Minnesota Golden Gophers 2019 Football Preview

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The Gophers may not be in the spotlight, but could be a contender in the Big Ten west.

Minnesota is an easy team to overlook in the Big Ten’s West division. Last season, the Gophers finished 7-6, but ran hot (beating both Purdue and Wisconsin soundly) and frigid (getting trucked by Illinois and Iowa). After Illinois hung 55 on the Gophers, Minnesota fired defensive coordinator Robb Smith and promoted defensive line assistant Joe Rossi. The Gophers then went on to beat Purdue and Wisconsin to finish the season on an upward note. And with 16 returning starters, Minnesota should be able to build on that strong finish.

Quarterback is probably the biggest position battle going into 2019. Sophomore Zack Annexstad (6’3” 215 lbs.) won last year’s starting job in preseason camp, but his true freshman season ended at halftime in Lincoln after Annexstad was hospitalized due to a injury to his midsection. Sophomore Tanner Morgan (6’2” 210 lbs.) took over, and Minnesota won three of their last five games of the season. Morgan’s numbers (59% completion percentage, nine touchdowns with six interceptions, and rushing for a positive 51 yards) were better than Annexstad (52%, nine touchdowns with seven interceptions, and lost 89 yards on the ground), but observers thought that Annexstad reclaimed the starting job this spring. But then Annexstad suffered a severe foot injury last week that should keep him out “indefinitely.” When pressed further, head coach P.J. Fleck suggested that Annexstad “could” come back later in the season, but that it also “could” be a season-ending injury. True freshmen Jacob Clark (6’5” 215 lbs.) and Cole Kramer (6’1” 190 lbs.) are now battling for the backup position. Clark was a four-star pro-style quarterback recruit, while Kramer is much more of a dual-threat quarterback.