Mike Farrell: "you have to think Morgan will be Fleck’s guy here"

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per Farrell:

MINNESOTA
Front-runner: Tanner Morgan

Contender: Zack Annexstad

Longshots: Jon Santaga, Samuel Pickerign

The situation: Minnesota is the unenviable situation of picking a starting quarterback despite not having one of the roster that has thrown a college pass. Morgan has emerged as the front-runner after following P.J. Fleck to Minnesota after initially being committed to Western Michigan. He spent last season redshirting and that experience may turn out to be quite valuable when a final decision is made during fall camp. Annexstad is a true freshman who enrolled early, but didn’t even have 1,000 yards passing in his senior high school season at IMG Academy. Gophers fans are hoping whoever wins this battle will be the starter for years to come.

Farrell’s take: This will be an interesting battle, but you have to think Morgan will be Fleck’s guy here and the redshirt season will do him wonders. Someone needs to take the reins here and rack up the experience and Morgan has the ability to take the job and make it his own.

https://n.rivals.com/news/breaking-down-the-big-ten-s-quarterback-battles

Go Gophers!!
 

Whether it be Morgan or Zack, I hope they work together to become elite. We're going to need both of them.
 

Here’s the crazy thing, sans a breakout year from Morgan we are probably having this conversation for 2 more summers if PJ can land a 4* qb in the next class.
 

BleedGopher said:
per Farrell:

MINNESOTA
Front-runner: Tanner Morgan

Contender: Zack Annexstad

Longshots: Jon Santaga, Samuel Pickerign

The situation: Minnesota is the unenviable situation of picking a starting quarterback despite not having one of the roster that has thrown a college pass. Morgan has emerged as the front-runner after following P.J. Fleck to Minnesota after initially being committed to Western Michigan. He spent last season redshirting and that experience may turn out to be quite valuable when a final decision is made during fall camp. Annexstad is a true freshman who enrolled early, but didn’t even have 1,000 yards passing in his senior high school season at IMG Academy. Gophers fans are hoping whoever wins this battle will be the starter for years to come.

Farrell’s take: This will be an interesting battle, but you have to think Morgan will be Fleck’s guy here and the redshirt season will do him wonders. Someone needs to take the reins here and rack up the experience and Morgan has the ability to take the job and make it his own.

https://n.rivals.com/news/breaking-down-the-big-ten-s-quarterback-battles

Go Gophers!!
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So Zack is transferring at the end of the 2018 season cuz that's all we have known here in 'The North"
 




From a QB standpoint this is kind of year zero.
 


I think he starts cause PJF loves Man U and Tanner is a dead ringer for Wayne Rooney at similar age.
 



Winasota Gopher said:
HereÂ’s the crazy thing, sans a breakout year from Morgan we are probably having this conversation for 2 more summers if PJ can land a 4* qb in the next class.
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Are you thinking next year we'll be talking Morgan vs Clark? And the year after that, Morgan (or Clark) vs the 4* QB recruit?

Morgan would not be without Big Ten game experience by then ...


Or were you meaning Annexstad (with no or very little experience this season) vs Clark, next summer, and then Clark (with no or very little experience next season) vs the 4* QB recruit, the summer after that?



On the latter, I would just say that if Morgan starts every game this year, unless he absolutely just bombs out, I think it will be very difficult for Annexstad or Clark to unseat him for 2019. Certainly can happen, but once you get in there with the 1 offense, get those reps, build those relationships with your receivers, your line, etc. ... feel like it's just hard to do.
 

Gophers_4life said:
Are you thinking next year we'll be talking Morgan vs Clark? And the year after that, Morgan (or Clark) vs the 4* QB recruit?

Morgan would not be without Big Ten game experience by then ...


Or were you meaning Annexstad (with no or very little experience this season) vs Clark, next summer, and then Clark (with no or very little experience next season) vs the 4* QB recruit, the summer after that?



On the latter, I would just say that if Morgan starts every game this year, unless he absolutely just bombs out, I think it will be very difficult for Annexstad or Clark to unseat him for 2019. Certainly can happen, but once you get in there with the 1 offense, get those reps, build those relationships with your receivers, your line, etc. ... feel like it's just hard to do.
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If we are not winning it won't be that hard.
 

