2023 Minnesota Post-Spring Football Thoughts

With the Gophers' spring game finished, we're now entering the fullness of the football offseason. The second transfer window is now open, but once that's done, all we can talk about until late July or early August is scattered recruiting news items. So while we can, let's talk a bit about where the program sits after playing on Saturday.

1. Minnesota may have the personnel to throw the ball more than ever.

I have been repeatedly critical of Minnesota's offensive approach under P.J. Fleck. Even when they had two NFL receivers and were positively humming with the passing game, the Gophers still ran the ball significantly more than they passed. Once Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman were gone, the team became overwhelmingly dependent on the ground game, and even when a game demanded a change, they didn't break from that approach. It's an approach that holds the team back.

But I must grant Fleck and his offensive coordinators (Kirk Ciarrocca, Mike Sanford Jr., Matt Simon, then Ciarrocca again) one thing: they have not consistently had options in the passing game or a quarterback who could make a more pass-heavy approach truly flourish. Chris Autman-Bell is a good college receiver, but since stepping into a bigger role, injuries have prevented us from knowing exactly how high his ceiling is. Brevyn Spann-Ford took years to develop into the multi-dimensional tight end onlookers thought he could be. Other targets have seen false starts without breaking out, left the program, or just were never good enough to click. And Tanner Morgan played with limited arm strength and inconsistent accuracy and decision-making through the end of his time as a Gopher. While he did a fine job, truly earning the several spots he has in the program's record book, he was never close to an elite passer.

It's too early to say exactly what the 2023 Gopher passing game will look like, but recent data offer plenty of hope at what it could become.

In his last regular season game of 2022, Athan Kaliakmanis threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns. Previous appearances showed tons of promise, and only sometimes product: a zippy arm, a willingness to tuck and run, and more poise than expected of a redshirt freshman, but a low completion rate and a few bad interceptions. Thanks to a breakout game from Le'Meke Brockington and big plays from Daniel Jackson, Kaliakmanis showed how real that promise was and led the Gophers to their second straight win over Wisconsin.

Since then, Minnesota's receiver room has undergone a churn: Veterans Michael Brown-Stephens and Dylan Wright transferred, and so did well-regarded underclassman Ike White. Clay Geary graduated. In came transfers Elijah Spencer from Charlotte and Corey Crooms Jr. from Western Michigan.

In particular, Stephens impressed in his first public performance in maroon and gold. He finished the spring game with more than 100 yards and a touchdown, exhibiting sudden, savvy route running over the middle.

Stephens and Crooms will instantly contribute. Crooms, a second-team All-MAC selection last year (same as tailback Sean Tyler, another addition from Kalamazoo), may become the team's new starting slot receiver. He also flashed his agility and short-area quickness on Saturday.

With Autman-Bell and Spann-Ford both coming back for their final years of eligibility, Jackson potentially finding another gear, and Brockington having prominent role for a full season, the Gophers should have the deepest group of pass-catchers of Fleck's tenure. They need to find out if they have a top-level receiver on their roster, but there is no shortage of starting-caliber talent. If Kaliamkanis has found his footing, there is no reason for co-coordinators Simon and Greg Harbaugh to not put their faith in the passing game.

2. The offensive line is starting to take shape.

Though Quinn Carroll played right guard for the Gold team on Saturday, that may have been to make sure he, J.J. Guedet, and Martes Lewis all got reps. This could mean Carroll is the most likely of the three to move to guard — 247Sports' Ryan Burns said as much in February — but that's not certain.

For what it's worth, I liked Lewis more than Carroll to play right tackle entering last season, and what I saw in each of them does support Carroll being the one that moves inside. For Lewis' strengths in protection, his pad level suffers at 6 feet, 7 inches. For his meanness as a run blocker, Carroll was not the best pass blocker: According to Pro Football Focus, he gave up a pressure on 7.1 percent of pass rush opportunities last season. That ranked 228th out of 277 FBS tackles (minimum 200 opportunities). His problems in protection wouldn't be as exposed at guard.

