Fox 39: Croft's Shot To Lead Gophers Could Come Now

BleedGopher

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per Leber:

We all saw the incredible talent that Demry Croft has when he was playing quarterback at Boylan setting school records. This fall the rest of the country or at least the Big Ten might get a chance to see what he can do.

Croft has a shot to become the starting quarterback at the University of Minnesota.

Croft opened eyes in Minnesota's spring game last month on the very first play. He connected with receiver Rashad Still on a bomb down the sideline covering 47 yards. Croft completed 8 of 13 passes in that game perhaps earning him an early edge for the starting job, although nothing will be determined until August.

"It's definitely wide open right now going into fall camp," said Croft to Eyewitness News while home in Rockford. "You've just go to work hard, be more consistent. Be persistent and see how it falls."

Minnesota's starting quarterback last year Mitch Leidner has graduated leaving Croft to battle redshirt senior Conor Rhoda and redshirt freshman Seth Green for the top job this year. Croft saw some action in three games two years ago as a true freshman. He was redshirted last year....a decision he agrees with now.

"Absolutely! I have three more years left, so it was definitely the right decision," says Croft.

A lot has happened in Croft's two years at Minnesota. He was recruited and coached initially by Jerry Kill. Then Tracy Claeys took over when Kill was forced to step down with medical issues. Then Claeys lost his job in the heat of a sexual assault scandal involving some players.

Now P.J. Fleck is the head coach. The Fleck who could be sprinting down the field, hanging from the locker room ceiling and giving dramatic speeches while he was the head coach at Western Michigan.

Croft says Fleck is always high-energy. "Everything that you see on TV that's really how he is off TV," says Croft.

Fleck's energy might carry Croft and Minnesota to a Big Ten West Championship. Croft is all-in on 'Rowing The Boat' with Fleck.

"Working with him is a pleasure," says Croft. "He knows a lot about the game and he's really a player's coach."

http://www.mystateline.com/sports/crofts-shot-to-lead-gophers-could-come-now/719130949

Go Gophers!!
 

I am kind of hoping they give Croft a real chance to win the job. I know there is some speculation Rhoda will be the starter so as not to discourage QBs on the recruiting trail from coming here. What I like about Croft is he seems to have a quick release, arm strength, and pocket presence. I'm not sure about his vision, reading defenses, and accuracy, but I think he deserves a shot to prove he can do those things. I say these things not as an expert evaluator of QBs but just uneducated observations from Spring. I just think he has some nice qualities which I think the coaches can cultivate into a substantially better passing QB than Mitch was. When I think about it, I trust Croft more to make a play or at worst make a few yards when the pocket breaks down. That was often Leidners undoing. When the play started to break down he always seemed to make a bad situation worse. At least he stopped fumbling so much later in his career.
 

I am kind of hoping they give Croft a real chance to win the job. I know there is some speculation Rhoda will be the starter so as not to discourage QBs on the recruiting trail from coming here.

Wait wat? We'd start Rhoda.... for croot'n?

I haven't heard that, nor does that make any sense.
 

QB1 competition is good. But at the appropriate time, Fleck needs to make a call and let the team know who our leader is.
 



I first I was irked that we burned his freshman year. But as it turned out he clearly he found out what he needed to do. He's had 1 1/2 years basically to work on his shortcomings to become a bon a fide quarterback this fall. We need to give him time though for experience though in the first four games of the season and he or someone else if it someone else is chosen needs to be ready to lead this team with "productive" results.
 


At this point I'd put my money on multiple guys getting reps at QB in the first couple games even if there are no injuries
 

I think Croft has a much higher ceiling than Rhoda. Also he's yet to reach his full potential & I think Rhoda has probably already reached the ceiling of his potential.

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Wait wat? We'd start Rhoda.... for croot'n?

I haven't heard that, nor does that make any sense.

Sure it does. Starting Croft gives the impression that the starter for the next 3 years is on the roster, which could lead a recruit to infer that they'd have no chance to see the field until he graduates and consequently go elsewhere. Starting a senior gives the impression that it will be an open battle in 2018.
 

Hard to say

At this point I'd put my money on multiple guys getting reps at QB in the first couple games even if there are no injuries

It's not typically how it's done with the quarterback position in football. You pick one, ride him until you are forced to make a change and then put all your faith in the backup after the first choice fails. Time will tell. A big part of it is practice reps. If you split the time, nobody is prepared and team has no idea who their offensive leader is...so, you kinda gotta pick one guy early and ride him.
 

Sure it does. Starting Croft gives the impression that the starter for the next 3 years is on the roster, which could lead a recruit to infer that they'd have no chance to see the field until he graduates and consequently go elsewhere. Starting a senior gives the impression that it will be an open battle in 2018.

