Gophers without 12 players against Bowling Green at Quick Lane Bowl
Jordan Nubin #30 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers runs with the ball for a touchdown against the Wisconsin Badgers in the first half at Huntington Bank Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ((Photo by David Berding/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota football team is in Detroit for the Quick Lane Bowl on Tuesday against Bowling Green at Ford Field, and they’re without as many as a dozen players.
Among those not playing in Minnesota’s final game of the 2023 season are linebackers Maverick Baranowski and Devon Williams, defensive back Darius Green, defensive lineman Chris Collins, safety Tyler Nubin and tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford.
The absences of Nubin and Spann-Ford are not injury-related, and they are opting out of playing against Bowling Green as they’ll start preparations for the NFL Draft in April. Nubin was named an All-American after the season and will leave the program as the all-time leader in interceptions. Spann-Ford finished third for the Gophers with 25 catches for 239 yards and two touchdowns.
Darius Taylor will return for the first time since missing the last five regular season games with an injury. Despite only playing in five games this season, Taylor led the Gophers in rushing with 600 yards, four touchdowns and averaged 118.2 yards per game. He was the Big Ten Freshman of the Week three straight times.
Cole Kramer, who was ready to leave the program and be done with football, will get his first career start at quarterback after Athan Kaliakmanis and Drew Viotto both entered the transfer portal. The Gophers are the lone 5-7 team to make a bowl game this season due to their high APR score. The last time they played the Falcons was in 2021, a 14-10 loss as 31-point favorites.
The Gophers enter the Quick Lane Bowl 4-0 in bowl games under P.J. Fleck, and are playing their fifth bowl game in seven seasons.