Ky Thomas enters portal

No, they're not making a depth chart. But they can definitely tell a kid if he has a clear path to the #1 spot.

Why do you think Clark and Annexstad announced their transfer right before Tanner officially announced his return?
I think Clark and Annexstad were told or can see that Athan is the next man up with Kramer seeing the field.
 

A lot of people seem to be saying "not unexpected." I sure don't feel that way. How many freshmen running backs with 824 yards and five 100+ yard games in only 9 games played transfer from their schools?

I think there has to be more than just future playing time involved here.
 

No, they're not making a depth chart. But they can definitely tell a kid if he has a clear path to the #1 spot.

Why do you think Clark and Annexstad announced their transfer right before Tanner officially announced his return?
So you think Fleck is telling the public it will be an open competition at QB, but privately told Clark and ZA that Morgan will be starting next year? They left because they didn't feel confident that they'd beat him out.
 

I really doubt that Mo is going to return to form next year (hope I'm wrong but history is not kind to runners with injured achilles) and MN without its offensive line will not be nearly as dominant running the ball. I might not rush to get out of that room if I were these guys.
A good comparison will be Rodney Smith. Does anyone know if RS returned to form a year after his injury?
 

So you think Fleck is telling the public it will be an open competition at QB, but privately told Clark and ZA that Morgan will be starting next year? They left because they didn't feel confident that they'd beat him out.

Exactly the opposite. I don't think he is misleading anyone. They say all jobs are open for competition in spring ball. But there is a difference between saying there is going to be a competition to a kid and them looking at the depth chart and doing their own deductive reasoning and PJ lying and telling a player "you're our guy next year."

If PJ wanted to sacrifice his integrity and the way he runs the program, he could have and would have misled Ky to try and keep him around. The fact he doesn't do that is why you don't see many players transferring and then bad mouthing the program after they leave (or when they leave). My point is that there is nearly zero chance that any player - especially one who contributed like Ky - is not having a sit down with their position coach and/or PJ before they finalize a decision to hit the portal.
 


Kind of a catch 22 here. We are all happy Mo/Trey are healthy and coming back and Bucky looks to be good, but that meant Ky leaving was a possibility. Long-term I think Mo/Trey leaving and letting Ky be "the man" would have been better, but the way we have developed backs I think we should be ok.

I have to assume he is going to a VERY good program, outside of Bama I dont think there is a program out there that wouldnt need a Ky Thomas. Just for the love of god dont let it be Iowa....He wont go to Wisc with Braelon Allen there (did you know he is just 17!! #Sacrasm YES WE ALL KNEW EVERY DAMN GAME FOR THE 100TH TIME!) ;)
 

Losing Ky Thomas stinks. This is the new normal. He wants to be numero uno. Going to another team is not necessarily a guarantee that he will be the consensus starter. Prospective coaches might tell him what he wants to hear. The Gophers will overcome this.
 

A good comparison will be Rodney Smith. Does anyone know if RS returned to form a year after his injury?
Rodney was an ACL, one that most RB's come back from. I think it was posted around the time of the injury, but I don't think a RB in college or the NFL has ever come all the way back from an Achilles.
 

I really doubt that Mo is going to return to form next year (hope I'm wrong but history is not kind to runners with injured achilles) and MN without its offensive line will not be nearly as dominant running the ball. I might not rush to get out of that room if I were these guys.

It will be interesting to see what Cam Akers looks like for the Rams in the coming weeks. He's already back practicing and ruptured his achilles only 6 months ago in July.

Mo would be ready for spring ball if he's on the same timetable.
 




Exactly the opposite. I don't think he is misleading anyone. They say all jobs are open for competition in spring ball. But there is a difference between saying there is going to be a competition to a kid and them looking at the depth chart and doing their own deductive reasoning and PJ lying and telling a player "you're our guy next year."

