Tally of Starters Opting Out

[walrus]

Mason rescued the program from the dumpster fire it had become. He will always hold a special place in Gopher football history for that. Unfortunately he could never shake the Ohio State thing and when they turned him down he lost his fire.

Haven’t you ever noticed how the ultra cool fans here have helped drive the damn bus over the cliff and get the program driven back into the wilderness all too often. In fact they tried to do that again during the first third of this 2024 season.

Mase fought on his whole time here to get this program back on campus with a new stadium
a done deal. THAT was the gift that Mase got the U of M football program.

And every coach since Mase has had the on campus stadium to defend and recruit to: even brewster got to use that stadium. Who knows whether Kill or even pJ would have been willing to take a job at an institution that didn’t even have an on campus stadium.

 

[walrus]

No worries as Mase being hired is why I became a Gopher. He was Georgia's HC for a week and if he was good enough for UGA, then I had something to respect at that time for UMN. Most important, hiring Mase told me the Administration (Yudof) was not only aware...but was ready to wake...the sleeping giant.

So, yes Walrus I take a shot at Mase now and then but mostly in disappointment. I still believe that if David Gibbs had stayed as DC, holding the offense and special teams constant, we would have been a hell of a football team with a little recruiting luck. He holds a special spot in my Gophers coaching tree.

I concur and share that point of view Build! I hold Mase in very high regard.
He did have Michigan, Ohio State, PSU, In addition to a strong Wisconsin, 4 seasons of Drew B @. qb for Purdue, a typically strong iowa, a strong MSU program and a much stronger Fitzgerald led Northwestern team on the schedule.

He did leave us the promise of a new stadium with the bonding deal approved by the state of Minnesota.

 

[BilldGopher]

I concur and share that point of view Build! I hold Mase in very high regard.
He did have Michigan, Ohio State, PSU, In addition to a strong Wisconsin, 4 seasons of Drew B @. qb for Purdue, a typically strong iowa, a strong MSU program and a much stronger Fitzgerald led Northwestern team on the schedule.

He did leave us the promise of a new stadium with the bonding deal approved by the state of Minnesota.

He was the Terminator of QBs against the Gophers. Any given play could have up to 4-5 check-downs with Tiller's wide-open schemes, and Mr. Brees was not a bad scrambler to boot if needed.

 

[cemba99]

I concur and share that point of view Build! I hold Mase in very high regard.
He did have Michigan, Ohio State, PSU, In addition to a strong Wisconsin, 4 seasons of Drew B @. qb for Purdue, a typically strong iowa, a strong MSU program and a much stronger Fitzgerald led Northwestern team on the schedule.

He did leave us the promise of a new stadium with the bonding deal approved by the state of Minnesota.

Small correction - while Brees did play four years at Purdue, he was the backup QB his freshman year and only had 19 completions for 232 yards in the entire season. Makes Brees's ranking of 4th all-time in Big Ten career passing yards even more impressive when he essentially did it in three years.

Interesting also is that the only Big Ten stadium in which Mason did not record a win was Ross-Ade (Purdue).

 

[50PoundHead]

No worries as Mase being hired is why I became a Gopher. He was Georgia's HC for a week and if he was good enough for UGA, then I had something to respect at that time for UMN. Most important, hiring Mase told me the Administration (Yudof) was not only aware...but was ready to wake...the sleeping giant.

So, yes Walrus I take a shot at Mase now and then but mostly in disappointment. I still believe that if David Gibbs had stayed as DC, holding the offense and special teams constant, we would have been a hell of a football team with a little recruiting luck. He holds a special spot in my Gophers coaching tree.

I only had a couple of gripes about Mason and they were minor. Clearly, the guy could coach. There were just a few times I felt he could have sold the program harder to the fan base and didn't. If ever there was a coach in Minnesota who could have had the fan base (both ardent and casual) eating out of his hands, it was Mason. But every now and then there'd be the "I'll answer the phone" or some such comment that would make people shake their heads.

To one of Billd's points, Mason kept putting all the athletes on offense. He recruited Alex Daniels as a DE and then moved him to RB. Daniels transfers to Cincinnati, goes back on defense and has himself a pretty good career there. He recruited Matt Spaeth as a DE and moved him to TE (good move). He recruited J.J. Watt as a TE and had him committed to the Gophers. Watt de-committed when Brewster was hired and my how his world changed when someone figured out that DE was his calling. He had some good athletes on defense, but never enough of them.

