MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - NOVEMBER 09: Quarterback Tanner Morgan #2 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers looks to pass against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the third quarter at TCFBank Stadium on November 09, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Hannah Foslien/Getty Images / FOX 9)
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota football team made history in 2019, finishing with 11 wins for the first time in 115 years.
The motto for the season was “restore.” P.J. Fleck, in his third season with the Gophers, is aiming to get Minnesota back to the level the program was at in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, when the Gophers were a dominant program and national power.
The Gophers took a giant step in that direction this season, being ranked as high as No. 8 in the College Football Playoff rankings and finishing with a dominant 31-24 win over No. 12-ranked Auburn in the Outback Bowl.
So what’s next for the Gophers? Minnesota will enter the 2020 season a lock to be ranked in the top 15 in the country. Fleck’s Gophers won’t sneak up on anybody. They’ll return a bulk of their starters on offense, and lose as many as seven on defense. Here’s an early look at next season’s roster:
Quarterback
There really shouldn’t even be a competition, but Fleck says his players thrive on just that. Barring injury, Tanner Morgan will be the starter next fall as a redshirt junior. Morgan got the job in fall camp after Zack Annexstad went down with a foot injury that required surgery. Morgan had one of the most efficient seasons in Gopher history, passing for more than 3,200 yards, completing 66 percent of his passes and throwing for 30 touchdowns with just seven interceptions.
Annexstad got a medical redshirt, and will have three years of eligibility left. Cole Kramer will be a redshirt freshman after appearing in three games, going 0-for-2 with a game-ending interception at Iowa. Jacob Clark will also be a redshirt freshman after appearing in just one game and completing one pass against Maryland for 39 yards.
Offensive line
The good news for Fleck is that all six significant contributors to this year’s offensive line will be back next season. Curtis Dunlap Jr., John Michael Schmitz, Conner Olson, Sam Schlueter, Blaise Andries and Daniel Faalele were all starters and in the main rotation for most of the season. Schlueter and Olson will be seniors next season.
With that group on the offensive line, the Gophers average 178 yards rushing per game and were 21st in the nation in scoring, averaging 34.1 points per game.
Wide receivers
The Gophers lose Tyler Johnson and his 33 career touchdowns to graduation. He’ll be playing football on Sundays in the fall with an NFL team, it’s just a matter of where he lands in April’s draft.
Minnesota brings back Big Ten Receiver of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten sensation Rashod Bateman. There was no sophomore slump for the Georgia native, who finished the season with 66 catches for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns. He had two scores at Purdue, and three at Northwestern. The Gophers also return Chris Autman-Bell, who had 28 catches for 371 yards and five touchdowns. His score in Week 2 at Fresno State got the Gophers to overtime. Demetrius Douglas will likely see an increased role next season after making 14 catches for 157 yards this year, including consecutive catches in a 3rd-and-30 against Georgia Southern in a Week 3 comeback win for Minnesota.
Running backs
Rodney Smith’s 1,210 yards and eight touchdowns will be gone. Smith also leaves as the Gophers’ all-time record holder in total yardage from scrimmage. Shannon Brooks is also graduating after managing injuries while rushing for 413 yards and two touchdowns this season.
Next year, Mo Ibrahim will be the featured back. He ran for 605 yards and seven touchdowns this season. He’ll get help from a mix of Cam Wiley, Bryce Williams, Trey Potts and Jason Williamson.
Tight ends
Brevyn Spann-Ford, Ko Kieft, Jake Paulson and Bryce Witham are all back at the tight end spot for the Gophers. Paulson led the tight ends with four catches for 51 yards, and Witham’s only two catches of the season helped lift the Gophers over Auburn in the Outback Bowl.
It’ll be up to Matt Simon and new offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr. to get the ball to the skill players on offense after Kirk Ciarrocca departed for the same job at Penn State before the Outback Bowl.
On defense, Gophers fans will have to learn a lot of new names as Joe Rossi could lose as many as seven starters from 2019. He loses seniors Kamal Martin, Thomas Barber, Chris Williamson, Carter Coughlin, Sam Renner, Winston DeLattiboudere and Tai’Yon Devers. He could also lose unanimous All-American Antoine Winfield Jr., who has until Jan. 20 to declare for the NFL Draft.
Here’s a look at what the defense could look like:
Defensive line
The Gophers lose a ton of skill along the defensive front seven after the 2019 season. They also return plenty of talent that got valuable playing time. Esezi Otomewu is the top returning tackler along the defensive line after finishing with 22 tackles, 2.5 sacks and five tackles for a loss. Minnesota also brings back junior college transfer Keonte Shad, who had 21 tackles and 2.5 for a loss in 13 games. Boye Mafe is also back after making 14 tackles, including three sacks. Micah Dew-Treadway and Jamaal Teague will also add experience to the defensive line.
Linebackers
Minnesota’s linebacker corps takes one of the biggest hits with Barber, Martin and rush end Coughlin all gone. When Martin went down at Rutgers with a knee injury and missed the following two games, Mariano Sori-Martin and Braelin Oliver filled in admirably. Sori-Marin finished the season with 42 tackles, including two tackles for a loss. Oliver finished with 22 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, three sacks and a fumble recovery in a standout redshirt freshman season.
Also look for Itayvion Brown to be a potential impact player as a freshman. Brown was one of two 4-star recruits in the 2019 class.
Secondary
The Gophers lose Chris Williamson to graduation and potentially Antoine Winfield Jr. to the NFL Draft, but have plenty of players returning with game experience next season. Jordan Howden will be back after finishing fifth on the defense with 57 tackles. He also had one interception and six pass break-ups. Coney Durr had 33 tackles, 10 pass break-ups and one interception. Kiondre Thomas had 22 tackles in 13 games, and Terrell Smith battled injuries to finish with nine tackles in nine games after a standout freshman year. Other names to watch will be Calvin Swenson, Justus Harris, Tyler Nubin and Phillip Howard.
Specialists
Brock Walker and Michael Lantz will battle for the kicker spot after Lantz got the job for most of the year. Lantz was 8-of-11 on field goals this season, including 5-of-7 from 30-39 yards. The Gophers got a punter on National Signing Day in Mark Crawford out of Australia, with Jacob Herbers graduating. They also added punter Matthew Stephenson as a preferred walk-on graduate transfer.
We'll get a few roster questions answered during spring football, but we won't know until next season if the Gophers are ready to take that next righ step. That's winning the Big Ten West.