Let me dream because football is so close but yet so far away at this point: I for one would love a situation where Morgan is respectable this year and we out recruit him to create these types of competitions... be a nice problem to have..... for once ;)
 

mnsports1 said:
If we are not winning it won't be that hard.
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I think that this is an interesting point, especially if you ask "how much winning?" I think that Mitch won just enough to keep the job, but he did not develop significantly even with all the reps and experience he got as a starter. He also did not lead us to the next level. Had the coaches played Streveler (or maybe someone else) I think that in the short run it might have cost us a game or two, but that move may have paid off in the longer run. What I also want to see is one of our QB's lead us to a comeback victory in a game that everyone has already said, "well we are going to lose this sucker."
 



Morgan will start, Annexstad will eventually take over, but neither will reign. By their senior years one of them should be decent enough to hold the job, otherwise Clark (who will red-shirt) will start as a Soph that year. There will be no 4-star QB in this time (unless Clark gets re-ranked by the end of the current recruiting season).
 

magpie said:
Morgan will start, Annexstad will eventually take over, but neither will reign. By their senior years one of them should be decent enough to hold the job, otherwise Clark (who will red-shirt) will start as a Soph that year. There will be no 4-star QB in this time (unless Clark gets re-ranked by the end of the current recruiting season).
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I was impressed by both Morgan and Zack in the Spring game. Morgan's two TD throws to Tyler Johnson were both game highlight reel stuff. Both QB's threw good slants and lead their receivers well. Can't remember either of them throwing an Int. Both also showed signs of inexperience in not looking for alternate receivers and holding the ball long enough for a sack or it to be stripped away. Good coaching can improve the latter. The great passing is something to build on.
 

happygophersgolucky said:
I was impressed by both Morgan and Zack in the Spring game. Morgan's two TD throws to Tyler Johnson were both game highlight reel stuff. Both QB's threw good slants and lead their receivers well. Can't remember either of them throwing an Int. Both also showed signs of inexperience in not looking for alternate receivers and holding the ball long enough for a sack or it to be stripped away. Good coaching can improve the latter. The great passing is something to build on.
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Anyone can look good throwing Johnson the ball, both stared down their receivers (Morgan especially), Morgan fumbled twice (thrice?), both certainly have skills as well as room for growth. I still see Clark taking over as soon as he's ready. I think he's underrated.
 

In a perfect world, you would go out every year - or at least every other year - and recruit a player for each position who is better than the current player at that position.

As far as QB's, yeah, there are the rare players who - due to skill or opportunity - step right in as a FR or SO and start for 3 or 4 years. But, that is the exception rather than the rule. It's more likely that a recruited QB spends a RS year and his 1st year of competition watching and learning. Maybe plays some as a SO, in a backup role or if the starter gets hurt. then, steps into the starting job as a JR and SR. That is the ideal progression, IMHO.

Obviously, the Gophers progression got scrambled with some of the recent player movement and such. so now, they go into the season with a RS FR and a true FR at QB. But - that does not mean that the coaches go "well, we've got our QB's for the next 4 years." No - you keep recruiting. If you land a QB who is clearly better than the incumbents, then he has the opportunity to leapfrog them on the depth chart. (which is why you see a lot of QB's leaving as transfers all over college FB - because someone else passed them on the depth chart.)

In the end, if the Gophers win, I don't care if they have the same QB for 4 years, or a different starter every year. Just win.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
In a perfect world, you would go out every year - or at least every other year - and recruit a player for each position who is better than the current player at that position.

As far as QB's, yeah, there are the rare players who - due to skill or opportunity - step right in as a FR or SO and start for 3 or 4 years. But, that is the exception rather than the rule. It's more likely that a recruited QB spends a RS year and his 1st year of competition watching and learning. Maybe plays some as a SO, in a backup role or if the starter gets hurt. then, steps into the starting job as a JR and SR. That is the ideal progression, IMHO.

Obviously, the Gophers progression got scrambled with some of the recent player movement and such. so now, they go into the season with a RS FR and a true FR at QB. But - that does not mean that the coaches go "well, we've got our QB's for the next 4 years." No - you keep recruiting. If you land a QB who is clearly better than the incumbents, then he has the opportunity to leapfrog them on the depth chart. (which is why you see a lot of QB's leaving as transfers all over college FB - because someone else passed them on the depth chart.)

