Will the Gopher offensive line be an upgrade this season?
After replacing the three interior starters from the 2022 squad, the Gopher offensive line came together nicely to be one of the best units in the Big Ten. Axel Ruschmeyer and Chuck Filiaga were 3rd team All-Big Ten while John Michael Schmitz was a 1st team All-American and drafted in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft. It was a lot to replace.
2023
Starter: Aireontae Ersery, Tyler Cooper, Nathan Boe, Martes Lewis, Quinn Carroll
Depth: Greg Johnson, Ashton Beers, Karter Shaw
Ersery and Carroll were the only two returning starters left over from 2022 and there was a genuine fear that this unit would be a downgrade. In the official upgrade/downgrade post I was hopeful it could be neutral while calling this a downgrade. But I think it is safe to say that this unit was at least neutral, likely an upgrade.
Ersery earned himself 2nd team All-Big Ten honors and Carroll had his best season as a Gopher. But the three along the interior all proved to be solid, Big Ten-caliber players. Collectively they helped the Gopher ground game to over 2,000 yards despite going through every one of their scholarship running backs. And they protected well on the minimal passes attempted by this offense.
The starters were all reliable and true freshman Greg Johnson emerged as a young and very talented interior lineman for the program.
The 2023 line was very good and should be given a lot of credit for how productive the offense was (despite passing game limitations).
2024
Starter: Ersery, Cooper, Johnson, Carrol, Phillip Daniels
Depth: Lewis, Tony Nelson, Aluma Nkele
Now this unit only has to replace 1 starter after essentially having 6 guys capable of starting last year. They are going to be one of the top offensive lines in the Big Ten and should be rather deep.
Ersery is projected to be a 1st or 2n round pick in the draft and might be the best tackle in the conference. He is a redshirt senior who has 2 years remaining to play, but he is almost certainly entering his last season with Minnesota before moving on to Sundays. He is locked in as your week 1 starter at left tackle.
At left guard, Cooper is going be your starter. He was the starter for 11 games last year, missing 2 due to injury. Perhaps the one guy who’s name you rarely heard last season, which is ideal if you are an offensive lineman.
Center is where they lost a starter but Johnson is expected to step in and be the starter here, presumably without any hiccups. He was a key rotational player along the interior of the OL last year as a true freshman, which is incredibly rare. The Prior Lake native has a very bright future whether it is at center or guard.
Things start to get interesting at right guard where the expectation is that Carroll is going to slide over and start here. Carroll has started the past 2 seasons at RT and has mostly been good, at times struggled to protect the quarterback in space. The idea of moving him to guard has been thrown around for a couple of offseasons, but with no viable replacement at RT he stayed on the outside. But a move inside might be perfect for Carroll. A great run blocker and moving to guard may put him in the best position to be a great pass protector as well. This might be a huge move for the Gopher line as well as Carroll’s future.
So what happens to Carroll’s starting spot at RT? Well, Martes Lewis started all 13 games a year ago at RG and could be the guy who moves outside, he is certainly in the mix to start at RT. But also in this position battle are redshirt freshman Phillip Daniels and transfer Aluma Nkele from UTEP. There are reports that Daniels has been very good and he also has a bright future for Minnesota.
If one of these three steps up to earn the starting job, Carroll can move inside and the entire line will be better. If not, you’ll see Carroll back outside and the battle for who starts at RG will be among Tony Nelson, Lewis or Jerome Williams.
Overall this group is going to be much deeper and has plenty of flexibility. Lewis is a guy who can play 4 positions along the line and you know he has the experience to handle it. Nelson and Ashton Beers are also guys who should see some time and gives coach Brian Callahan flexibility.
Upgrade/Downgrade
I believe that this unit is easily one of the best offensive lines in the Big Ten and can be considered an upgrade for 2024. I could see an argument for Neutral, but another year of experience and maturity means upgrades all around.
There are reasons to be excited about an improved Gopher offense in 2024, and it starts with the offensive line.