P.J. Fleck didn’t exactly take over the role of head coach for the Minnesota Golden Gophers under ideal circumstances. But, like any head coach, he had to make the most of the situation he was given. He was replacing a head coach that had guided the team to the school’s second 9-win season— ever. Those are tough shoes to fill.
For now, a case could be made that he hasn’t even come close to filling them. The team he inherited needed work, but the core of it won nine games the year before. Fans probably thought they’d at least finish .500 or slightly better than .500.
Instead, they finished 5-7.
So—surely the program is going to be better this coming season, right? Technically, they could go down more;they could go from almost having a winning season to not coming close. But if Fleck is indeed one of the best young coaches in the game, he’ll figure something out.
Right?
A better question to ask may be this—what should fans expect in Fleck’s second season in charge of the Golden Gophers?
National championship aspirations would be akin to wishful (and delusional) thinking. According to the online betting site Betway.com, Minnesota’s odds of winning it all next year are 300:1 or +30000 (as of 4/11). If you have $10 burning a hole in your pocket, there are worse ways to spend it. You never know, right? But more than likely, you’ll never see that $10 again.
If Peck’s second season with the Gophers is anything like his second at Western Michigan, fans will be happy. He went 1-11 in his year with the Broncos, but in Year Two they went 8-5 and got to play in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
He had much less to work with at Western Michigan but managed to engineer an incredible turn-around. But if he is going to do the same for the Gophers, there are some positions that he will have to address:
Quarterback
Last year’s primary starter, Demry Croft, decided to transfer. But he was a 41.8 percent passer, so he isn’t much of a loss. Redshirt freshman Tanner Morgan and sophomore Seth Green will be in the running for the job. But it more likely that it will go to junior college transfer Vic Viramontes, a dual-threat quarterback from California.
He’s a big guy with a strong arm that is faster than you’d expect. That means he’s the kind of guy that can improvise and make a lackluster offense look better than it is.
Running back
The hope was to see Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks sharing the backfield duties this season, but a non-contact injury during winter conditioning has sidelined Brooks for the 2018 season. Smith did a decent job last year with 977 yards and three touchdowns on 229 carries. However, he is going to need some help.
He could very well get it in Viramontes. Last season at Riverside Community College he ran for 1,346 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Wide Receiver
Along with issues at quarterback, the Gophers have had problems at wide receiver as well. But when your quarterback struggles, it can be kind of hard for a wide receiver to stand out. Despite their issues at quarterback, Tyler Johnson has still managed to look like a star.
Assuming Johnson can take the next step with Viramontes at quarterback, the Gophers will still need someone else to step up. Luckily, they have several promising candidates in Phillip Howard, Christ-Autman-Bell, Demetrius Douglass, and Rashod Bateman.
Offensive Line
The group was hit hard by injuries last season making it hard for the offense to be productive. If the team is going to finish the season with a winning record, the starting five is going to have to be much better. The players that got experience last year will need to step up.
If they don’t, fans will likely see two incoming freshmen earn some time, Daniel Faalele and Curtis Dunlap Jr. Combined, the two tip the scales at 770 lbs.
In conclusion
A lot of work does need to be done with the offense, but the defense is not free and clear. The defensive line lost a lot of talent and will need guys to step into big roles sooner rather than later. The secondary, which has been good in recent years, will need a couple of new starters to emerge as well.
There are a lot of question marks on the roster right now. But it appears as if Fleck has a lot of potential answers ready to go. If the Gophers are going to improve off last season’s 5-7 record, they will need for some of those guys to emerge and become stars.
Should they do so, it is not hard to see the Gophers go 8-5 in 2018. If they don’t, Year Two for P.J. Fleck is not going to be a good one.