2017 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

American college football season

2017 Minnesota Golden Gophers football

Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	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
Seasons← 2016 2018 →

2017 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e
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
Minnesota	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	High school / college	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	Star 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	Star 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	Star 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	Star 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	Star 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	Star 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	Star 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	Star 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	Star 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	Star 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	Star 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	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
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	Star 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	Star 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	Star 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	Star 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	Star 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	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
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	Star 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	Star 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	Star 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	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Justus Harris CB	Roswell, Georgia	Roswell HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Jan 29, 2017
Justus Harris CB	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
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	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
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	Star 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	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, 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.com. Retrieved February 1, 2017. "2017 Minnesota Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved February 1, 2017. "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 1, 2017. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved February 1, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. 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

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.

v t e 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
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National championship seasons in bold

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