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Way too early top 25

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Stu Pedaso
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Joined: Wed Sep 13, 2017 8:32 am

Way too early top 25

Post by Stu Pedaso »

19. Minnesota
2019 record: 11-2, 7-2 Big Ten
Returning starters: nine offense, two defense, one special teams
Key losses: WR Tyler Johnson, RB Rodney Smith, DB Antoine Winfield Jr., LB Kamal Martin, LB Thomas Barber, DB Chris Williamson, DE Carter Coughlin, DB Benjamin St-Juste

Outlook: Talk about rowing the boat. In coach P.J. Fleck's third season, the Gophers won their first nine games and finished with more than 10 victories for the first time since 1904. They capped the breakout campaign with a 31-24 victory over Auburn in the Outback Bowl. Now the challenge is sustaining the success, and Minnesota will have to rebuild its defense to do that in 2020. Only two defensive starters are expected back from a unit that allowed 22.5 points per game. The Gophers will lose Smith, a 1,100-yard runner, and Johnson, who had 86 catches for 1,318 yards with 13 scores. Quarterback Tanner Morgan is coming back, along with receivers Rashod Bateman and Chris Autman-Bell and all five starting offensive linemen. After Ciarrocca left for Penn State, Fleck hired Mike Sanford Jr. as offensive coordinator and promoted Matt Simon to co-offensive coordinator.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/s ... emson-land
full force five
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Re: Way too early top 25

Post by full force five »

Benjamin St-Juste - has 2 more year of eligibility left.

OVERVIEW: Transferred to Minnesota after graduating from Michigan and will have three seasons of eligibility with the Gophers (2019-20, 2020-21 & 2021-22) • enrolled at Minnesota in the summer of 2019.

Sounds about right. We do have major holes on the D-line to fill and linebacker.
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jffl_commish
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Re: Way too early top 25

Post by jffl_commish »

A top 10 finish this year. Pretty remarkable, really.
Let's get Tropical
full force five
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Re: Way too early top 25

Post by full force five »

Top 10 this year. Probably start the season top 20, with a real shot of being 10+ wins again. Fleck has the gophers on the verge, hopefully they can keep it rolling.
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Hornets
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Re: Way too early top 25

Post by Hornets »

jffl_commish wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2020 9:19 am A top 10 finish this year. Pretty remarkable, really.
Yes, I'd say so! PJ has done what PJ was brought here to do!
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Style
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Re: Way too early top 25

Post by Style »

The roster seems to be set up for continued success as well. It seems the program has very little attrition compared to previous years/regimes. Keep the guys in school, coach them up, build them up, and have them play as upperclassmen seems like a recipe for continued long-term success.

PJ is using redshirts beautifully. I complained about burning Faalele's RS a few years ago, but PJ was right then. He continues to emphasize RS and the depth within the program is pretty remarkable from where it was at a few years ago. Each year the freshman class is turning into the RS freshman class unless there is an extreme outlier talent. Very few true FR this year burned their redshirts. I imagine more of the same next year.

ROW THE BOAT
“Juiceless = useless” - Pat Fitzgerald
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jffl_commish
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Re: Way too early top 25

Post by jffl_commish »

Style wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2020 2:54 pm The roster seems to be set up for continued success as well. It seems the program has very little attrition compared to previous years/regimes. Keep the guys in school, coach them up, build them up, and have them play as upperclassmen seems like a recipe for continued long-term success.

PJ is using redshirts beautifully. I complained about burning Faalele's RS a few years ago, but PJ was right then. He continues to emphasize RS and the depth within the program is pretty remarkable from where it was at a few years ago. Each year the freshman class is turning into the RS freshman class unless there is an extreme outlier talent. Very few true FR this year burned their redshirts. I imagine more of the same next year.

ROW THE BOAT
He is using the 4-game thing very well. Get them a little run and experience yet still get them for four more years too.
Let's get Tropical
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