The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers finished the 2022 season with a strong 9-4 record. Their four losses came at the hands of Purdue, Illinois, Penn State and Iowa. Aside from the Penn State game, each of their losses came within a 12-point margin. Minnesota also beat up on the bottom of the Big Ten with the exception of Wisconsin. Let’s dive into some Minnesota football predictions, with a season preview and roster overview.
FanDuel Sportsbook has set the price on Minnesota’s win total at 7.5 with the under juiced to -164. The Gophers are also +3000 to win the Big Ten, which ranks sixth in the conference. Ultimately, bookmakers seem to expect a similar season in 2023 with a potential slight step back.
2023 Minnesota Football Predictions & Season Preview
Minnesota Football 2023 Season Preview: Coaching Staff
Now entering year seven under PJ Fleck, the Gophers will look to continue their recent success. Historically, Minnesota hasn’t always been the easiest program to win at. Aside from his debut season and the shortened Covid-19 season, Fleck has turned in winning seasons every year. Now coming off back-to-back 9-4 seasons, Fleck will look to continue this recent success.
This year, he will have a new offensive staff with Greg Harbaugh Jr. and Matt Simon handling co-offensive coordinator duties. These two were in-house replacements, which means the offense probably won’t change too much. On defense, Joe Rossi remains in place as the team’s defensive coordinator. He has been in this position since 2019 and with Minnesota’s staff since Fleck took the job.
Minnesota Football 2023 Season Preview: Offense
Quarterback
At quarterback, Tanner Morgan moves on from Minnesota after a solid career with the Gophers. Morgan did suffer an injury late in the season, allowing Minnesota to see a little bit of projected 2023 starter Athan Kaliakmanis. Kaliakmanis enters his third season. He stands 6-4 and weighs 205 pounds. In limited action last year, he completed 60 of 111 passes (54.1%) for 946 yards (8.5 yards per attempt), three touchdowns and four interceptions.
Kaliakmanis actually has decent rushing chops, notching 140 yards on 34 carries (4.1 yards per carry) last year. He is a former four-star prospect from the 2021 class, the 349th-ranked recruit, and the 31st-ranked quarterback from that class. Last year, Kaliakmanis finished as the ninth highest-graded quarterback in the Big Ten, per ProFootballFocus.
Behind him, Cole Kramer should serve as the backup. Kramer actually played a decent amount in 2021. Overall, he has completed 8 of 13 career pass attempts, but he has 42 carries for 192 rushing yards. Kramer has served as an athletic gadget quarterback to this point in his career. However, his experience will be valuable if an injury occurs at this position.
Running Back
Mo Ibrahim finally leaves, but Minnesota also lost second-leading rusher Trey Potts to the transfer portal. This leaves just Bryce Williams among the incumbent rushers. This will be Williams’ sixth season. He stands 6-0 and weighs 215 pounds. He rushed 51 times for 249 yards while catching 11 balls for 91 yards last year. He averaged a moderate 2.84 yards after contact and a forced missed tackle on 29.4% of his attempts.
To bolster the weak running back room, Minnesota added Western Michigan transfer Sean Tyler. Tyler is 5-8, 185 pounds and rushed 210 times for 1,022 yards and seven scores last year, and he caught 12 of 18 targets for an extra 111 yards. Tyler averaged 3.23 yards after contact and a missed tackle on 18.6% of attempts in the MAC. He did fumble five times but should be solid if he can clean that up. Ultimately, this running back group looks weaker than in recent seasons.
Wide Receiver
At receiver, Minnesota lost Mike Brown-Stephens and Dylan Wright this offseason. Fortunately, they return their top receiver from 2022 in Daniel Jackson. He stands 6-0, weighs 200 pounds and caught 37 of 58 targets for 557 yards and five scores. Jackson enters his fourth year and played out wide 86.9% of the time. His 2.32 yards per route run ranked sixth in the Big Ten last year.
Minnesota also returns Chris Autman-Bell from injury. Bell stands 6-1, 210 pounds and only played in three games last year before going down. Impressively, he logged 214 yards on 11 catches before the injury. Autman-Bell enters his sixth season now. His best year came in 2021, back when he caught 36 of 61 targets for 506 yards and 6 scores. His 2.58 yards per route run in 2021 would have ranked fourth overall in 2022.
