Rivals.com - Fact or Fiction: Darrion Dupree is on flip watch after Alabama offer
Darrion Dupree, a four-star all-purpose back, is currently committed to Wisconsin.
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@Clint Cosgrove and I give our take on the Gophers upcoming season win total...
Cosgrove's take: FICTION. This is a hard one for me because the Minnesotaprogram is absolutely trending in the right direction under PJ Fleck, and the Gophers have won nine or more games three of the past four seasons. The only season they did not was during the 2020 COVID season, which is totally a wash in my opinion.
I see a potential path to nine or more wins this season and this program continues to overachieve under Fleck, but losing the majority of your production and three big-time players in John Michael Schmitz, Mo Ibrahim and Tanner Morgan hurts. Add in the fact that the schedule is far from favorable and I see nine wins as being a stretch. I see seven or eight wins as being more likely, but that has been said the past few years, so you never know what will happen.
Williams' take: FICTION. Take away the 2020 COVID year and Minnesota has won nine-plus games the last three complete seasons under Fleck. The pinnacle of that stretch was in 2019, when the Gophers went 11-2 and finished with an Outback Bowl victory over Auburn. Program momentum is definitely trending upward for Minnesota, but I don't see the Gophers eclipsing the nine-win mark this upcoming season. The Gophers have to replace some key departures along the offensive line, and Western Michigan running back transfer Sean Tyler will try to replicate the success of Ibrahim, the former All-Big Ten performer. The Gophers also struggled to create any pressure along the defensive line a season ago, so that definitely needs to improve to get to the nine-win plateau. The Gophers' schedule is also considered the second-toughest in the country. A non-conference road trip to North Carolina will be an early test for the defense. Big Ten juggernauts Michigan and Ohio Stateare also on the slate, along with a road tilt with Iowa, where Fleck is hoping to break the curse against the Hawkeyes.
