One week from spring practice, Claeys is focusing on Gophers' offensive line

Bolstering the offensive line is a major priority for the Gophers heading into spring practice next week; they need to replace three starters and several top reserves.

The two returning starters are sophomore center Tyler Moore and senior right tackle Jonah Pirsig.

Two junior college transfers, Garrison Wright and Vincent Calhoun, are expected to take over immediately this spring as starting guards. But coach Tracy Claeys offered a potential twist Tuesday, when asked about the left tackle battle.

"We've got [redshirt freshman Nick Connelly] there, who I think is capable of doing it," Claeys said. "He's got the strength and everything, but the wild card in all of that is Garrison."

The 6-4, 318-pound Wright transferred to Minnesota from Butler (Kan.) Community College, turning down Texas Christian.

"If Garrison had to, he could go out and play tackle and do awfully well at it," Claeys said. "I don't know how it'll play out. … Depth-wise will be a concern, obviously, but I think we can get a first group there that can do what we want them to do."

If Wright starts at tackle, that could reopen a guard position for Connor Mayes, who started the first nine games there last season as a sophomore. But Claeys and new offensive line coach Bart Miller are determined to make this year's line stronger and more ­explosive.

Offensive tackle Alex Mayes, Connor's older brother, will no longer play football because of injuries. He will remain on scholarship, but the team will get a medical waiver to give a scholarship to another player.

Besides the older Mayes, other offensive linemen the Gophers need to replace from last year include Jon Christenson, Foster Bush, Joe Bjorklund, Josh Campion, Ben Lauer, Brian Bobek and Isaac Hayes.

Claeys said redshirt freshman Mose Hall is converting from defensive tackle to offensive tackle, where he'll have a quicker chance to get onto the field. Blake Cashman, a redshirt freshman walk-on from Eden Prairie, has converted from defensive back to linebacker after bulking up to 223 pounds.

Justin Carr, a walk-on defensive tackle, has left to ­pursue more playing time elsewhere. He played five games last year and was in for key snaps against Wisconsin, when the Gophers were riddled with defensive tackle injuries.

The Gophers open spring practice next Tuesday. They'll hold five practices before spring break and 10 after, including the April 9 spring game, copying their format from the previous two springs.

Senior QB Mitch Leidner, who had surgery to repair ligament damage in his left foot Dec. 30, hopes to be ready after spring break, which would be more than a month ahead of schedule.

"To me, that is not a priority, and we are not going to take any chances on his foot," Claeys said. "I do think with the way things are going now, he will be able to get some group work, whether it's pass shell or things like that. That will be plenty. "

Mike Henry and Miles Thomas were valuable fullbacks in recent years, but the team will take a different approach under Claeys and new offensive coordinator Jay Johnson.

"We're going to get away from saying, 'This kid's a fullback,' " Claeys said. "We're going to make those two positions [fullback and tight end] much more interchangeable."

The Gophers have used formations featuring an H-back, which is defined as a tight end who lines up behind the line of scrimmage. But Claeys noted that their systems specified "an on-the-line tight end, and an off-the-line tight end."

"That will change," he said. "A lot of those kids have very similar skill sets to where we can move them around now."