. The entire linebacker group looks much different this year as young players benefited from a year in the strength and conditioning program. The five-technique players and the edge rushers are all looking more physically ready this year. Esezi Otomewo and Boye Mafe already possessed the length and quick-twitch traits, but they have added a more muscular build. The Gophers have some developing talent on the edge and many players possess prototype talent, including a player like Abi N-Okonji, who has unique physical traits. He is someone who could develop into a hybrid pass rusher in the future.
The Gophers invested heavily into the interior of the defensive line this year. They added transfers Keonte Schad and Micah Dew-Treadway to bring more experience to the room.
“Micah’s an older guy and Micah played a lot of football at Notre Dame, so he can really lead the younger guys,” head coach P.J. Fleck said after practice. “And you can see he’s way further along in the process. He’s played a lot of football, so he understands that, plus he’s physically mature, so he doesn’t have to learn how to do the physical part.
Dew-Treadway is massive and hard to move inside, but you can really tell he has the awareness and technical aspects of his game down. As Minnesota continues to bolster defensive tackle depth with younger players, they’ll need both Dew-Treadway and Schad to fill holes. Outside of those two additions, a young player like Jamaal Teague is going to be heavily relied upon to grow up quickly. This is one area the Gophers will need to work hard to develop this year.
“The other guys have all three aspects to master and that’s very difficult to do when you’re here early,” Fleck said. “That whole mix of nose guard, three-technique, five-technique, that’s going to move all year and if we have to play some young kids in there, we will.”
At the defensive back position, I was impressed with the hands-on approach of Rod Chance and Joe Harasymiak. I could see how much they are developing and coaching the core group of defensive backs. Junior college transfer cornerback Kelvin Clemmons has a very intriguing body type and possesses a ton of length to get into passing lanes. I’ll be fascinated to watch him develop and contribute this season. I like how they broke up the coaching duties at safety and cornerback because you certainly see how much they benefit from getting technical coaching between reps and breaks. Cornerback Terell Smith has clearly made strides with his footwork and physical development. He will continue to improve and benefited from being thrown into the fire as a freshman.
This is probably the most stability the Gophers have had at the quarterback position in recent memory. It’s easy to see both Zack Annexstad and Tanner Morgan are developing in different ways. They are past the stage of needing to learn the offense and technical components of being a quarterback. Annexstad is looking very confident and gets the ball to the right spot quickly after going through progressions. The young quarterbacks continue to grow, but I was pretty impressed with Cole Kramer and what he brings to the table as a passer. Kirk Ciarrocca has plenty of talent to work with at the quarterback position this year. The battle will continue to progress in camp, but it’s apparent they aren’t making the same “rookie mistakes” they were last season. With Jacob Clark and Kramer working in the background, they have depth getting reps in the background, too.
At the wide receiver position, the Gophers are loaded with so much depth. One could argue this position has made the the biggest 180-degree swing under P.J. Fleck and his staff. They’ll have trouble getting all of the players onto the field. With Tyler Johnson, Rashod Bateman, Chris Autman-Bell and Demetrius Douglas at the top of the depth chart, there will be less reps to go around for younger players. Those underclassmen show flashes, especially Erik Gibson, who P.J. Fleck mentioned at the start of spring ball. He has improved in nearly every aspect of his game and could develop into a future weapon. It’s clear the wide receiver room is developing talent at a rapid rate. You can never have enough skill guys!
Other Notes:
– Wide receiver Seth Green is dealing with what head coach P.J. Fleck called a “lower body injury.” He said it will take some time to heal, but that “he’ll be fine.” When Fleck was asked about Green’s availability for the spring game, he said, “We’ll see. They’ll be some guys I don’t know if I’ll play in the spring game, just in general.”
– Overall, the Gophers have improved their depth across all of the position groups on the roster. This is the first spring where they’ve managed to have young players developing behind veterans. They don’t have to rush younger players and they can continue to become physically developed before being thrust into action. In the past they didn’t have that luxury. During Fleck’s first year, they barely had enough offensive linemen to scrimmage. That’s drastically changed as the staff enters its third year.