Wide Receiver Position Preview for Minnesota Golden Gophers’ Fall Camp

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BleedGopher

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Per BVM:

The Minnesota Golden Gophers are gearing up for the fall season with a focus on their wide receiver position. Daniel Jackson returns as the standout receiver after a strong 2023, but the team lost key players Corey Crooms and Chris Autman-Bell. Historically, the Gophers prioritize a limited number of receivers, only utilizing six last season. With an inexperienced roster beyond the returning trio, the team is looking to solidify their passing game this fall.

By the Numbers
  • Daniel Jackson: 59 receptions, 831 yards, 8 touchdowns in 2023.
  • Elijah Spencer: 9 receptions, 65 yards, 3 touchdowns last season.
Yes, But
Despite returning Jackson, the Gophers face challenges with depth, as the rest of the wide receiver room has little experience. With the loss of Crooms and Autman-Bell, the reliance on new transfers and untested players adds uncertainty to the team's offensive strategy.

State of Play
  • Elijah Spencer, Le'meke Brockington, and Daniel Jackson are projected starters.
  • Transfers Tyler Williams and Cristian Driver will compete for playing time, but both have limited previous stats.
What's Next
As the season approaches, the Gophers' coaching staff will focus on developing younger players and integrating new transfers to enhance their receiving corps. The progression during fall camp will be key to determining their offensive effectiveness.

Bottom Line
The Gophers' wide receiver situation is a mixed bag of returning talent and unproven players. Success in the upcoming season hinges on Jackson's performance and the contributions of new recruits, making this an area to watch closely as the season unfolds.

bvmsports.com

Wide Receiver Position Preview for Minnesota Golden Gophers' Fall Camp

The Minnesota Golden Gophers are gearing up for the fall season with a focus on their wide receiver position. Daniel Jackson returns as the standout receiver af
bvmsports.com bvmsports.com

Go Gophers!!
 

Good to hear that transfer WRs Williams and Driver might contribute, but what about HS recruits Kenric Lanier II and T J McWilliams? Both were highly rated. But little is being said about their prospects to play/help. And is Hoskins, who has years on the team now, a factor at all?
 

Gophergrandpa said:
Good to hear that transfer WRs Williams and Driver might contribute, but what about HS recruits Kenric Lanier II and T J McWilliams? Both were highly rated. But little is being said about their prospects to play/help. And is Hoskins, who has years on the team now, a factor at all?
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Hoskins must not have developed as much as folks have hoped. Ryan Burns had always thought he would contribute with his speed, but mentioned in a podcast that Driver might be the one to take his place as a small-quick-shifty WR.
 

jonnyganas said:
Hoskins must not have developed as much as folks have hoped. Ryan Burns had always thought he would contribute with his speed, but mentioned in a podcast that Driver might be the one to take his place as a small-quick-shifty WR.
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Hoskins was amazing in CFB25 for me doing jet sweep touch passes. Take note PJ! 😂
 

Gophergrandpa said:
Good to hear that transfer WRs Williams and Driver might contribute, but what about HS recruits Kenric Lanier II and T J McWilliams? Both were highly rated. But little is being said about their prospects to play/help. And is Hoskins, who has years on the team now, a factor at all?
Click to expand...
Hopefully with Jackson, Brockington, Williams, and Driver, we won't need much from the freshmen. Especially if the RB is going to be more involved in the passing game.
 


Tyler Williams was very highly rated out of HS and redshirted last year. It's interesting he didn't get more interest after going into the portal.
 

GophersInIowa said:
Tyler Williams was very highly rated out of HS and redshirted last year. It's interesting he didn't get more interest after going into the portal.
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Yes, he was highly rated but most major programs are looking to the portal for older players who are quick fixes with low risk.
 


