Athlon: 5 Storylines to Watch in Minnesota's Spring Practice

per Athlon:

1. How secure is Mitch Leidner's job?

Leidner will see limited action this spring as he continues to recover from foot surgery. We know there will be a battle between Demry Croft and true freshman Seth Green to be his backup, but the winner could be a serious threat to steal Leidner's gig. There were times last season where it felt like Minnesota would have been better served with a more capable passer under center. Green is intriguing in that regard, as he's more mobile than Leidner and throws lasers. Leadership and experience are Green’s only question marks, and those could disappear this spring.

2. Finding a left tackle

It doesn't matter who lines up under center if Minnesota can't protect him. There are a number of possible options due to Minnesota's collection of versatile offensive linemen. The smart money is on redshirt freshman Nick Connelly, who spent last season trying to add bulk to his 6-foot-7 frame. His top competition will likely be junior college transfer Garrison Wright.

3. The growth of Jalen Myrick

The Gophers lost two probable NFL Draft picks at the cornerback position this offseason. Myrick will be called upon to be Minnesota's top corner — likely finding himself on an island frequently throughout the season. He has plenty of experience playing the position during the last couple of seasons, but now he’ll be defending the Big Ten's top receivers every week. Improving technique and confidence in the spring will be priorities — as Myrick will be tested often in 2016.

4. Can Minnesota get pressure up front?

The Gophers lost defensive lineman Thieren Cockran and Scott Epke. They were two of the best in the conference and leave gaping holes in Minnesota's front seven. Guys like Steven Richardson and Andrew Stelter will need to step up their games in order for the Gophers to avoid a drop off. Getting a consistent push will be important in a division with some many good running backs and mobile quarterbacks.

5. Is there a home-run hitter on offense?

One of the biggest problems that seemed to hold back Minnesota's offense in 2015 was the lack of a consistent big-play threat. Running back Shannon Brooks showed flashes of potential to be that guy, but Claeys and his staff would probably like to see a wide receiver step up in that regard as well.

http://athlonsports.com/college-football/minnesota-golden-gophers-2016-spring-football-preview

Go Gophers!!

Not a bad analysis, but if Leidner's foot is healed I can't see him losing the job.

Hold it - Cockran and Ekpe were "two of the best in the conference?" Did this guy even see the Gophers play last year?

And, as dengue said, if Leidner is healthy, he's the QB. Croft or Green would have to be head-and-shoulders better than Leidner to take the job away from him. Given that Croft has a year's experience, I still see him as the primary backup. If they don't need to use Green in a game, red-shirt him and save the year of eligibility for down the road.

Ekpe isn't gone. He'll be a SR this year.

denguegopher said:

Not a bad analysis, but if Leidner's foot is healed I can't see him losing the job.

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Yeah, I think unless he's not 100% (or 90% or whatever) he's the starter through the NC schedule for sure regardless of what happens. Only way there's a QB controversy at QB1 is if he's not 100% and just can't play. Now, I doubt that will happen with his current injury. They're saying he could play in the Spring Game, so I have a tough time believing that he'll be that far from 100% to start camp (assuming he doesn't have a parasailing accident or bungee jump mishap or...).

Otherwise, ML is the starter at least through NC and he'd have to play much worse than last year to lose it even at that point.

Leidner played well the last half of he year when he finally had some protection. De is our problem position at this point.

BleedGopher said:

per Athlon:

4. Can Minnesota get pressure up front?

The Gophers lost defensive lineman Thieren Cockran and Scott Epke. They were two of the best in the conference and leave gaping holes in Minnesota's front seven. Guys like Steven Richardson and Andrew Stelter will need to step up their games in order for the Gophers to avoid a drop off. Getting a consistent push will be important in a division with some many good running backs and mobile quarterbacks.

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They both had miserable seasons and Epke is back. Steve Richardson played hurt a lot of the year, but he was far and away our best d lineman last year. I'm not worried about a dline drop off, it can't drop from "floor". The only pressure we got was from a 5-10 true freshman defensive end. I think our pass rush will take a big step forward this year, can't get worse!

Section2 said:

They both had miserable seasons and Epke is back. Steve Richardson played hurt a lot of the year, but he was far and away our best d lineman last year. I'm not worried about a dline drop off, it can't drop from "floor". The only pressure we got was from a 5-10 true freshman defensive end. I think our pass rush will take a big step forward this year, can't get worse!

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Sadly this is true.

Section2 said:

They both had miserable seasons and Epke is back. Steve Richardson played hurt a lot of the year, but he was far and away our best d lineman last year. I'm not worried about a dline drop off, it can't drop from "floor". The only pressure we got was from a 5-10 true freshman defensive end. I think our pass rush will take a big step forward this year, can't get worse!

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Isn't Merrick Jackson supposed to contribute right away? I think he may help this DL significantly.

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jonnyganas said:

Isn't Merrick Jackson supposed to contribute right away? I think he may help this DL significantly.

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with Ekpe, Steve, Merrick and it looks like Stelter has gotten huge, we could have 4 good tackles for sure. Hopefully no 250 lb walk ons at DT against Wisconsin this year.

Section2 said:

They both had miserable seasons and Epke is back. Steve Richardson played hurt a lot of the year, but he was far and away our best d lineman last year. I'm not worried about a dline drop off, it can't drop from "floor". The only pressure we got was from a 5-10 true freshman defensive end. I think our pass rush will take a big step forward this year, can't get worse!

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Yeah 4 of their 5 points seemed pretty solid but #4 was a joke because those two were nowhere close to the best in the league. The scary part is that at DE there are no obvious candidates waiting in the wings to take over so I don't think it is a guarantee that things will get better but as you say it will also be tough for it to get worse. For the sake of Myrick and the other DB's I really hope someone steps up that can get some consistent pressure on the edge and make QB's rush things. The middle of the d-line should be fine but we really need to find a good DE, has been a while since we truly had one along the lines of a Karon Riley or Lemanzer Williams. Heck at this point I would settle for a Willie VanDeSteeg.

MNVCGUY said:

Yeah 4 of their 5 points seemed pretty solid but #4 was a joke because those two were nowhere close to the best in the league. The scary part is that at DE there are no obvious candidates waiting in the wings to take over so I don't think it is a guarantee that things will get better but as you say it will also be tough for it to get worse. For the sake of Myrick and the other DB's I really hope someone steps up that can get some consistent pressure on the edge and make QB's rush things. The middle of the d-line should be fine but we really need to find a good DE, has been a while since we truly had one along the lines of a Karon Riley or Lemanzer Williams. Heck at this point I would settle for a Willie VanDeSteeg.

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That would be nice, but if we can't find a reliable traditional edge rusher, the answer is likely more Huff, Gibson, Carter, Winston D, etc. 3-4 type look in passing situations with an edge rusher, and lots more blitz packages.

Lakeville Goldy said:

Yeah, I think unless he's not 100% (or 90% or whatever) he's the starter through the NC schedule for sure regardless of what happens. Only way there's a QB controversy at QB1 is if he's not 100% and just can't play. Now, I doubt that will happen with his current injury. They're saying he could play in the Spring Game, so I have a tough time believing that he'll be that far from 100% to start camp (assuming he doesn't have a parasailing accident or bungee jump mishap or...).

Otherwise, ML is the starter at least through NC and he'd have to play much worse than last year to lose it even at that point.

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I guess we should define controversy. I would say if the local or national media start chirping about a switch, it's gained "controversy" status.

Mitch Leidner critics coming out from underneath their rocks after his first incomplete pass of the year is not a controversy.