Spring Practice starts shortly here for the Gophers as football is officially back on the horizon. After a busy offseason finalizing the 2022 recruiting class and picking up transfers, a plethora of offensive skill players return while competition remains at a few key positions. I took an early pre-spring practice look at what I project will be the depth chart heading into spring practice. Excited to get more clarity on this as practices go on.
QB:
1. Tanner Morgan
2a. Cole Kramer
2b. Athan Kaliakmanis
3. Jacob Knuth
Little to change here for this season, at least. Morgan enters the year as the undisputed QB1 on the roster. He enters 2022 second in school history with 8,072 passing yards and reunites with Kirk Ciarrocca which provided Tanner with his best collegiate season to date with 66% completion percentage for 3,253 yards, 30 TDs, and 7 INTs. I don't expect him to beat those numbers this year, but I do expect to see an uptick in production from the sixth year senior. Kramer will continue to backup in his unique wildcat role for the time being while a QB battle for 2023 awaits between him and the talented redshirt freshman Athan Kaliakmanis.
RB:
1. Mo Ibrahim
2. Bucky Irving
3. Trey Potts(?)/Bryce Williams
An loaded backfield with a lot of talent to go around. Mo Ibrahim was an All-American two seasons ago and returns fully healthy for another season in which he should see plenty of touches. Irving was superb as a true freshman amassing nearly 700 rushing yards and 5.3 YPC average despite really only getting consistent carries the last seven games of the year. His quickness and receiving ability is the perfect ying to Mo's yang. Potts is returning after a freak injury last season (No, I do not know exactly what the injury was) but announced his return but until I see him healthy getting carries, listing him tied with Bryce Williams for the #3 spot. Williams also had a shortened season due to injury and while (hopefully) should be ready to go for fall, I still expect Mo and Irving to dominate in the carries department.
TE:
1. Brevyn Spann-Ford
2. Nick Kallerup
3. Jameson Geers
The delightful and bruising Ko Kieft moves on to the NFL which opens the doors for more contributors in the TE department. Spann-Ford took a step forward in 2022 with 23 catches/296 yards/1 TD and showed he can handle the load of a TE1. Ciarrocca's biggest challenge will be finding a way to keep Spann-Ford involved as he is a dynamic pass catcher. The former walk-on Nick Kallerup played in spot duty in 2022 primarily in a blocking role while Jameson Geers made his collegiate debut against West Virginia in the bowl game to get his feet wet. When watching Geers in 7v7 I was impressed with his pass catching abilities and fluidity especially for his size. I have Kallerup listed ahead of Geers primarily due to the run blocking aspect, as we know how much Minnesota relies on the running game. Kallerup, at 6-5, 270 pounds is a force and I expect to see him in a lot of two-TE packages this season.
WR:
1. Chris Autman-Bell
2. Daniel Jackson
3. Dylan Wright
4. Michael Brown-Stephens
This depth chart, while basically the same players as a year ago, still remains hard to project. Autman-Bell is the #1, that much we know. Daniel Jackson was second on the team in catches a season ago posting 25/267/1 TD. While I was hoping for a bigger jump between year one and two for Jackson, we didn't see that a year ago. I still think Jackson will be a mainstay in the offense as he knows the scheme and how he fits but want to see more from him in year three. Wright has the most talent in that room and I don't know if it is particularly close. He led the team in YPR with 20.3(!) showcasing his big play abilities but was often in and out of the lineup. With Wright it is not a matter of his talent but more so consistency. I was begging the coaching staff to play him more, but effort on all plays and knowledge of the scheme handicapped him a bit in year one. Wright has shown he can be the #2 in this offense no question but we wait to see the full picture with him. Brown-Stephens actually was the second leading receiver in terms of yards a season ago with 392 and took a step forward. He provides a steady presence but unfortunately doesn't possess the physical traits we see with that of Autman-Bell or Wright. All four of these receivers should be used and see their fare shares of action this fall.
OL:
LT: JJ Guedet/Quinn Carroll
LG: Chuck Filiaga/Nathan Boe
C: John Michael Schmitz/Karter Shaw
RG: Axel Ruschmeyer/Martes Lewis
RT: Aireontae Ersery/Cameron James
A little different format here due to the nature of the position, but wanted to show what I think are the two-deeps at each. Potential All-American John Michael Schmitz returns at center which is a massive pickup for the team that needed some continuity from a year ago. He's locked in, that much we know. Axel Ruschmeyer started all of 2020 at guard and played as the sixth lineman in heavy sets in 2021. He was the second highest graded player on the team in 2021, slightly ahead of JMS. I expect him to be a starter in the middle at one of the guards. Michigan grad transfer Chuck Filiaga played in 277 snaps a year ago while posting an average 61.4 PFF grade and a slightly below average pass block grade. I have him slated as the starter for now, but I wouldn't count Nathan Boe out here. I still think he has a chance to win this job over/be the sixth lineman this year in heavy sets. Guedet is my starting LT until I see what type of form Notre Dame transfer Quinn Carroll is in. Carroll battled some knee issues at ND and only played 23 snaps in 2021. Guedet and Carroll will battle it out for one of the tackle spots. Ersery I do think is probably the most solidified starter at tackle. His athleticism is off the charts and started a game in 2020 against Nebraska, performing very well as a true freshman. Not to mention Karter Shaw, a multi-year starter at Utah State who could put his fingerprints on this group. Excited to see it all shake out.