Reading between the lines of the comments I’ve seen here and elsewhere I’m not expecting much. Potential, sure. The game breaker athlete (transfer Williams from Georgia) we hoped we’d see this fall is banged up and probably a year away from contributing per Burns, which isn’t great news. Beyond Jackson….yeah I don’t know. I need to see them actually playing and performing every week. Sorry, but that’s just the impression I’ve been offered. Brosmer can’t do it all by himself.

Before you throw your shoes, the upside of keeping expectations low is being pleasantly surprised if/when somebody breaks through.
 



Pompous Elitist said:
Reading between the lines of the comments I’ve seen here and elsewhere I’m not expecting much. Potential, sure. The game breaker athlete (transfer Williams from Georgia) we hoped we’d see this fall is banged up and probably a year away from contributing per Burns, which isn’t great news. Beyond Jackson….yeah I don’t know. I need to see them actually playing and performing every week. Sorry, but that’s just the impression I’ve been offered. Brosmer can’t do it all by himself.

Before you throw your shoes, the upside of keeping expectations low is being pleasantly surprised if/when somebody breaks through.
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Fixed it for you...Lindsey can't be expected to do it all by himself.

Receivers will be fine...PJ has three NFL high round WR draft choices on his resume. Remember when he wasn't teaching social studies he himself was an NFL wide receiver. PJ just needed a QB he likes....all good.
 

Yea, I think we need to look at the pass catching ability of the running backs. Run and pass with backs, two ways to run the run game with RBs.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
Reading between the lines of the comments I’ve seen here and elsewhere I’m not expecting much. Potential, sure. The game breaker athlete (transfer Williams from Georgia) we hoped we’d see this fall is banged up and probably a year away from contributing per Burns, which isn’t great news. Beyond Jackson….yeah I don’t know. I need to see them actually playing and performing every week. Sorry, but that’s just the impression I’ve been offered. Brosmer can’t do it all by himself.

Before you throw your shoes, the upside of keeping expectations low is being pleasantly surprised if/when somebody breaks through.
Click to expand...

Absolutely brutal. Tyler Williams was my most intriguing guy to watch this year. 6'3 200+ high level UGA recruit. What's he banged up with? My day is ruined
 

Have no fear! Max Brosmer is here! He is a Ponytail Pete passer.
 



GopherEnEspaña said:
Absolutely brutal. Tyler Williams was my most intriguing guy to watch this year. 6'3 200+ high level UGA recruit. What's he banged up with? My day is ruined
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Didn’t say

60's Guy said:
Fixed it for you...Lindsey can't be expected to do it all by himself.

Receivers will be fine...PJ has three NFL high round WR draft choices on his resume. Remember when he wasn't teaching social studies he himself was an NFL wide receiver. PJ just needed a QB he likes....all good.
Click to expand...

I’d argue we’ve had more issues at WR than QB but that might be hyperbolic

I remain ever hopeful someone breaks out
 

Ski-U-Ham said:
Hopefully with Jackson, Brockington, Williams, and Driver, we won't need much from the freshmen. Especially if the RB is going to be more involved in the passing game.
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Throughout a season, you need more than 4 WRs. And it sounds like we can't count on Williams being 1 of those 4.
 

Pompous Elitist said:
Didn’t say



I’d argue we’ve had more issues at WR than QB but that might be hyperbolic

I remain ever hopeful someone breaks out
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And anyone could make an argument that neither have been very good. :)
 



Pompous Elitist said:
Didn’t say



I’d argue we’ve had more issues at WR than QB but that might be hyperbolic

I remain ever hopeful someone breaks out
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I'm hopeful this is the year Brockington is able to break out. He has shown some flashes of being a solid option for us but last year dealt with injuries.
 


MNVCGUY said:
I'm hopeful this is the year Brockington is able to break out. He has shown some flashes of being a solid option for us but last year dealt with injuries.
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+1

Gotta think he and Driver are the two best candidates to break out. Not sure what’s up with Williams or why Burns said he wasn’t ready. Maybe some passive aggressive psychological encouragement from the coaches.
 

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