All Things 2019 Gophers Spring Football Thread (Tweets, Articles, Video and More)

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Anyone make it to the open practice today? Highlight? Lowlights?
 

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Gophers coach Fleck happy with team's progress as spring practice begins

The Minnesota Gophers football team is officially on spring break, but not before conducting their first three days of spring practice.

"I like what I see so far from this team. We're much further along than we were last year in developing our players. The players are getting a much deserved rest during spring break," said Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck.

The quarterback battle between sophomore Zack Annexstad and red-shirt sophomore Tanner Morgan got a little more crowded. Add to the mix freshman Cole Kramer of Eden Prairie and freshman Jacob Clark of Rockwall, Texas. Fleck stressed how important it is for the players to push each other daily.

"Hopefully you got to see today the difference between game experience and no game experience. We were in that predicament last year, now when you look at Zack (Annexstad) and Tanner (Morgan) compared to Jacob (Clark) and Cole (Kramer) you can see a major difference right now. Zack and Tanner are doing a great job competing with each other and they're both tremendous leaders," Fleck added.

https://kstp.com/sports/gophers-spring-practice-fleck/5281222/

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BleedGopher said:
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Go Gophers!!
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So when I was watching this video, all of our QB's have what I thought at first was a brace on their left knees. Have they all had problems with that knee or is it some sort of support legging that they wear for the practice turf? Just curious...
 

GoGoGopher12 said:
Anyone make it to the open practice today? Highlight? Lowlights?
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Seems like many fans are worried the “PJOAA” will confiscate their fan card and expel them from campus if they comment on any of the players. Meanwhile the pay site guys will dish liberally. It’s ok to talk about practice guys. It’s practice, in March. We may need wait until the spring game to see the guys in person and draw our own conclusions and that’s ok.
 

So what are the QB numbers? Zack is #5, Tanner is #2, ....


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BleedGopher said:
Gophers coach Fleck happy with team's progress as spring practice begins

The Minnesota Gophers football team is officially on spring break, but not before conducting their first three days of spring practice.

"I like what I see so far from this team. We're much further along than we were last year in developing our players. The players are getting a much deserved rest during spring break," said Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck.

The quarterback battle between sophomore Zack Annexstad and red-shirt sophomore Tanner Morgan got a little more crowded. Add to the mix freshman Cole Kramer of Eden Prairie and freshman Jacob Clark of Rockwall, Texas. Fleck stressed how important it is for the players to push each other daily.

"Hopefully you got to see today the difference between game experience and no game experience. We were in that predicament last year, now when you look at Zack (Annexstad) and Tanner (Morgan) compared to Jacob (Clark) and Cole (Kramer) you can see a major difference right now. Zack and Tanner are doing a great job competing with each other and they're both tremendous leaders," Fleck added.

https://kstp.com/sports/gophers-spring-practice-fleck/5281222/

Go Gophers!!
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Got there about 4:30 and left at around 6. Overall love how Fleck runs practice...fast pace and crisp, good variety of drills. He focused most of his time watching the offense. My observation is that overall the team looks to be about where they were at the beginning of Fall practice last year.

The QB competition is clearly between Morgan and Annexstad. No idea what KSTP was watching, but the other QBs got few snaps compared to those two. Clark throws a nice ball but man is he a bean pole. Kramer looked pretty shaky in about half his drills.

Annexstad definitely hit the weight room. Visually bigger, especially upper body/arms. Both throwing good and clearly have a high knowledge of the offense. In the controlled scrimmage sessions, Annexstad had the best series, moving the offense about 50 yards. Had a nice scramble and sideline completion. Morgan had some really nice completions over the middle. Johnson, Bateman, and Douglas all looked solid, make nice grabs. I was not watching for Green but will next open practice.

Ibrahim also looks like he put on a little lean muscle...looked impressive all around. Did not look like Smith took part in much of the scrimmage sessions, but did most of the passing drills. That O-line is going to be fun to watch.

Caught a little of the defense doing drills. Definitely are an athletic bunch. Phil Howard practiced mostly with the #2s. Will be interesting to see how he continues to develop...see him as a veteran who could surprise some folks. Said this before, but Coughlin looks every bit of his listed weight of 245. Anyone who gets a chance to see him up close in person will see that. Did not see him out there a lot during the scrimmages. Devers was in during a lot of the scrimmages, so he is getting a lot of looks. Played pretty steady the second half of last year so I was not surprised. He looks like he has put on some weight but still showed those quick moves.
 



Thanks for that. I am really interested to see how the defense evolves this season. It would be nice if Devers can mature into something more than a situational player. Need more flying helmets.
 

I notice that too regarding the knee braces. Probably a good idea when you think about it. With all reps that a player is taking, you might want to take some of the pressure off of the knee.
 

