Gophers QB Cole Kramer gets his chance; married life and a career in sales can wait

Cole Kramer was ready to get on with his life.

The Gophers backup quarterback participated in Senior Day activities Nov. 25 against Wisconsin, even though he had a year of eligibility remaining. The fifth-year player from Eden Prairie determined it was time to start a new chapter.

"I kind of had my mind made up that I was going to be done — just with everything going on in my life," Kramer said.

His plan was to move to Phoenix, marry his fiancée, Katie Miller, in February and pursue a career in sales. "I've been talking to some software companies," he said. "Maybe med sales. Just really anything."

Kramer's route to Arizona, however, will now take a detour through Detroit, where he'll make his first and only start Tuesday for the Gophers against Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl. The wedding is still on as scheduled, but Kramer has been juggling the planning with football.

It all came about because, three days after the loss to Wisconsin, the Gophers suddenly needed an experienced quarterback. Athan Kaliakmanis, who started all 12 games, entered the transfer portal, and true freshman Drew Viotto joined him. With Kramer moving on, the Gophers were left with only true freshman walk-on Max Shikenjanski at quarterback.

"We were out of quarterbacks," coach P.J. Fleck said.

Fleck had no choice but to ask Kramer to stick around a while longer. After some contemplation, Kramer agreed.

"There's a lot that goes into it,'' Kramer said of his career plans, "and the coaches were extremely supportive about that. … I got some calls that I would be the starting quarterback, and as a kid that grew up in Minnesota, that was my dream ever since I was little. So, it was an obvious yes."

The situation took an interesting turn when someone on a Gophers-focused website message board posted that the Gophers were paying Kramer $30,000 of name, image and likeness (NIL) funds to play in the bowl game. The post was a hoax, but it spread on the internet, and Kramer refuted it during a news conference Monday.

"That's not accurate information," he said, "as much as I would love for that to be true."

Gophers ties run deep

If anyone was going to be loyal to the Gophers, it would be Kramer, who comes from a long line of Minnesota athletes. His grandfather, Tom Moe, was the Gophers team MVP as a wide receiver in 1959, a key player for the 1960 NCAA baseball champions, and the school's men's athletic director from 1999 to 2002.

Kramer's uncle, Mike Moe, was a Gophers quarterback in the 1980s, while another uncle, Bob Coughlin, played defensive line for the U. An aunt, Jennie (Moe) Coughlin, was a Gophers tennis standout, and cousin Carter Coughlin is the former Gophers linebacker who now plays for the New York Giants. Kramer's mother, Jackie (Moe) Kramer, was an All-America tennis player and a national champion at Texas.

Mike Grant, who has coached Eden Prairie High School to 11 football state championships, has known the Moe family since the 1970s. Grant coached Mike Moe at Minnetonka and Carter Coughlin and Cole Kramer at Eden Prairie. He's thrilled that Kramer will close his Gophers career as a starter.

"Just knowing how hard he's worked over the years over there, it's a real credit to him,'' Grant said. "He was there five years, and he never complained. If you're a coach, these are the type of kids you dream of who maybe aren't starting but are always ready and are great teammates.''

Kramer was a three-year starter for Grant, leading the Eagles to an undefeated season and a state championship as a junior in 2017 and a runner-up finish a year later. Grant saw Kramer's potential during a football camp with elementary school students.

"He was all business in camp, and you know that fourth- and fifth-graders aren't always all business and are kind of screwing around,'' Grant said. "He was just such a classy kid, even at that age. We knew he was going to be a great player."

Long time coming

Kramer was highly efficient as a prep quarterback — passing for 20 touchdowns with no interceptions during his junior season — and he chose the Gophers after receiving interest from Michigan State, Iowa and North Dakota State.

A backup throughout his time with the Gophers, Kramer found a niche role in 2021 as the QB in the wildcat formation, and he rushed 36 times for 165 yards and two TDs that season. The Gophers went away from the wildcat the past two seasons, and Kramer didn't see the field much because both Tanner Morgan and Kaliakmanis were mostly durable. Kramer threw only one pass this season, an interception at North Carolina when Kaliakmanis briefly left the game.

Kramer will get the keys to the offense Tuesday, and Fleck is eager to see what the veteran can do.

"Cole Kramer, we have 100 percent belief in," Fleck said. "He's been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, and we're really excited about his leadership."

Added cornerback Justin Walley: "The whole locker room is happy for him. Cole's the type of guy that everyone wants on our team. … When the opportunity finally comes for him, it's good to see."

That the Gophers are even playing in the Quick Lane Bowl can be at least partly credited to Kramer. There weren't enough six-win teams to fill all 82 bowl spots, so the 5-7 team with the highest Academic Progress Rate score would get a bid. That turned out to be the Gophers, who'll start a quarterback who's a four-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. He has a bachelor's degree in business and marketing education and has completed his graduate work for a strategic marketing certificate.

Kramer's first order of business, though, is the bowl game, in which he wants to make his mark.

"I just can't wait to get out there with the guys I've been with the past four or five years and get an opportunity to play,'' he said.