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Panthadad2 said:
Cooper and Carroll were serviceable. Mid-pack in the conference. They weren't the main issue. The center was maybe the worst in the conference. Fleck might need to go to the portal and move Johnson over to guard or get him coached up; I believe it was his first year at center.
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It may be turned out to be unfortunate that the McConnell kid who was competition at center transferred to Vanderbilt. I have no idea whether he’s going to end up being good or not. He sat behind a this year transfer this year but Johnson I don’t think it’s gonna make it as a center. He just looks uncomfortable.
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
What did they gain on D (that will be here next year)? Perich obviously. Jaxon Howard played a little. Beyond that?
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I think they also gained a ton of experience

Secondary: Perich as you mentioned. He and Kerry Brown are the safeties next year and are both FR. ZaQuan Bryan also got a lot of run as did Coleman Bryson. Gousby again got a bunch of PT. Darius Green has been hurt and will be back; yes you lose Walley and Robinson, but some of those early season woes we had at safety now get better with seasoning. Would expect we're active again in the portal for CBs.
🇱🇧 Mav Baranowski played a ton and can be like Lindenberg. Devon Williams is also back. Gerlach and Stolsky played quite a bit on ST
Anthony Smith had 5 sacks this year and is back. Jaxon Howard as you mentioned. The DL will need help

Overall quite a bit of experience coming back in the back 7
 

Panthadad2 said:
That 4-game stretch was the anomaly. The Gophs have a losing record against Power 4 teams. To me, this season is a disappointment given the talent and that the team has been relatively healthy compared to the past three years.

Lost to a good PSU team.
Lost to an above average (barely) Iowa team.
Lost to a mediocre Michigan team.
Lost to a below average North Carolina team.
Lost to a below average Rutgers team.
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Could have gone 10-2 and could have been been 4-8. I think that’s the high and low marks realistically. Chance to go 7-5.

Seems about right.

Seven, 1 score games. Flip those results and we’re 7-4.
 

Panthadad2 said:
Cooper and Carroll were serviceable. Mid-pack in the conference. They weren't the main issue. The center was maybe the worst in the conference. Fleck might need to go to the portal and move Johnson over to guard or get him coached up; I believe it was his first year at center.
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I saw Carroll chasing the guy he was supposed to block way too many times this year.

It's hard to know with Johnson. He was an issue as well but he's young. Does he need to be moved or will he be better with more experience? Center is the toughest position on the line for a young player to learn.

The offensive line has taken a huge step back since JMS left.
 



MaxyJR1 said:
Could have gone 10-2 and could have been been 4-8. I think that’s the high and low marks realistically. Chance to go 7-5.

Seems about right.

Seven, 1 score games. Flip those results and we’re 7-4.
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No excuses for the Rutgers loss. UNC absolutely should have been a win. 8-3 or 9-2 is where this team should be sitting right now.
 

Gopherchase said:
It may be turned out to be unfortunate that the McConnell kid who was competition at center transferred to Vanderbilt. I have no idea whether he’s going to end up being good or not. He sat behind a this year transfer this year but Johnson I don’t think it’s gonna make it as a center. He just looks uncomfortable.
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It looks like McConnell only got a handful of snaps for Vandy but struggled per PFF. Regardless, the Gophs need to do something at center. What happened there this year can't continue.
 

It reminds me of a conversation with a Michigan football fan back in 2017 or 2018. He said Minnesota CFB will never be nationally relevant.

I wasn't willing to accept that then. Not sure I'm ready now. If there is even a little bit of hope that we can get into the playoffs occasionally, I'll hang onto that.
 

@upnorthkid posted a great breakdown of returning defensive talent above and I agree. Don’t forget Eastern who’s a monster inside. They’ll really miss Joyner and Striggow at Edge though.

