Philip Nelson Is Leaving The Gopher Program UPDATED 1/29: Transferring to Rutgers

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CentralGopher said:
Nelson hasn't used a redshirt year yet since he played as a true freshman so I wouldn't think it's a stretch for him to go to another B1G school and sit out a year but I doubt Wisconsin would be on the list as much as they run the ball there.
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It's a moot point because no B1G team is going to want him anyway.
 

Disappointed for obvious reason of weakened depth. However, in a world where coaches under contract routinely quit on kids they recruited to move on to a better situation, I can't be critical of a 20 year old deciding he needs to move on also. Was initially irritated by dad, but it's his kid and he wants what's best for him. Can bitch about "helicopter" parents but you're making a jump if you think that was a negative factor here. We don't know. Certainly a much better parting than Barker's, and dad being involved might be a reason for that. Best of luck to Phillip. Those four games were certainly fun, he was a major reason for that streak, and it's too bad it didn't become a stepping stone for more success.
 

CentralGopher said:
Nelson hasn't used a redshirt year yet since he played as a true freshman so I wouldn't think it's a stretch for him to go to another B1G school and sit out a year but I doubt Wisconsin would be on the list as much as they run the ball there.
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He could transfer within the conference, but as Hooters said, he would lose a year of eligibility, by conference rule. If he transferred outside of the Big Ten, he'd have 3 years to play 2. If he transferred inside the Big Ten, he'd have to sit out a year, and would then have 1 year to play 1.
 

station19 said:
Pretty sure the eligibility rules are the same. Couldn't be on scholarship at another Big Ten school though.
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Incorrect on both counts. Big Ten intraconference transfers can be on scholarship, but lose a year of eligibility. See Brian Bobek for an example of both counts. Bobek will probably get back the year he lost via a medical waiver.
 


Ski U Mah said:
Your wrong Rosemountain and why is he horrible
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Rosemountain is wrong about many things. I am waiting to see if he blames Kill for this. But I am happy to see that people are keeping this in perspective. It also comforting that Dimonic McKinzy will be enrolling early this week.
 

dpodoll68 said:
Incorrect on both counts. Big Ten intraconference transfers can be on scholarship, but lose a year of eligibility. See Brian Bobek for an example of both counts. Bobek will probably get back the year he lost via a medical waiver.
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Is this a rule change? Kim Royston had to pay his own way to the U because he was ineligible for scholarship since he transferred from within the B1G.
 

It's hard to see this as anything but a negative for the program.
I'm most worried about it's impact on local recruits. Like it or not he basically was going to be the face of the program going forward. Local kid done good all that.

The depth chart is basically now the same as it was this time last year.
I thought Leidner played his best game in the bowl, but he still lacks in several key areas.

Best case scenario: Leidner has a 4 game winning streak Nelson type year in 2013. Streveler's hand injury is healed for spring and he provides a more dynamic option behind Leidner, Mckinzy Redshirts.


Worst case: This isn't the whole story and Nelson flourishes in another conference hurting local kids' opinion of Kill and his staff, Leidner fails to develop further, and we wait for Streveler or McKinzy to go through their growing pains until 2016.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
Is this a rule change? Kim Royston had to pay his own way to the U because he was ineligible for scholarship since he transferred from within the B1G.
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No he had to pay his way because Bert Bulimia refused to release him from his scholarship at wisky unless he went to a school not on wisky's future schedules.
Royston paid his way here which is a seriously impressive thing to do, BB was and still is a classless ass.
 



The Phil Nelson news is very, very bad for the program. Nelson was Kill/Limey's lead pony, their star recruit & the face of the program moving forward. I expect we'll win 1-2 games less next season with his departure & I expect the season win odds to reflect that. Gopher fans are incredibly impatient. "Bench Weber, play Gray!" "Bench Gray, play Shortell!" "Bench Shortell, play Nelson!" "Bench Nelson, play Leidner!" "Bench Leidner, play Streveler!" "Bench Streveler, play McKinzy!" "Bench McKinzy, play _____!" This is a pattern & not a winning one. You invest in players as underclassmen & reap the rewards as upperclassmen, so we can't keep losing players (especially QB's) as they enter their most productive college years. We now go into year 4 with 1 experienced QB, in a 2 QB system. We're 1 injury away from using two completely inexperienced QB's, IN YEAR FOUR! In addition to that, we don't have quality WR's or depth. The staff hasn't recruited or retained the talent necessary to run their offense & we're forced to run this boring, sluggish, play action crap. A lot of people seem to be almost happy about this, as if this justifies their opinions of Nelson. You wanted it, you got it. Enjoy your 6 win, 2014 regression.
 

It just looks like a player who saw the handwriting on the wall and wanted top go somewhere else. Sure it's a loss, but Nelson might not have been the starter next season.
 