The WR3 should be some combination of transfers Elijah Spencer (Charlotte) and Corey Crooms (Western Michigan). Spencer is 6-1, 193 pounds and caught 57 of 90 targets for 928 yards and nine scores last year. He played out wide 74.9% of the time and his 2.25 yards per route run ranked 12th in Conference USA. Crooms is 5-11, 185 pounds and caught 57 of 115 targets for 818 yards and five scores last year. Crooms played 77.4% of his snaps in the slot and his 2.06 yards per route run ranked tied for seventh in the MAC last year.
The team also has Le’Meke Brockington for depth after he caught 11 balls for 203 yards last year. All in all, the receiver group should be a strength for Minnesota.
Tight End
Minnesota returns their main tight end in Brevyn Spann-Ford for his sixth season. BSF stands 6-7, weighs 270 pounds and blocked on 68% of his snaps last year. However, he still caught 42 of 60 targets for 497 yards and a pair of scores. His 2.22 yards per route run ranked eighth in Big Ten last year, while he played in the slot on 35.4% of his routes.
Nick Kallerup is also back for this third season. He stands 6-5, weighs 270 pounds and blocked on 87% of his 308 snaps last year. Jameson Geers also returns for his third season after 67 snaps last year. Minnesota will use a fair amount of two tight end sets, so returning veterans like Spann-Ford and Kallerup should be big for the Gophers.
Offensive Line
On the offensive line Minnesota lost guard Chuck Filiaga, center John Michael Schmitz and guard Axel Ruschmeyer. All three were strong starters, giving Minnesota a lot to replace. However, they return both tackles. Quinn Carroll played right tackle and 830 snaps last year. Aireontae Ersery played left tackle and 825 snaps.
Allegedly, Carroll has been practicing at right guard, which doesn’t make much sense to me. Martes Lewis and JJ Guedet are competing for right tackle in his place, according to the Minnesota beat. Guedet played 54 snaps last year and Lewis played 74. They are two entirely unproven players
Nathan Boe looks like the favorite to start at center after he filled in for Schmitz in the Pinstripe Bowl. He played well on his 215 snaps last year, which should inspire hope in Gopher fans seeking an adequate replacement for the top center in the country.
It looks like Karter Shaw and Tyler Cooper are battling for left guard. Shaw played 66 snaps last year and Cooper checked in at 54. Both have worked with the starting unit at various points this spring. Minnesota also recruited four-star interior lineman Jerome Williams. He enrolled this spring and should enter the two-deep immediately. Williams was listed at 295 on his recruiting profile, so he has the size to play if needed. Overall, it is hard to see Minnesota’s offensive line living up to its 2022 performance.
Minnesota Football 2023 Season Preview: Defense
Minnesota ranked 25th on defense in 2022. This included the 39th-ranked run defense, 120th-ranked pass rush and eighth-ranked secondary. The Gophers lost most of their secondary and a few starters in their front seven. They did add six transfers, but it is hard to envision that being enough to live up to last year’s results.
Defensive Line
Along the edge, Minnesota lost Thomas Rush and Jah Joyner. Rush led the position with 557 snaps, but Joyner played as more of a rotational piece. The team returns starter Jalen Logan-Redding after 462 snaps last year. He logged a mediocre 18 tackles and three tackles for loss last year. The other starter looks like Danny Striggow, who played 284 snaps last year. He actually showed the most promise with 20 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks on his limited snaps. Minnesota also added Chris Collins from North Carolina, who played 1,093 snaps over the last three years. He has never been too productive, but he at least offers experience here.
On the interior, Minnesota lost Trill Carter to transfer. However, the team returns Kyler Baugh, who played 449 snaps. Baugh proved decent at stuffing the run with 36 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. The Gophers now project to rely on Darnell Jefferies as their other defensive tackle. He played 179 snaps last year, looking decent in the limited role. Logan Richter could also play more after 131 snaps a season ago. Ultimately, this group will rely on year-over-year improvement, which doesn’t inspire much hope in this pass-rushing department.
