Five questions as Gophers football team opens practice Monday

The Gophers football team begins its march toward the Aug. 29 season opener against North Carolina with the opening of training camp Monday.

Over the next 4½ weeks, coach P.J. Fleck and his staff will break in a new quarterback, try to develop depth and continuity on a defense under a new coordinator, and prepare for a schedule that opens with a Power Four opponent and features Iowa and defending national champion Michigan by the end of September.

With all that and more in mind, here are five questions for training camp. The Gophers haven’t yet announced the dates of any practices that will be open to the public.

How much of an upgrade will Max Brosmer be? The graduate transfer quarterback from New Hampshire joined the Gophers via the portal in early December, hung around the team during is bowl preparation and quickly took the reins of the offense during spring practice. During the past eight months, Brosmer has checked all the leadership boxes, including being named captain and leading a group of his pass-catchers on a trip to Georgia for team bonding and skill development.

Now, with the Aug. 29 season opener against North Carolina quickly approaching, it’s prove-it time for Brosmer, who was one of three finalists for the Walter Payton Award, given to the top player at the FCS level. Brosmer led FCS in passing yards per game (313.6), ranked second with 29 touchdown passes and completed 64.1% of his passes. Fleck said Brosmer has exceeded his expectations. Training camp will show how much of an upgrade the Gophers have at football’s most important position.

Who will step up as the No. 2 wide receiver? The Gophers have a go-to receiver in Daniel Jackson, a second-team All-Big Ten selection who caught 59 passes for 831 yards and eight TDs last year. A key for 2024 will be developing a complement to Jackson. Two candidates are Le’Meke Brockington, who was limited to five catches for 73 yards in an injury-marred 2023, and Elijah Spencer, who caught nine passes for 65 yards and ranked second on the team with three TD grabs. Fleck also added a transfer wideout in Tyler Williams, a 6-3, 210-pounder who played as a freshman last year at Georgia. Williams is the nephew of former NBA star Tracy McGrady.

Will running backs get in on the pass-catching act? Darius Taylor averaged 133.2 rushing yards per game and capped his true freshman season with a 208-yard MVP performance in the Quick Lane Bowl. The Gophers know they can run the ball with Taylor, but they’d also like to diversify things. With that in mind, Fleck brought in transfer Sieh Bangura from Ohio University. Bangura, 6-0 and 210 pounds, combined for 1,889 rushing yards over the past two years, but what stands out is his pass-catching ability. He caught 45 passes for 385 yards and three TDs over the past two seasons, and that type of productivity would add a new wrinkle for the Gophers.

Will the return game be more of a factor? The Gophers haven’t been a team known to take a lot of chances in the return game, especially on punt returns. Last year, they returned only eight punts all season, which ranked tied for 116th in FBS. Special teams coordinator Rob Wenger, who had been with Fleck since 2013, was let go and replaced by Bob Ligashesky, who has 40 years of experience at the collegiate and NFL level. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Gophers open things up in the return game. A wild card could be talented true freshman Koi Perich.

Can the injury bug stay away? In both the 2021 and ’23 seasons, an injury late in training camp to a key player left the Gophers short-handed at an important position. Three years ago, it was receiver Chris Autman-Bell spraining an ankle, leaving the offense without its top pass-catcher. Last year, it was linebacker Cody Lindenberg injuring a hamstring, shelving the defensive leader for the first seven games and exposing an inexperienced position group. If the Gophers can get through camp as unscathed as possible, that would be a good start.