STrib: Gophers' starting quarterback job could be a four-way race next season

BleedGopher

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per Randy:

Tanner Morgan started six games for the Gophers as a redshirt freshman this season, including their three Big Ten victories, and is expected to get the nod for the Quick Lane Bowl. Zack Annexstad started six games as a true freshman, including a win over a Fresno State team that finished 12-2.

So when the Gophers open the 2019 season against South Dakota State on Aug. 29 at TCF Bank Stadium, either Morgan or Annexstad will start under center, right?

Not so fast, coach P.J. Fleck said.

“It’s a competition,” Fleck said Wednesday. “We’re going to find out.”

That competition will involve Morgan and Annexstad, along with two recruits who signed their national letters of intent Wednesday — Jacob Clark of Rockwall, Texas, and Cole Kramer of Eden Prairie.

Clark passed for 3,295 yards and 31 touchdowns this season for Rockwall. He is the 19th-ranked pro-style quarterback by the 247Sports.com composite of major recruiting services. Clark competed at the highest prep level in Texas passed for 428 yards in a playoff loss to Allen, the nation’s No. 3-ranked team.

“This guy’s a gunslinger,” Fleck said, “and he’s got incredible intangibles.”

Kramer, who led Eden Prairie to three consecutive Prep Bowl berths, is the 27th-ranked dual-threat QB nationally.

“He tough, he’s got a really good arm, he’s incredibly intelligent, and he’s a football guy,” Fleck said.

Clark and Kramer will enroll in January and participate in spring practices. Fleck also plans to give Annexstad a scholarship in the new year.

“We went from one scholarship quarterback, and we’ll have four come January, basically,” Fleck said.

http://www.startribune.com/gophers-...uld-be-a-four-way-race-next-season/503178851/

Go Gophers!!
 

Does anyone legit believe Cole Kramer could be our starter for 2019? Not saying he could never be the starter, but I don't see how he would be able to beat wither TM or ZA. Naively (because what else would I be?), he seems roughly their size/ability in the physical dept. On the other hand, Clark is taller and might possess physical tools that none of the other three have? If that's not true, then I don't see why either true fresh would beat out TM and/or ZA.
 

the QB who gives the Gophers the best chance of winning will start the opener. (in the eyes of the coaches)

Now, if we're setting odds, you probably have to establish Morgan as the favorite. but, if Clark comes in here and just looks lights-out better in training camp, I would not be shocked if he wound up starting. like a lot of Gopher fans, I've seen my share of players who didn't live up to the hype. just once, it would be nice to land a guy who lived up to the hype, or surpassed it. is Clark that guy? we shall see.

Like G-4life, I see Kramer as #4 on the depth chart at this point. Intangibles are great, but I just don't see Kramer as a D1 starter as a true FR. he is probably best off red-shirting.
 


per Randy:

Tanner Morgan started six games for the Gophers as a redshirt freshman this season, including their three Big Ten victories, and is expected to get the nod for the Quick Lane Bowl. Zack Annexstad started six games as a true freshman, including a win over a Fresno State team that finished 12-2.

So when the Gophers open the 2019 season against South Dakota State on Aug. 29 at TCF Bank Stadium, either Morgan or Annexstad will start under center, right?

Not so fast, coach P.J. Fleck said.

“It’s a competition,” Fleck said Wednesday. “We’re going to find out.”

That competition will involve Morgan and Annexstad, along with two recruits who signed their national letters of intent Wednesday — Jacob Clark of Rockwall, Texas, and Cole Kramer of Eden Prairie.

Clark passed for 3,295 yards and 31 touchdowns this season for Rockwall. He is the 19th-ranked pro-style quarterback by the 247Sports.com composite of major recruiting services. Clark competed at the highest prep level in Texas passed for 428 yards in a playoff loss to Allen, the nation’s No. 3-ranked team.

“This guy’s a gunslinger,” Fleck said, “and he’s got incredible intangibles.”

Kramer, who led Eden Prairie to three consecutive Prep Bowl berths, is the 27th-ranked dual-threat QB nationally.

“He tough, he’s got a really good arm, he’s incredibly intelligent, and he’s a football guy,” Fleck said.

Clark and Kramer will enroll in January and participate in spring practices. Fleck also plans to give Annexstad a scholarship in the new year.

“We went from one scholarship quarterback, and we’ll have four come January, basically,” Fleck said.

http://www.startribune.com/gophers-...uld-be-a-four-way-race-next-season/503178851/

Go Gophers!!

Won't that make his schollie count towards the max in a given year?
 


How about we just rotate them in and out? Each QB is in every 4th play.

If Morgan ends up being the guy next year, I hope the other three are able to redshirt. Spreads the classes at QB out a little bit.
 

How about we just rotate them in and out? Each QB is in every 4th play.

If Morgan ends up being the guy next year, I hope the other three are able to redshirt. Spreads the classes at QB out a little bit.

