Spring Report - Linebackers / Corners ??

[hsfbcoach]

Interested if anybody has a little more information about our linebackers and our corners ...These are the two groups that need to step forward as we are replacing some very talented players from last year's roster.

 

[touchdownvikings]

Interested if anybody has a little more information about our linebackers and our corners ...These are the two groups that need to step forward as we are replacing some very talented players from last year's roster.

If I were Karmo, I'd be working my ass off to crack the lineup as a freshman. Given the situation, it may be reasonably doable.

...But I have no actual info to share, hsfb.

 

[btowngopher]

If I were Karmo, I'd be working my ass off to crack the lineup as a freshman. Given the situation, it may be reasonably doable.

...But I have no actual info to share, hsfb.

I’m optimistic that the linebacker group is stronger than I initially expected. While no top end talent has emerged quite yet it might be a deeper group than you’d think. Baranowski, Williams, and Roberson can be considered veterans and Gerlach and Kingsbury have not as much but still some valuable experience. Then throw in Karmo and Carrier as two very talented guys with little experience and you should have a good group of viable options.

 

[Gopher_Devil]

I’m optimistic that the linebacker group is stronger than I initially expected. While no top end talent has emerged quite yet it might be a deeper group than you’d think. Baranowski, Williams, and Roberson can be considered veterans and Gerlach and Kingsbury have not as much but still some valuable experience. Then throw in Karmo and Carrier as two very talented guys with little experience and you should have a good group of viable options.

I very much agree with your analysis.

Now talk me off the ledge about our CB room

 

[MaxyJR1]

If I were Karmo, I'd be working my ass off to crack the lineup as a freshman. Given the situation, it may be reasonably doable.

...But I have no actual info to share, hsfb.

I’d be surprised if he doesn’t see the field.

 

[mngg11]

I very much agree with your analysis.

Now talk me off the ledge about our CB room

If the corners are identified as a deficiency, the defensive playcalling will be adjusted so they aren't on an island too often. We've got an experienced line that should take a lot of pressure off of them, I'm not too worried. We typically field a top 25 defense and I don't think we'll fall off too much with Hetherman leaving because the system isn't fundamentally changing, we've been pretty solid since 2018 sans the year before Rossi left and you can partially blame that on the offense not generating drives to keep the defense off the field that year.

You've gotta figure our offensive philosophy will creep back to the old ball control style to a greater extent than last year, too, until they determine how much Lindsey can handle and what opposing defenses give to us. Tresselball is boring but it keeps the defense fresh which in turn creates better opportunities for the D to make stops and get turnovers as the game goes on.

2025 might not be a huge year for us but I think the on field development we get will translate into a big 2026. I still think the minimum acceptable total is 7 wins and the norm should be 8 wins. I don't care if we get to 8 via a bowl like last year, but we should be seeing 8 a year now. The program is stable, predictable, and well established.

 

[btowngopher]

I very much agree with your analysis.

Now talk me off the ledge about our CB room

I think Bowden, Bryan, and Kelly will be a very solid foundation. Since they only took one cb in the portal I’m guessing they must have confidence in what they’ve seen after a year with the redshirt freshmen group of Madu, Gerald, and Seidl.

 

[BilldGopher]

Maybe just me but it seems that the double-punch of NIL and the Portal have buttoned up at least our HC and staff around info tidbits that would populate this and other threads.

Although a GI member too I use that monthly fee to pay for my Paramount Plus streaming subscription. But I even popped over to GI and really didn't see anything on Spring ball (but to be fair that site is really focused on 'crutin).

Back to the main point, intel released durng Spring ball was actually something to look forward to not that long ago. Alas, another casualty to...

 

[dbrad29]

I think Bowden, Bryan, and Kelly will be a very solid foundation. Since they only took one cb in the portal I’m guessing they must have confidence in what they’ve seen after a year with the redshirt freshmen group of Madu, Gerald, and Seidl.

I agree with mngg11’s comment about the defensive line. If those guys can consistently pressure the quarterback, the defensive backs should be in a solid position to succeed.


We all know Bryan is locked in as a day-one starter, but the competition for the other starting spot and the third DB role is still wide open. There’s been a lot of rotation with Bowden, Gerald, and Kelly getting reps against the first team.


The biggest knock on Bowden so far is that he's been struggling to grasp the playbook. Still, regardless of who earns the spot, I think it's a talented group, and the coaches clearly have a lot of confidence in them.

