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

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Mixed feelings here. I held out hope that an upperclassmen at the position would have a better chance of finally figuring it out. However his biggest problem is accuracy and that's just not something that is easily coachable. You either have the touch or you don't. Fixing mechanics can only do so much. Much like a pitcher in baseball, you either have control or don't.

This was Kill's hand-picked guy. Now in year 4 we'll have another underclassmen as a starter, not to mention a very suspect WR core. The passing game supplements the running game in his offense but it has failed in his first 3 years and no longer is this an inherited problem. This is Kill's mess
 

Rosemountain- Maybe one of the 4 Freshmen QB's at SCSU can walk on and prove your point. So Eagan's QB had a better game against the Irish, so he is better?
 

Harbison had zero impact during his Gopher career - this is certainly no big deal. And we have a returning quarterback who will be in his third year in the program who also has starting experience under his belt. This is not an unusual circumstance in college football. That's certainly more than Iowa had coming into this past year. I don't see any tarnish, and I don't feel any dampening.

kandj said:
Spot on.

The way the season ended at the bowl game, and now this (with Harbison) has certainly dampened what was a very exciting season. It puts a little tarnish on the the the success of the season, and also on Kill for that matter. This is the kinda stuff other coaches blow up when doing some negative recruiting. More questions that need answering that I didn't think we had going into the Wisconsin game.
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I hope they don't let Nelson fly the plane to wherever he transfers. If the runway is wide open, he might fly over it by half a mile.
 

I was thinking before this announcement that the coaches were going to have a tough decision at QB next fall. Nelson made that decision for them. Both quarterbacks were flawed this year, Leidner was making redshirt freshman mistakes and looked under prepared at times, Nelson had a lot of inexplicable misses. Leidner would look surprised, like he misread the defense, and miss wildly. Nelson would look like he would properly read the play select the open receiver and then miss wildly. I suspect that Leidner has the more coachable problem and was looking forward to seeing if my hunch is right. Either way it's Leidner for a least next year.
 


We need a quick release decisive accurate passer who has good pocket presence and is not afraid to run. Where is he? Don't you think we don't necessarily want a 70-30 run to pass offensive scheme, but take what the opposing defense will give and male adjustment accordingly?

Mitch has his work cut out this Spring and Summer. Streveler needs to get seroius reps in practice real quick. Next Man up!
 

Looks like the coaches really were going to have an open battle for QB this spring. Maybe Nelson wanting the job to be his to lose. Or simpler yet, he could be telling the truth about wanting to go to a more pass happy Offense. People who don't want to look at his overall performance or even more so his last three games always mention his performance during the 4-game B1G winning streak.

We've talked about it before but he had a great day against Indiana, but so did nearly every other QB that played them. He had a good day against Penn State, going 15 for 24 for a 186 yards and a TD. The other two games? He went 8 for 11 for 112 yards and a TD against NW and 7 for 15 for 152 and a TD against NE.

That notable streak of wins included completions of in order, 7, 15, 8 and 16 Passes. He also never threw for more that 24 times in any of those games.

Many people here and media members both local and national, looked at all 12 games, particularly the last 3, and came to the conclusion that, for reasons we've went into here again and again, Philip's days as a starting QB in the Big Ten were behind him. Either Mitch would step-up and eliminate his mistakes or Kill would keep hunting for a more dependable replacement.

However Nelson, looking at that 4 game winning streak, following a Non-Conference Schedule where he barely threw the ball at all could have, as he stated, came to the conclusion that's he's never going to be able to show his stuff and "sling it around" in this Offense.

Good Luck to Nelson and even better luck to whoever plays QB for the Gophers next season!
 

*Cheapshot alert* Maybe he can do a little research and determine how many programs have 7-ft wide receivers before making his decision.
 

Leidner competed as well as Nelson at times this year, so if he has himself a nice year, we essentialy will have as good, if not a better of a QB that Nelson was if Leidner can make nice throws. Nelson really helped turn around the program during the first 10 games, so I'm very grateful of that. Howver, Nelson was overthrowing guys by 10-15 yards by the end of the year, so I'm confident Mitch can get the job done for us next year. Best of luck to Phillip as he moves on though.
 




