STrib: The next month will prove pivotal for Gophers football roster future as transfer portal opens

[BleedGopher]

Per Randy:

When the final seconds tick off the clock Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium, the Gophers' regular season will end with either a 6-6 or 5-7 record. Neither mark is what the team or its fanbase had hoped for, but it's a stamp the Gophers will wear.


In order to improve on that showing in the future, coach P.J. Fleck and his staff face an important month ahead when it comes to constructing the roster for 2024 and beyond.

"There's a new era of college football, and we've got to continue to find creative ways to gain depth, keep depth, maintain depth, retain depth and then bring depth in from the portal side and the recruiting side," Fleck said after last week's 37-3 loss at Ohio State.

As early as pregame on Saturday during the Senior Walk, the Gophers get an indication on which players with eligibility remaining might be staying with the program and who might be leaving. The Gophers have 28 players listed as seniors, and 14 of those have eligibility remaining.

What positions will Fleck address in the portal? That depends on who stays and who leaves.

An area of interest will be quarterback, where starter Athan Kaliakmanis has been inconsistent. Backup Cole Kramer, a fifth-year senior who has one year of eligibility remaining, could be a transfer candidate. If he leaves, Kaliakmanis' backups would be freshmen Drew Viotto and Max Shikenjanski, a walk-on, plus 2024 incoming freshman Drake Lindsey of Fayetteville, Ark. Don't be surprised if Fleck seeks a transfer QB, though an experienced signal-caller likely would command a large chunk of name, image and likeness money.

Bolstering depth at running back, offensive line and cornerback through the portal also seems likely.

"It's to be determined," Fleck said of the portal priorities. "Nobody knows. You don't know who's staying, you don't know who's leaving. They have two opportunities to do that. What you think your team might look like in March is going to be different than what your team looks like in June."

Star Tribune

Your source for Minnesota news today. Read articles, view photos or watch videos about news in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, St. Cloud, Rochester, and beyond.

m.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[Word]

Need a QB and lots of help on defense. Receivers?

 

[upnorthkid]

Henrich (LBer) is supposedly walking for Nebraska today. Tore ACL again but will have another year left

 

[BilldGopher]

Speaking of Strib content, Mr. Reusse didn't even mention Coach or the Team in his annual Turkey of the Year Banquet ceremony. The Gophers of the past would have at least mustered an honorable mention for this year's performance.

Must be feeling charitable in his later years.

 

[BleedGopher]

Speaking of Strib content, Mr. Reusse didn't even mention Coach or the Team in his annual Turkey of the Year Banquet ceremony. The Gophers of the past would have at least mustered an honorable mention for this year's performance.

Must be feeling charitable in his later years.

He did, not by name but with a subtle shot at the end:

And to those not satisfied with the honorees when attending today's festivities, The Chairman would like to point out this:

Yes, we are the original Turkey of the Year Awards, but we don't have the money to succeed in the NIL (Nutcases Insufferable and Ludicrous) marketplace for Turkeys.

Meaning, our recruiting is terrible, our workers are low in talent and call in sick a lot, and we're always in danger of losing Turkeys to other higher-paying banquets.

These aren't excuses, they are facts, and The Chairman once again wants to reiterate:

It's all on me.

Star Tribune

Your source for Minnesota news today. Read articles, view photos or watch videos about news in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, St. Cloud, Rochester, and beyond.

m.startribune.com

Go Gophers!!

 

[short ornery norwegian]

some people act as if the Portal is like a Wal-Mart - you just walk in and grab what you want off the shelves.

but in reality, the Portal is a competition - multiple schools may be trying to acquire the same player, and that player has options - he can go where he wants (and where he can get the best NIL deal).

so just saying "We need to get a QB in the portal" sounds good, but realistically, that means the Gophers have to sell that QB on why he should come to MN - AND deal with any NIL issues at the same time.

teams with deeper NIL pockets may be able to go in and just grab what they want off the shelves. Teams with limited NIL may wind up shopping in the discount rack.

if the Gophers do wind up with a QB from the portal, the odds are fairly high that it will be a QB from a G5 or FCS team, or maybe a backup from a P5 team who is buried on the depth chart. sometimes you just have to take what you can get and hope you get lucky.

 

[upnorthkid]

some people act as if the Portal is like a Wal-Mart - you just walk in and grab what you want off the shelves.

but in reality, the Portal is a competition - multiple schools may be trying to acquire the same player, and that player has options - he can go where he wants (and where he can get the best NIL deal).

so just saying "We need to get a QB in the portal" sounds good, but realistically, that means the Gophers have to sell that QB on why he should come to MN - AND deal with any NIL issues at the same time.

teams with deeper NIL pockets may be able to go in and just grab what they want off the shelves. Teams with limited NIL may wind up shopping in the discount rack.

if the Gophers do wind up with a QB from the portal, the odds are fairly high that it will be a QB from a G5 or FCS team, or maybe a backup from a P5 team who is buried on the depth chart. sometimes you just have to take what you can get and hope you get lucky.

our portal is kind of like walmart in terms of the selection, at least on the offensive side. Would be wonderful to get someone who's an instant impact talent at some point.

 

[Drake University Gopher]

It’s almost like people are surprised we’re 5-7 or 6-6. Although we may have arrived at the destination in a different fashion than expected, it’s pretty much exactly what most of us predicted. In the end, we can still get the Pig AND the Axe. Many said they’d be more than satisfied if that was the result before the season started.

 

[Dakota2]

some people act as if the Portal is like a Wal-Mart - you just walk in and grab what you want off the shelves.

but in reality, the Portal is a competition - multiple schools may be trying to acquire the same player, and that player has options - he can go where he wants (and where he can get the best NIL deal).

so just saying "We need to get a QB in the portal" sounds good, but realistically, that means the Gophers have to sell that QB on why he should come to MN - AND deal with any NIL issues at the same time.

teams with deeper NIL pockets may be able to go in and just grab what they want off the shelves. Teams with limited NIL may wind up shopping in the discount rack.

if the Gophers do wind up with a QB from the portal, the odds are fairly high that it will be a QB from a G5 or FCS team, or maybe a backup from a P5 team who is buried on the depth chart. sometimes you just have to take what you can get and hope you get lucky.

P5 buried backup is the one. Highly recruited out of high school but knows he won't play for another year or two.

 

[gopherbadgerman]

P5 buried backup is the one. Highly recruited out of high school but knows he won't play for another year or two.

I honestly don’t care how highly recruited a kid is as long as he can play. But I agree a P5 backup buried behind a stud or two could be an intriguing option.

 

[proudgopher]

The Gopher also better keep some of the top recruits for this year.