2017 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

2017 Minnesota Golden Gophers football
2017 Minnesota Golden Gophers football
Conference	Big Ten Conference
	West Division
Record	5–7 (2–7 Big Ten)
Head coach	P. J. Fleck (1st season);
Offensive coordinator	Kirk Ciarrocca (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Defensive coordinator	Robb Smith (1st season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	TCF Bank Stadium

2017 Big Ten Conference football standings

Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 5 Ohio State xy$	8	–	1	12	–	2
No. 15 Michigan State	7	–	2	10	–	3
No. 8 Penn State	7	–	2	11	–	2
Michigan	5	–	4	8	–	5
Rutgers	3	–	6	4	–	8
Indiana	2	–	7	5	–	7
Maryland	2	–	7	4	–	8
West Division
No. 7 Wisconsin xy	9	–	0	13	–	1
No. 17 Northwestern	7	–	2	10	–	3
Iowa	4	–	5	8	–	5
Purdue	4	–	5	7	–	6
Nebraska	3	–	6	4	–	8
	2	–	7	5	–	7
Illinois	0	–	9	2	–	10
Championship: Ohio State 27, Wisconsin 21
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2017 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota during the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gophers were led by first-year head coach P. J. Fleck and played their home games at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minnesota competed as a member of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 5–7, 2–7 in Big Ten play to finish in sixth place in the West Division.

Recruiting

Position key

Back	B	Center	C	Cornerback	CB	Defensive back	DB
Defensive end	DE	Defensive lineman	DL	Defensive tackle	DT	End	E
Fullback	FB	Guard	G	Halfback	HB	Kicker	K
Kickoff returner	KR	Offensive tackle	OT	Offensive lineman	OL	Linebacker	LB
Long snapper	LS	Punter	P	Punt returner	PR	Quarterback	QB
Running back	RB	Safety	S	Tight end	TE	Wide receiver	WR

Recruits

The Gophers signed a total of 26 recruits.

College recruiting information (2017)
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Blaise Andries OT	Marshall, Minnesota	Marshall HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	Apr 9, 2016
Blaise Andries OT	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Eric Abojei OT	Minneapolis, Minnesota	Robbinsdale Cooper HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Apr 17, 2016
Eric Abojei OT	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Grant Ryerse K	Woodbury, Minnesota	East Ridge HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	Jun 8, 2016
Grant Ryerse K	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Dominik London RB	Woodbury, Minnesota	East Ridge HS	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	196 lb (89 kg)	Jun 15, 2016
Dominik London RB	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Nathan Bursch TE	Woodbury, Minnesota	Woodbury HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Jun 20, 2016
Nathan Bursch TE	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Neil McLaurin QB	Laurel, Mississippi	West Jones HS/Southwest Mississippi Community College	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Dec 11, 2016
Neil McLaurin QB	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Tanner Morgan QB	Union, Kentucky	Ryle HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	203 lb (92 kg)	Jan 6, 2017
Tanner Morgan QB	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Esezi Otomewo DE	Indianapolis, Indiana	Ben Davis HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Jan 6, 2017
Esezi Otomewo DE	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Trenton Guthrie LB	Pinckney, Michigan	Northville HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	204 lb (93 kg)	Jan 6, 2017
Trenton Guthrie LB	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
John Schmitz OG	Flossmoor, Illinois	Homewood-Flossmoor HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	285 lb (129 kg)	Jan 6, 2017
John Schmitz OG	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Noah Hickcox DE	Rockford, Illinois	Boylan Catholic HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	279 lb (127 kg)	Jan 6, 2017
Noah Hickcox DE	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Chris Autman-Bell WR	Kankakee, Illinois	Bishop McNamara HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	178 lb (81 kg)	Jan 6, 2017
Chris Autman-Bell WR	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Mohamed Ibrahim RB	Olney, Maryland	Good Counsel HS	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	178 lb (81 kg)	Jan 8, 2017
Mohamed Ibrahim RB	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Kyle Sassack OT	Pontiac, Michigan	Notre Dame Prep	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	Jan 8, 2017
Kyle Sassack OT	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Nate Ulmor TE	Allendale, Michigan	Allendale HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	Jan 8, 2017
Nate Ulmor TE	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Jacob Paulson TE	Louisville, Kentucky	Christian Academy of Louisville	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Jan 11, 2017
Jacob Paulson TE	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Demetrius Douglas CB	Portland, Oregon	Jesuit HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	173 lb (78 kg)	Jan 14, 2017
Demetrius Douglas CB	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Harrison Van Dyke WR	Stilwell, Kansas	Blue Valley HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jan 15, 2017
Harrison Van Dyke WR	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Reyondous Estes QB	East Saint Louis, Illinois	East St. Louis HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	164 lb (74 kg)	Jan 18, 2017
Reyondous Estes QB	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Kendarian Handy-Holly S	Jackson, Alabama	Jackson HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	Jan 21, 2017
Kendarian Handy-Holly S	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Adam Beck CB	Richmond, Texas	George Ranch HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jan 22, 2017
Adam Beck CB	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Austin Schirck DT	Carroll, Iowa	Carroll HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	265 lb (120 kg)	Jan 29, 2017
Austin Schirck DT	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Justus Harris CB	Roswell, Georgia	Roswell HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jan 29, 2017
Justus Harris CB	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Royal Silver DT	Cedar Rapids, Iowa	Iowa Western Community College	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	Jan 29, 2017
Royal Silver DT	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Malcolm Robinson DT	Massillon, Ohio	Massillon Washington HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	Jan 30, 2017
Malcolm Robinson DT	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Boye Mafe DE	Minnetonka, Minnesota	Hopkins HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	Feb 1, 2017
Boye Mafe DE	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Minnesota Football Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved February 1, 2017. "2017 Minnesota Football Commits". Scout. Retrieved February 1, 2017. "ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved February 1, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout. Retrieved February 1, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved February 1, 2017.

