BleedGopher
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Per MSN:
Depth: Bryce Williams, Zach Evans, Jordan Nubin
Who was “the starter” at running back last year? Technically the season began with Sean Tyler carrying the rock before handing over the reigns to super-freshman Darius Taylor who then gave way to Bryce Williams who was then followed by Jordan Nubin. Running back was not pretty for the Gophers as injuries piled up throughout the season.
The term often used around here is that you need a “pair and a spare.” But this group ended up with their 5th string running back starting games in the heart of the Big Ten schedule.
Tyler was the Western Michigan transfer who demonstrated fumbling issues almost immediately and was quickly shown his way to the doghouse.
But that opened the door for true freshman Darius Taylor who ran with the starting job and was quickly dominating the competition. He played in just 6 games but earned himself Big Ten Freshman of the Week three times, led the team in rushing, was All-Big Ten honorable mention and ended the season as the Quicklan Bowl MVP. The only thing that slowed Taylor were injuries.
When Taylor was unable to play due to those injuries, the next man up was veteran Bryce Williams. Who shared carries with redshirt freshman, Zach Evans, who showed some promise. Evans also earned himself a Big Ten Freshman of the Week when he rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown in the win over Louisiana.
But eventually, the running back room dwindled down to Jordan Nubin, brother to Tyler. As a walk-on sophomore who started the year 5th on the depth chart, Nubin was able to start against Michigan State and he became the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week when ran for 204 yards and 2 touchdowns.
So the good news is that the Gophers had some quality depth and this team can execute running the football. The bad news was obviously that this group was banged up and frankly they were the only positive aspect of the Gopher offfense.
Depth: Marcus Major, Jaren Mangham, Sieh Bangura, Bryce Williams, Jordan Nubin
Freshmen: Fame Ijeboi, Jaydon Wright
You will notice quite a few new names as the coaching staff made it a priority to add more running back depth this offseason.
Taylor is clearly going to be the starter and if he remains healthy he will be one of the best running backs in the Big Ten. I think we are all very excited to see him in his sophomore season. A healthy Taylor and this position is already a huge upgrade.
But the transfers are where things get interesting.
Major is a former 4-star back who has spent his collegiate career at Oklahoma. Over his past 2 seasons, he has rushed for 335 yards and 5 touchdowns. So he has not exactly been lighting the Big 12 on fire but reports out of camp have been very promising for Major and he should be a reliable and experienced back to be in the rotation.
Mangham has played all over the US and comes to Minnesota for one final season. He played as a true freshman at Colorado and rushed for 441 yards. After his sophomore season, he transferred to USF where he led the team in rushing and was All-AAC honorable mention. The following year, he played but in few enough games to retain his redshirt and then left USF for Michigan State. Mangham played for the Spartans last season, was injured for the first 6 games and played sparingly in the final 6. He is now a Gopher and should be a part of the rotation as well.
The final transfer is a transfer from the MAC. This time the Gophers are bringing in Bangura from Ohio and he will have 2 seasons to play for Minnesota. Bangura has made 24 starts for the Bobcats, rushed for close to 2,000 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Williams and Nubin will also return, along with 2 incoming freshmen, Fame Ijeboi and Jaydon Wright.
If we get more than 6 games out of Taylor, this is an upgrade.
If we get some significant contributions from any of the three transfer backs, this is an upgrade.
We know what we are going to get from Williams and Nubin, but any improvement from them and this is an upgrade.
Frankly, if we get any improvement from the passing game, this unit is an upgrade.
Go Gophers!!
2023
Starter: Sean Tyler (to start), Darius Taylor (when health)Depth: Bryce Williams, Zach Evans, Jordan Nubin
Who was “the starter” at running back last year? Technically the season began with Sean Tyler carrying the rock before handing over the reigns to super-freshman Darius Taylor who then gave way to Bryce Williams who was then followed by Jordan Nubin. Running back was not pretty for the Gophers as injuries piled up throughout the season.
The term often used around here is that you need a “pair and a spare.” But this group ended up with their 5th string running back starting games in the heart of the Big Ten schedule.
Tyler was the Western Michigan transfer who demonstrated fumbling issues almost immediately and was quickly shown his way to the doghouse.
But that opened the door for true freshman Darius Taylor who ran with the starting job and was quickly dominating the competition. He played in just 6 games but earned himself Big Ten Freshman of the Week three times, led the team in rushing, was All-Big Ten honorable mention and ended the season as the Quicklan Bowl MVP. The only thing that slowed Taylor were injuries.
When Taylor was unable to play due to those injuries, the next man up was veteran Bryce Williams. Who shared carries with redshirt freshman, Zach Evans, who showed some promise. Evans also earned himself a Big Ten Freshman of the Week when he rushed for 85 yards and a touchdown in the win over Louisiana.
But eventually, the running back room dwindled down to Jordan Nubin, brother to Tyler. As a walk-on sophomore who started the year 5th on the depth chart, Nubin was able to start against Michigan State and he became the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week when ran for 204 yards and 2 touchdowns.
So the good news is that the Gophers had some quality depth and this team can execute running the football. The bad news was obviously that this group was banged up and frankly they were the only positive aspect of the Gopher offfense.
2024
Starter: Darius TaylorDepth: Marcus Major, Jaren Mangham, Sieh Bangura, Bryce Williams, Jordan Nubin
Freshmen: Fame Ijeboi, Jaydon Wright
You will notice quite a few new names as the coaching staff made it a priority to add more running back depth this offseason.
Taylor is clearly going to be the starter and if he remains healthy he will be one of the best running backs in the Big Ten. I think we are all very excited to see him in his sophomore season. A healthy Taylor and this position is already a huge upgrade.
But the transfers are where things get interesting.
Major is a former 4-star back who has spent his collegiate career at Oklahoma. Over his past 2 seasons, he has rushed for 335 yards and 5 touchdowns. So he has not exactly been lighting the Big 12 on fire but reports out of camp have been very promising for Major and he should be a reliable and experienced back to be in the rotation.
Mangham has played all over the US and comes to Minnesota for one final season. He played as a true freshman at Colorado and rushed for 441 yards. After his sophomore season, he transferred to USF where he led the team in rushing and was All-AAC honorable mention. The following year, he played but in few enough games to retain his redshirt and then left USF for Michigan State. Mangham played for the Spartans last season, was injured for the first 6 games and played sparingly in the final 6. He is now a Gopher and should be a part of the rotation as well.
The final transfer is a transfer from the MAC. This time the Gophers are bringing in Bangura from Ohio and he will have 2 seasons to play for Minnesota. Bangura has made 24 starts for the Bobcats, rushed for close to 2,000 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Williams and Nubin will also return, along with 2 incoming freshmen, Fame Ijeboi and Jaydon Wright.
Upgrade/Downgrade
This group was a focus in the offseason. There is no doubt who the feature back of this offense is, but there needed to be plenty of talented backs to carry the load. The idea of spreading around the carries should keep guys fresher and healthier, making this entire unit better.If we get more than 6 games out of Taylor, this is an upgrade.
If we get some significant contributions from any of the three transfer backs, this is an upgrade.
We know what we are going to get from Williams and Nubin, but any improvement from them and this is an upgrade.
Frankly, if we get any improvement from the passing game, this unit is an upgrade.
Go Gophers!!