If PJ wanted to sacrifice his integrity and the way he runs the program, he could have and would have misled Ky to try and keep him around. The fact he doesn't do that is why you don't see many players transferring and then bad mouthing the program after they leave (or when they leave). My point is that there is nearly zero chance that any player - especially one who contributed like Ky - is not having a sit down with their position coach and/or PJ before they finalize a decision to hit the portal.
I'm sure he is sitting down with them. I just don't think he is being told that he is going to be the 4th option. I'm sure at most the coaches are saying we want to get Mo, Bucky, and Potts touches as well, or it'll be an open competition and we can't promise you anything.
 


I'm sure he is sitting down with them. I just don't think he is being told that he is going to be the 4th option. I'm sure at most the coaches are saying we want to get Mo, Bucky, and Potts touches as well, or it'll be an open competition and we can't promise you anything.

For sure. We are on the same page. I think they are being transparent about their plans and the outlook and - Ky being one of them - some of these kids don't wanna roll the dice on the uncertainty of competition.

I still think/hope they must feel pretty good about Trey's chances of being on the field next season.
 



Guess he doesn’t think sharing carries is his best avenue to the NFL.
It's interesting that running backs don't have to be full-time bell cows to be noticed by the NFL. This past year, two North Carolina running backs were drafted. And I remember Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown both getting drafted in the first round a few years back.

Sometimes having a lot of tread on the tires after your college career is a good thing. I hope this transfer isn't a mistake, for both Ky's and the Gopher program's sake.
 

I think they feel good about Trey, Bucky and Evans. Mo is a wild card, I think. There’s also the possibility of more portal movement, either way.
 

We don’t know if Ky would have entered the portal if Mo wasn’t coming back. Probably will never know. But I think if PJ told him he was down the depth chart it was a mistake. Ky and Bucky should be the featured backs next year. The three injured backs should have been behind them Including MO. We’ll have one year of MO whereas we could have had three years of KY if he had stayed.
 


We don’t know if Ky would have entered the portal if Mo wasn’t coming back. Probably will never know. But I think if PJ told him he was down the depth chart it was a mistake. Ky and Bucky should be the featured backs next year. The three injured backs should have been behind them Including MO. We’ll have one year of MO whereas we could have had three years of KY if he had stayed.

After what Mo has done for our program - including being a good soldier when Rodney and Shannon came back - there is no way you tell him "Welcome back, but you'll be the #4 guy"

Also, we want guys who want to be here. Not guys we have to continue to convince that it's the right fit.
 


I'm pretty shocked by this. If you would have asked me yesterday who would lead the Gophers in rushing attempts in 2022, I would have said Ky Thomas.

Mo is coming back from a an Achilles injury, I think his role would have been different in 2022 than it was last year.

Potts is also still a question mark. The most important question (his health) has been answered but I think his posting was worded in a way where there is still a little mystery regarding his future and football.

This stinks.
 


Ky was the RB I most hoped would stay, but I don't blame him for leaving. Good luck to him as long as he moves outside the Big Ten
 


Recruiting nightmares just went up a whole new level for college coaches. You have to re-recruit your current players, keep the pulse of your depth chart, and chase the Transfer Portal.
Good thing the head coaches get paid handsomely
 

We are losing good players because there is not room for them. I guess that is a sign of progress.
If Mo and Trey aren’t full speed next year—big injuries can change things—sure hope Bryce is coming back. If Ky wants to be the feature back somewhere NOW, I get it. But he is leaving a very good, run-oriented offense with a very competent and supportive coaching staff. Good luck to him, I guess.
 



Good thing the head coaches get paid handsomely
Head coaches must worry about their assistant coaches leaving too on top of recruiting. I wonder how many head coaches will age ten years?

It is like hard drinkers. They end up looking older than their age.
 

Head coaches must worry about their assistant coaches leaving too on top of recruiting. I wonder how many head coaches will age ten years?

It is like hard drinkers. They end up looking older than their age.
PJ Fleck has lost that shiny luster of youth.
 

Transfer portal permissiveness makes a mockery of team loyalty, of institutional loyalty, and creates greedy chaos, which will only get worse. It is part of the larger issue of the individual being more important than the group, the community, which runs through our society. It will become the dominant recruiting tool if not stopped.
 




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