The Gophers are knee-deep in preparing for the 2024 season. The Gophers began fall training for the 2024 season last Monday, July 29. Saturday was their first open practice for the media and spectators, and P.J. Fleck is pleased with what he’s seen from his new-look club.
“We haven’t had a single day where I’ve come out and felt like the intensity and tempo weren’t there. “There is no willingness to improve, no competitiveness,” Fleck told the journalists. “It’s a really competitive game, and this is maybe the most competitive camp we’ve had in our eight years here. So that’s what we discussed.”
One of the greatest issues moving into the 2024 season is whether the Gophers can improve offensively. They have not had a quarterback throw for more than 2,100 yards in a season since 2019, and their scoring offense was rated 110th in the country last year.
Fleck and his staff identified the problem and implemented significant personnel changes. In the transfer portal, they added quarterback Max Brosmer of New Hampshire, wide receiver Tyler Williams of Georgia, and a trio of running backs led by Sieh Bangura of Ohio and Marcus Major of Oklahoma.
Acquiring talent is one thing; implementing strategic upgrades to put your players in the best position to succeed is another. Minnesota has depended largely on running the ball under Fleck, but he believes they will be a more explosive offense in 2024, when questioned on Saturday. “I firmly believe we can be, but we will do what our players say we can do. And that is what this is all about: discovering what we are capable of. We only had five days. “We have first, second, and third down installed,” he explained. “But for the most part, you can expect more execution at this point. You are not considering our defense’s game plan, but rather how well
Do we execute? You’re instilling an identity and an attitude in your football club this early, and I believe we accomplished that tonight.” Last season at New Hampshire, Brosmer leaned heavily on running back Dylan Laube, who was subsequently selected in the sixth round by the Las Vegas Raiders in the spring. In his final season of collegiate football, he had 68 catches for 699 yards and seven touchdowns. Under Fleck, the Gophers’ offense has not utilized its running backs in the passing game to the same extent, but that could change this season.
“Mohamed Ibrahim could handle 35-40 carries per game and it was fine; you know what’s coming. “It was fun for me, maybe boring for you, but really fun for me because they know exactly what you’re going to get out of it,” Fleck said. “What we can now do is throw the ball and run it. We can throw the football to sprint as long as we catch it consistently. We can move the ball as if it were in the air, and our running backs are capable of doing so.”
Quarterbacks can shape a team’s atmosphere, and with star running back Darius Taylor’s assistance, Brosmer has the potential to elevate the Gophers’ attack to new heights. The Gophers’ 2024 season will begin on August 29 versus North Carolina at Huntington Bank Stadium.
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