Schedule

The Gophers' 2017 schedule consisted of 7 home games and 5 away games. Minnesota hosted two of its non-conference games; against Buffalo from the MAC and against Middle Tennessee from Conference USA; the Gophers played on the road against Oregon State from the Pac-12.

The Gophers played nine conference games; they hosted Maryland, Michigan State, Illinois, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. They traveled to Purdue, Iowa, and Michigan, and Northwestern.

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	6:00 p.m.	Buffalo*	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	BTN	W 17–7	43,224
September 9	9:00 p.m.	at Oregon State*	Reser Stadium Corvallis, OR	FS1	W 48–14	35,206
September 16	2:30 p.m.	Middle Tennessee*	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	BTN	W 34–3	43,727
September 30	11:00 a.m.	Maryland	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	FS1	L 24–31	43,511
October 7	2:30 p.m.	at Purdue	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	ESPN2	L 17–31	42,085
October 14	7:00 p.m.	No. 21 Michigan State	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	BTN	L 27–30	47,541
October 21	2:30 p.m.	Illinois	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	BTN	W 24–17	45,243
October 28	5:30 p.m.	at Iowa	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA (rivalry)	FS1	L 10–17	66,292
November 4	6:30 p.m.	at Michigan	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI (Little Brown Jug)	FOX	L 10–33	111,090
November 11	11:00 a.m.	Nebraska	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN (rivalry)	FS1	W 54–21	39,933
November 18	11:00 a.m.	at Northwestern	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	BTN	L 0–39	30,014
November 25	2:30 p.m.	No. 5 Wisconsin	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN (rivalry)	ABC	L 0–31	47,327
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

^[1]

Game summaries

Buffalo

	1	2	3	4	Total
Bulls	7	0	0	0	7
Golden Gophers	14	0	0	3	17

At Oregon State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Gophers	10	10	14	14	48
Beavers	0	14	0	0	14

Middle Tennessee

	1	2	3	4	Total
Blue Raiders	0	3	0	0	3
Golden Gophers	3	17	7	7	34

Maryland

	1	2	3	4	Total
Terrapins	7	10	0	14	31
Golden Gophers	0	10	7	7	24

At Purdue

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Gophers	7	7	0	3	17
Boilermakers	6	0	7	18	31