 

[Panthadad2]

"Play the game homey!"

 

[walrus]

Small correction - while Brees did play four years at Purdue, he was the backup QB his freshman year and only had 19 completions for 232 yards in the entire season. Makes Brees's ranking of 4th all-time in Big Ten career passing yards even more impressive when he essentially did it in three years.

Interesting also is that the only Big Ten stadium in which Mason did not record a win was Ross-Ade (Purdue).

It seemed like a lot more than he in 3 years that DB tore the Gopher defenders apart though…

;0)

 

[Panthadad2]

Small correction - while Brees did play four years at Purdue, he was the backup QB his freshman year and only had 19 completions for 232 yards in the entire season. Makes Brees's ranking of 4th all-time in Big Ten career passing yards even more impressive when he essentially did it in three years.

Interesting also is that the only Big Ten stadium in which Mason did not record a win was Ross-Ade (Purdue).

Joe Tiller at Purdue owned Mason the way Ferentz has owned Fleck so far. I think Mason won once in his ten years.

 

[1983]

NIL money doesn’t come from the team or the school. The bargain: NIL money is a royalty paid by a third party in return for the right to use a player’s name, image and likeness. It is not a wage paid for playing in a college football game.

LOL. The reality is that NIL money is a wage for playing in a college football game, period.

 

[Strongazzoffer]

So strongsazz: I see you just joined this board a few days ago. You weren’t one of those posters who was so fed up we PJ after the first four games this 2024 season that you were done with Gopher because of the coaching…the offensive coordnation situation and so forth and so on? Hope those dudes who said they couldn’t take it any longer are doing ok today. Pj got the team back to the middle of the pack by the end of the season without their presence and/or strong support.

Damn, man, it was just the other day that the Saban character was ranting about some team from some power conference some where in the damn south eastern part of the country needing to schedule softer because they were left out of the championship field as a result of 3 losses in their damn directionally named conference located somewhere down south. This Saban
fellow seemed to think that their coach would need to schedule softer in the future.

Maybe PJ should heed that Saban fellows warning and advice.

Personally, I have long advocated no non-conference games for ALL B1G coaches! Now, that would have kept Mase and even PJ honest and above criticism for the teams their athletic directors scheduled them to play

Haven’t you ever noticed how the ultra cool fans here have helped drive the damn bus over the cliff and get the program driven back into the wilderness all too often. In fact they tried to do that again during the first third of this 2024 season.

Mase fought on his whole time here to get this program back on campus with a new stadium
a done deal. THAT was the gift that Mase got the U of M football program.

And every coach since Mase has had the on campus stadium to defend and recruit to: even brewster got to use that stadium. Who knows whether Kill or even pJ would have been willing to take a job at an institution that didn’t even have an on campus stadium.

Does Glen frequently Mase in your face?

 

[denguegopher]

I only had a couple of gripes about Mason and they were minor. Clearly, the guy could coach.

Mostly agree. But the guy however could not hold a lead. Several avoidable (IMHO) cases of grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory. Brutal...

 

[btowngopher]

I saw the SMU backup QB jumped in the portal. He was the starter last year. It didn't take long for playoff teams to have players jumping early. I can't fathom being a portal man during a playoff run.

Nothing to gain by waiting to enter the portal. They’re going to get bounced in game one anyways, plus if he’s not playing are the games that meaningful to him? I think players are going to opt out of the playoffs more and more, we see money trumping championships all the time in pro sports, why would this be any different?

 

[btowngopher]

DB Mansoor Delane is arguably their biggest loss too, star CB for them.

A former gopher recruit, he took an OV here.

 

[BilldGopher]

Minnesota Potential Opt-Outs

• DE Danny Stiggow
• OT Aireontae Ersery
• DE Jah Joyner
• CB Justin Walley
• QB Max Brosmer
• OG Tyler Cooper

OL Quinn Carroll said he will play in a bowl, while S Aidan Gousby missed the final three games.

Thought I'd resurrect this for an update. I know Walley declared for the draft but has any Gopher player actually announced not playing in the bowl?

 

[MNVCGUY]

Thought I'd resurrect this for an update. I know Walley declared for the draft but has any Gopher player actually announced not playing in the bowl?

If they have I have not seen it. For that matter, has Ersery even officially declared for the draft yet? I mean we all assume he is going pro and will opt out of the bowl game but I don't think he has declared anything to this point.