Gopher028 said:
This feels like it might have been a mutual decision between Kill and Phillip that it's best for both. I bet it was addressed that Leidner is passing him in the development process and that the program is leaning more towards him going forward and that Phillip would be tabbed as the back-up, but.. that Phillip deserved to be a starter, somewhere, just not here.. similar to the Max Shortell situation. 'You're good but not what we need and you'd be better suited somewhere else and we'll do all we can to help you find the best place for you.'
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I just can't see this being the case. It's possible Nelson wanted to be guaranteed the starting spot and if it wasn't given to him then he's gone, but there's no way the coaching staff would've tabbed him as the backup and told him that in a meeting. We're talking about the QB of our team during our 4 big ten wins this season. Why on earth would the coaching staff do anything to risk losing him? I would understand not guaranteeing Phil he starts but saying anything else (like "you're the backup") is flat out crazy. Leidner showed potential but I'd seriously question Kill, Limegrover, and coach Z if they were satisfied enough with him to say he's no doubt at the top of the QB depth chart.

My speculation is Phil knew he was in for a 3 person battle this spring and summer and didn't like the offense he was playing in anyways. That was enough. He wanted to play and he wanted to throw the rock more. Rip him all you want for his passing abilities, but him and his father must have thought the system he was in had a big role in his pedestrian passing numbers.
 

hungan1 said:
We need a quick release decisive accurate passer who has good pocket presence and is not afraid to run. Where is he? Don't you think we don't necessarily want a 70-30 run to pass offensive scheme, but take what the opposing defense will give and male adjustment accordingly?

Mitch has his work cut out this Spring and Summer. Streveler needs to get seroius reps in practice real quick. Next Man up!
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I posted the other day that Michael Brewer is graduating from Texas Tech and will transfer with two years of eligibility left. The kid has a great arm and can run well. If I'm JK, I'm on the phone finding this kid and see if he wants to start in a Big 10 program that needs a QB. I like Leidner's upside, not sure if he's the answer. Doubt Brewer would come north of the mason-dixon line, but at least make the call, please!
 




I think this is a tough loss for you guys, but it isn't the end of the world.

I liked Nelson; he struck me as pretty smart and a tough kid. He wasn't quite as accurate as you would want, but you have to expect that 50% completion rate to climb toward 60% in his junior and senior years. Losing the experience (played in what, 20 games?), and the fact that a lot of folks thought he was sort of the face of the team has to hurt. I think Nelson had some decent upside.

I didn't see Leidner enough to compare, but you are starting out new again. Hard to get consistency when your QB is always new. I'd caution putting too much emphasis on one bowl game performance, either way.

I could see him ending up at a MAC school or some place like that. He's certainly got the size and toughness to play.

I take Nelson's statement at face value. As I read it, he is saying "I want to be a passing QB and Minnesota doesn't pass enough and makes me run the ball too much." I wonder if he was worried about getting hurt.

Anyway, that is my $0.02. It doesn't help the Gopher program, but Kill is headed in the right direction and will get there eventually. This will be a little detour, but I don't think it is a killer.
 

I am pretty surprised by the reaction to Nelson's transfer. The only time this offense looked remotely potent in Kill's tenure here was the 4 game winning streak that occurred while Phil was under center. I saw him as a much more natural passer than Mitch while being a less physical, but safer with the football runner. Having said that, the biggest disappointment to me with how the season finished (beyond the losses) was Phil not stepping up and answering the QB question for 2014. He clearly did not play well down the stretch, though the loss of Engel probably played a part in that.

I still would have made Philip Nelson a strong favorite to be the QB next year, so I see this as a big blow to the program. The offense needs to become more balanced going forward, and I hope we have a QB (and a game plan) capable of moving the ball through the air next season.
 

A QB is never as good as he looks in a good game, or as bad as he looks in a bad game. The truth, as with most things, falls somewhere in the middle.

I certainly thought Nelson had potential, but he did not show the improvement that I was hoping for this season.

His leaving does raise a LOT of questions:

Bad fit with the offense? Problems with coaching staff? Problems with other players? Girlfriend problems?

Having said that - yes the QB is a very important position, but there are 100+ kids on a college FB roster. If one guy leaving sends the program into a tailspin, you weren't a very strong program to begin with. Let's give this some time and see what happens.
 

Perhaps Kill is bringing in a transfer….we don't know. Also our only ESPN Offensive Player of the Week winner is still with us…Mitch. It's got to be tough to recruit WRs and QBs for a team that is so run happy. Think what happens if we have Cobb, Berkley and Jones. Won't be the QB winning the limelight as much.