Michigan State

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 21 Spartans	10	7	6	7	30
Golden Gophers	6	0	0	21	27

Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
Fighting Illini	7	0	0	10	17
Golden Gophers	7	0	3	14	24

At Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Gophers	0	0	0	10	10
Hawkeyes	7	0	7	3	17

At Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Gophers	7	0	0	3	10
Wolverines	13	7	13	0	33

Nebraska

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cornhuskers	7	7	0	7	21
Golden Gophers	14	16	10	14	54

At Northwestern

	1	2	3	4	Total
Golden Gophers	0	0	0	0	0
Wildcats	0	25	7	7	39

Wisconsin

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 5 Badgers	7	10	7	7	31
Golden Gophers	0	0	0	0	0

Roster

2017 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
RB	`1`	Rodney Smith	Jr
WR	`2`	Isaiah Gentry-Madaris	Jr
WR	`3`	Chris Autman-Bell	Fr
WR	`5`	Melvin Holland Jr.	Jr
WR	`6`	Tyler Johnson	So
WR	`8`	Mark Williams	Fr
WR	`9`	Eric Carter	Sr
QB	`11`	Demry Croft	So
WR	`12`	Hunter Register	So
QB	`13`	Tanner Morgan	Fr
QB	`14`	Jaran Roste	Fr
QB	`15`	Conor Rhoda	Sr
QB	`16`	Ray Estes	Fr
QB	`17`	Seth Green	Fr
WR	`19`	Clay Geary	Fr
QB	`19`	Samuel Pickerign	Fr
RB	`22`	Kobe McCrary	Sr
RB	`23`	Shannon Brooks	Jr
WR	`24`	Drew Hmielewski	Fr
WR	`25`	Phillip Howard	Fr
RB	`28`	Jonathan Femi-Cole	So
RB	`30`	Mohamed Ibrahim	Fr
RB	`31`	Domink London	Fr
RB	`32`	Zachariah Knox	So
RB	`33`	Mike Delich	Fr
TE	`40`	Nathan Bursch	Fr
TE	`42`	Ko Kieft	Fr
TE	`44`	Colton Beebe	So
TE	`49`	Jake Paulson	Fr
OL	`53`	Vincent Magaña	Jr
OL	`55`	Eric Rousemiller	Fr
OL	`58`	Quinn Oseland	So
OL	`60`	John Michael Schmitz	Fr
OL	`61`	Bronson Dovich	So
OL	`62`	Jared Weyler	Jr
OL	`64`	Conner Olson	Fr
OL	`65`	Axel Ruschmeyer	Fr
OL	`70`	Sam Schlueter	Fr
OL	`71`	Ben Davis	So
OL	`73`	Donnell Greene	Jr
OL	`74`	Nick Connelly	So
OL	`75`	Noah Kuehn	So
OL	`75`	Kyle Sassack	Fr
OL	`76`	Vincent Calhoun	Sr
OL	`77`	Blaise Andries	Fr
OL	`78`	Garrison Wright	Sr
TE	`80`	Nate Wozniak	Sr
WR	`81`	Brock Annexstad	Fr
WR	`82`	Demetrius Douglas	Fr
WR	`83`	Harry Van Dyne	Fr
WR	`84`	Will Reger	Jr
TE	`85`	Bryce Witham	So
TE	`86`	Brandon Lingen	Sr
WR	`87`	Reid Hilbelink	Fr
WR	`88`	Rashad Still	Jr
WR	`89`	Matt Morse	So
TE	`89`	Nate Umlor	Fr
TE	`98`	Clayton Witherspoon	Fr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DB	`2`	Jacob Huff	Jr
DL	`3`	Jerry Gibson	Jr
DB	`4`	Adekunle Ayinde	Sr
LB	`5`	Trenton Guthrie	Fr
DB	`6`	Chris Williamson	Jr
DB	`7`	Ken Handy-Holly	Fr
DB	`8`	Duke McGhee	Sr
DB	`11`	Antoine Winfield Jr.	So
LB	`12`	Cody Poock	Sr
LB	`13`	Jonathan Celestin	Sr
DB	`14`	Zo Craighton	So
LB	`15`	Everett Williams	Jr
DB	`16`	Coney Durr	So
DL	`19`	Gary Moore	Jr
LB	`20`	Julian Huff	Jr
LB	`21`	Kamal Martin	So
DB	`22`	Dorborwulu Cooper	Jr
DB	`23`	Adam Beck	Fr
DB	`26`	Justus Harris	Fr
DB	`27`	Calvin Swenson	Fr
DB	`29`	Jack Leius	So
DB	`26`	Johnny Santaga	Fr
DB	`31`	Kiondre Thomas	Fr
DB	`32`	Brady Wieland	Fr
DB	`34`	Antonio Shenault	Jr
LB	`35`	Jaylen Waters	So
LB	`36`	Blake Cashman	Jr
DB	`40`	Alex Strazzanti	Fr
LB	`41`	Thomas Barber	So
LB	`43`	Bailey Schoenfelder	Fr
LB	`44`	Tommy Fuller	Fr
LB	`45`	Carter Coughlin	So
DL	`46`	Winston DeLattiboudere	So
DB	`50`	Danny Anderson	Fr
DL	`52`	Austin Schirck	Fr
LB	`57`	Joe Russell	Fr
DL	`59`	Connor Novak-Goar	So
DL	`69`	Boye Mafe	Fr
DL	`75`	Malcolm Robinson	Fr
DL	`90`	Sam Renner	So
DL	`91`	Noah Hickcox	Fr
DL	`92`	Tai'yon Devers	So
DL	`93`	Merrick Jackson	Sr
DL	`94`	Quinn Coughlin	Fr
DL	`95`	Esezi Otomewo	Fr
DL	`96`	Steven Richardson	Sr
DL	`97`	Royal Silver	Jr
DL	`98`	O.J. Smith	Jr
DL	`99`	Andrew Stelter	Sr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
P	`18`	Ryan Santoso	Sr
LS	`25`	Payton Jordahl	Jr
K, P	`33`	Grant Ryerse	Fr
P	`34`	Logan McElfresh	Jr
H	`36`	Casey O'Brien	Fr
K	`37`	John Mack	Fr
K	`38`	Emmit Carpenter	Jr
LS	`39`	Trey Hansen	So
K	`42`	Justin Juenemann	Sr
P	`47`	Jacob Herbers	So

