MINNEAPOLIS -- This past Saturday's spring game officially meant the conclusion of spring football for the Golden Gophers, who are now in their fifth season with Jerry Kill at the helm. Minnesota now has several months off before getting back into the swing of things this fall to prepare for the 2015 season. While it's sometimes tough to read too much into spring football, here are five takeaways from the Gophers this spring.
1. Mitch Leidner is making progress, but still has work to do
Leidner had an up-and-down year in 2014, his first full season as the starting quarterback. He shared snaps with Philip Nelson in 2013 and never seemed to get comfortable that year. Leidner certainly didn't put up eye-popping numbers as a redshirt sophomore, but he also didn't have a ton of weapons on offense aside from tight end Maxx Williams and running back David Cobb. Williams and Cobb are both gone, so the Gophers will have to have some players step up at the skill positions to help Leidner out. There were times in spring where Leidner was shaky, throwing wobbly passes or trying to force a pass into tight coverage. There were other times, though, where it was evident that he's taking steps in the right direction.
In Saturday's spring game, Leidner found receiver KJ Maye for a 37-yard touchdown. Leidner and Maye seemed to establish a nice rapport during spring ball. Look for Maye to be one of Leidner's go-to targets in 2015. Throughout the spring, Leidner worked with quarterbacks coach Jim Zebrowski and former Gophers quarterback and current grad assistant Adam Weber to fine-tune his mechanics. He'll have those two in his ear again this fall, where it appears safe to assume that the starting quarterback job is Leidner's to lose.
2. Minnesota is mixing it up with a no-huddle offense
Perhaps one of the biggest changes for the Gophers this spring was the implementation of a no-huddle offense. Though Minnesota won't exclusively be a no-huddle team, Kill and his coaches have said they plan to mix it into their repertoire in 2015. Just how much they'll use it remains to be seen, but it gives the Gophers another option. Minnesota installed the no-huddle for several reasons. For one, it keeps defenses on their toes -- as the Gophers found out the hard way last year against TCU. If offenses are hurrying up to the line of scrimmage, it doesn't give the defense much time to catch its breath or to substitute personnel.
Additionally, Minnesota hopes a no-huddle format could help get quarterback Mitch Leidner into more of a rhythm. Leidner thrived in the Citrus Bowl against Missouri when he was able to connect on a number of short passes, at one point completing 13 straight. Minnesota has struggled to establish much of a deep threat in the passing game in recent years, so using a no-huddle attack could be more suitable to the Gophers' strengths.
3. The Gophers are determined to get Jeff Jones the ball
Jones came to Minnesota last year as the biggest in-state recruit Kill had landed in his four years in Dinkytown. However, academic issues resulted in Jones missing all of 2014. Thankfully for the Gophers, he didn't lose a year of eligibility and will be a redshirt freshman for the 2015 season. Jones was a four-star running back from Minneapolis Washburn who many expected would one day be the featured back in the Gophers' offense. This spring, though, we've seen Jones play more wide receiver than running back.
The 6-foot, 207-pound Jones did play some receiver in high school and had 493 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 17 catches as a senior. Jones isn't completely shifting to receiver just yet; he'll still get some touches at running back. But with a crowded backfield that will likely rotate snaps between Jones, Rodrick Williams and Rodney Smith, putting Jones at receiver is just one more way for the Gophers to get the ball in his hands. If Jones can get the ball in space, he could be a special player for Minnesota and contribute as a freshman.
4. Minnesota's secondary is still the strength of the defense
We've seen the progress the Gophers have made in the secondary the last few years, leading to players like Brock Vereen and Cedric Thompson turning themselves into NFL-caliber players. Minnesota's secondary will be just as talented in 2015 -- if not more so.
There's a good chance the Gophers could start four seniors in the secondary this year in cornerbacks Briean Boddy-Calhoun and Eric Murray and safeties Antonio Johnson and Damarius Travis. Boddy-Calhoun has emerged as the vocal leader of that group, while Murray has turned into the Gophers' best shutdown cornerback. Johnson and Travis are both physical safeties who bring back plenty of experience in the secondary. Minnesota is building some depth at those positions, too, and brought in junior college transfer Ace Rogers to contribute in 2015 as well. The Gophers' secondary was aggressive in spring ball and wasn't fazed by the offense's no-huddle approach. That unit continues to get better. As it does, the secondary's confidence also grows. These guys believe they can be one of the best secondaries in the Big Ten this year.
5. Recruits are taking notice of the progress
During the course of the Gophers' spring practices, Kill and Co. secured verbal commitments from a number of high school recruits. Among them was Carter Coughlin, a three-star linebacker recruit from Eden Prairie, Minn., who committed on March 12 after spending the day at the Gophers' spring practice. Within the final week of spring ball, Minnesota received two more big commitments.
The first was three-star offensive lineman Sam Schlueter from Victoria, Minn., who committed on the day of the Gophers' spring game. One day later, four-star offensive lineman Sean Foster from Illinois gave his commitment to Minnesota. With another step forward in 2014, and an appearance in a New Year's Day bowl game, the Gophers are starting to look more appealing to recruits. Spring football is a chance for those recruits to get a closer look at the program, the coaching staff, the facilities and the players. As it turned out this spring, some of those recruits were intrigued enough to give their commitments to Minnesota.
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