Are we really keeping all of these guys at TE?

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MadtownGopher

MadtownGopher

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Limegrover said that they plan on keeping all of their TE recruits at TE. This seems a little crazy to me. We have sooo much talent at TE right now that it seems like at least one of them could move to defense. This is what we have at TE right now...

Senior - Drew Goodger
Senior - Alex Bisch

Junior - Lincoln Plsek
Junior - Ernie Heifort

Sophomore - Maxx Williams
Sophomore - Duke Anyanwu

Freshman - Nate Wozniak
Freshman - Nick Hart

Freshman Recruit - Gaelin Elmore
Freshman Recruit - Jerry Gibson
Freshman Recruit - Brandon Lingen

This coming season I have to imagine Goodger and Maxx will be getting most of the snaps at TE. Then going forward the next two seasons we'll be relying heavily on Maxx with a supporting cast of Plsek (for 1 season), Duke, and Wozniak. So assuming we redshirt all of our TEs this year, they'll still probably have to wait 2-3 years before they get significant playing time. Unless of course Plsek, Duke, and Wozniak don't pan out. It still seems like we could afford to move one of Gaelin or Jerry to the defensive side of the ball.

What does the GH think?
 


Elmore is a beast...it's hard to know what kind of ball skills he has because his high school rarely threw the ball (they didn't have to!) He's a great blocker and an incredible athlete. I'd love to see him line up as a rush DE coming around the corner.
 

We're still a long ways off from being able to say all these guys end up at TE. This time last year the coaches were saying Donovahn Jones will be a QB. Gibson and Elmore probably both say they want to play offense so the coaches are going to tell them what they want to hear. If the opportunity comes in the future to switch positions in order to get on the field then the players start to feel differently. It's a good problem to have, both are very good athletes.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
 

You have to split these guys into a couple groups. 1 for receiving types TE's and 1 for blocking type TE's. 2-3 on the field at all times.
 


jaymil said:
We're still a long ways off from being able to say all these guys end up at TE. This time last year the coaches were saying Donovahn Jones will be a QB. Gibson and Elmore probably both say they want to play offense so the coaches are going to tell them what they want to hear. If the opportunity comes in the future to switch positions in order to get on the field then the players start to feel differently. It's a good problem to have, both are very good athletes.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
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Funny, I talked to Elmore last night at the recruiting social, and he said he is open to playing both sides of the ball, whichever gets him on the field faster and helps the team win games. He is 6'6 and tall and I think a year in the weight room could help make him into a hell of a D-end.

Great kid BTW. He talked about the openness and honesty of our coaches as reasons for choosing the "U." Also talked about his hatred for Wisconsin which automatically elevated him to my favorite recruit.
 

I would be very surprised if all three don't stay at TE. They all are different types of players and all are superior to all our current TEs except Maxx. Gibson is a match up nightmare with his size/speed and will be the next Maxx on this team. Lingen destroys guys he is blocking. Devastating is a word that comes to mind and he will only get better. And Elmore is a prototypical B1G TE , big, good blocker, solid ball skills.

This group is our core on the end of the line and 3 years from now will be part of our top 3 B1G offense!
 

GopherinPhilly said:
I would be very surprised if all three don't stay at TE. They all are different types of players and all are superior to all our current TEs except Maxx. Gibson is a match up nightmare with his size/speed and will be the next Maxx on this team. Lingen destroys guys he is blocking. Devastating is a word that comes to mind and he will only get better. And Elmore is a prototypical B1G TE , big, good blocker, solid ball skills.

This group is our core on the end of the line and 3 years from now will be part of our top 3 B1G offense!
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Max may leave after Jr year.
 

Meyerchiro34 said:
Max may leave after Jr year.
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I would be shocked unless he wins the Mackey that year and gets his degree.

On the bigger subject, we run some plays that have 4 TEs on the field. Limegrover likes our TEs in the backfield and f he slot. You need all these guys. That said, I could see one or two move to the D, a la Hageman.
 



GopherinPhilly said:
I would be very surprised if all three don't stay at TE. They all are different types of players and all are superior to all our current TEs except Maxx. Gibson is a match up nightmare with his size/speed and will be the next Maxx on this team. Lingen destroys guys he is blocking. Devastating is a word that comes to mind and he will only get better. And Elmore is a prototypical B1G TE , big, good blocker, solid ball skills.