#2Gopher said:
I notice that too regarding the knee braces. Probably a good idea when you think about it. With all reps that a player is taking, you might want to take some of the pressure off of the knee.
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It’s the plant leg. Added protection for a lateral hit to the knee.
 




alchemy2u said:
So what are the QB numbers? Zack is #5, Tanner is #2, ....


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Looked like Clark was #15 and Kramer was #14. Also saw in pictures that Richter was wearing #98 so may be checking him out at D Tackle before moving him to interior OLine as some of the recruiting guys have suggested.
 


PMWinSTP said:
Got there about 4:30 and left at around 6. Overall love how Fleck runs practice...fast pace and crisp, good variety of drills. He focused most of his time watching the offense. My observation is that overall the team looks to be about where they were at the beginning of Fall practice last year.

The QB competition is clearly between Morgan and Annexstad. No idea what KSTP was watching, but the other QBs got few snaps compared to those two. Clark throws a nice ball but man is he a bean pole. Kramer looked pretty shaky in about half his drills.

Annexstad definitely hit the weight room. Visually bigger, especially upper body/arms. Both throwing good and clearly have a high knowledge of the offense. In the controlled scrimmage sessions, Annexstad had the best series, moving the offense about 50 yards. Had a nice scramble and sideline completion. Morgan had some really nice completions over the middle. Johnson, Bateman, and Douglas all looked solid, make nice grabs. I was not watching for Green but will next open practice.

Ibrahim also looks like he put on a little lean muscle...looked impressive all around. Did not look like Smith took part in much of the scrimmage sessions, but did most of the passing drills. That O-line is going to be fun to watch.

Caught a little of the defense doing drills. Definitely are an athletic bunch. Phil Howard practiced mostly with the #2s. Will be interesting to see how he continues to develop...see him as a veteran who could surprise some folks. Said this before, but Coughlin looks every bit of his listed weight of 245. Anyone who gets a chance to see him up close in person will see that. Did not see him out there a lot during the scrimmages. Devers was in during a lot of the scrimmages, so he is getting a lot of looks. Played pretty steady the second half of last year so I was not surprised. He looks like he has put on some weight but still showed those quick moves.
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Thanks for posting the update!
 

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Go Gophers!!
 

per Broback:

Minnesota began spring practice last week, entering the third year under P.J. Fleck. After improving from his first year, Fleck has the program headed in the right direction. There may be questions in certain areas, but the Gophers have intriguing storylines that are positive. Today, we take a look at both with five storylines to watch as the 2019 Minnesota Gophers begin spring practice.

Elite Playmakers
With a ton of questions in the first two years, some stability found its way to this team. Running back and wide receiver became strengths for the Gophers last year, and they return a ton of talent at both positions in 2019. Injuries caused concerns at the running back position last year, but those quickly went away when Mohamed Ibrahim and Bryce Williams proved to be reliable. Now, Shannon Brooks and Rodney Smith return from those injuries to create a crowded backfield. Reps become limited, but the competition will be intense. At receiver, Tyler Johnson broke out as expected, but other players flashed their potential. Rashod Bateman and Chris Autman-Bell emerged to give fans a preview of this year. With questions at quarterback and offensive line, having stability at the other skill positions should ease some concerns about the offense.

Quarterback battle
Could it be that Minnesota finally sees a positive quarterback battle? One that shows potential instead of just another body to fill the position? Quarterback play became a yearly concern for the Gophers in the previous regime, but that changed with Fleck. His recruiting brought in players with hype. For a program lacking in that department, it was a welcomed excitement. Zack Annexstad began the year as the starter, but inconsistencies and injuries gave the job to Tanner Morgan. Both find themselves competing once again for the spot. Incoming freshman Jacob Clark and Cole Kramer won’t compete for the starting spot, but both provide more competition. With the aforementioned talent at running back and receiver, the offense has potential. One quarterback could make a huge difference. Minnesota just needs to find the right one. If they do, watch out Big Ten.

Antoine Winfield’s return
Winfield emerged as arguably the best defensive player on the team last year before his season ending injury. Luckily for the Gophers, he returns this year to a defensive backfield that needs some stability. Minnesota retains an electric playmaker on defense, but also one that can make an impact on special teams.

If Minnesota is to live up to the preseason hype already heading their way, the defense needs to be consistent all year. Getting Winfield back gives the Gophers another leader on that side of the ball. The defense showed tremendous improvement late in the season last year without him. Now they get a chance to show what they can do with him. The potential is great for both their leader and the group as a whole.

