Football Minnesota vs. Nebraska: Five players to watch for Thursday's season opener

[Dylan Callaghan-Croley]

Minnesota's season opener against the Nebraska Cornhuskers is just three days away, and today, Gophers Nation takes a look at five players to watch for in Thursday night's contest.

QB Athan Kaliakmanis - Minnesota​

Backing up Tanner Morgan last year, Kaliakmanis played quite a significant role in Minnesota's 2022 campaign, playing in 11 games. He completed 60-of-111 passing attempts for 946 yards and three touchdowns to four interceptions. It was a solid season overall for Kaliakmanis, who showed several flashes throughout the season of the quarterback that he could be.

Now, Kaliakmanis is the starting quarterback and unquestioned leader of the Gophers offense. A large chunk of the Gophers' success will ultimately fall on his shoulders. The Kaliakmanis era officially begins on Thursday, and all eyes will be on the third-year quarterback out of Illinois.

QB Jeff Sims - Nebraska​

Sims has always had the talent to be a special quarterback but never really stood a chance to show that talent in full while he was with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. In his three years in Atlanta, Sims went 364-for-633 (57.5%) for 4,464 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions.

Sims, now with the Cornhuskers, would like to prove that he can still be that quarterback who was a four-star prospect and one of the top-12 dual-threat quarterbacks in the country in the 2022 recruiting cycle. He's a dynamic quarterback who has the chance to change the game with either his arm or his legs.

TE Brevyn Spann-Ford - Minnesota​

We've been discussing Spann-Ford all offseason, so seeing him on our list of players to watch on Thursday shouldn't be surprising. One of the best tight ends in the country, Spann-Ford, is coming off a 42 receptions, 497 yards, and two touchdowns and could be in for an even bigger season this fall. Spann-Ford has elite size, great athleticism, and all the makings of a potential All-American tight end. Last season, Spann-Ford was kept to a season-low one reception for nine yards against the Cornhuskers. It seems highly unlikely that will be the case again on Thursday.

WR Billy Kemp - Nebraska​

The 5-foot-9 Kemp is a high-production wide receiver. Before transferring to Nebraska, Kemp totaled 192 receptions for 1,774 yards and eight touchdowns in five years with the Virginia Cavaliers. Kemp is coming off a quieter season of just 16 receptions for 116 yards, however, playing in just seven of Virginia's ten games. That being said, in 2021, Kemp recorded eight games of 50+ receiving yards and eight games of six or more receptions. With Jeff Sims throwing his way, Kemp could be in for another huge season.

S Tyler Nubin - Minnesota​

One of the top safeties in the country, Nubin is our lone defensive player on this week's players to watch. The Illinois native recorded a career-high 55 tackles last season, including two tackles for loss and four interceptions. He also had three pass deflections and one forced fumble. Nubin has excellent athleticism and a knack for consistently finding himself around the ball. With a Nebraska offense that should be relatively balanced, the Gophers will need Nubin to be productive both in assisting against the run and also being the last line of defense against the Cornhuskers' passing attack.