At the Gophers’ Spring Football Game tomorrow fans will be curious to watch highly hyped quarterbacks Demry Croft and Seth Green.
Croft, a sophomore next fall, and Green, a freshman, have received a lot of attention from coaches this spring with starting quarterback Mitch Leidner not participating in drills or scrimmages after left foot surgery late last year. Conor Rhoda, a junior next season and a quarterback who was a walk-on, has also taken plenty of snaps with new offensive coordinator Jay Johnson watching.
Johnson’s hope is Leidner, the Gophers’ starter last season, will not only have a school-record breaking season but also be healthy all season. That will allow a plan where Green or Croft could be redshirted, perhaps even both. Rhoda has already used his redshirt season.
Johnson replied “absolutely” when asked about his interest in redshirting either Green or Croft. That decision is months away, though. For now Johnson continues to evaluate his roster of quarterbacks including Green, who graduated early from high school to enroll this winter at Minnesota, and Croft who played in three games last season as a true freshman.
Johnson told Sports Headliners Croft’s experience has provided him with an edge compared to Green but he’s been impressed with the freshman and former four-star recruit who played his senior year of high school football in Texas after gaining so much attention as a junior and sophomore at East Ridge High School in Woodbury.
“He’s done a tremendous job mentally,” Johnson said about Green last week. “…I tried to throw a bunch of things at him this spring to kind of see what might stick and where we need to go, and I am really, really pleased with that.”
When former Gophers coach Jerry Kill signed Croft to a National Letter of Intent he described the three-star Illinois recruit as a “steal.” He praised Croft’s athleticism and ability to run. Observers see similar skills in Green and one of the two appears on track to succeed Leidner in 2017 as the starter.
“I think they both have a good skill set,”Johnson said. “There’s things we need to work on but I think the future is bright at that position. With Mitch’s situation, they have certainly had a lot of opportunity this spring and that’s good because we’re putting them in situations where they need to grow and learn from. …I think they’re both growing a lot. I think they have a bright future.”
Johnson believes the “ceiling is unlimited” for Leidner and that his redshirt senior quarterback can rank among the best in the Big Ten. “The other thing that he’s got is guys want to play for him,” Johnson said. “He has that passion, that leadership, and I think he can command a huddle and how it needs to be commanded. I think that carries dividends more than anything.”
Leidner has played in 35 games for the Gophers and started 29. He has rushed for 1,129 career yards and 23 career touchdowns (second most in school history for a quarterback), and passed for 5,118 yards (sixth most for the Gophers) and 28 touchdowns (eighth most). He ranks fifth all-time in completion percentage (56.4), sixth in completions (407) and is tied for sixth in attempts (722).
Leidner won’t play in tomorrow’s Spring Game at TCF Bank Stadium but he is hoping for the medical okay to have few restrictions later this spring and summer. Last year he credited participation in the well-known Manning Passing Academy with helping him improve his skills. In June he and other college quarterbacks will be back at the academy in Louisiana learning from the Mannings while also serving as instructors for younger players.
“It’s pretty tough. We’re working 8 in the morning until 9 o’clock at night,” Leidner said. “We do three practices with these kids, coaching them up. Then in between each practice you’re getting your workout in with the Mannings and other college quarterbacks there. I am looking forward to it. It’s a good time.”
To put less stress on his foot, Leidner has lost weight from last season. He has dropped more than 15 pounds and joked about less frequent visits to near campus restaurant Manning’s where he likes the burgers and fries.
Gophers redshirt senior offensive tackle Jonah Pirsig said the culture is different now than when Matt Limegrover was coaching the line. Bart Miller is the team’s new line coach. “It’s just a lot more intense,” Pirsig said. “He expects a lot more from you. He doesn’t allow for you to take a play off, ever. He’s all about finishing.
“I think we get a lot more out of practice. We’re not standing around at all. From what we’ve seen on tape, a lot more guys on the ground on defense, which is a good thing for us. So it’s all about being more physical.”
That seems like the right approach in the Big Ten’s West Division where the Gophers compete against teams like Iowa and Wisconsin, programs that annually build their offensive success on productive running games. Pirsig said Miller has shown his players film of other teams including Wisconsin and the Gophers from earlier this century when runners like Marion Barber III and Laurence Maroney were among the most productive in the country. “I think we’ll (the offensive line) have a really good year, this year.”
Pirsig said each season the Gophers consider every game on the schedule “winnable” and 2016 will be no different. “Our goal is to be in Indianapolis in December and I think we can do that,” he said referring to the Big Ten Football Championship Game site.
Worth Noting
The Gophers’ Spring Game is scheduled to begin about 12:45 p.m. Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium. Admission is free and there will free mini-footballs given to kids, plus other activities.
This will be a special year for the 27th annual Bruce Smith Golf Classic at Faribault Golf Club. The fundraising event benefits three Faribault schools and honors Bruce Smith who won the 1941 Heisman Trophy playing for the Gophers 75 years ago this fall. More information about participating in the golf event and attending the dinner is available by e-mailing Bruce Krinke, contact@fctv10.org.
It seems likely the Vikings will set an all-time attendance record for a preseason game in Minneapolis August 28. The Vikings and Chargers will play the first NFL game ever in the new U.S. Bank Stadium that night. Official football capacity in the stadium is 66,200 and demand for tickets figures to be extraordinary.
Representatives from the Wild including players Charlie Coyle and Mikael Granlund were among the supporters attending a tribute event to the Hendrickson Foundation last night at the Fallon Worldwide offices in downtown Minneapolis. The foundation helps make it possible for disabled individuals to play hockey and is supporting nearly 100 teams. Among those being assisted are children and military veterans.
Mike Max’s “Life to the Max” show on WCCO TV will offer a feature on the Hendrickson Foundation Saturday night. The program begins at 11:05 p.m.