Published Dec 18, 2022
Gophers continue to add to receiver room in Charlotte WR Elijah Spencer
Dylan Callaghan-Croley  •  Gophers Nation
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The Minnesota Football program continues to add to their wide receiver room as on Sunday they added Charlotte wide receiver transfer, Elijah Spencer.

Spencer is the second transfer portal wide receiver the Gophers have picked up in the last two weeks, joining Western Michigan transfer Corey Crooms.

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Spencer was a name that really only came up on the Gophers' radar over the last week and one that P.J. Fleck and his program quickly moved on. The former Charlotte 49er was on campus this weekend for an official visit and the coaching staff sealed the deal.

The former Conference USA Freshman of the Year is coming off 57 receptions, 943 yards, and nine touchdown seasons. Over his two seasons with Charlotte, he totaled 85 receptions, 1,324 yards, and 15 touchdowns.

For Charlotte, the 6-foot-1, 193-pound Spencer primarily lined up on the outside, approximately 75% of the time according to Pro Football Focus, the other 25% coming in the slot. . He shows consistent and strong hands, only dropping five passes over 136 career targets.

For the 49ers, he was also a consistent down-the-field threat, his average depth of target over his two seasons coming at 13.9 yards deep. He also averaged 16.5 yards per reception in 2022.

Gophers quickly putting together a high-quality wide receiver room for 2023:

With the addition of Corey Crooms and Elijah Spencer to their wide receiver room, the Gophers have quickly put together a wide receiver room that could be quite dangerous in 2023. The two transfers will join returning wideout Chris Autman-Bell as the program's top wideouts but will also join the likes of Daniel Jackson, Michael Brown-Stephens, and Dylan Wright among others. They'll also of course return one of the Big Ten's top tight ends in Brevyn Spann-Ford.

With star running back Mohamed Ibrahim gone after their Pinstripe Bowl against Syracuse, the Gophers' offense is likely to look quite different next year. While they'll certainly look to run the ball consistently, the passing attack is expected to become a bigger part of their offensive game plan on a week-to-week basis. This past season, the Gophers averaged just 22 passing attempts for just under 186 yards per game.

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