I was gonna say, if Morgan wins the job, I think PJ keeps his fingers crossed that he can keep Zack's redshirt. As far as Kramer, He seems capable and maybe he does compete for the job in a year or two, who knows? On the other hand, wasn't Maryland on their 4th QB last year? Having Kramer also gives a bit of piece of mind that if somehow the other 3 go down, you have a QB that you recruited to play in your system and who has been practicing your system for a bit.
 

I don't think Cole Kramer starts but I think he's better than people think. The Eden Prairie offense did not showcase his abilities.

I have no idea if he is better than Clark and I don't know how anyone can claim to know with any certainty at this point.
 

Seems we have four better options than prior to 2018. It's a good thing. Kramer is one of those kids that had a great camp and only EP coach, Fleck, and Staff know what he can do. Kid can run and throw, but rarely had to do so in games. Zack tends to do well in practice and against competition, but I haven't liked what I see in games. Morgan seems to be a better game performer at this point. All four will get spring ball to perform and it will be fun to see where the depth chart is come April.
 



Seems we have four better options than prior to 2018. It's a good thing. Kramer is one of those kids that had a great camp and only EP coach, Fleck, and Staff know what he can do. Kid can run and throw, but rarely had to do so in games. Zack tends to do well in practice and against competition, but I haven't liked what I see in games. Morgan seems to be a better game performer at this point. All four will get spring ball to perform and it will be fun to see where the depth chart is come April.

ZA is interesting to me.

I realize he was a true freshman, so all of these things are fixable, but I didn't like his pocket presence. I thought the team was better with Morgan. However, I think ZA has more upside. He has a bigger arm and I think the competition could flatten out.
 

If Clark comes in and wins the job, that would be very interesting. Being a "pro-style" QB, he might possess more true throwing ability than the others. But then I would hope PJ would ditch the run-pass option offense and have his RBs run out of the I and allow the kid to drop back and throw. The RPO is very predictable if you have a QB who doesn't ever pull it back and run (ZA), doesn't do it enough to keep the defense honest (Morgan), or just wants to keep it himself all the time (Green). Not sure what type of a runner Clark is, maybe he's the total package who can do it all.
 


If Clark comes in and wins the job, that would be very interesting. Being a "pro-style" QB, he might possess more true throwing ability than the others. But then I would hope PJ would ditch the run-pass option offense and have his RBs run out of the I and allow the kid to drop back and throw. The RPO is very predictable if you have a QB who doesn't ever pull it back and run (ZA), doesn't do it enough to keep the defense honest (Morgan), or just wants to keep it himself all the time (Green). Not sure what type of a runner Clark is, maybe he's the total package who can do it all.

As far as I understand RPO, the quarterback running is a very small part of it. It's either a hand-off to the running back or a pass. The Eagles rode the RPO to an NFL title last year and Nick Foles had a grand total of zero carries in the Super Bowl.
 



What is interesting to me is that Morgan played at a high level in 6 B1G games. I’d think ZA, CK or Clark would need an outstanding camp to beat him out. That said, ZA has a stronger arm and did beat him out in camp last year and has hopefully added weight to hold up better physically. Clark seems to have huge upside and apparently has been in a similar system in high school. I’d think that Kramer, similar to ZA last year would be best served putting weight on and redshirting this season, but certainly could turn heads too!

I cannot believe how much quality and depth we seem to have at the most important position in football!
 

So I guess it sucks to be the other two current RS Fr QBs...
 

As far as I understand RPO, the quarterback running is a very small part of it. It's either a hand-off to the running back or a pass. The Eagles rode the RPO to an NFL title last year and Nick Foles had a grand total of zero carries in the Super Bowl.

Correct. Most people think read option when they see RPO.
 

What is interesting to me is that Morgan played at a high level in 6 B1G games. I’d think ZA, CK or Clark would need an outstanding camp to beat him out. That said, ZA has a stronger arm and did beat him out in camp last year and has hopefully added weight to hold up better physically. Clark seems to have huge upside and apparently has been in a similar system in high school. I’d think that Kramer, similar to ZA last year would be best served putting weight on and redshirting this season, but certainly could turn heads too!

I cannot believe how much quality and depth we seem to have at the most important position in football!

And this is all in addition to Seth!
 

If Clark comes in and wins the job, that would be very interesting. Being a "pro-style" QB, he might possess more true throwing ability than the others. But then I would hope PJ would ditch the run-pass option offense and have his RBs run out of the I and allow the kid to drop back and throw. The RPO is very predictable if you have a QB who doesn't ever pull it back and run (ZA), doesn't do it enough to keep the defense honest (Morgan), or just wants to keep it himself all the time (Green). Not sure what type of a runner Clark is, maybe he's the total package who can do it all.

I don't think RPO means what you think it means. On a RPO play, the QB does not EVER keep the ball unless it's a busted play. You are confusing Run Pass Option with Read Option. Mind you, not every play is a RPO in an RPO offense. Some plays are designed runs and some plays are designed passes. A good OC, which Ciarrocha very much is, will mix it up. But a well executed RPO is very difficult to defend.
 

