A Vikings Fan’s Viewing Guide to CFB: Minnesota’s Need for Health
Josh Frey
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Just like the NFL season is fast approaching, we are nearing the day where college football teams will arrive on campus and begin their own preseason work. As a self-proclaimed NFL Draft nerd, I get almost as excited for the college football season as I do for the NFL season. Because of that, I am putting together guides for many of the notable college football programs ahead of the 2022 season. Whether you’re a seasoned college football viewer, or just getting into it for the first time, there is something here for everyone.
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We’ve already gone through many of the major contenders in the AAC, and we are now finished up in the ACC. With that, it’s time to head back to familiar territory for a bit. We’ve been in the Big 10 for a few days now, but now, we head all the way back to the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Today, we discuss the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Overview
The Minnesota Golden Gophers find themselves in a similar situation as yesterday’s Wisconsin Badgers. They consistently have a terrific defense, but their QB play has been very disappointing. Making matters even worse, Minnesota lost their star running back Mohamed Ibrahim in week 1 of the 2021 season, and soon after, Trey Potts and Bryce Williams would follow suit. Minnesota may have made the Guaranteed Rate Bowl this previous year, but for the Gophers to return to their former glory of 2019, they will need to improve in multiple facets of their game.
2022 NFL Draft Prospects
- DE Boye Mafe, Round 2, No. 40, Seattle Seahawks
- OT Daniel Faalele, Round 4, No. 110, Baltimore Ravens
- DE Esezi Otomewo, Round 5, No. 165, Minnesota Vikings
- TE Ko Kieft, Round 6, No. 218, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Notable Transfers In
- OT Quinn Carroll (Notre Dame)
- IOL Chuck Filiaga (Michigan)
- EDGE Lorenza Surgers (Vanderbilt)
- DL Darnell Jefferies (Clemson)
- CB Shannon Bishop (Central Arkansas)
- CB Ryan Stapp (Abilene Christian)
Notable Transfers Out
- RB Mar’Kiese Irving (Oregon)
- RB Ky Thomas (Kansas)
2022 Schedule
- 9/1 vs. New Mexico State
- 9/10 vs. Western Illinois
- 9/17 vs. Colorado
- 9/24 @ Michigan State
- 10/1 vs. Purdue
- 10/15 @ Illinois
- 10/22 @ Penn State
- 10/29 vs. Rutgers
- 11/5 @ Nebraska
- 11/12 vs. Northwestern
- 11/19 vs. Iowa
- 11/26 @ Wisconsin
Keys to 2022
Running Back Health
In two of his first three years with the Gophers, Mohamed Ibrahim rushed for over 1000 yards. In 2020, he also put up 15 touchdowns. This type of presence is something that Minnesota missed dearly in 2021, and they will need him to remain healthy.
Ibrahim’s presence in the backfield should be electric, but it also will take some pressure off Tanner Morgan in the passing game. The redshirt senior has had horrible seasons in each of the past two years and needs whatever help he can get going into 2022.
Rebuilding the Defensive Line
Both Boye Mafe and Esezi Otomewo are NFL players now, and that is a total of 10 sacks that the Gophers can’t rely on this year. They will be relying big time on their two transfers, Lorenza Surgers and Darnell Jefferies, to put up some big numbers.
Outside of the defensive line though, this defense looks poised to be one of the best in the country once again after a horrendous 2020 season. They ranked sixth in points allowed by giving up just 17.3 per game. They will need to rank near the top 10 again to retain The Axe and win another bowl game.
My “Purple Player to Watch”
We’ve been through this a few times already, but once again, we are taking a look at the interior offensive line for the Vikings. Specifically, the Minnesota Gophers could have a very intriguing center prospect in John Michael Schmitz.
Garrett Bradbury was chosen because of his athletic ability back in 2019 whereas if the Vikings were to go with the Gophers center in 2023, it would be due to his overwhelming size and strength. Schmitz could haver gone into the 2022 draft and likely been drafted, but now that he’s waiting until next spring, he could end up as one of the top center prospects.
If Bradbury continues to struggle for the Vikings, and they are unable to find a solution in Jesse Davis or Chris Reed, the Vikings should absolutely keep an eye on the in-state center.