Ole said:
No he had to pay his way because Bert Bulimia refused to release him from his scholarship at wisky unless he went to a school not on wisky's future schedules.
Royston paid his way here which is a seriously impressive thing to do, BB was and still is a classless ass.
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Thanks for clearing that up.
 

Wow! Lots of people discrediting Nelson here. Nelson played out of the gun at M.W. He got dinged up consistently when being asked to run the ball here. Did the effects of that and having to worry about correct calls affect his passing here? I'm sure it did. Nelson can run but it is quite obvious that he doesn't want to run as much as Coach asks the QB to do.

Nelson and his family have been nothing but 1st class when it came to the U. I have no knowledge of where he is going but I would be willing to bet that it won't be to a program that we directly compete against.

I hope Nelson has a great career wherever he decides to go and I thank him for his two years.
 



Costa Rican Gopher said:
The Phil Nelson news is very, very bad for the program. Nelson was Kill/Limey's lead pony, their star recruit & the face of the program moving forward. I expect we'll win 1-2 games less next season with his departure & I expect the season win odds to reflect that. Gopher fans are incredibly impatient. "Bench Weber, play Gray!" "Bench Gray, play Shortell!" "Bench Shortell, play Nelson!" "Bench Nelson, play Leidner!" "Bench Leidner, play Streveler!" "Bench Streveler, play McKinzy!" "Bench McKinzy, play _____!" This is a pattern & not a winning one. You invest in players as underclassmen & reap the rewards as upperclassmen, so we can't keep losing players (especially QB's) as they enter their most productive college years. We now go into year 4 with 1 experienced QB, in a 2 QB system. We're 1 injury away from using two completely inexperienced QB's, IN YEAR FOUR! In addition to that, we don't have quality WR's or depth. The staff hasn't recruited or retained the talent necessary to run their offense & we're forced to run this boring, sluggish, play action crap. A lot of people seem to be almost happy about this, as if this justifies their opinions of Nelson. You wanted it, you got it. Enjoy your 6 win, 2014 regression.
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Okay, now that next year has been decided, I guess we can move on to 2015 then.
 


Costa Rican Gopher said:
Is this a rule change? Kim Royston had to pay his own way to the U because he was ineligible for scholarship since he transferred from within the B1G.
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Yes, it is a rule change. Royston couldn't have been on scholarship because that was before the rule change. I can't blame Enema for it, even though I'd like to.
 

dpodoll68 said:
Incorrect on both counts. Big Ten intraconference transfers can be on scholarship, but lose a year of eligibility. See Brian Bobek for an example of both counts. Bobek will probably get back the year he lost via a medical waiver.
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I knew it was different in conference.......just got it backwards I guess.
 

It's too bad Nelson has decided to leave and I wish him well getting his degree and playing some more football elsewhere. That said, I'm amused with all the doom and gloom some people see in this decision. Frankly, I thought Max was a bigger hit to the program since he was the only with any experience until Nelson stepped in as a true freshman. At this point in time, we have Mitch coming back with some experience plus the benefit of having redshirted. I think Mitch will get pushed by the new guys but will ultimately be the starter next year and will make some positive strides in the process. Time will tell but I think we'll be better at QB next year. Whether we'll have QB play good enough for say a 10 win season, probably not. However, I think it will improve at least a little so that the program can keep moving in a positive direction.

Go Gophers!
 

It would've been a 6 win season with Nelson at the helm next year. Wish the kid the best at Mankato State. Lets move on boys and girls.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
The Phil Nelson news is very, very bad for the program. Nelson was Kill/Limey's lead pony, their star recruit & the face of the program moving forward. I expect we'll win 1-2 games less next season with his departure & I expect the season win odds to reflect that. Gopher fans are incredibly impatient. "Bench Weber, play Gray!" "Bench Gray, play Shortell!" "Bench Shortell, play Nelson!" "Bench Nelson, play Leidner!" "Bench Leidner, play Streveler!" "Bench Streveler, play McKinzy!" "Bench McKinzy, play _____!" This is a pattern & not a winning one. You invest in players as underclassmen & reap the rewards as upperclassmen, so we can't keep losing players (especially QB's) as they enter their most productive college years. We now go into year 4 with 1 experienced QB, in a 2 QB system. We're 1 injury away from using two completely inexperienced QB's, IN YEAR FOUR! In addition to that, we don't have quality WR's or depth. The staff hasn't recruited or retained the talent necessary to run their offense & we're forced to run this boring, sluggish, play action crap. A lot of people seem to be almost happy about this, as if this justifies their opinions of Nelson. You wanted it, you got it. Enjoy your 6 win, 2014 regression.
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WOW, take a step back from the ledge and a deep breath. Have we not won more games each year under Kill!?! The Nelson thing is a bit of a blow, but really he didn't play very well at all. The 4 game winning streak happened because we simply won the turnover battle and time of possession NOT because of outstanding QB play. If you're not happy with our style than you may have to start watching another team. We are going to run the ball, take shots when we have them, and play good D simple as that.