Living up to the hype
Whether you believe it or not, the rumblings about the 2019 Minnesota Gophers have already begun. Some experts believe this team could be a surprise team this year. Improvement from P.J. Fleck’s first to second year, great recruiting classes, and a good number of returning starters contribute to that. This put Minnesota in unfamiliar territory. Normally, not many people nationally recognize the Gophers as anything but another average team. Fleck’s brought them to a new place, but will they handle the spotlight well? The hype around this team isn’t too much yet, but that can quickly change. It’s up to Fleck and the coaching staff to control how much their team buys into it.

Replacing Emmit Carpenter
Arguably the most underrated storyline of the spring. Quarterback battle, offensive line replacements, and pretty much any other story overshadows Carpenter’s absence. Replacing one of the more reliable kickers won’t be an easy task. For now, it’s a three way battle to replace him, but the shoes are awfully big at the moment.

https://championinsiders.com/college-football/five-minnesota-gophers-storylines-in-spring-practice/

Go Gophers!!
 

BleedGopher said:
per Broback:

Quarterback battle
Could it be that Minnesota finally sees a positive quarterback battle? One that shows potential instead of just another body to fill the position? Quarterback play became a yearly concern for the Gophers in the previous regime, but that changed with Fleck. His recruiting brought in players with hype. For a program lacking in that department, it was a welcomed excitement. Zack Annexstad began the year as the starter, but inconsistencies and injuries gave the job to Tanner Morgan. Both find themselves competing once again for the spot. Incoming freshman Jacob Clark and Cole Kramer won’t compete for the starting spot, but both provide more competition. With the aforementioned talent at running back and receiver, the offense has potential. One quarterback could make a huge difference. Minnesota just needs to find the right one. If they do, watch out Big Ten.

https://championinsiders.com/college-football/five-minnesota-gophers-storylines-in-spring-practice/

Go Gophers!!
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I'm curious about this "hype" the reporter speaks of. I don't recall ZA or TM arriving with any hype whatsoever. The only hype I remember is when Vic came in and we all know he turned into a bust at the QB position.

Also curious why the reporter doesn't think Clark and Kramer will compete for QB1.
 

GoGoGopher12 said:
I'm curious about this "hype" the reporter speaks of. I don't recall ZA or TM arriving with any hype whatsoever. The only hype I remember is when Vic came in and we all know he turned into a bust at the QB position.

Also curious why the reporter doesn't think Clark and Kramer will compete for QB1.
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Based on the open practice, that is correct. Clearly between Annexstad and Morgan, who split a large majority of the snaps. Kramer looked shaky in about half his drills. Both would need to improve substantially to be in the conversation. Not saying that couldn't happen, but I expect both Annexstad and Morgan to push each other and improve their games as well.
 

PMWinSTP said:
Based on the open practice, that is correct. Clearly between Annexstad and Morgan, who split a large majority of the snaps. Kramer looked shaky in about half his drills. Both would need to improve substantially to be in the conversation. Not saying that couldn't happen, but I expect both Annexstad and Morgan to push each other and improve their games as well.
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Yeah, based on the first week of practice, of course. I wouldn't expect any freshmen to be competing for QB1 this early. Morgan and Zach should have the offense pretty much down and it would be up to the newcomers to pick it up as quick as possible, but the freshmen are not going to be at the same level of knowing the offense with just one week of actual practice time. So to say Clark (or Kramer) will not compete for the QB1 spot is very premature at this point. I highly doubt any decisions for the 2019 QB race will be determined during this spring.
 

I'll get flamed for this - but what the heck. If it was up to me, Winfield would never step on the field for any special-team situation. I want him healthy and playing snaps on defense. there are 100 players on the team, more or less. You can find someone else to run back a kick, or be a gunner on the punt team.

But, from what I can tell, there is no other player on the roster who can do what Winfield can do on defense. He could be a major key to the season. Even if there is just a 5% risk of injury on special teams, I don't take that risk.

Likewise with any key starter. I would have all non-starters on special teams. 85 scholarship players. 22 starters on offense and defense. That leaves 63 candidates to play special teams. if they're not good enough to play on special teams, then the team has a big problem. Just my opinion.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
I'll get flamed for this - but what the heck. If it was up to me, Winfield would never step on the field for any special-team situation. I want him healthy and playing snaps on defense. there are 100 players on the team, more or less. You can find someone else to run back a kick, or be a gunner on the punt team.

But, from what I can tell, there is no other player on the roster who can do what Winfield can do on defense. He could be a major key to the season. Even if there is just a 5% risk of injury on special teams, I don't take that risk.

Likewise with any key starter. I would have all non-starters on special teams. 85 scholarship players. 22 starters on offense and defense. That leaves 63 candidates to play special teams. if they're not good enough to play on special teams, then the team has a big problem. Just my opinion.
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I don't think Winfield should cover any kicks for the precise reason you mentioned.

