Conor Rhoda's journey from nearly losing a scholarship to sharing the QB role

per the Minnesota Daily:

At the end of his redshirt junior season with the Gophers, quarterback Conor Rhoda received some bad news — he wasn’t coming back. After former head coach Tracy Claeys told him his scholarship would not be extended in December, he started to look for jobs.

The quarterback’s phone rang a day after a new head coach was hired, — it was P.J. Fleck. Fleck, in his first year as the Gophers’ head coach, saw something in Rhoda and offered him a scholarship for another year with the team.

Now, Rhoda is back, this time as co-starting quarterback alongside redshirt sophomore Demry Croft ahead of the Aug. 31 opening game against Buffalo at TCF Bank Stadium.

Filling the experience gap

The Gophers’ Holiday Bowl win last year left a void in the team’s offense. Mitch Leidner, a recent signee with the Minnesota Vikings, started almost every game since the 2014 season and finished his career with Gophers football in 2016.

“I think anytime you play for that long, there’s probably going to be a gap because those guys aren’t necessarily getting the playing experience I was getting,” Leidner said.

Two quarterbacks will fill the hole this year, as the Gophers have some of the least experienced quarterbacks in the Power Five conferences.

“We’re going to play them both,” Fleck said. “In terms of the starter they’re both the starter.”

http://www.mndaily.com/article/2017...y-losing-scholarship-to-sharing-starting-role

Go Gophers!!

Great article.

I don't think Claeys gets enough heat for that bush-league move. If Fleck was the one that told Rhoda that he was being forced off scholarship, I think his house would have been burned down.

GopherHomer said:

I don't think Claeys gets enough heat for that bush-league move. If Fleck was the one that told Rhoda that he was being forced off scholarship, I think his house would have been burned down.

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Scholarships to walk-ons are typically awarded on a year-to-year basis with the understanding that they will be rescinded if the coaches need the spot. Additionally, most coaches consider their obligation fulfilled if the player has completed their undergraduate degree, particularly if that player was a walk-on to begin their career. But yeah, total bush league move.

And Fleck is so persecuted - oh, so persecuted.

BleedGopher said:

per the Minnesota Daily:

Two quarterbacks will fill the hole this year, as the Gophers have some of the least experienced quarterbacks in the Power Five conferences.

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This seems a bit overstated. Technically it's true since there's always a fair # of P5 programs that return their starters. There are usually a # of programs that start Rs Fr at QB, who may have had no college snaps. Rhoda is a 5th year Sr with multiple starts last year. Croft is a 3rd year who at least has some B1G game experience. That they are under a new coach/offense is a separate question from their "experience."

dpodoll68 said:

Scholarships to walk-ons are typically awarded on a year-to-year basis with the understanding that they will be rescinded if the coaches need the spot. Additionally, most coaches consider their obligation fulfilled if the player has completed their undergraduate degree, particularly if that player was a walk-on to begin their career. But yeah, total bush league move.

And Fleck is so persecuted - oh, so persecuted.

Click to expand...

Yes you are correct, but it was still a dick move (aren't all scholarships technically year-to-year?). All that aside, though, it was idiotic when you consider that Rhoda has been awarded co-starter status. Also - Fleck is persecuted on this site. I'm willing to bet there has never been a new coach at Minnesota with this much hate thrown his way before he's ever coached a game (and considering he has the most impressive resume out of our previous 4-5 hires that is amazing).

GopherHomer said:

Yes you are correct, but it was still a dick move (aren't all scholarships technically year-to-year?). All that aside, though, it was idiotic when you consider that Rhoda has been awarded co-starter status. Also - Fleck is persecuted on this site. I'm willing to bet there has never been a new coach at Minnesota with this much hate thrown his way before he's ever coached a game (and considering he has the most impressive resume out of our previous 4-5 hires that is amazing).

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What???!!!!???

You should always throw a or or when you post something like that. Unless of course, you're talking about the handful of people who think he's not capable of winning more than half his games this year.

Then certainly continue.

GopherHomer said:

Yes you are correct, but it was still a dick move (aren't all scholarships technically year-to-year?). All that aside, though, it was idiotic when you consider that Rhoda has been awarded co-starter status. Also - Fleck is persecuted on this site. I'm willing to bet there has never been a new coach at Minnesota with this much hate thrown his way before he's ever coached a game (and considering he has the most impressive resume out of our previous 4-5 hires that is amazing).

Click to expand...

Generally speaking scholarships are year to year, but the B1G guarantees scholarships to players who initially were recruited as scholarship athletes for 4 years plus an RS year if they use it, with a handful of exceptions to get out of it (behavior, grades, etc.).

I was a little surprised when Claeys pulled it, but that was before Green and Williams were suspended and he had just signed McLaurin, so there seemed to be no place for Rhoda to fit in. At the time they were going to be short scholarships. Little did Claeys know 4 would be opening up shortly...

I don't think it's a D move. You have to do what is best for the team. They were obviously not impressed with Rhoda and had no expectation for him to play (right or wrong), so if you're not obligated to give him a scholarship, he's completed his fourth year, and he won't make the field, why not use that scholarship to better the team?

And frankly, had Green and Williams not been suspended, I still question if Fleck would have tried to get Rhoda to stay. As it turns out, it was a good decision.

Finally, was not renewing Rhoda's scholarship any worse than running Neil McLaurin out of town after he enrolled early?