This group is our core on the end of the line and 3 years from now will be part of our top 3 B1G offense!
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I don't think there is a TE on the team as athletic as Jerry Gibson. If he really runs a 4.5 or anywhere close, he's gonna be the biggest matchup problem the Gophers have. Maxx is very athletic but Gibson may be even more so. I wouldn't be surprised to see him line up all over the field.
 

cjcarter8 said:
If he really runs a 4.5 or anywhere close
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He doesn't - so no worries there.

I'll be surprised if all 3 of these guys stay at TE over their careers - simply because of the numbers.
 

All three guys were probably told they were being recruited to play TE therefore when Limegrover gets asked right now if all will stay at TE his answer is an emphatic yes. Once camp gets going they will evaluate everything and maybe they all stick at TE or maybe some get shifted to other positions. It is pretty pointless to speculate on where a kid is going to end up until he has a chance to strap on the pads and compete at this level because you really don't know whether a guy is going to be able to cut it until they get on campus and prove it.

But I also get that this type of thinking doesn't play well right now because as of this moment every kid we signed is a future all-Big Ten player in the minds of a lot of posters on this board.
 

Eleven tight ends?

I say play them all at the same time. We will have the best team made up of only tight ends in the USA.
 



MadtownGopher said:
Limegrover said that they plan on keeping all of their TE recruits at TE. This seems a little crazy to me. We have sooo much talent at TE right now that it seems like at least one of them could move to defense. This is what we have at TE right now...

Senior - Drew Goodger
Senior - Alex Bisch

Junior - Lincoln Plsek
Junior - Ernie Heifort

Sophomore - Maxx Williams
Sophomore - Duke Anyanwu

Freshman - Nate Wozniak
Freshman - Nick Hart

Freshman Recruit - Gaelin Elmore
Freshman Recruit - Jerry Gibson
Freshman Recruit - Brandon Lingen

This coming season I have to imagine Goodger and Maxx will be getting most of the snaps at TE. Then going forward the next two seasons we'll be relying heavily on Maxx with a supporting cast of Plsek (for 1 season), Duke, and Wozniak. So assuming we redshirt all of our TEs this year, they'll still probably have to wait 2-3 years before they get significant playing time. Unless of course Plsek, Duke, and Wozniak don't pan out. It still seems like we could afford to move one of Gaelin or Jerry to the defensive side of the ball.

What does the GH think?
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Bisch is basically a non factor on the Offensive side of the ball. Heifort is a Center now so he's no longer in that log jam. Until Nick Hart does something I'm not thinking about him either. That leaves us with...

Sr- Goodger

Jr- Plsek

So- Maxx
- Duke

r-Fr- Wozniak

Fr- Elmore
- Gibson
- Lingen

Goodger, Maxx & Plsek are the guys who played a lot this year & I'd expect to play a lot again next year.

Lingen will play the same position as Plsek, the blocking TE spot. Think of him as Plsek's replacement & he is almost guaranteed to red-shirt. Limegrover said he sees Gibson as a pass catching TE and specifically mentioned using him in a similar role as Maxx, so think of him as Maxx's replacement & I expect he'll red-shirt as well. That leaves Elmore. He could be an all-round TE like Goodger or he could be a guy that switches positions, we'll just have to see how it shakes out. I really wouldn't say we have too many TE's though.
 

Costa Rican Gopher said:
Bisch is basically a non factor on the Offensive side of the ball. Heifort is a Center now so he's no longer in that log jam. Until Nick Hart does something I'm not thinking about him either. That leaves us with...

Sr- Goodger

Jr- Plsek

So- Maxx
- Duke

r-Fr- Wozniak

Fr- Elmore
- Gibson
- Lingen

Goodger, Maxx & Plsek are the guys who played a lot this year & I'd expect to play a lot again next year.

Lingen will play the same position as Plsek, the blocking TE spot. Think of him as Plsek's replacement & he is almost guaranteed to red-shirt. Limegrover said he sees Gibson as a pass catching TE and specifically mentioned using him in a similar role as Maxx, so think of him as Maxx's replacement & I expect he'll red-shirt as well. That leaves Elmore. He could be an all-round TE like Goodger or he could be a guy that switches positions, we'll just have to see how it shakes out. I really wouldn't say we have too many TE's though.
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So where do you see Duke and Wozniak fitting in?
 

cheeseheadgophfan said:
Elmore is a beast...it's hard to know what kind of ball skills he has because his high school rarely threw the ball (they didn't have to!) He's a great blocker and an incredible athlete. I'd love to see him line up as a rush DE coming around the corner.
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See Hageman
 

MadtownGopher said:
So where do you see Duke and Wozniak fitting in?
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Duke is an unknown mostly because it's a new position for him & the knee injury. He's an athletic guy though who I believe fits the Maxx William's, pass catching TE mold & is probably (you never know though) a career back-up to Maxx. Wozniak is probably a blocking TE at his size who will also be a situational/goal line target. I expect we'll see a bit of Wozniak this year, but he won't get a ton of reps yet.
 