However, he is pretty special at returning kicks. We could get anyone else to return punts, but not like him. It's not that the others aren't good enough to play special teams, it's that no one is as good at him at a very important skill in college football. This entire argument could be for naught, because we are pretty luck to have Douglas as our second best returner and if the difference between Winfield and Douglas is minimal (I'd obviously trust the coaches' analysis of this), then yeah, you play Douglas.

However, if the difference between Winfield and Douglas is significant, he should be returning punts. It's really important, especially in the college game.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I don't think Winfield should cover any kicks for the precise reason you mentioned.

However, he is pretty special at returning kicks. We could get anyone else to return punts, but not like him. It's not that the others aren't good enough to play special teams, it's that no one is as good at him at a very important skill in college football. This entire argument could be for naught, because we are pretty luck to have Douglas as our second best returner and if the difference between Winfield and Douglas is minimal (I'd obviously trust the coaches' analysis of this), then yeah, you play Douglas.

However, if the difference between Winfield and Douglas is significant, he should be returning punts. It's really important, especially in the college game.
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Agree with this take, but personally I think the difference is small enough where you play Douglas.

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short ornery norwegian said:
I'll get flamed for this - but what the heck. If it was up to me, Winfield would never step on the field for any special-team situation. I want him healthy and playing snaps on defense. there are 100 players on the team, more or less. You can find someone else to run back a kick, or be a gunner on the punt team.

But, from what I can tell, there is no other player on the roster who can do what Winfield can do on defense. He could be a major key to the season. Even if there is just a 5% risk of injury on special teams, I don't take that risk.

Likewise with any key starter. I would have all non-starters on special teams. 85 scholarship players. 22 starters on offense and defense. That leaves 63 candidates to play special teams. if they're not good enough to play on special teams, then the team has a big problem. Just my opinion.
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You're 100% on point. From what I've read/heard, Michael Brown-Stephens may end up being pretty dynamic on PR duty and is a lesser risk than Winfield. Douglas is exceptional as well but may be counted on more in the receiving game this year. I'm really excited to see MSB play. Hell, I'm really excited for the season to get here! Go Gophers!
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I don't think Winfield should cover any kicks for the precise reason you mentioned.

However, he is pretty special at returning kicks. We could get anyone else to return punts, but not like him. It's not that the others aren't good enough to play special teams, it's that no one is as good at him at a very important skill in college football. This entire argument could be for naught, because we are pretty luck to have Douglas as our second best returner and if the difference between Winfield and Douglas is minimal (I'd obviously trust the coaches' analysis of this), then yeah, you play Douglas.

However, if the difference between Winfield and Douglas is significant, he should be returning punts. It's really important, especially in the college game.
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Let us not forget this gem! At 54 Sec. The timestamp URL didn't work when linking it in the post.

 
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Airguard6 said:
Let us not forget this gem! At 54 Sec. The timestamp URL didn't work when linking it in the post.

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Good thing the officials missed the block in the back by Sori-Marin right at the 40 yard line.
Still a great return by DD and those highlights will never get old to watch!!
 

GoGoGopher12 said:
Yeah, based on the first week of practice, of course. I wouldn't expect any freshmen to be competing for QB1 this early. Morgan and Zach should have the offense pretty much down and it would be up to the newcomers to pick it up as quick as possible, but the freshmen are not going to be at the same level of knowing the offense with just one week of actual practice time. So to say Clark (or Kramer) will not compete for the QB1 spot is very premature at this point. I highly doubt any decisions for the 2019 QB race will be determined during this spring.
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Both would have to come a long way and demonstrate a clear separation from Morgan and Annexstad. Could happen, but odds are very low. IMHO no chance Kramer does as he looked shaky doing basic drills. Clark does have a nice down field ball under a zero pressure throwing drill, but I would not say it was noticeably different than Zach or Morgan. I actually thought Zach had the best throws by a very small margin during that drill.

Having said all that, If Clark did leapfrog those two into the #1 QB spot based on practice performance, I would have zero complaints.
 

PMWinSTP said:
Both would have to come a long way and demonstrate a clear separation from Morgan and Annexstad. Could happen, but odds are very low. IMHO no chance Kramer does as he looked shaky doing basic drills. Clark does have a nice down field ball under a zero pressure throwing drill, but I would not say it was noticeably different than Zach or Morgan. I actually thought Zach had the best throws by a very small margin during that drill.

Having said all that, If Clark did leapfrog those two into the #1 QB spot based on practice performance, I would have zero complaints.
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Clark must have digressed quite a bit then from his high school playing days. I sure hope it's not Ciarrocca teaching those high floater passes that I saw Tanner and Zach throwing all last season because Clark certainly wasn't. That, or you really don't have much of an eye for QB'ing. I'll go with the latter.
 

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