It is hard to believe that it has been a year since the press conference introducing Ben Johnson as the new coach. I was blindsided by the hire like many of us on the GopherHole. I became more and more impressed by Ben as the spring and summer continued and I better understood the methodical process he was willing to follow to put together a program that we can all be proud of. He was humble and appreciative of the opportunity. There is a burning desire to build something good here and I get the sense that he will not be easily outworked.
This team is in a much better place today than last year at this time. When first hired, he was a one man dynamo. He hit the transfer portal hard and began developing relationships with local recruits. He was also busy trying to identify his staff. It was over two weeks before he hired Thorson and Kemp. I can't imagine that he had much time to sleep but he knew the importance of putting together a staff that could help lay the foundation.
With all of that behind us, I am excited to see how we will hit the portal this year and whether we can find some depth to continue to grow and mature. This staff will get their foot inside the door of more players this year as Ben can remove the tag of 'first year head coach,' provide real life game film, and demonstrate how he was able to mold an entirely new roster of players into a functioning team despite being undermanned and lightly recruited.
The next several months will provide us with a better idea of what the roster will look like this fall. Let's hope that there are some solid additions that we can all support! Go Gophers!
This team is in a much better place today than last year at this time. When first hired, he was a one man dynamo. He hit the transfer portal hard and began developing relationships with local recruits. He was also busy trying to identify his staff. It was over two weeks before he hired Thorson and Kemp. I can't imagine that he had much time to sleep but he knew the importance of putting together a staff that could help lay the foundation.
With all of that behind us, I am excited to see how we will hit the portal this year and whether we can find some depth to continue to grow and mature. This staff will get their foot inside the door of more players this year as Ben can remove the tag of 'first year head coach,' provide real life game film, and demonstrate how he was able to mold an entirely new roster of players into a functioning team despite being undermanned and lightly recruited.
The next several months will provide us with a better idea of what the roster will look like this fall. Let's hope that there are some solid additions that we can all support! Go Gophers!
