Gopher Football
Here are more some of Brewster’s comments:
TCF Bank Stadium
““ Brewster calls it the “˜finest’ college football stadium in America. Many are bigger, but none are nicer. He seemed pleased that nothing was missed when it was planned and built.
““ He said that Jerry Rice called it the best field he’s ever run on.
““ Thinks it will provide a great home field advantage, and is excited to play in front of 50,000 fans in Maroon & Gold instead of 15k ““ 20k opponent fans.
““ Is excited that the Gophers will be bringing in a good team for the first year in the stadium.
““ Excited for the vibe & enthusiasm of the on campus, outdoor atmosphere. Brewster says people he’s talked to across the state are genuinely excited and passionate about having football back on campus.
Program & Team
““ Brewster is excited about the development of the program heading into his 3rd year. He expects that Gophers will be a good team. He thinks that they’re making all the necessary steps to building the program.
““ He likes talent & experience of the team. He said the recruiting they’ve done the past two years has increased the talent level across the board and is creating competitions at many positions. This increased competition will make the team better. Brewster stated he thinks that competition a good thing so that everyone is always fighting for their job, except for quarterback. He wants the quarterback to be comfortable in their job security.
““ Brewster praised the work done over the summer from the Captains.
““ Ryan Wynn is having back issues right now and is out, and Brewster didn’t know how long he’d be sidelined. Beyond that, Brewster said the team is very healthy, and the players who suffered injuries or had surgery over the last year are 100%. That includes: Adam Weber, Duane Bennett, Xavian Brandon, Eric Decker, Jeff Tow-Arnett, and Marcus Sherels.
““ Brewster said there will likely be fewer younger players getting on the field year because of the increased depth. He did say that there are some freshmen that will have a chance to compete at the skill positions, but did not name any names. He did say that young guys will play if the thinks they can help the team win.
““ Practice starts on Monday. The running drills will begin at 6:00 am, and the first practice is slated for 4:30 pm.
Offense
““ Even though the general mentality of the offense will be to pound the football, Brewster said they are not completely abandoning the spread. What really bothered Brewster the last couple of years was the inability to get yards on the ground when they were needed, so what they’ve brought in is a change in mentality. There still be will multiple receiver sets, and they may still even run out of the shotgun. But there will also be many two back sets, and running the football will be the emphasis.
Quarterback:
““ Brewster re-emphasized that Adam Weber is the Gophers starting quarterback, and there is no controversy. He said that it’s unfortunate that Weber is not getting the credit that he’s due. Brewster thinks Weber is as good of a quarterback is there is in the Big Ten, and one of the best in the nation. His development has been excellent, and is poised to have a great season.
““ MarQueis Gray will figure into the plans each week, and needs to prepare himself to be the number two guy, so that if Weber goes down MarQueis can step in and lead the team to a win. He considers MarQueis one of the top play makers on the team.
Running Back
““ The Gophers are deep at RB, and have up to five guys who will be in competition (Bennett, Eskridge, Salamon, Whaley & Thomas). Brewster cited this position as an example of how the program is improving, with the recruiting success helping to create more competition.
““ Duane Bennett is 100% healthy, and is ready to go Brewster thinks Duane was right on the cusp last year before his injury, and said he very hungry. DeLeon Eskridge is bigger and stronger. Brewster calls Kevin Whaley a curveball. He is a violent runner with good speed.
Wide Receiver
““ Brewster thinks Eric Decker is one of the top two or three WRs in the country, and the coaches will try to be creative in the ways that they use him. What Brewster also likes about this position is the talent around Decker is improving. He is excited for Hayo Carpenter, and likes the potential of Da’Jon McKnight. The increased talent around Decker this year should help alleviate some of the pressure on him.
Tight End
““ Brewster said that Nick Tow-Arnett will one of the best tight ends in the Big Ten, and has the ability to be the best. He said Nick is a good blocker, and will work the middle of the field in receiving patterns. Thinks that Nick is under rated, and said that nobody worked harder than him over the summer.
““ Nick Rengel will be joining the team on Monday. The is a change from the original plan of him grayshirting this year.
““ Brewster is excited for Ra’Shede Hageman. He has great size at 6’6″ 270, but knows how to run and catch well.
Offensive Line
““ Brewster thinks that the offensive line is going to be improved. He said that coach Tim Davis has done a lot of good work in a short amount time. He said the line will line up with a hand on the ground, rather than the upright stance of the spread offense.
““ Matt Stommes is 6’7″ 312 lbs and has been getting much stronger.
““ Jeff Wills came in at over 400 pounds, but now is under 350. Has done a great job getting himself in better shape.
““ Calls Matt Carufel being here “œimportant”. Brewster thinks that his message is getting across about wanting to keep the Minnesota kids home, and that it sends a statement that Carufel transferred back here from Notre Dame. Brewster calls him a “œlunch pail” guy, who will be a tough, nasty player.
““ Ryan Wynn has a back issue that will keep him from being in the field initially. D.J. Burris and Chris Bunders will start off competing at the left guard spot. Trey Davis and Jeff Tow-Arnett will compete at center.
Defense
““ Brewster said he wants the defense to continue to be opportunistic. The defense is experienced and has good senior leadership.
““ Eric Small and Garret Brown will be strong at the tackle spots. He said that Small is up to 307 pounds, and praised his work ethic in getting better at the position. He thinks that Brandon Kirksey has a chance be one of the better young players in the Big Ten.
““ Brewster said that the team does not have one player who can replace the production of Willie VanDeSteeg but said that across the board the defensive line could be better. Cedrick McKinley has made steps to becoming a better player. Derrick Onwuachi had a strong summer, and is a great athlete with a 39 ½ in vertical jump. As a group he said that the defensive ends have potential, but that right now it’s unrealized.
““ Thinks the lineback position is where there will be some competition. He likes the potential of Spencer Reeves and Keanon Cooper. He will watch to see if Nate Triplett can take hold of a starting spot.
““ Brewster said that Sam Maresh has done an amazing job, especially battling the mental aspect and getting himself ready. Sam was a step slow in the spring, but has gotten in better physical condition over the summer, and Brewster thinks he’s probably 100% ready psychically. At the same time, Brewster stressed that he does not want to rush Sam back into action, so they need to wait and make sure he’s confident, and back to 100% mentally as well.
““ Brewster likes Kim Royston and thinks he’ll step in and play well right out of the gate.
Special Teams
““ Brewster likes the special teams, but other than that did not elaborate too much. He said that the team speed and athleticism is evident, especially at linebacker and in the secondary, and thinks this will translate into good special teams play.
““ Eric Ellestad will be the kicker, and Blake Haudan (who had a good spring) and true freshman Dan Orseske will compete for punter job.
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