 

[touchdownvikings]

If the corners are identified as a deficiency, the defensive playcalling will be adjusted so they aren't on an island too often. We've got an experienced line that should take a lot of pressure off of them, I'm not too worried. We typically field a top 25 defense and I don't think we'll fall off too much with Hetherman leaving because the system isn't fundamentally changing, we've been pretty solid since 2018 sans the year before Rossi left and you can partially blame that on the offense not generating drives to keep the defense off the field that year.

You've gotta figure our offensive philosophy will creep back to the old ball control style to a greater extent than last year, too, until they determine how much Lindsey can handle and what opposing defenses give to us. Tresselball is boring but it keeps the defense fresh which in turn creates better opportunities for the D to make stops and get turnovers as the game goes on.

2025 might not be a huge year for us but I think the on field development we get will translate into a big 2026. I still think the minimum acceptable total is 7 wins and the norm should be 8 wins. I don't care if we get to 8 via a bowl like last year, but we should be seeing 8 a year now. The program is stable, predictable, and well established.

Agree about this year.

Gophers are replacing a lot of parts. And PJ prizes discipline, reliability and repeatability over explosiveness (of course if he could get both, he'd take it) -- this means that he pursues the assemblage of the sorts of systems that take more time to come together. He doesn't play Ohio State football where on 80% of offensive plays, every receiver runs an individual route and is told "just go make a football play."

I hope we are pleasantly surprised by how fast it comes together. But I think that the nature of the beast is that it sort of just can't. The quick and easy route is to simply assemble athletes and run effectively very little in terms of a system that requires coordination and precision, i.e., Ohio State football: our receivers can't reliably release or be counted on to have the repeatable discipline to run precise rub routes? F*ck it: just have them run fast, rely on speed and individual athleticism, and catch a 70 yard TD. It's still six points.

 

[touchdownvikings]

I’m optimistic that the linebacker group is stronger than I initially expected. While no top end talent has emerged quite yet it might be a deeper group than you’d think. Baranowski, Williams, and Roberson can be considered veterans and Gerlach and Kingsbury have not as much but still some valuable experience. Then throw in Karmo and Carrier as two very talented guys with little experience and you should have a good group of viable options.

I totally forgot about Roberson and Devon Williams. (Not being sarcastic here -- I actually forgot about them.)

We've seen Devon play and he's easily capable. With the addition of Roberson, we have some breathing room, and we're not rolling into the season going "Baranowski and Williams better not get hurt!" There's a trio of experienced LBs, so there's room to rotate a little, plus work in younger talent a little here and there. And there's a little room to absorb an injury.

 

[dbrad29]

Per: Daniel House

Player development will be key for many areas of the Gophers roster. One of those spots is at cornerback. Throughout the spring, Minnesota has regularly cycled through a range of younger options to evaluate their strengths/weaknesses. My eyes are on true freshman Naiim Parrish. The game doesn’t look too fast for him. He seems to be picking up the terminology and processing combinations well. Parrish has a knack for being around the football because of his instincts. He has a great feel for routes and sees the field well for a true freshman. He is still thin from a strength standpoint, but has the movement skills and instincts that you’re looking for from a young player. We’ll see how Parrish develops between now and the end of fall camp. Bergen Catholic High School out in New Jersey traditionally does a great job of getting players ready for the next level. It looks like Parrish is the next player that may emerge in the future.



Fellow cornerback Mike Gerald looks more physically refined as he enters his second season. He had a great coverage rep down in the red zone while covering transfer Javon Tracy. He compressed space and forced an incompletion. Gerald is competing for snaps as the Gophers search for an option opposite of Za’Quan Bryan. Gerald may emerge as a potential outside/inside option in the cornerback room. We’ll see how the overall development of the cornerback room plays out over the next few months.



With Cody Lindenberg departing for the NFL, the linebacker room is undergoing change. One of the biggest questions is – what does the depth look like in that room? Joey Gerlach, who has been developing over the past couple seasons, had a strong practice session, which included a pair of run stops and a quarterback hit. I have a feeling Minnesota will be scheming up different ways to feature its linebackers creatively, specifically during passing downs situations. If Gerlach could take a step forward and provide rotational snaps/depth, it would be a big help. The same thing can be said about Matt Kingsbury. He is someone that could slide around the front seven. I’m curious to see where he’s at after another offseason of development. Can he emerge and make a rotational option?