We will be fine…or offensive line is much better. Mitch has been here for 2 years and has 3 more years of eligibility. We have great athletes coming in at QB….and our WRs and TEs improved a ton this year. They will be awesome next year. The first half of the year they weren't open…but then in big 10 play they started creating space. Jones, Wolitarsky and Maxx will make Leidner or whoever it is look much improved, whether or not they improve….and the run game will be a big enough threat that their will be less pressure on the QB. If you get 5 yards on the 1st down…it makes the rest of the down a heckuva lot easier. Harbison probably left because he saw how awesome Jones and Wolitarsky are going to be...
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
I hope they don't let Nelson fly the plane to wherever he transfers. If the runway is wide open, he might fly over it by half a mile.
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Or maybe land in Taney County, Missouri.

Seriously, not a good thing by any stretch and I'm someone who believes Leidner's ceiling is higher than Nelson's. The question is the probability of Leidner reaching his ceiling. I think Nelson is the steadier bet in that department, but one can never tell.

But it could have a negative effect on in-state recruiting and it makes the program look a bit wobbly (even though it's not as wobbly as the casual fan would think after something like this). You want to get on the five-year cycle where you are re-loading and not re-building. This kind of throws a wrench into that cycle. I don't think it sets us back a year or anything, but it doesn't help us.
 

TheMonsignor said:
I think this is a tough loss for you guys, but it isn't the end of the world.

I liked Nelson; he struck me as pretty smart and a tough kid. He wasn't quite as accurate as you would want, but you have to expect that 50% completion rate to climb toward 60% in his junior and senior years. Losing the experience (played in what, 20 games?), and the fact that a lot of folks thought he was sort of the face of the team has to hurt. I think Nelson had some decent upside.

I didn't see Leidner enough to compare, but you are starting out new again. Hard to get consistency when your QB is always new. I'd caution putting too much emphasis on one bowl game performance, either way.

I could see him ending up at a MAC school or some place like that. He's certainly got the size and toughness to play.

I take Nelson's statement at face value. As I read it, he is saying "I want to be a passing QB and Minnesota doesn't pass enough and makes me run the ball too much." I wonder if he was worried about getting hurt.

Anyway, that is my $0.02. It doesn't help the Gopher program, but Kill is headed in the right direction and will get there eventually. This will be a little detour, but I don't think it is a killer.
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Not sure if that was an unintended pun? ;-) I think your comments are pretty spot on. At this point, no sense in looking back and speculating what might have been since it won't do anyone any good. Hopefully, Leidner or one of the new guys surprises everyone with exceptional play next season. If nothing else, it sure made us forget about Harbison in a hurry. This too shall pass.

Go Gophers!
 

Gopher028 said:
This feels like it might have been a mutual decision between Kill and Phillip that it's best for both. I bet it was addressed that Leidner is passing him in the development process and that the program is leaning more towards him going forward and that Phillip would be tabbed as the back-up, but.. that Phillip deserved to be a starter, somewhere, just not here.. similar to the Max Shortell situation. 'You're good but not what we need and you'd be better suited somewhere else and we'll do all we can to help you find the best place for you.'
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I would be very surprised if this is the case. You don't go from starting a bowl game to this in my opinion. Even the biggest Leidner backers can't say he is head and shoulders ahead of Nelson.
 

GophersInIowa said:
I would be very surprised if this is the case. You don't go from starting a bowl game to this in my opinion. Even the biggest Leidner backers can't say he is head and shoulders ahead of Nelson.
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And in the case of Rosemountian, one can't say he is knees and ankles below Nelson.
 

1. Whether you were a Nelson guy or a Leidner guy you have to admit they weren't far apart this year. This hurts in depth if nothing else.

2. Our team was at its best this year with Phil at QB (4-game streak). Neither he nor Mitch looked good at most times. This is going to hurt in options if nothing else.

3. How could losing your star QB recruit 2-years in not affect recruiting players like Jones, Holland, and Ragnow?

All these posts about how this is no big deal, we don't need him, Mitch is way better anyway, are so dumb. It hurts our team - plain and simple and no way around it.
 