I get that, but if said recruit really thinks it through he will still have to beat out Croft whether he is starting in 2017 or not (for the same number of years). Every team is going to have a stable of QBs so I highly doubt the decision of who to start has anything to do with recruiting. I mean, Alabama just got maybe the best QB recruit in the country and they had a true freshman starter in 2016. If Rhoda is the starter, it is purely because Croft is not ready. Let's hope this is not the case because Rhoda is not a division 1 QB.
 

It's not typically how it's done with the quarterback position in football. You pick one, ride him until you are forced to make a change and then put all your faith in the backup after the first choice fails. Time will tell. A big part of it is practice reps. If you split the time, nobody is prepared and team has no idea who their offensive leader is...so, you kinda gotta pick one guy early and ride him.

I get that going with one guy is typically how it's done, but there are plenty of examples, especially in college, where coaches let them sort it out on the field in actual games. Notre Dame, Texas, and Ohio State are examples that come to mind in recent years. All we really know at this point is that we have no returning starter and there is no heir apparent through spring practice.

Not saying I think they will alternate series, but I do think multiple guys will get reps in the first few games. Once you get to conference play I think you have to pick someone and go with them. But our non conference schedule is pretty weak so I don't see why you wouldn't give multiple QBs a shot.

Croft would probably be the fans choice at this point, but you can't ignore Rhoda who has the experience with the program as well as a B1G road win under his belt. Morgan is the only one who is a Fleck recruit and had some nice offers coming out of HS. Im just saying that at this point if I had to choose between one of them or just bet on a combination I'd go with the combo
 



So we may have a good Qtr back and that is considered bad because he may start for next three years..... ya, Ok. You are nuts!


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So we may have a good Qtr back and that is considered bad because he may start for next three years..... ya, Ok. You are nuts!


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Who said that?
 



Sure it does. Starting Croft gives the impression that the starter for the next 3 years is on the roster, which could lead a recruit to infer that they'd have no chance to see the field until he graduates and consequently go elsewhere. Starting a senior gives the impression that it will be an open battle in 2018.

And if Croft is the guy you just wasted a year......so much not sense...


What next, do we throw games for better draft picks?
 


And if Croft is the guy you just wasted a year......so much not sense...


What next, do we throw games for better draft picks?

Your thinking of the NBA there Slabber. Just biz as usual there. Although why teams keep doing it when the lottery is so obviously rigged I don't know but that's a topic for another forum [emoji854]


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We have Brennan Armstrong verbally committed for 2018. If he redshirts his first year, he would only need to sit behind Croft for 1 year before Croft would graduate. The 2019 QB Recruit could redshirt and be in the mix for starting the year after Croft graduates. So the starting Croft this year will scare away future QB recruits theory is asinine.
Croft looks the part of a solid QB in the Fleck/Ciarrocca system. Hope he is able to develop some good rapport with his receivers over the summer, gain some valuable playing time experience in the NC portion of the schedule and lead us to some BIG victories this coming season.
 


You and gophmeister said that starting Croft would hurt recruiting new QB's.


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A. Could, not would

B. At no point did anyone state or imply that Croft starting the next 3 years would be bad. You're making things up.
 

One of the best selling points when recruiting QBs is having evidence that you know how to develop talent at that position. There are only a handful of schools that consistently develop QBs, there are a ton of schools with crappy starters where a kid could conceivably get playing time right away. The top QB recruits don't pick those schools with crappy starters, they almost always go with the other programs. So play the best QB you have, coach him up, and show recruits you know what the hell you are doing. The rest will take care of itself.
 

I could maybe see it, hey our starting QB spot is open next year

Coach: Hey man come here, we need a QB.

Croot: Yeah you guys do suck....

It's not like that has gotten us great QB croots in the past....
 

Coach: Hey man come here, we need a QB.

Croot: Yeah you guys do suck....

It's not like that has gotten us great QB croots in the past....
I'm not agreeing with the logic, just saying i can see it

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Phil Nelson didn't like competition, per reports.

That's one of those what if historical moments. What if Hitler hadn't opened a second front? What if Phil Nelson stuck it out?
 

Phil Nelson didn't like competition, per reports.

That's one of those what if historical moments. What if Hitler hadn't opened a second front? What if Phil Nelson stuck it out?

But still been in the fight? I think we still would have had to toss him for the fight.
 


One of the best selling points when recruiting QBs is having evidence that you know how to develop talent at that position. There are only a handful of schools that consistently develop QBs, there are a ton of schools with crappy starters where a kid could conceivably get playing time right away. The top QB recruits don't pick those schools with crappy starters, they almost always go with the other programs. So play the best QB you have, coach him up, and show recruits you know what the hell you are doing. The rest will take care of itself.

Gophs don't need a top QB, just one who can game manage, be a plausible passing threat, and not hurt you. ML could do one of those fairly well last year but Gophs still managed 9 wins. He did two of them fairly well in 2015 and Gophs managed 7 wins.

There are plenty of teams with lights out good QBs but don't win consistently, and a lot of teams with decent QBs and consistently win.
 




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