What is closer to certain is that both will be in the starting five, with Guedet becoming an extra blocker in heavy packages. Aireontae Ersery, meanwhile, has left tackle locked down, and Nathan Boe will probably take over for John Michael Schmitz at center. Karter Shaw, an experienced center from his time at Utah State, should fit in at left guard. Tyler Cooper, if he cannot seize the starting job from Shaw, will be the first guard off the bench.

When taking the line as a whole, you can be an optimist or skeptic fairly easily. A rotation of seven upperclassmen is often a good thing. Only three of them, though, have played even 100 snaps as Gophers (per PFF). Ersery and Carroll made All-Big Ten honorable mentions in 2022, but that's the most decoration this group has received in college. There are legitimate questions about just how good they can be as a unit. I'd be shocked if the bottom falls out, but the line bears the burden of proving it can match previous iterations' dominance.

3. Minnesota's top priority this transfer window must be cornerback.

No area of the team has been more hurt by departures in the secondary. Cornerback Terell Smith and field safety Jordan Howden ran out of eligibility. Nickelback Michael Dixon elected to transfer before the bowl game. Possible cornerback successor Beanie Bishop did the same during spring practices. Just two defensive backs remain on the roster who have a ton of FBS experience.

Fortunately, nickel and safety should be covered. Jack Henderson, a prolific tackler, joined from Southeastern Louisiana. Darius Green is not a total... well, greenhorn, having played in every game last season and starting against Wisconsin and Syracuse. Coleman Bryson still probably needs seasoning — the spring game reinforced that — but he won Pinstripe Bowl MVP in December on the back of a few big plays. He'll be an able backup and probably succeed Tyler Nubin in 2024.

At corner, though? Justin Walley is about it. He's joined on the depth chart by redshirt junior Victor Pless and a couple redshirt freshmen, Rhyland Kelly and Tariq Watson. The freshmen appeared in exactly one game apiece last year, and Pless has never seen the field. Walk-on Jordan Greenhow got plenty of reps in the spring game as well, but he has not played a real game either.

Though the youngsters can still battle for backup roles, the Gophers desperately need an experienced cornerback to pair with Walley. Even if North Carolina, Ohio State, and a potentially pass-happy Wisconsin weren't on the schedule, this would be the case. With a difficult set of opponents coming this fall, the problem rises to a potentially season-threatening level.

4. The situation at edge rusher remains still unsettled.

Three different players are trying to become the starting 5-technique end this fall, and if the spring game is any indication, none of them has a leg up at this point. Though Jah Joyner and Anthony Smith both made plays, they were each far from dominant.

Joyner is the most proven pass rusher but still needs to more consistently keep his pads down and put up more of a fight against the run. Still, when he gets the first step on a tackle, there's a fair chance he's getting to the quarterback.

Jalen Logan-Redding received more playing time in 2022 for being a relatively sounder run defender. However, Joyner's role increased after the first few weeks because Logan-Redding does not contribute to the rush. By PFF's tracking, Joyner generated twice as many pressures (32 to 16) despite getting into the game less often. Logan-Redding needs to work on getting out of his stance at the snap more quickly, and at disposing of blockers, to retain his place in the starting lineup.

With the incumbents' deficiencies, the highly touted redshirt freshman Smith has a great opportunity to take the job. He still could do just that, but the spring game suggested he still needs time. He kept his gap for the most part but struggled to shed blocks against tackles or tight ends. When Smith tried a pass rush move, it sometimes came off for him, but he typically stuck to a bull rush that wasn't as effective as one might think, considering his physique. He did time snaps well, and in general he didn't look overwhelmed. Still, expectations should be tempered until we see Smith again in the fall.

