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.
