2024 Gophers Position Previews: Receivers and Tight Ends

September's coming soon, so it is once again time to start thinking about football. Ski-U-Blog will analyze every position group on the Gophers' roster: starters, depth, and potential future contributors. We begin with a look at the pass-catchers.

Likely Starters

For much of Daniel Jackson's career, he has worn different hats to complement the players around him. When the Gophers just needed to get Rashod Bateman the ball wherever and as much as possible, Jackson was an outside receiver giving the offense an option over the top. When Chris Autman-Bell, a jump-ball master, ascended to Minnesota's No. 1 option, Jackson became a slot receiver, picking up catches underneath and scurrying ahead for yardage. As a junior, he was the second-favorite target to Brevyn Spann-Ford. He took jobs wherever needed, and he did them all well.

In 2023, Jackson finally had the chance to put it all together. He became the team's most dangerous receiver, and no one on the team received even half his 117 targets.

Jackson is not as fast as some of his teammates, but he runs crisp routes to fool defenders and find open space. He can win contested catches and shows superb body control. He can pick up yards after the catch. He can play inside or outside. With such a complete toolbox, it is no wonder Jackson was the first-choice target at every level of the field.

Having debuted during the pandemic season, Jackson had an extra year of eligibility and came back to school rather than leave for the NFL. Barring injury, he has a real chance to finish the year on the All-Big Ten first team and pass program greats like Tutu Atwell and Ernie Wheelwright in the record book.

There might not be a player more key to unlocking another dimension to the Minnesota offense than Le'Meke Brockington. An injury against Louisiana-Lafayette postponed Brockington's anticipated breakout, wiping out nearly his whole season. Even after returning in November, he recorded no targets.

Brockington is a little slight but has played far more on the outside than in the slot, using his speed to beat corners inside on slants, attack the third level, or pick up yards after the catch.

Minnesota's coaches have also praised Brockington's willingness to block, which in this offense is always a plus. If he can have a full season, and if he is past the effects of his injury, he could become invaluable to the Gophers.

Another player hoping to make his mark in the Big Ten is Elijah Spencer. Spencer arrived as a transfer a year ago, and some (me) thought he could be of great use to the Gophers. He finished with only nine catches on 21 targets, never topping 18 yards in a game. One of his three touchdowns did at least exhibit how he uses his size to win jump balls.

Spencer is more than that, or should be. He showed at Charlotte the speed and agility to run short and intermediate routes. Nearly half his targets as a Gopher have come within 9 yards of the line of scrimmage. If he can finally make it click, Spencer has the talent to be an asset at each level of the field. The burden is on him.

Nick Kallerup has spent the last five seasons as a backup and special teamer, and in his last year of eligibility, he'll finally get to start at tight end. The Wayzata product is a few face tattoos short of being Brent Hinds' stunt double and 20 pounds or so from passing as a lineman. He's the big and burly sort, with only five career catches (one touchdown) and a job description that so far has mostly begun and ended at pushing guys around.

Is Kallerup good at it? Good enough. He will not quite pummel opponents but will hold his ground. He is a net positive in the run game and, per Pro Football Focus, allowed a pressure on just over every twentieth opportunity faced last season. If you like basic, reliable, unsexy competence, Kallerup is your man.

Since Kallerup is not a receiver, and since the Gophers played about 40 percent of their snaps in two-tight end sets last season but would never dare to go four-wide, someone else at his position will need to offer more of a threat in the passing game. Minnesota will hope that Jameson Geers can be it.

Geers did not receive that much playing time last season against Big Ten opponents but got some snaps in non-conference play. Versus Louisiana-Lafayette, he gave a solid performance as a blocker until a spotty fourth quarter. The bowl game against Bowling Green was by far Geers' biggest showcase as a college player, as he played the whole game and recorded his only two catches and targets for the whole year. That included his first Gophers touchdown:

He started a lot of plays flexed out like Brevyn Spann-Ford, running routes and coming across the formation to kick out the backside defender on split zone. Altogether, Geers looked fine — a passable, more athletic complement to Kallerup. Unless he made shocking strides this offseason, expect a dozen or so receptions from him.

Key Backups

The Gophers under P.J. Fleck have always used at least four wideouts. While they have unproven depth and might lean heavily on their top three, a pair of transfers and a returning redshirt freshman will push for a place.

The transfer who seems most likely to feature in 2024 is Cristian Driver, whose father all observers, writers, and broadcasters will be bound to note is former Packer Donald Driver. Another likely bullet point in the media guide: Driver's head coach in high school was Jason Witten.