Not everything on Saturday was about the top of the depth chart, though. On the other side of the line, redshirt freshman Colton Gregersen gave an up-and-down performance at rush end. First, the down: He is still undersized, and that hurt him against the run. Gregersen got moved rather easily, especially on double teams. And his aggressiveness on a zone read allowed Kaliakmanis an easy walk into the end zone. However, he made 2.0 sacks, with the first coming off this quick inside move past Ersery:

Gregersen won't play in 2023 unless something bad happens, but Saturday showed that with more development, the walk-on could compete for a situational pass rushing role down the road. He, Lucas Finnessy, and Jack Hawkinson will be in the mix for third-string, behind Danny Striggow and UNC grad-transfer Chris Collins. Presumably, Striggow will start, but he tailed off in the back half of the season and then suffered an injury at Nebraska. The veteran Collins may push him.

5. A lot of underclassmen are vying for defensive tackle reps.

Following Trill Carter's' departure for Texas, the Gophers are in need of a starter next to nose tackle Kyler Baugh. Darnell Jefferies (who played some 5-technique on Saturday as well) could be the guy, but we do not know for sure with Deven Eastern absent from the spring game. (Presumably, the reason was an injury suffered just over a week prior.) The former blue-chipper barely played last year but has formidable size and power. The veteran ex-Clemson Tiger and the Shakopee native will continue battling for the starting job in August.

Behind them, there's still plenty of opportunity for playing time. Jacob Schuster joined the program in the same recruiting class as Eastern and saw about as much of the field in 2022. He has proper size for a tackle but moves pretty well. Another redshirt sophomore, Luther McCoy, is more of a nose tackle, but the Gophers have shown they aren't always strict about those designations. Good showings in camp could force the coaches to get McCoy onto the field at either spot.

The other players in the running at 3-technique have to put on some more weight, but there is admittedly utility in having a leaner interior rusher to rotate into games. If his position on Saturday was not just an emergency measure, Nate Becker is transitioning from end to tackle at only 260 pounds. We saw Gage Keys (now at Kansas) attempt that switch and not stick, but Keys' development was stalled by injury. Maybe a healthy Becker could make it work and find a role. He did use his quickness to penetrate a couple times. While true freshman Martin Owusu is not supposed to play in 2023, he got into the spring game plenty and could be an injury or two away from being needed in spot duty.

6. While there is reason for doubt at placekicker, Saturday offered some small hope.

Matthew Trickett, while not a perfect kicker, was ultimately an effective one. He made every one of his extra-point attempts and all but three field goal attempts in his final college season. The 2020 campaign showed Fleck he needed a kicker, and the one he got for the next two years did the job.

Trickett's departure means the Gophers are starting again from an uncertain position. Jacob Lewis made six field goals from 45 yards or longer during his time at Ball State, but he didn't see the field much outside of kickoffs. New arrival David Kemp made five field goals as a true freshman for Memphis in 2021, but four of those kicks were from less than 30 yards out. Kemp used his redshirt in 2022.

Being a senior, and having done his job superbly as the kickoff specialist for the last three seasons, Dragan Kesich is the presumed replacement for Trickett. He has tried just one field goal in a real game, a blocked 53-yard attempt at Iowa two years ago. Watching his pregame warmups over the last couple seasons has not suggested that he is that accurate. His greatest asset is an iron boot.

Even so, he's the favorite, and it's not like Fleck is allergic to kicking field goals. Either Kesich improves his accuracy, or Minnesota will have a problem again.

To his credit, Kesich had a strong spring game showing. While Lewis took the PATs (or those we saw on TV), Kesich made all four of the field goals he tried. The last two, from 48 and 46 yards out in the final minute, counted as go-ahead and game-tying makes.

It's just an exhibition, of course. In such a setting, there are caveats abound about sample size, kicking against no rush, and the inherent incapability of a spring game to replicate the pressure of an actual game. However, when called upon in these scenarios, Kesich did his job. Perhaps that signals that he'll be ready to do it for real by August 31.