More offseason competition than ever bolsters Gophers' depth

'We have more competition this year in 2024 than we've had since I've been the head coach here at Minnesota,' P.J. Fleck said.

Minnesota coach P.J. Fleck stands before a game against Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., on Nov. 26, 2022. / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

There’s a common refrain in sports that you can never have enough depth. Perhaps there can always be more, but the Gophers football team is feeling pretty good about the pieces it has leading into its season opener against North Carolina on Aug. 29 at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

“We have more competition this year in 2024 than we’ve had since I’ve been the head coach here at Minnesota,” coach P.J. Fleck said at a media availability on Monday. “And that’s a credit to our staff, our recruiting, our players, the way they’ve kind of taken on this whole year.” 

Fleck lauded the team’s depth, going as far as to say they have “a lot of different starters” in multiple position groups. They are expecting to rotate players at several of those position groups when they kick off their season, something the Gophers believe will be a strength of the team this season.

“We have a lot of guys that are going to be splitting time, so they’re both starters,” Fleck said. “I think that’s what’s really healthy about this football team as we keep going forward.” 

Among position groups where the Gophers expect to rotate players when the season kicks off on Aug. 29, Fleck named the defensive line, offensive line, wide receivers and tight ends. While sophomore standout Darius Taylor is widely expected to receive the bulk of the carries, offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. also has praised the team’s depth at the running back position. 

But perhaps where the depth is most critical is on the defensive side of the ball, which will have a new look this season under first-year defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman. Hetherman’s goal is for his defense to play fast and physical, and the rotations can only help keep guys fresh. 

It will also help the team switch up its personnel for a wide range of packages its set to feature defensively. Fleck noted the Gophers will likely have more players rotating in on the defensive front than they've had in years past. Along with rotations on the line, some linebackers and safeties may find themselves playing in multiple different spots depending on the package.

“it might be a guy playing multiple linebacker spots or a guy playing multiple safety spots or moving around on the defensive line, but we’re not going to do a ton,” Hetherman said. “… I think that allows our guys to be a little bit positionless, gives our guys some versatility and it’s going to let us be sound as a defense, but the No. 1 thing is going to be the speed that we play at. We want to be a physical, fast football team. And I think the biggest thing for that is that we let our guys play.”