Gopher028 said:
This feels like it might have been a mutual decision between Kill and Phillip that it's best for both. I bet it was addressed that Leidner is passing him in the development process and that the program is leaning more towards him going forward and that Phillip would be tabbed as the back-up, but.. that Phillip deserved to be a starter, somewhere, just not here.. similar to the Max Shortell situation. 'You're good but not what we need and you'd be better suited somewhere else and we'll do all we can to help you find the best place for you.'
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Exactly! Wouldn't surprise me that the coaches had conversations with all the players saying-here's what you need to work on or here's where your at on the depth chart going into the spring. It's why Kill said he wasn't sure who would be leaving the team yet. It's why Harbison just announced his transfer. This is not a coincidence.

This likely means that Leidner/Streveler/McKinzy are all expected to be as good or better next year than Nelson and he saw that writing on the wall. He's certainly not going to come out and say that in a press release.

Enjoyed watching Nelson play. His enthusiasm, running ability, and key completions at times were awesome to watch. Will miss those parts. But expect this means Kill thinks the team can do better.
 

I can't say that I'm surprised that Nelson transferred. Nelson reminds me a lot of a player that plateaued in high school and really hadn't gotten that much better since arriving in college. I always kind of though he wanted all the glory on every play. He pulled the ball a lot in the read option instead of handing off the ball when it was pretty obvious that there was a huge hole for the back to run through if the ball had been handed off. Nelson played in an absolute terrible conference in high school which I believe inflated his stats. I believe Leidner has a lot more potential than Nelson had. Is Leidner there yet. Probably not but it seems to be his show now so hopefully he puts in the time which I believe he will. Nelson would be smart to transfer down a level or two. Transferring into a major D1 program as a junior will most likely mean he spends the rest of his career as a backup. It wouldn't surprise me if he ended up at NDSU/Northern Iowa/or Mankato.
 

mngolf said:
Exactly! Wouldn't surprise me that the coaches had conversations with all the players saying-here's what you need to work on or here's where your at on the depth chart going into the spring. It's why Kill said he wasn't sure who would be leaving the team yet. It's why Harbison just announced his transfer. This is not a coincidence.

This likely means that Leidner/Streveler/McKinzy are all expected to be as good or better next year than Nelson and he saw that writing on the wall. He's certainly not going to come out and say that in a press release.

Enjoyed watching Nelson play. His enthusiasm, running ability, and key completions at times were awesome to watch. Will miss those parts. But expect this means Kill thinks the team can do better.
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Like I said earlier, we're talking about the QB who played the majority of snaps in our 4 big ten wins this year. There's no way the coaches suggested other QB's are for certain moving ahead of him on the depth chart. No possible way. I just think Nelson didn't feel like being in a QB competition in an offense he didn't like to play in anyways.
 


RochesterHammy said:
He pulled the ball a lot in the read option instead of handing off the ball when it was pretty obvious that there was a huge hole for the back to run through if the ball had been handed off.
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OK - I'm not trying to contribute to a Nelson v. Liedner debate, but I found this funny. So, do you think Phil called his own number in the read option more than Mitch?
 

Spoofin said:
1. Whether you were a Nelson guy or a Leidner guy you have to admit they weren't far apart this year. This hurts in depth if nothing else.

2. Our team was at its best this year with Phil at QB (4-game streak). Neither he nor Mitch looked good at most times. This is going to hurt in options if nothing else.

3. How could losing your star QB recruit 2-years in not affect recruiting players like Jones, Holland, and Ragnow?

All these posts about how this is no big deal, we don't need him, Mitch is way better anyway, are so dumb. It hurts our team - plain and simple and no way around it.
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+1 I'm saddened by the news for all the reasons quoted above. In a system where the QB takes so many hits I fear there is a good chance our lack of depth will really hurt us next year. I really wish Nelson all the best of luck for the future, the Nebraska and the Indiana games were my highlights of the season and IMHO defined our progress on previous years. The kid was a major part in both those victories.
 

Spoofin said:
1. Whether you were a Nelson guy or a Leidner guy you have to admit they weren't far apart this year. This hurts in depth if nothing else. 2. Our team was at its best this year with Phil at QB (4-game streak). Neither he nor Mitch looked good at most times. This is going to hurt in options if nothing else. 3. How could losing your star QB recruit 2-years in not affect recruiting players like Jones, Holland, and Ragnow? All these posts about how this is no big deal, we don't need him, Mitch is way better anyway, are so dumb. It hurts our team - plain and simple and no way around it.
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+1 to all of this Spoofin. Well said.
 


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