A four-star recruit, Driver signed with Penn State in 2022 but had one reception over his two seasons in the program. Here it is:

Fortunately, as far as single-play samples go, it might fairly represent what Driver brings to the table. In his other reps against Delaware, in Penn State's 2023 spring game, and on his prospect highlights, Driver looked like a solid, quick, tenacious slot receiver. He actually doubled as a safety in high school. He is undersized for that position at the college level, but it seems to engrain in him some attitude that should allow him to pick up extra yards. Driver can serve as the Gophers' fourth receiver.

Tyler Williams is a redshirt freshman after playing in three games and making one catch at Georgia last season. Here is that catch:

By 247Sports' composite rankings, Williams was a top-100 recruit in the 2023 class, owing to his combination of length (6 feet, 3 inches) and straight-line speed. He is, however, raw. Based on his junior highlights and the state title game his senior year, Williams usually gets open through scheme or speed out of a straight release. He returned punts and played Wildcat quarterback as well (having converted from quarterback), but Williams does not look like he can shake many Division I defenders with the ball in his hands. Nor is he a very engaged blocker.

Nevertheless, he does not start from nothing. Minnesota also offers a quicker path to the field than Georgia would have. It might take a season or two for Williams to break out, but the tools are there.

Kenric Lanier II appeared in Minnesota's bowl game last season but recorded only one target. His high school tape shows some burst and ball skills, as well as hints that he could become a nimble, versatile route runner. While he profiles more as a flanker than a big-bodied X-receiver, incumbency and a more rounded skill set might give him an edge against Williams in camp.

Potential Rotation Options

Kristen Hoskins of Alexandria should have the kind of sizzle to work as a gadget player but has to get on the field first. Entering his redshirt sophomore season, with Driver in front of him in the slot, he may be running out of time to make his mark as a Gopher. At least Quentin Redding took zero offensive snaps last season and likely is not pressuring Hoskins from lower on the depth chart.

Projecting the hierarchy among reserve tight ends is tricky when the Gophers did not have a spring game to give us a glimpse. Frank Bierman and Nathan Jones both saw the field in the bowl game, which we must treat as meaningful. Bierman is a redshirt senior who made one catch in his two junior college seasons.

Jones was twice an all-state selection in football, basketball (as a center) and track and field (shot put, discus) at Brock High School (Texas). While Vanderbilt offered him a scholarship as an offensive lineman, he does not look especially Kieftian. His junior tape features a lot of Jones blocking and finishing aggressively, but not always soundly and against smaller kids from small schools in Texoma. The following season, Jones took a huge step forward as a pass-catcher, finishing second on the team in receptions (54), yards (802), and touchdowns (16). If Jones can block and catch at this level, the now redshirt sophomore can make a difference at some point.

Notables Unlikely to Contribute

T.J. McWilliams is a shifty, darting wide receiver that redshirted his first year with the team. I like his highlights and think his future is split between the slot and Z-receiver. Lanier might have a leg up on him, but McWilliams could have a chance to break into the rotation — if not now, then next year.

The Gophers signed two high school wideouts over the offseason, and the higher rated one is a Minnesotan: Mankato West's Jalen Smith. Smith, who ran track, was faster than most of the players he faced, but his acceleration and polished route running are what made him so productive as both a junior and a senior. His feet are impressively sudden, creating separation on curls and cutting to the pylon on fades. It is fair to question the level of competition he faced, but I like what Smith offers.

(In case you were wondering, the most recent Minnesotan wide receiver to at least match Smith's composite rating was Terry Lockett from Minnehaha Academy. Lockett originally committed to Michigan State in 2021 but now plays at Eastern Michigan. Before him, you have to go back to Cretin-Durham Hall's James Onwualu, a 2013 four-star who found success at Notre Dame after converting to linebacker. Of course, the 2016 class by itself produced three prospects with lower ratings but better receiving careers than either of them: Breck's Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman, Eden Prairie's J.D. Speilman, and Minneapolis North's Tyler Johnson.)

Two true freshman tight ends are new to the roster. Julian Johnson at times looks more like a tall wide receiver, with more highlights of long catch-and-run touchdowns or high-point catches than impressive blocks. It's a similar stary for Jacob Simpson, who is a couple of inches shorter but has the same kind of athleticism. Each player's official weight with the Gophers is at least 20 pounds greater than on their 247Sports pages, an increase in the eight months since Signing Day that I will consider dubious. It will be some time before either is ready for more than special teams or blowout snaps.