Jerry Kill needs Mitch Leidner to be the best quarterback he’s coached with the Gophers.
If the Gophers, who open spring practice tomorrow, are to improve their inconsistent offense then Leidner will be expected to be the leader. In three previous seasons at Minnesota, Kill hasn’t had a quarterback seize the job—either because of injuries or performance.
Last year Leidner and the now departed Philip Nelson competed for the starting position and both struggled with passing. Leidner threw for only 61.9 yards per game and three touchdowns, while Nelson’s numbers were 108.8 and nine. Leidner, who started and played less than Nelson, threw only one interception in 10 games while Nelson had six in 12.
Leidner, the only quarterback on the 2014 roster with Big Ten experience, is the team’s No. 1 quarterback now but will be pushed for the job if he falters. Behind him is redshirt freshman Chris Streveler and true freshman Dimonic Roden–McKinzy.
The best storyline for Leidner and the Gophers is his career eventually will invite comparison with Jordan Lynch who became an All-American and also Heisman Trophy candidate at Northern Illinois. Kill recruited Lynch when he was the Huskies coach and mostly kept him on the bench as the former Chicago prep quarterback learned the ways of major college football.
Leidner, like Lynch, was redshirted and both are physical runners. Leidner, who sometimes is more likely to welcome contact than avoid it, was Minnesota’s second leading rusher last season with 407 yards and tied David Cobb for a team high seven rushing touchdowns.
At Northern Illinois Lynch had to wait for an opportunity until Chandler Harnish moved on to the pros. His patience paid off with outstanding seasons in 2012 and 2013 including rushing totals each year approaching 2,000 yards.
Nelson wasn’t willing to stay at Minnesota, instead transferring to Rutgers. He is part of a long list of college quarterbacks who chose to leave their teams after last season. Kill had one quarterback transfer on him at Northern Illinois, plus Nelson here.
“We don’t live in a patient world—period,” Kill said.
But Leidner, the former Lakeville South quarterback, was willing to be patient at Minnesota and this spring and next fall he can prove the opportunity to be the Gophers No. 1 QB was worth the wait for him and the coaches. He doesn’t have to be Lynch. Just performing like the best Gophers quarterback in years will be more than enough as Minnesota tries to better last year’s 8-5 record, the best so far of the Kill era.
Worth Noting
The Gophers will have six football practices between now and March 13. Then March 25 they resume workouts with the first of eight practices before the Spring Game at TCF Bank Stadium on April 12.
Kill said on WCCO Radio yesterday morning tight end Alex Bisch, center Brian Bobek, center Jon Christenson and defensive back Derrick Wells will be held out of spring practice.
Frank Lenti, who coached Lynch at Mount Carmel High School in Chicago, will be one of the speakers at the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Clinic March 27-29. The clinic, at the DoubleTree Hotel in St. Louis Park, will also include high school coaches from Florida, Michigan and Texas. For a complete list of speakers and session topics visit the MFCA website.
The Gophers have pro day today at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex. Former Gophers expected to work out for NFL teams are Jeremy Baltazar, Jake Filkins, Ra’Shede Hageman, Aaron Hill, Roland Johnson, James Manuel, Martez Shabazz and Brock Vereen.
Ex-Gophers quarterback and Vikings defensive coordinator Tony Dungy and his wife Lauren will speak about leadership and ministry at the Uncommon Award Dinner March 21 at Bearparth Golf & Country Club in Eden Prairie to benefit Athletes in Action. The Uncommon Award will be presented to CBS NFL analyst James Brown. More information is available by contacting Paul Olson, plholson@aol.com.
As Vikings season ticket holders go through the new stadium preview center they will likely have the same reaction as media who toured the facility last week. Impressive! The interactive center, located in the Metrodome Square Building overlooking the stadium construction site, provides fans a gameday feel including views of how the field will look from their seats. The 7,500 square foot center, the largest ever built by an NFL club, also offers visual experiences of the locker room, suites and stadium exterior.
For the first year or so only season ticket holders will be able to visit the preview center. A couple dozen fans per day will take the 45 minute interactive tour of the stadium that is scheduled to open in July of 2016. After the tour, while at the preview center, season ticket holders can make commitments for their seat locations.
The tour is free, of course, but watching the Vikings in the new facility won’t be. There will be personal seat licenses varying in cost from $500 to $9,500. Most suites will be in the $100,000 range per season with the most expensive at $500,000.
Gophers leading scorer Andre Hollins said he isn’t sure but thinks former teammate Wally Ellenson, who left the team last month, may eventually transfer to another school where he can play basketball. This winter Ellenson is high jumping for the Gophers track team after winning a gold medal last year in the Pan American Junior Championships.
Hollins, who dates Gophers women’s leading scorer Rachel Banham, said his teammate, Mo Walker, is dating Kionna Kellogg who used to play with Banham and the Gophers.
In the March 3 issue of Sports Illustrated, writer Michael Farber included the Wild’s Mikael Granlund (Finland) on his all-tournament hockey team for the Winter Olympics. Granlund was the left wing on the six-man team and a key contributor to Finland winning bronze medals.
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