Head coach

P. J. Fleck (Head Coach)

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Kirk Ciarrocca (Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks)
Robb Smith (Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers)
Kenni Burns (Running Backs)
Brian Callahan (Tight Ends)
Maurice Linguist (Defensive Backs)
Bryce Paup (Defensive Line)
Matt Simon (Wide Receivers)
Ed Warinner (Offensive Line / Run Game Coordinator)
Rob Wenger (Special Teams Coordinator)
Gerrit Chernoff (General Manager)
Dan Nichol (Head Strength & Conditioning)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster
Last update: September 5, 2017

References

^ "2017 Minnesota Football Schedule". Minnesota Football - Future Schedules. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2017.

[1] "2017 Minnesota Football Schedule". Minnesota Football - Future Schedules. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2017.

[1]

Minnesota Golden Gophers football
Venues	Athletic Park (1892–1898) University of Minnesota Armory (1892–1898) Northrop Field (1899–1923) Memorial Stadium (1924–1981) Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (1982–2008) Huntington Bank Stadium (2009–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Iowa Michigan: Little Brown Jug Nebraska Penn State: Governor's Victory Bell Wisconsin
Culture & lore	Goldy Gopher Marching band Spirit squad "Minnesota Rouser" "Minnesota March" "Go Gopher Victory" "Minnesota Fight" "Our Minnesota" "Hail! Minnesota" "Battle Hymn of the Republic" Minnesota shift T formation Smith of Minnesota
People	Head coaches Annual awards NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1882 1883 1884–1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National championship seasons in bold