Costa Rican Gopher said:
Duke is an unknown mostly because it's a new position for him & the knee injury. He's an athletic guy though who I believe fits the Maxx William's, pass catching TE mold & is probably (you never know though) a career back-up to Maxx. Wozniak is probably a blocking TE at his size who will also be a situational/goal line target. I expect we'll see a bit of Wozniak this year, but he won't get a ton of reps yet.
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Yep. We need back-ups/depth. Not everyone gets to contribute every Saturday. We need guys in practice and ready to play when the injuries happen, because they will. If Duke never has a reception but is ready to go every week just in case...that is extremely important too.
 


mnsports1 said:
Yep. We need back-ups/depth. Not everyone gets to contribute every Saturday. We need guys in practice and ready to play when the injuries happen, because they will. If Duke never has a reception but is ready to go every week just in case...that is extremely important too.
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Absolutely right. I think a lot of people, myself included are still acclimating to the concept of having depth :)
 

We need playmakers on both offense and defense.

Both Elemore and Gibson look every bit the height and weight they are listed at with huge frames. Don't be shocked if these two guys see the field next year, they are uncommon athletes in that they are both big and can run really well with their length. Tall guys that are coordinated and fast are hard to come by and difference makers.
Once the coaches get these guys in practice they will be looking to find ways to get them on the football field and the ball in their hands. They create mismatch problems for linebackers that is why I could see both playing tight end to start.
 

Tommy Flanagan said:
No, because he was a freakish athlete at TE. At 6'6" at his age, he has the chance to be like Hageman. Do you not see this?
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I mentioned this earlier, but the kid is 6'6 and 246. He looks downright skinny at that weight. He will be a beast after the strength and conditioning program. I even asked him if he really weighs 246 and he said, "yeah, closer to 250 now." The kid looks the part. On another note, Connor Mayes looks physically ready to play right now. Very impressive looking athlete.
 

Obviously we are going to break out a formation with nothing but TEs. Thrown in some ****s and motions and you've got yourself one crazy offensive scheme going there.
 

golfinggopher said:
I mentioned this earlier, but the kid is 6'6 and 246. He looks downright skinny at that weight. He will be a beast after the strength and conditioning program. I even asked him if he really weighs 246 and he said, "yeah, closer to 250 now." The kid looks the part. On another note, Connor Mayes looks physically ready to play right now. Very impressive looking athlete.
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Mayes is a great get, and will be in the mix soon!
 

MadtownGopher said:
So where do you see Duke and Wozniak fitting in?
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I agree with some earlier comments. At the goal line all you would need Wozniak to do is stand up, walk into the endzone, and put up one of his mitts to pluck the ball out of the air. That boy big - really big.
 

golfinggopher said:
I mentioned this earlier, but the kid is 6'6 and 246. He looks downright skinny at that weight. He will be a beast after the strength and conditioning program. I even asked him if he really weighs 246 and he said, "yeah, closer to 250 now." The kid looks the part. On another note, Connor Mayes looks physically ready to play right now. Very impressive looking athlete.
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He also runs VERY well....he can jump out of the gym in basketball (360 dunks) and still looks like a baby. Gopher fans are going to love him.
 



Gopherdrummer said:
Obviously we are going to break out a formation with nothing but TEs. Thrown in some ****s and motions and you've got yourself one crazy offensive scheme going there.
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Actually, if these guys are as athletic as advertised, think of the deception and flexibility that Limegrover could have... Come out in a Jumbo package with 3 TE and 2 RB. The D will match up with a run heavy package. You line up in a normal power running formation and then shift into 3, 4 or 5 wide. Somebody is going to get a mismatch against a LB. Or you could run a sweep with those large bodies out there blocking against DBs. Or throw a bubble screen to Edwards/Jones with two 6-6 250+ blockers in front. Or if the D stays small, pound the rock.

This is an extreme example, but with serious athletes at TE, you get lots of formation/play flexibility to create & exploit mismatches. So I think it's possible that they all stay at TE. The did get 3 DEs in this class, so they aren't hurting for depth there. What a great problem to have...too many athletes and trying to figure out where they help us the most!
 

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