QB:
1. Tanner Morgan
2a. Cole Kramer
2b. Athan Kaliakmanis
3. Jacob Knuth
Little to change here for this season, at least. Morgan enters the year as the undisputed QB1 on the roster. He enters 2022 second in school history with 8,072 passing yards and reunites with Kirk Ciarrocca which provided Tanner with his best collegiate season to date with 66% completion percentage for 3,253 yards, 30 TDs, and 7 INTs. I don't expect him to beat those numbers this year, but I do expect to see an uptick in production from the sixth year senior. Kramer will continue to backup in his unique wildcat role for the time being while a QB battle for 2023 awaits between him and the talented redshirt freshman Athan Kaliakmanis.
RB:
1. Mo Ibrahim
2. Bucky Irving
3. Trey Potts(?)/Bryce Williams
An loaded backfield with a lot of talent to go around. Mo Ibrahim was an All-American two seasons ago and returns fully healthy for another season in which he should see plenty of touches. Irving was superb as a true freshman amassing nearly 700 rushing yards and 5.3 YPC average despite really only getting consistent carries the last seven games of the year. His quickness and receiving ability is the perfect ying to Mo's yang. Potts is returning after a freak injury last season (No, I do not know exactly what the injury was) but announced his return but until I see him healthy getting carries, listing him tied with Bryce Williams for the #3 spot. Williams also had a shortened season due to injury and while (hopefully) should be ready to go for fall, I still expect Mo and Irving to dominate in the carries department.
TE:
1. Brevyn Spann-Ford
2. Nick Kallerup
3. Jameson Geers
The delightful and bruising Ko Kieft moves on to the NFL which opens the doors for more contributors in the TE department. Spann-Ford took a step forward in 2022 with 23 catches/296 yards/1 TD and showed he can handle the load of a TE1. Ciarrocca's biggest challenge will be finding a way to keep Spann-Ford involved as he is a dynamic pass catcher. The former walk-on Nick Kallerup played in spot duty in 2022 primarily in a blocking role while Jameson Geers made his collegiate debut against West Virginia in the bowl game to get his feet wet. When watching Geers in 7v7 I was impressed with his pass catching abilities and fluidity especially for his size. I have Kallerup listed ahead of Geers primarily due to the run blocking aspect, as we know how much Minnesota relies on the running game. Kallerup, at 6-5, 270 pounds is a force and I expect to see him in a lot of two-TE packages this season.
WR:
1. Chris Autman-Bell
2. Daniel Jackson
3. Dylan Wright
4. Michael Brown-Stephens
This depth chart, while basically the same players as a year ago, still remains hard to project. Autman-Bell is the #1, that much we know. Daniel Jackson was second on the team in catches a season ago posting 25/267/1 TD. While I was hoping for a bigger jump between year one and two for Jackson, we didn't see that a year ago. I still think Jackson will be a mainstay in the offense as he knows the scheme and how he fits but want to see more from him in year three. Wright has the most talent in that room and I don't know if it is particularly close. He led the team in YPR with 20.3(!) showcasing his big play abilities but was often in and out of the lineup. With Wright it is not a matter of his talent but more so consistency. I was begging the coaching staff to play him more, but effort on all plays and knowledge of the scheme handicapped him a bit in year one. Wright has shown he can be the #2 in this offense no question but we wait to see the full picture with him. Brown-Stephens actually was the second leading receiver in terms of yards a season ago with 392 and took a step forward. He provides a steady presence but unfortunately doesn't possess the physical traits we see with that of Autman-Bell or Wright. All four of these receivers should be used and see their fare shares of action this fall.
OL:
LT: JJ Guedet/Quinn Carroll
LG: Chuck Filiaga/Nathan Boe
C: John Michael Schmitz/Karter Shaw
RG: Axel Ruschmeyer/Martes Lewis
RT: Aireontae Ersery/Cameron James
A little different format here due to the nature of the position, but wanted to show what I think are the two-deeps at each. Potential All-American John Michael Schmitz returns at center which is a massive pickup for the team that needed some continuity from a year ago. He's locked in, that much we know. Axel Ruschmeyer started all of 2020 at guard and played as the sixth lineman in heavy sets in 2021. He was the second highest graded player on the team in 2021, slightly ahead of JMS. I expect him to be a starter in the middle at one of the guards. Michigan grad transfer Chuck Filiaga played in 277 snaps a year ago while posting an average 61.4 PFF grade and a slightly below average pass block grade. I have him slated as the starter for now, but I wouldn't count Nathan Boe out here. I still think he has a chance to win this job over/be the sixth lineman this year in heavy sets. Guedet is my starting LT until I see what type of form Notre Dame transfer Quinn Carroll is in. Carroll battled some knee issues at ND and only played 23 snaps in 2021. Guedet and Carroll will battle it out for one of the tackle spots. Ersery I do think is probably the most solidified starter at tackle. His athleticism is off the charts and started a game in 2020 against Nebraska, performing very well as a true freshman. Not to mention Karter Shaw, a multi-year starter at Utah State who could put his fingerprints on this group. Excited to see it all shake out.
Last edited:
