Back healthy, Chris Autman-Bell poised for breakout season with Gophers
By Jeff WaldPublished April 21, 2022 3:34PM
Minnesota Golden Gophers wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell (7) scores a touchdown to pull ahead of the Wisconsin Badgers cornerback Faion Hicks (1) in the third quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. ((Photo by Matt Blewett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images))
during fall camp at a practice open to the media and public at Huntington Bank Stadium, Autman-Bell got tackled and went down with an ankle injury. He had to be helped off the field by trainers and teammates, taken to the locker room. He avoided major injury, but missed the Gophers’ season-opener against Ohio State.
He made his debut with four catches for 79 yards in a 30-0 win at Colorado, then hurt the ankle again on his first catch against Bowling Green. Despite the injury, Autman-Bell still played in 11 games and led the Gophers with 36 catches for 506 yards and six touchdowns.
With a little more than a week to go before Minnesota’s Spring Game, Autman-Bell looks like he did pre-injury, winning balls in individual drills and catching virtually everything thrown his way.
"This is probably the best I’ve ever felt, just physically-wise. I feel awesome, I feel like I’m taking the day and the process now. Getting better literally every day and taking that step to be a pro."
P.J. Fleck is excited to see what his veteran and top receiver can bring to the Gophers.
"I told you last year, Chris Autman-Bell had the best training camp I’ve seen by a wide receiver since I’ve been coaching. Then he got hurt, wasn’t even there for the first few games, then he came back and got hurt on the first play of one of the games we lost. I’m looking forward to him having a hopefully very healthy season because he looks amazing,"
Autman-Bell was one of four offensive players to make the decision to return for one more season, getting an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The popular thought was he would be done after last season, but between the injury and coming up short in the Big Ten West, there’s unfinished business.
Autman-Bell joins Tanner Morgan, Mo Ibrahim and John Michael Schmitz as what Fleck playfully called "The Encore Four" for the 2022 season.
He’s also got Kirk Ciarrocca back at offensive coordinator, who led one of the most prolific offenses in the history of the program in 2019 as Minnesota went 11-2. The expectation is to get back to that standard this season.
"It was like he never left, man. That’s the guy we need in this program," Autman-Bell said.
Autman-Bell is the top returning receiver with 114 career catches for 1,756 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Back healthy, Chris Autman-Bell poised for breakout season with Gophers
Chris Autman-Bell is back healthy and seeking a breakout season with the Gophers in his final year after dealing with an ankle injury in 2021.