Linebacker
At linebacker, Minnesota lost Mariano Sori-Marin and Braelen Oliver. They do have Cody Lindenberg returning after 491 snaps in 2022. Lindenberg ranked second on the team with 71 tackles while logging four tackles for loss. They also added Western Michigan transfer Ryan Selig, who played 747 snaps last year. After 72 tackles with the Broncos in 2022, Minnesota will now rely on him bringing that production to a higher level of competition. Behind these two, Minnesota is largely unproven. Joey Gerlach is a player receiving some hype, but he hasn’t played any snaps at this point in his career.
Defensive Back
At corner, Minnesota lost Beanie Bishop and Ryan Stapp, leaving them somewhat vulnerable at the position. Justin Walley returns after 623 snaps last year, and he should play one of the boundary positions. He recorded 39 tackles, three interceptions, and a pair of pass breakups last year in his second year as a full-time starter. From there, Minnesota hit the transfer portal. They brought in Jack Henderson from Southeastern Louisiana. While he comes from a lower level of competition, Henderson has two years of starting experience and solid length. He comes in at 6-3, 205 pounds and could play the boundary here. They also added Tyler Bride from Georgia Southern. Bride also has two years of starting experience. Finally, Craig McDonald comes over from Auburn after playing in just two games last year. He initially started at Iowa State, where he played 410 snaps back in 2021.
At safety, Minnesota lost Jordan Howden, Terell Smith, and Michael Dixon this offseason. Luckily, Tyler Nubin returns after 569 snaps last year. Nubin logged 55 tackles, four interceptions, and three pass breakups last year. He should be relied on as a defensive leader this year. They also hit the portal here, bringing in Rowan Zolman from Miami-Ohio. He only played 32 snaps last year, so his potential contributions remain to be seen. The other candidates to play more include Darius Green and Victor Pless. Green saw 153 snaps last year, but Pless did not see the field. With so many transfers expected to fill voids here, Minnesota’s secondary likely takes a step back here.
2023 Minnesota Football Schedule & Predictions
Minnesota Football 2023 Schedule
The Gophers play a non-conference schedule consisting of Eastern Michigan, North Carolina and Louisiana. While this should result in at least a pair of wins, the North Carolina game won’t be as easy. In their crossover against the Big Ten East, Minnesota also drew Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State. Between that and the usual suspects from the Big Ten West, Minnesota has one of the tougher schedules in the conference.
Minnesota Football Futures Bet & Prediction
With a schedule this difficult, Minnesota should be a clear underdog in four or five games this year. The win total will hinge on their performances against the middle of the Big Ten West like Nebraska, Illinois, etc. With Minnesota having to replace so many defensive starters, expecting the Gophers to win eight games to eclipse their win total looks like a stretch. For that reason, Minnesota under 7.5 wins will be the official play.
Best Minnesota Football Futures Bet: Under 7.5 Wins (-164 at FanDuel)
You can read the rest of Matt Gajewski’s 2023 college football season previews and predictions below!
ACC
Big Ten
- Indiana Season Preview & Predictions
- Iowa Season Preview & Predictions
- Maryland Season Preview & Predictions
- Miami Season Preview & Predictions
- Michigan Season Preview & Predictions
- Michigan State Season Preview & Predictions
- Ohio State Preview & Predictions
- Penn State Season Preview & Predictions
- Rutgers Season Preview & Predictions
- Wisconsin Season Preview & Predictions
Big 12
- Baylor Season Preview & Predictions
- Iowa State Season Preview & Predictions
- Kansas Season Preview & Predictions
- Kansas State Season Preview & Predictions
- Oklahoma Season Preview & Predictions
- Oklahoma State Season Preview & Predictions
- TCU Season Preview & Predictions
- Texas Season Preview & Predictions
- Texas Tech Season Preview & Predictions
- West Virginia Season Preview & Predictions
Pac-12
SEC
- Alabama Season Preview & Predictions
- Arkansas Season Preview & Predictions
- Auburn Season Preview & Predictions
- Florida Season Preview & Predictions
- Georgia Season Preview & Predictions
- Kentucky Season Preview & Predictions
- LSU Season Preview & Predictions
- Mississippi State Season Preview & Predictions
- Missouri Season Preview & Predictions
- Ole Miss Season Preview & Predictions
- South Carolina Season Preview & Predictions
- Tennessee Season Preview & Predictions
- Texas A&M Season Preview & Predictions
- Vanderbilt Season Preview & Predictions