I’m more worried on O. Obviously have Taylor back. They have some talent at WR, but we haven’t seen much outside of flashes from Brockington. QB is obviously a huge question mark. Philip Daniels got good run at the end of the year, Johnson obviously started all year, and Beers played a lot. Still really need a couple guys to step up huge on OL though.

In the end, PJ has proven he’ll pull some impact players out of the portal annually, so I have no doubt he’ll do so again — perhaps QB, OL, CB, WR, and LB.
 



Nax5 said:
It reminds me of a conversation with a Michigan football fan back in 2017 or 2018. He said Minnesota CFB will never be nationally relevant.

I wasn't willing to accept that then. Not sure I'm ready now. If there is even a little bit of hope that we can get into the playoffs occasionally, I'll hang onto that.
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Agreed. I’m sorry, but if Indiana can run through a weak schedule and make the playoffs, MN can catch a break one of these years. They’re heading in the right direction on O, have been a great defensive program for the most part for 5+ years, apparently have a solid NIL collective, and have used the portal as a net advantage. It’ll all come together one of these years IMO.
 

MGGopher said:
@upnorthkid posted a great breakdown of returning defensive talent above and I agree. Don’t forget Eastern who’s a monster inside. They’ll really miss Joyner and Striggow at Edge though.

I’m more worried on O. Obviously have Taylor back. They have some talent at WR, but we haven’t seen much outside of flashes from Brockington. QB is obviously a huge question mark. Philip Daniels got good run at the end of the year, Johnson obviously started all year, and Beers played a lot. Still really need a couple guys to step up huge on OL though.

In the end, PJ has proven he’ll pull some impact players out of the portal annually, so I have no doubt he’ll do so again — perhaps QB, OL, CB, WR, and LB.
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For his limited reps, I actually think Howard’s really good. Smith also plays the edge some I think on DL we will be fine.
 

Some Day...Maybe said:
If they win 7 or 8 regular season games next season I would not say that. The other thing to factor in is games they lose that they should win and if they have any good wins. Illinois their only decent win this year imo. USC next best win. Lastly, this roster was set up for a better season. To me, Fleck was a better coach at WM and his first few years here. I don’t think he’s as good without Ciarrocca. I think the current OC improved as the year went on but that he still has a ways to go. The NC loss was bad, the offensive game plan vs Rutgers was bad and this game I believe Fleck and the OC lost, which seems to happen a lot the last several years.
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We were underdogs at home vs UNC and less than a td favorite vs Rutgers. Let’s not lump these losses in with Bowling Green.
 

MGGopher said:
@upnorthkid posted a great breakdown of returning defensive talent above and I agree. Don’t forget Eastern who’s a monster inside. They’ll really miss Joyner and Striggow at Edge though.

I’m more worried on O. Obviously have Taylor back. They have some talent at WR, but we haven’t seen much outside of flashes from Brockington. QB is obviously a huge question mark. Philip Daniels got good run at the end of the year, Johnson obviously started all year, and Beers played a lot. Still really need a couple guys to step up huge on OL though.

In the end, PJ has proven he’ll pull some impact players out of the portal annually, so I have no doubt he’ll do so again — perhaps QB, OL, CB, WR, and LB.
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Jackson will be missed, but one thing with WRs is it can be hard to tell how good they can be until they actually start getting a solid volume of targets.
 



MGGopher said:
@upnorthkid posted a great breakdown of returning defensive talent above and I agree. Don’t forget Eastern who’s a monster inside. They’ll really miss Joyner and Striggow at Edge though.

I’m more worried on O. Obviously have Taylor back. They have some talent at WR, but we haven’t seen much outside of flashes from Brockington. QB is obviously a huge question mark. Philip Daniels got good run at the end of the year, Johnson obviously started all year, and Beers played a lot. Still really need a couple guys to step up huge on OL though.

In the end, PJ has proven he’ll pull some impact players out of the portal annually, so I have no doubt he’ll do so again — perhaps QB, OL, CB, WR, and LB.
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Yeah, every year players step up into the void. There's a good nucleus of experienced players coming back and they will continue to develop.
 




fmlizard said:
It's college football. Every one of our opponents is losing a bunch of key guys.