I don't think RPO means what you think it means. On a RPO play, the QB does not EVER keep the ball unless it's a busted play. You are confusing Run Pass Option with Read Option. Mind you, not every play is a RPO in an RPO offense. Some plays are designed runs and some plays are designed passes. A good OC, which Ciarrocha very much is, will mix it up. But a well executed RPO is very difficult to defend.

Yep. See post #16.
 


Does anyone legit believe Cole Kramer could be our starter for 2019? Not saying he could never be the starter, but I don't see how he would be able to beat wither TM or ZA. Naively (because what else would I be?), he seems roughly their size/ability in the physical dept. On the other hand, Clark is taller and might possess physical tools that none of the other three have? If that's not true, then I don't see why either true fresh would beat out TM and/or ZA.

Based upon what I saw in the passing game I think Kramer could be solid. We haven't done anything crazy simple reads and throws a. Ideal for Kramer. Add in the 4-6 horsemen we have in tow in the backfeild, it wouldn't surprise me if he started from game 1. I don't think it will happen but I wouldn't be surprised
 

Based upon what I saw in the passing game I think Kramer could be solid. We haven't done anything crazy simple reads and throws a. Ideal for Kramer. Add in the 4-6 horsemen we have in tow in the backfeild, it wouldn't surprise me if he started from game 1. I don't think it will happen but I wouldn't be surprised

Kramer's biggest struggle will be understanding the concepts and the reads, and then reacting to those reads quick enough to pull off the RPO. The Gophers got away from the RPO as the season went on which tells me ZA and TM struggled with the concepts as well.
 

If Clark comes in and wins the job, that would be very interesting. Being a "pro-style" QB, he might possess more true throwing ability than the others. But then I would hope PJ would ditch the run-pass option offense and have his RBs run out of the I and allow the kid to drop back and throw. The RPO is very predictable if you have a QB who doesn't ever pull it back and run (ZA), doesn't do it enough to keep the defense honest (Morgan), or just wants to keep it himself all the time (Green). Not sure what type of a runner Clark is, maybe he's the total package who can do it all.

My football IQ just dropped after reading this
 

To me, one of the big wildcards in this equation is how much Zack physically develops in the next 7-8 months. His first full year in college football, going from 18 to 19 years old, something that Morgan had already gone through; I think there's a chance that ZA hits fall camp much more physically prepared to be a B1G QB.

Lots of good options at this point. Morgan far outperformed what I expected, that's for sure, so there aren't really any bad options.

I think this team wins a lot of games next year
 

If Clark comes in and wins the job, that would be very interesting. Being a "pro-style" QB, he might possess more true throwing ability than the others. But then I would hope PJ would ditch the run-pass option offense and have his RBs run out of the I and allow the kid to drop back and throw. The RPO is very predictable if you have a QB who doesn't ever pull it back and run (ZA), doesn't do it enough to keep the defense honest (Morgan), or just wants to keep it himself all the time (Green). Not sure what type of a runner Clark is, maybe he's the total package who can do it all.

The threat of tucking and running is there with Clark. He's not a true dual threat qb, bit he is not a statue
 

What a good problem to have at the QB position.

Kramer and Clark coming in early will serve them well. If Clark beats out both Morgan and Annexstad, that would be very interesting. IMHO, Morgan and Annexstad will edge out the other two. But, 2020 is the real competition after Clark and Kramer have a year under their belt.
 

Kramer's biggest struggle will be understanding the concepts and the reads, and then reacting to those reads quick enough to pull off the RPO. The Gophers got away from the RPO as the season went on which tells me ZA and TM struggled with the concepts as well.

They did not get away from RPO as the season went along. Go back and watch.
 

They did not get away from RPO as the season went along. Go back and watch.

Oh I have. They absolutely got away from the RPO. On handoffs, the receivers were engaging blocks. On pass plays, the Oline was pass blocking. Neither of those happen on an RPO play. Are you sure you're not confusing "play-action" with RPO? Most TV announcers miss this one too.
 
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Does anyone legit believe Cole Kramer could be our starter for 2019? Not saying he could never be the starter, but I don't see how he would be able to beat wither TM or ZA. Naively (because what else would I be?), he seems roughly their size/ability in the physical dept. On the other hand, Clark is taller and might possess physical tools that none of the other three have? If that's not true, then I don't see why either true fresh would beat out TM and/or ZA.

Agree with what your saying but I believe that Kramer is more athletic than any of them and a better runner. Not at all sure on passing but not much to see. I believe he was offered at camp so that's a good sign.
 

Oh I have. They absolutely got away from the RPO. On handoffs, the receivers were engaging blocks. On pass plays, the Oline was pass blocking. Neither of those happen on an RPO play. Are you sure you're not confusing "play-action" with RPO? Most TV announcers miss this one too.

Not confusing anything. Large doses of RPO in Purdue and Wisconsin games. You must be confusing me with gfl...
 




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