Advertisement
football Edit

Minnesota Spring Position Previews: Wide Receiver

As we continue to go position by position, previewing the Minnesota Golden Gophers entering this spring, we move onto the wide receiver position.

Last season, the Gophers wide receivers played a smaller role in the offense as the rushing attack was the major focus, understandably so. However, in 2023, the passing attack will need to become a bigger part of the Gophers offensive plans which means that Matt Simon’s position group will need to take a step up this spring and eventually next fall.

The Gophers revamped their wide receiver room adding five receivers in the form of 2023 signees Kenric Lanier, TJ McWilliams, and Donielle Hayes. Lanier is already on campus while McWilliams and Hayes will join in the summer. Additionally, they added Corey Crooms and Elijah Spencer from the transfer portal - both players were highly productive at their previous programs and could become quite productive players for the Gophers at well.

While they did add production they did lose three wide receivers in Michael Brown-Stephens, Clay Geary, and Ike-White.

With that, let’s take a closer look at the Gophers' wide receiver room entering the spring.

GET THE INSIDE SCOOP EVERY DAY WITH YOUR PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION!

Advertisement
© Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports
© Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports (© Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports)

STARTERS

Z-Receiver - Chris Autman-Bell

Autman-Bell is a bit of a wild card entering this spring and next season as the seventh-year wide receiver is recovering from a torn ACL suffered early last season. He entered last season looking to follow up a strong junior season that saw him total 36 receptions for 506 yards and six touchdowns.

He would get off to a good start with 11 receptions for 214 yards and one touchdown before suffering his torn ACL against Colorado. If he can enter next season fully healthy for the Gophers he has a strong chance of picking up right where he left off and being Athan Kaliakmanis's top receiver. For his career, he's totaled 125 receptions for 1,970 yards and 13 touchdowns.

X-Receiver: Daniel Jackson

Jackson had a very good 2022 season, building off solid 2020 and 2021 performances. Last season, he recorded 37 tackles for 557 yards and five touchdowns, showing his big play ability routinely. He especially had a strong end to the season as he recorded 11 receptions for 202 yards and three touchdowns.

Jackson will have a chance to build off his 2022 season though with more talent around him in this wide receiver room, he may see a little bit of a dip in his target share but with more talent around him, it may also allow him to be an even bigger play threat entering next season.

Y (SLOT) Receiver: Corey Crooms

The Western Michigan transfer is a natural fit to slide into the starting slot role for the Gophers. Crooms is coming off back-to-back 750+ yard seasons for the Broncos with 101 receptions for nearly 1,600 yards and 11 touchdowns.

While expectations for his potential numbers with the Gophers shouldn't be to the level of his numbers over the last two seasons, the chances of him having a major impact on the offense seem rather high. He has good size at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, and also has the athleticism and speed to take advantage of open space in the middle of the field.

DEPTH:

When it comes to depth, it’s a bit on the lighter side for the Gophers this spring though they will get some reinforcements this summer via TJ McWilliams and Donielle Hayes.

However, this spring there will only be four additional scholarship wide receivers. Let’s start with Elijah Spencer, the Charlotte transfer. After posting over 1,300+ yards and 16 touchdowns across the last two seasons, Spender entered the transfer portal and eventually signed with the Gophers.

Primarily a slot receiver for Charlotte, Spencer will likely take on a similar role in Minneapolis. He has consistently strong hands and rarely drops the ball which combined with his athleticism makes him a great slot receiver but could also easily play on the outside as well. He could push for starting reps this season.

Brockington played in five games last season for the Gophers including in the Pinstripe Bowl - taking advantage of the NCAA ruling which allowed football players to play in the brown game and not have it go against their eligibility. In his five games played, he certainly showed flashes with 11 receptions for 203 yards and one touchdown. He’ll likely have a slightly expanded role in 2023.

There's also Dylan Wright, the former Texas A&M wide receiver who transferred to the Gophers following the 2020 season and has seen quality playing time over his two years in Minneapolis recording 35 receptions for 645 yards and three touchdowns. Wright possesses an intriguing combination of size and athleticism thanks to a 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame. He should have a considerable role in the Gophers offense this year.

Finally, true freshman and early enrolled Kenric Lanier is already on campus. Don’t be surprised if he makes an immediate impact next season as he has an elite combination of size and speed that could allow him to be a true game changer at the wide receiver position with more development. On top of being one of the best wide receivers in the country, Lanier also was a state champion track and field athlete in the state of Georgia. Being on campus with the ability to go through spring practices will be huge for the 2023 All-American Bowl selection.

Of course, to go along with those three above, you also have walk-ons such as Kristen Hoskins, Evan Redding, Cade Conzemius, Zach Jorgensen, Dino Kaliamanis, and Quinten Redding.

============================

- Talk about it INSIDE GOPHER NATION.

- SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCAST

- Follow us on Twitter: @MinnesotaRivals, @AlexCarlsonTGR, @SeanW_Rivals, @DylanCC_FB, @JaredHalus

- SUBSCRIBE to The Gopher Report.

Advertisement