In the end, if the Gophers win, I don't care if they have the same QB for 4 years, or a different starter every year. Just win.
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So, you were happy with 4 yrs of Leidner?
 


bleedsmaroonandgold said:
I'll be pretty happy if the gophs can win as many games in the next four years as they did during the four Leidner years.
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which team that the gophs beat had the highest national ranking? if in 4 years we did not beat a team ranked better than 20 i never want those 4 years back.
 

Hockeytown said:
which team that the gophs beat had the highest national ranking? if in 4 years we did not beat a team ranked better than 20 i never want those 4 years back.
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So if PJ's first four years result in less wins than the four before him, you think its time to move on?
 

Hockeytown said:
So, you were happy with 4 yrs of Leidner?
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Was I happy with Leidner? I liked him as a person. I thought he appeared to be a good leader, and a tough guy. As a QB, he was terribly inconsistent. I was happy with Leidner when the team won. I wasn't happy when the team lost.

And again - as I said in my post - Leidner started for 3 years because the team - in the eyes of the coaches - never had anyone better. In a perfect world, they would have recruited someone better. Or, in a perfect world, Leidner would not have moved into the starting job that early in his career, because there should have been a veteran QB in front of him on the depth chart. As I said, if I was running a college FB program, my goal would be to groom a QB and have him start as a JR and SR.

The Gophers have completely screwed the pooch with QB recruiting and coaching for years, under multiple coaching staffs. Maybe Fleck will change that trend. But, for a variety of reasons, the Gophers will go into this season with a RS FR and a true FR as their QB options. So, Fleck has a lot of work to do to get the QB situation into a better and more sustainable place.
 

magpie said:
Anyone can look good throwing Johnson the ball, both stared down their receivers (Morgan especially), Morgan fumbled twice (thrice?), both certainly have skills as well as room for growth. I still see Clark taking over as soon as he's ready. I think he's underrated.
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Agree Morgan locked on first option receivers. Annexstad actually moved through his progressing better, and moved in the pocket better. Overall, Morgan looked better (which he should), but not by much.
 

magpie said:
Anyone can look good throwing Johnson the ball, both stared down their receivers (Morgan especially), Morgan fumbled twice (thrice?), both certainly have skills as well as room for growth. I still see Clark taking over as soon as he's ready. I think he's underrated.
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On an optimistic note, Annexstad led his team to 24 pts and victory. Even with Vic's fumbles. He completed quite a few passes without Tyler Johnson on his team. On his 1st qtr TD pass to Rodney Smith, he was chased out of the pocket and into the right flat. Then on the run he picked up a wide open Rodney who ran it in. Also, Morgan and Annexstad will compete and push each other. Which young QB can gain the trust and confidence of the team? Coaches? Should be interesting to follow. Clark will have a battle when he arrives. Again, should be interesting.
 

happygophersgolucky said:
On an optimistic note, Annexstad led his team to 24 pts and victory. Even with Vic's fumbles. He completed quite a few passes without Tyler Johnson on his team. On his 1st qtr TD pass to Rodney Smith, he was chased out of the pocket and into the right flat. Then on the run he picked up a wide open Rodney who ran it in. Also, Morgan and Annexstad will compete and push each other. Which young QB can gain the trust and confidence of the team? Coaches? Should be interesting to follow. Clark will have a battle when he arrives. Again, should be interesting.
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Agree...Fall practices should be interesting. Zack will have had all Summer to study playbook.
 

happygophersgolucky said:
Morgan and Annexstad will compete and push each other. Clark will have a battle when he arrives.
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The competition will be good for Annexstad and Morgan, but I hope Clark isn't in the mix next season. One of the former has to step up, so Clark can red-shirt, observe for a year (or two), and then showcase his talent. If Clark is in the mix in the next two seasons we're in trouble.
 

If you ever want to have a significant improvement in success, you’ve got to find a good QB.

No amount of culture, system, jargon, buzzwords, etc. can fix not having a good QB.
 


I would like to know which teams among the FBS schools and more specifically BIG schools have really good QB's? Who would you be happy to have as the Gopher signal caller, choose anyone.
 


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