 

[NotAFanOfBecky]

"Play the game homey!"

I dunno Cam, millions guaranteed vs a few hundred grand? I get why these guys opt out as much as I want them to play. Also, I love that he’s always wearing the Smokey the Bear hat!

 

[Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0]

"Play the game homey!"

If it wasn't obvious that NIL is nothing but pay for play before, Cam Newton just cleared this up.

 

[mggoph]

If they have I have not seen it. For that matter, has Ersery even officially declared for the draft yet? I mean we all assume he is going pro and will opt out of the bowl game but I don't think he has declared anything to this point.

As per Rivals he has. Haven't seen anything on his Twitter feed.

Minnesota OL Aireontae Ersery declares for NFL Draft

Minnesota offensive lineman Aireontae Ersery has declared for the NFL Draft.

minnesota.rivals.com

 

[mngg11]

If it wasn't obvious that NIL is nothing but pay for play before, Cam Newton just cleared this up.

One of the few NIL associated takes I don't hate

 

[Husker Dont's]

Joe Tiller at Purdue owned Mason the way Ferentz has owned Fleck so far. I think Mason won once in his ten years.

Joe Tiller was an excellent coach. However, I remember an OT game the gophs got jobbed by the ref standing right there in the end zone to win the game. Then there was the Cupito option keeper!

 

[BilldGopher]

Saw elsewhere that Portal closes for Minnesota and VT on January 8...the rule is the Portal is open for 5 days after post-season games like bowls and playoff. Still time for movement.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Saw elsewhere that Portal closes for Minnesota and VT on January 8...the rule is the Portal is open for 5 days after post-season games like bowls and playoff. Still time for movement.

Yep, assume we will have some more guys transfer out after the bowl game. And then there is another portal window in the spring.

 

[Clairemont Gopher]

Maybe we would have been spared the Brewster Experiment if the TT kicker missed that 52-yard FG at the end of regulation.

And the irony is that Minnesota beat Iowa in the regular season finale to get to 6-6. If he had lost to Iowa I doubt that he would have fired. But that epic collapse vs TT could not be tolerated.

 

[Clairemont Gopher]

Mostly agree. But the guy however could not hold a lead. Several avoidable (IMHO) cases of grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory. Brutal...

Yup. Northwestern in 2000 will not be forgotten nor will a certain game in 2003 of which I cannot speak.

 

[USAF]

Where did the "starters opting out" thread go?

 

[Clairemont Gopher]

Joe Tiller was an excellent coach. However, I remember an OT game the gophs got jobbed by the ref standing right there in the end zone to win the game. Then there was the Cupito option keeper!

The villain of the 2001 Purdue game was the clock operator. When they ran that option with Cupito to tie the 2005 Purdue game that allowed them to actually win later, I yelled "NOOOOOO!" until he somehow got into the end zone. Talk about a surprise play call!

 

[BilldGopher]

Where did the "starters opting out" thread go?

As the OP the news is no news...and probably nothing until Coach files the team roster a few hours before the game. Tight lips keep rowboats from sinking or something like that...

 

[Great Plains Gopher]

NIL money doesn’t come from the team or the school. The bargain: NIL money is a royalty paid by a third party in return for the right to use a player’s name, image and likeness. It is not a wage paid for playing in a college football game.

Except it is.

 

[BilldGopher]

From the Strib....

As Fleck assesses his roster, he’ll do so knowing that some seniors will opt out of the bowl game to begin preparing for the NFL draft. While the coach wouldn’t reveal any opt-outs — “The availability report will be out two hours before kickoff,” Fleck said — offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery, wide receiver Daniel Jackson, linebacker Cody Lindenberg, defensive end Jah Joyner and cornerback Justin Walley are the most likely to not play.

No surprises and nothing official...but now seeming to be more real. All are contributors.

 

[MNGoph24]

From the Strib....

As Fleck assesses his roster, he’ll do so knowing that some seniors will opt out of the bowl game to begin preparing for the NFL draft. While the coach wouldn’t reveal any opt-outs — “The availability report will be out two hours before kickoff,” Fleck said — offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery, wide receiver Daniel Jackson, linebacker Cody Lindenberg, defensive end Jah Joyner and cornerback Justin Walley are the most likely to not play.

No surprises and nothing official...but now seeming to be more real. All are contributors.

That doesn't sound good and is a very bad sign. Big contributors gone means big holes that can't be filled. Will be a very long night on Friday.