Transfer portal allows much more freedom to quick-patch holes. Underclassmen will step up.

I think Daniel Jackson will be the hardest player to replace after the QB spot. The Gophers have a mostly awful track record with transfer receivers but will need to hit on a couple for 2025.
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I believe if you have a QB who can make plays, a solid OL, and a top 20ish defense, you likely will win more than lose. The QB is promising, defense should be fine, but the OL will be something to be concerned about next year.
 

I’m happy w Gopher football, happy w Fleck - we’re a competitive team w nearly every team we play. Because of the blue bloods in our conference with major NLI above what we can gather - there is a reality. We play good football. Hopefully we can get to those 8-9 win seasons periodically. That’s the goal and I think Fleck is becoming a better coach w time.
 


Jerry Kill raised the floor for this program. Fleck was brought in to raise the ceiling.

And he has - but not as much as some people hoped or thought he would.

So now, the program is right back where it always seems to be - hoping to win 7 or 8 games and make it to a decent bowl game. If they beat WI and win a bowl game to go 8-5 for the season, I can live with that.

But - if they finish 7-6 or 6-7, I think that falls into the "disappointment" category.
 

Fleck has consistently shown that he can put together a staff who can coach players regardless of their star rating to compete at a big ten level. We have head scratchers here and there but he's a competent and qualified coach. We've also had one of the most disciplined teams in the country on and off the field since he got here. Unless we come into a ton of NIL money where we're bringing in a ton of 4/5 stars every year and getting nothing out of it, I'm content with what we've got and it's clear we can win any given week against any team in the conference. When and how that happens is not so predictable, but I refuse to look at any schedule and think "were fucked/no bowl game this year" with this dude at the helm.
 

watertown 1987 guy n said:
I’m happy w Gopher football, happy w Fleck - we’re a competitive team w nearly every team we play. Because of the blue bloods in our conference with major NLI above what we can gather - there is a reality. We play good football. Hopefully we can get to those 8-9 win seasons periodically. That’s the goal and I think Fleck is becoming a better coach w time.
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Excellent, realistic and the truth!

Well said!
 


watertown 1987 guy n said:
I’m happy w Gopher football, happy w Fleck - we’re a competitive team w nearly every team we play. Because of the blue bloods in our conference with major NLI above what we can gather - there is a reality. We play good football. Hopefully we can get to those 8-9 win seasons periodically. That’s the goal and I think Fleck is becoming a better coach w time.
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He is 12-12 in the last 24 games. That is not better.
 

3399 said:
He is 12-12 in the last 24 games. That is not better.
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Sounds like par for the course over the past 60 years before Fleck got here. We're Minnesota, not Alabama. We're going to have down periods and perspective is good for your mental health.
 

btowngopher said:
Sounds like you think the team underperforms no matter how many games they win. I’m sure you’ll tag them with it if they win 7-8 next year despite your 3-4 win projection.
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This team, this year did underperform.
 

Indiana Gopher said:
What hurts about this season isn't the record. When the season started, most of us didn't expect more (or much more) than being 6-5 at this point in the season. I think the prognosticators had us projected to go more like 3-8 or 4-7. What hurts is HOW we lost these games. We were leading yesterday well into the game. Same with the Iowa game until the half. Missed a short FG to lose to North Carolina. Had Michigan on-the-ropes. If 2 of those four games go the other way, this season would have been far different. 3 of those 4 and it would have been special!
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If 2 of those went differently people would be bitching about the other 1 or 2 and saying we should be in the CFB discussion
 


gopherbadgerman said:
How? They’re not that talented. Now that can be on PJ but they did not underperform to expectations.
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Underperformance vs unc and Rutgers for certain. Not even a question.

Not getting to 8 wins not including bowl game is underperforming.
 

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