Minnesota, coming off of a 10-3 season, faces a decent amount of changeover on the roster and coaching staff.

Offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca returned to the program to replace Mike Sanford, which is a massive addition. Sanford’s offenses didn’t live up to ones Ciarrocca put on the field before he left for Penn State. The offense returns 7 starters but all of the ones that need replacing are on the offensive line. The Gophers hit the portal hard, including getting Minnesota native Quinn Carroll from Notre Dame to help replenish the line.

The defense that ranked in the top-10 in both points and yards allowed will be replacing 8 starters spanning all 3 levels of the defense. Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi returns, but 2 of his assistants, Joe Harasymiak (Rutgers) and Chad Wilt (Indiana), took DC roles within the conference.

As the Gophers prepare for former coach Jerry Kill’s return to Huntington Bank Stadium for the season opener (Thurday night, Sept. 1 vs. Kill’s New Mexico State Aggies), here’s how each position group stacks up.

Quarterback

  1. Tanner Morgan
  2. Cole Kramer
  3. Athan Kaliakmanis
  4. Jacob Knuth

The quarterback position is both boring and intriguing. Morgan is returning to start his fourth full season for the Gophers. He took over the starting role in 2018 when Zach Annexstad struggled and hasn’t looked back. While Morgan hasn’t proven to be dynamic, his 2019 season was arguably the best season from a quarterback in school history.

Behind Morgan is Cole Kramer. A dual-threat quarterback, Kramer is expected to serve as the backup and also the short-yardage quarterback. Fleck has liked having a dual-threat quarterback enter the game in those scenarios. Seth Green was that player for years and Kramer handled the task last year.

Kaliakmanis is the highest-rated quarterback that Fleck has brought in and is showing why. The redshirt freshman has looked excellent in camp, but his opportunity is likely to come in blowouts this year and as a starter next season.

Running back

  1. Mohamed Ibrahim
  2. Trey Potts
  3. Bryce Williams
  4. Zach Evans
  5. Presten Jelen

The running back position looked to be the Ibrahim show last season. Unfortunately, he tore his Achilles tendon just 3 quarters into the season opener. Potts took over and played really well, but he left the game against Purdue with an unspecified, season-ending injury and spent nearly a week in the hospital. Mar’Keise Irving and Ky Thomas showed out in a big way, but they chose to transfer to Oregon and Kansas, respectively. This season should have somewhat of a timeshare with Ibrahim and Potts getting the majority of the touches.

Wide receiver

X position

  1. Chris Autman-Bell
  2. Dylan Wright
  3. Jonathan Mann

Y position

  1. Daniel Jackson
  2. Lemecke Brockington
  3. Ike White

Z position

  1. Mike Brown-Stephens
  2. Clay Geary
  3. Brock Annexstad

The wide receiver position returns all 3 starters, a far cry from the last 2 years that saw the departures of stars Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman. Autman-Bell had his best season for Ciarrocca in 2019 and will be given the chance to thrive in the Rashod Bateman role. Jackson, Brown-Stephens and Wright all have the potential to take a huge step this year in an offense that utilizes a lot of RPO’s and deep shots.

Offensive line

LT

  1. Aireontae Ersey
  2. JJ Gudet

LG

  1. Axel Ruschmeyer
  2. Karter Shaw/Nathan Boe

C

  1. John Michael Schmitz
  2. Nathan Boe

RG

  1. Chuck Filiaga
  2. Karter Shaw/Nathan Boe

RT

  1. Quinn Carroll
  2. Martes Lewis

The offensive line is much different from last season. With having arguably their most experienced offensive line in the last 20+ years, the Gophers only return 1 starter in Schmitz. The key will be getting this talented group to gel quickly. The right side has 2 transfers in Filiaga (Michigan) and Minnesota-born Carroll (Notre Dame). Early on, the running game will likely flow to the right side as they are the more experienced players.

Tight end

  1. Brevyn Spann-Ford
  2. Nick Kallerup
  3. Jameson Geers
  4. Nathan Jones
  5. Samuel Pickerign

The position will definitely miss Ko Kieft, who was an excellent blocking tight end. Thankfully for the Gophers, Kallerup can step into the role. Spann-Ford is the top dog of this group and he has the ability to be a true downfield threat in this offense. The depth in this room is solid, but the Gophers could be in trouble with injuries at the top, especially with Spann-Ford.

Defensive end

  1. Thomas Rush
  2. Jah Joyner
  3. Lorenza Surgers
  4. Austin Booker
  5. Jalen Logan-Redding
  6. Danny Striggow

Boye Mafe and Esezi Otomewo are going to be difficult to replace, but the depth in this group is solid. Rush has 7 sacks in his career and Joyner has the ability to take a massive leap this season. Joyner came on at the end of last year and did a great job when given the opportunity. Surgers is a Vanderbilt transfer who should get plenty of reps as well.

Defensive tackle

  1. D’Angelo “Trill” Carter
  2. Darnell Jefferies
  3. Kyler Baugh
  4. Logan Richter
  5. Deven Eastern
  6. Gage Keys

Just like the defensive ends, the tackles were also decimated. The top 3 players, including Micah Dew-Treadway, all left for the NFL. The line is going to have some growing pains, but Carter is primed to have an impact this season. His skillset paired with a great year could propel him to the next level. Jefferies (Clemson) and Baugh (Houston Baptist) are coming in to be big contributors.

Linebacker

  1. Moriano Sori-Marin
  2. Braelen Oliver
  3. Cod Lindenberg
  4. Donald Willis
  5. Derik LeCapitan
  6. Josh Aune

This is arguably the most experienced group on the defense. Even though Jack Gibbons moved on to the NFL, this unit can be really good. Sori-Marin is a multi-year starter who can do it all. If this group loses Sori-Marin, the defense could crumble. Oliver played in three-linebacker sets last year and is primed to move up.

Cornerback

Outside corner

  1. Justin Walley
  2. Ryan Stapp
  3. Jalen Glaze
  4. Miles Flemming

Slot corner

  1. Beanie Bishop
  2. Solomon Brown

This position got decimated by departures this offseason. The top 3 players last year all left, but most importantly Coney Durr. Walley is incredibly talented and has the ability to step in and be the top cornerback. The X-factor for this group will be the 2 transfers. Stapp (Abeline Christian) and Bishop (Western Kentucky) will likely have starting roles. If they can make this a seamless transition, the Gophers secondary is in good hands.

Safety

  1. Tyler Nubin
  2. Jordan Howden
  3. Terrell Smith
  4. Michael Dixon

Luckily for the defense, this group stayed intact. Having all of the key players returning will be a massive benefit to a cornerback group that experienced massive turnover. Nubin is the key to this group. Having Smith, who spent some time playing cornerback last year, will be a huge benefit in sub-packages.