5 things you should know about the 2022 Gophers
The Minnesota Gophers open the season Thursday night against New Mexico State, and while many are focused on whether Jerry Kill and P.J. Fleck will shake hands, the Gophers are focused on what could be a big season.
Minnesota is coming off a 9-4 season with a 6-3 record in the Big Ten. It wasn't enough to claim their first West division title, but several factors are lined up for them to become a contender once again this season.
1. Kirk Ciarrocca is back
Four years ago, the Gophers had their best season since the 1900s. With a record of 11-2 and a win over Auburn in the Outback Bowl, there were plenty of key components to that team, but one of the biggest was offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca.
Ciarrocca left after that season to take the offensive coordinator job at Penn State. But after one season in Happy Valley and a detour at West Virginia, he is back to lead Minnesota's offense.
His return couldn't come at a better time. Tanner Morgan set a school record with 30 touchdown passes in 2019 but has thrown just 17 TDs (and 14 interceptions) in his last 20 games. The Gophers were an unbalanced unit a year ago, ranking seventh in the nation with 45.8 rushing attempts per game under Mike Sanford Jr.
Ciarrocca will look to fix both issues as he enters a unique situation to begin his second stint as offensive coordinator.
"I think it’s almost a little bit of a luxury to know that Kirk left...and you come back still the same guy you coached [at quarterback] is already there for you," Fleck said last week. "It’s unique and a lot of the guys [at receiver] are there and guys that you were recruiting are here. It doesn’t happen all the time. But I don’t look at it as two, I look at it as like one morph and it’s been fun to watch the camaraderie he has with the offense and the confidence they have in what we’re doing."
2. More help at skill positions
While Morgan returns for his sixth season, there are several other Gophers that are back from serious injuries.
Mohamed Ibrahim was one of the best running backs in the country coming into last season but suffered a season-ending injury in the season opener against Ohio State. Backup Trey Potts was also lost for the season after an injury against Purdue.
The Gophers were also shorthanded at receiver where Chris Autman-Bell was hampered by a hamstring injury and Dylan Wright took some time off after the shooting death of a close friend, Utah cornerback Aaron Lowe.
Getting help from the skill positions should create a more diverse attack for a Gopher offense that ranked seventh in the Big Ten with 25.5 points per game last season.
3. New-look offensive line
Much like their counterparts in Madison, the Gophers' success is predicated on the performance of their offensive line, but that unit will look much different than it did a year ago.
Minnesota lost four starters (Daniel Faalele, Sam Schlueter, Conner Olson and Blaise Andries) and key reserve Curtis Dunlap over the offseason but helped soften the blow through the transfer portal.
Former four-star recruit Chuck Filiaga (Michigan) has a good chance to start at right guard while Fleck said that Edina native Quinn Carroll (Notre Dame), JJ Gaudet and Martes Lewis could rotate at right tackle.
The coaching staff has raved about the potential of left tackle Aireontae Ersery this offseason and Axel Ruschmeyer will get his first opportunity to start next to returning center John Michael Schmitz, who is a preseason All-American.
With experience and high-end talent, the Gophers should have enough to be dominant in the trenches in 2022.
4. Secondary will be the strength of the defense
The Gophers lost a ton in the front seven with Boye Mafe and Esezi Otomewo headed to the NFL but the secondary figures to be the strength of a defense that returns six starters from a year ago.
Fifth-year senior Terrell Smith and sophomore Justin Walley are projected to start at cornerback while the veteran duo of senior Tyler Nubin and fifth-year senior Jordan Howard will start at safety.
That should help the front end of the defense, which returns Mariano Sori-Marin but has major questions along the defensive line.
5. Legitimate contender in the Big Ten West
The Gophers have never gone to the Big Ten Championship Game since divisional play was introduced in 2011 but with several contenders in the West that could change this season.
ESPN's College Football Power Index currently has the Wisconsin Badgers as the favorite in the West with a 35.3% chance to win the division. Although Purdue is second with a 17.3% chance, the Gophers are third at 16.9%.
While the numbers tell a different story, ESPN's Mark Schlabach picked the Badgers to win the West, but also made a compelling case for the Gophers to head to Indianapolis.
"I went with Wisconsin, which seemed like the safer pick, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Gophers in the Big Ten championship game, either," Schlabach wrote. "...Morgan should be better under Ciarrocca...[and Ibrahim], the Big Ten running back of the year in 2020, is back after tearing his Achilles in last season's opener."
Although Ohio State is projected to run away with a 74% chance to win the conference title, the Gophers could be formidable and produce a season similar to the one they had in 2019.
Related: What did the Gophers learn from New Mexico State's opener?
