Head coach P.J. Fleck and several of the University of Minnesota Gophers football team held a media event at their practice facility yesterday. To a person, they were excited to get the season underway. Hopes ran high as several key players return while transfers and younger holdovers wait for their chance in the limelight. They have fifty new players in camp and a freshman class that coach Fleck is really excited about.
Below are some excerpts from interviews with coach Fleck, quarterback Drake Lindsey, wide receiver Jalen Smith, defensive end Anthony Smith, guard Greg Johnson, linebacker Maverick Barenowski, and cornerback John Nestor.
Gophers Coach P.J. Fleck
New Leaf News: PJ, talk about some of the younger guys you’ve been impressed with that may be under the radar a little bit.
P.J. Fleck: “I don’t want to get into specific names because I don’t want anybody left out. But I will say this. This is a year that I expect a lot of freshmen to be on the field. And I’ll give you a name: Howie Johnson. I expect him, as he keeps getting better, to help us. Even as a true freshman. His body, mentally, emotionally, he’ll be ready to play and help us. Maybe not 50 snaps, but he’ll be ready to help us. We have some really young receivers that have incredible athleticism and skill sets, body control, and speed that maybe we haven’t had for a while at that position as a freshman.
“Our running back position is deep in the freshman category. And we knew that. And that’s why Mohammed (Ibrahim, Gophers running backs coach) was so important, because he can help that transition being the former player, being the all-time leading rusher. And he has elevated that room night and day from last year. Night and day. We need to run the ball better.
“And it was a combination of a lot of things. But part of that is Mohammed’s elevated that room. And they need to play way better. And we knew that. And Mohammed’s helped that. Those are some of the areas that I feel like can really help us as we continue to go forward this year. I love this Gophers freshman class. Top to bottom, love them. I mean, they are working so hard. And if you went out there right now and took their numbers off, you wouldn’t know who they were. Some of them don’t look like freshmen.”
Gophers Players
NLN: Drake, speaking of the Gophers’ running game, you talked about making better reads at the line and making better decisions in terms of what running play to call.
Drake Lindsey: “I think Ashton (Beers), our center, does a great job with that. I think there’s sometimes where I want to change the play and he’s like not we’re going here. That happened a lot last year, and this year I think we’re doing a great job being on the same page and overcommunicating, which I think having my center back is one of the biggest things because we have that trust within each other.
“He knows what I’m going to say most of the time. I know when he’s going to talk. I know when I’m wrong because he’s going to look at me and tell me, which is awesome to have from him. Up front, they’re doing a great job communicating. It’s good having Greg at left guard with those guys back.”
NLN: Jalen, tell me about the one or two things you wanted to improve on from last year.
Jalen Smith: “Creating separation, so route running, releases, quick wins, kind of all falls into that, but creating separation and making contested catches as well, just being a reliable receiver at all times.”
NLN: In terms of rush techniques- spin moves, speed rushes, power rushes- is there anything specifically you’re working on to improve?
Anthony Smith: ‘I think the narrative has been that I was a power rusher for the past few years. Working on my speed rushes, being a little bit over the edge, and being able to put my hips to actually win on the outside has definitely been a more prominent thing for this offseason. CJ (Robbins, Gophers defensive line coach) has really been helping me with that.”
NLN: Greg, tell me about your coordination with Nathan (Gophers left tackle Nathan Roy) and what you’ve been seeing in his growth.
Greg Johnson: “I think he’s taking huge steps this summer. He’s been very mature this offseason. He’s done what he’s had to do. You know, in spring ball, he was more of a vocal guy than he normally is. Same with Ashton. So, I’ve really been happy to see his growth this offseason.”
NLN: Maverick, you got thrown into the fire as a freshman, giving you a pretty good perspective four years hence. So, what do you try to impart to the younger players about maybe slowing the game down for them, so they grasp it and feel a little more comfortable out there?
Maverick Baranowski: “I think just reinforcing that they’re out there for a reason. Gophers coach Fleck trusts them. You’re out there for a reason when you’re on that field, and all the guys next to you do trust you. So, just looking to the guy next to you and knowing they’ve got your back is the biggest thing out there on the field. Especially at the linebacker position.
“Making sure those guys know how to prepare and know how to communicate. That’s on me at the end of the day as an older linebacker to convey to them, this is how we talk out there. This is how we lead. And that’s all stuff you can work on in practice. So, when those guys’ moments come, and they will come before they know it, it’s going to happen all of a sudden, and they’re going to be ready for it.”
NLN: John, when you look back at your first year as a starter with the Gophers, what did you see as an improvement I need to really work on? What did you see in your game that you need to step up?
John Nestor: “I think this might be just a cliché statement, but I think a lot of things in my game were good, but to be the best version of myself as a player, they need to be great. And like I touched on, I think it was man technique, off-man, press-man, and even in my zone I saw little weaknesses here and there throughout the games throughout the season that went on.
“So it was big for me to take a step back, and my coaches were like, hey, listen, you had an okay, decent season, but you need to do this, this, this, this, this, like a whole page of things. And I was like, well, not a lot of people do that, right? And it’s very humbling to me, and it’s very good that my coaches are very on me about things that I have to improve on and to give me that opportunity to do that.”
Gophers Schedule
The Minnesota Gophers Football fall camp is scheduled to start on Monday, August 3. The Gophers’ season starts on Thursday, September 3, when they host Eastern Illinois at Huntington Bank Stadium. And their Big-10 season starts on Saturday, September 26, when they travel to Seattle to take on the University of Washington Huskies.