I for one am not the biggest Leidner fan, but I am completely confident that the staff will develop someone. They have a great track record with QB's, i.e. Jordan Lynch and Chandler Harnish. So, let's see how this whole thing plays out before we jump!
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
That's fair. Still, if you'd like to bet the team wins more than 6.5 games next season the betting window is open.
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I think 7.5 is safe. We'll miss Nelson for sure, but now the coaches and practices will really concentrate on developing Leidner. Leidner has a huge upside and could really propel the program forward. Streveler and McKinzy have huge upsides as well. Streveler has a year+ in the program and McKinzy is here for spring ball. Our QBs are going to have to be tough and lucky. Streveler is a real wildcard ith his legs. Faster than Jones? Wowza!

No disrepect to Nelson (I think plays big whereever he goes) but I believe we are better off than last year at QB and the rest of the team significantly improved.
 

Wouldn't You like to Know said:
WOW, take a step back from the ledge and a deep breath. Have we not won more games each year under Kill!?! The Nelson thing is a bit of a blow, but really he didn't play very well at all. The 4 game winning streak happened because we simply won the turnover battle and time of possession NOT because of outstanding QB play. If you're not happy with our style than you may have to start watching another team. We are going to run the ball, take shots when we have them, and play good D simple as that.

I for one am not the biggest Leidner fan, but I am completely confident that the staff will develop someone. They have a great track record with QB's, i.e. Jordan Lynch and Chandler Harnish. So, let's see how this whole thing plays out before we jump!
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That's not the dynamic offense they want to run, it's what they're able to do with the personnel they have currently. Big difference.
 

diehard said:
I think 7.5 is safe. We'll miss Nelson for sure, but now the coaches and practices will really concentrate on developing Leidner. Leidner has a huge upside and could really propel the program forward. Streveler and McKinzy have huge upsides as well. Streveler has a year+ in the program and McKinzy is here for spring ball. Our QBs are going to have to be tough and lucky. Streveler is a real wildcard ith his legs. Faster than Jones? Wowza!

No disrepect to Nelson (I think plays big whereever he goes) but I believe we are better off than last year at QB and the rest of the team significantly improved.
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We lose Nelson and we're better off than last year at QB? Does not compute.

First off we run a 2 QB system, so Leidner will be the main man like Nelson was this year, but he'll only be 1 of the 2 QB's. That means Streveler or McKinzy almost have to play, unless they change our system again. I'm not sold on Streveler. His throwing motion is awkward & I've heard some rumors from insiders that he has serious issues with mechanics & holding onto the ball. Hopefully that works itself out. McKinzy might be a good player, but he's no sure thing & he'll be a true Freshman. It may all work out for the best, but I don't see how we lose Nelson & are better off next season.
 

It's not a big loss to lose an average player, period.
 


No doubt the 4 BT win streak was impressive. Going into the season Leidner is as good a bet as Nelson was last year and he has an additional year in the system than Nelson did. Streveler has as much time in the system this year as Leidner had and is likely more athletic. Our line and RBs are definately improved (barring spring ball injury) than last year and will open up the passing game to be more productive. Our young WR and Maxx have a year of experience they didn't last year. Cobb, Edwards, Jones, Williams, and Kirklandwood in no particular order. Even without the animal known as RaShede our D will be better too. 6.5? No way. I guess we'll play them and find out.

I have a lot of reasons to be optimistic about an improved season this year. I like this team. I admit I think we would have been better with Nelson back, but we are improved anyway. I also admit I am still in shock he is leaving. I wish him well. No heartburn here, I medicate!
 

This board has a weird habit of writing off underclassmen.

Look at where the leaders on the 2013 team were early in their careers. . .
-Hageman - Didn't see much PT and was passed on the depth chart by Botticelli as a RS-SO.
-Aaron Hill - A walk-on LBer who most people didn't see as a potential leader for us.
-Brock Vareen - He was ripped apart on this board for getting beat (especially in the NMSU game).
-David Cobb - Buried on the depth chart.

My point is that there are a ton of really talented guys who aren't amazing after their second season in a program. To write off Phil Nelson's projected contributions as "meh, he threw for only 50 anyway" is silly. That entire recruiting class is a problem now. . .Phil, Harbison and McDonald are all gone. Attrition killed Brews classes here and it's starting to put a damper on that class as well.
 


Bob_Loblaw said:
This board has a weird habit of writing off underclassmen.

.
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This. I get that Leidner should be better going into this year. I also understand that he is at a similar place to where Nelson was coming into this season. I just don't get how so many on here think that Nelson also wouldn't improve over the off-season. As excited as many are about Leidner (and down on Nelson's performances), he hadn't exactly wrestled the job away from Nelson at any point.

I hope Mitch makes huge strides in the coming months, but I don't see him running away with the job for the long term.
 


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