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2021 CONFERENCE USA FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR (COACHES): Charlotte WR Elijah Spencer was named the league's Freshman of the Year after a breakout season for the 49ers. Spencer was Charlotte's third-leading receiver and shared team-high honors with six touchdown receptions. The true freshman pulled in both the game-tying and game-winning touchdowns passes on back-to-back offensive plays in the 49ers' overtime victory over Rice. He also had touchdown catches against Georgia State, Middle Tennessee, Illinois and Old Dominion. His four touchdown catches in C-USA play matched the 49ers team-high. Spencer hauled in 28 catches for 381 yards and six touchdowns on the season in 12 appearances. - Conference USA Football

(DS#133 WR) Sr/2025

WR Elijah Spencer, Minnesota
News Source: Conference USA Football
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11/28/21 - TreVon Jones, Sr/2024, Minnesota, 5-11, 172 (DS#144 CB) + More +

2021 ALL-CAA FOOTBALL THIRD TEAM (COACHES): Tre'Von Jones, Elon, CB, So.,...Jones finished with 53 tackles and 5.0 tackles for loss during the 2021 season. He had two interceptions and two fumbles recovered, along with three pass break-ups. In a win at Campbell, Jones recorded a season-high nine tackles, a sack, a fumble recovery and an interception that he returned 27 yards. He also had an interception and 2.0 tackles for loss in a 20-7 win at then No. 22/21 Richmond. - Elon Football

(DS#144 CB) Sr/2024

CB TreVon Jones, Minnesota
News Source: Elon Football
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11/27/21 - Tanner Morgan, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 6-0, 204 (DS#21 QB) + More +

Tanner Morgan overcame an interception that was returned for a first-half touchdown, leading Minnesota on three scoring drives after halftime to surge past No. 18 Wisconsin 23-13, take back Paul Bunyan's Axe and give Iowa the Big Ten West Division title Saturday. Morgan, who went 11 for 16 for 199 yards and a third-quarter touchdown pass to Chris Autman-Bell, led the Gophers on the sprint into the end zone to hoist the 73-year-old trophy on their home field for the first time since 2003. As the crowd streamed onto the turf, the rap song “Jump Around” played over the speakers in a taunt of Wisconsin's home-game anthem.

The Gophers (8-4, 6-3) delivered the kind of inspired and stifling performance by their defense that the Badgers (8-4, 6-3, No. 14 CFP) were used to demoralizing their opponents with. They held freshman standout Braelon Allen to 47 yards on 17 rushes and forced Graham Mertz to throw throughout the second half to favorable results. Mertz went 21 for 38 for 171 yards and an interception. Allen topped the 100-yard mark in each of the last seven games, all wins for Wisconsin. The Badgers had 62 rushing yards, after averaging 229 yards on the ground entering the week. - Minnesota/AP College Football

(DS#21 QB) rSr/2023

QB Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
News Source: Minnesota/AP College Football
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11/24/21 - Mohamed Ibrahim, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 5-08, 203 (DS#22 RB) + More +

Minnesota running back Mohamed Ibrahim will return for a sixth year in 2022, after suffering a season-ending lower leg injury in the first game this year. Ibrahim revealed his decision Wednesday on Twitter, which the university confirmed with a subsequent announcement. Ibrahim was picked as a preseason Associated Press second team All-American for 2021, before getting hurt in the third quarter against Ohio State on Sept. 2. He had 163 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries in that game before the injury.

The Gophers also lost running backs Trey Potts and Bryce Williams to season-ending injuries. Ibrahim won the 2020 Big Ten Running Back of the Year award. The native of Baltimore redshirted in 2017 before accumulating 1,160 rushing yards in 2018, the second-most in Gophers history for a player in his freshman season behind Darrell Thompson (1,376). Ibrahim is eighth on Minnesota's career rushing list with 3,003 yards in 29 games. He'll have an opportunity next year to catch Thompson (4,654) for the all-time lead. - AP College Football

(DS#22 RB) rSr/2023

RB Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
News Source: AP College Football
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10/05/21 - Mark Crawford, rSr/2025, Minnesota, 6-4, 230 (DS#14 P) + More +

OCT 4 BIG TEN CO-SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Mark Crawford, Minnesota, P – So. – Perth West, Australia,...Helped Minnesota control field position by placing four punts inside the 15 in the Gophers' 20-13 win at Purdue. Forced the Boilermakers offense to start drives from the 2, 9, 15 and 15-yard lines...Punted six times for 308 yards (51.3 avg.), including three 50-plus-yard punts...Recorded a career-long 60-yard punt twice during the game...Despite the heavy rain, executed successful place kicking holds on two extra points and two field goals, including a 38-yard field goal with 1:46 left in regulation to give Minnesota a 20-13 lead...Garners the first Special Teams Player of the Week honor of his career...Last Minnesota Special Teams Player of the Week: Casey O'Brien (Oct. 21, 2019). - Big Ten Football

(DS#14 P) rSr/2025

P Mark Crawford, Minnesota
News Source: Big Ten Football
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09/20/21 - Boye Mafe, rSr/2022, Minnesota, 6-4, 257 (DS#6 DE) + More +

Minnesota turned in its best defensive performance in at least two decades when it held Colorado to 63 total yards and minus-19 rushing yards in a 30-0 road win. The Gophers had not held an opponent under 100 total yards or under zero on the ground since at least 2000, according to College Football Reference. No team had given up so few total yards against an FBS opponent since TCU held Kansas to 21 in 2017. The shutout was Minnesota's first against a Power Five team since a 45-0 win over Illinois in 2004 and the first on the road since a 21-0 win over the Illini in 1977. - AP College Football

(DS#6 DE) rSr/2022

DE Boye Mafe, Minnesota
News Source: AP College Football
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09/15/21 - TreVon Jones, Sr/2024, Minnesota, 5-11, 172 (DS#144 CB) + More +

SEPT 13 CAA FOOTBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tre'Von Jones, So., DB, Elon (Warrenton, N.C./Trinity Christian),...Jones filled the stat sheet and made several critical plays in Elon's 24-23 road victory at Campbell. The Phoenix defensive back recorded a team-high nine tackles and one sack, intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter that set up a go-ahead touchdown and recovered a fumble with 4:07 to go that led to a game-winning field goal. - Colonial Athletic Association Football

(DS#144 CB) Sr/2024

CB TreVon Jones, Minnesota
News Source: Colonial Athletic Association Football
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09/06/21 - Mohamed Ibrahim, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 5-08, 203 (DS#22 RB) + More +

With a senior-laden lineup led by running back Mo Ibrahim, Minnesota entered the season with a prime opportunity to bounce back from a rough year and compete with rivals Wisconsin and Iowa for the West Division title. One week in, the Gophers have already been handed a major setback. Ibrahim will miss the rest of the season because of a lower left leg injury, coach P.J. Fleck announced Monday.

The fifth-year player from Baltimore will have surgery Tuesday and need four to six months to recover. He was a second-team preseason Associated Press All-America selection. "This isn't like you can just say, 'OK, we'll just put the next guy in." You can't do that. He's such a special player, and I think he's the best back in the country for a lot of reasons. One of the biggest reasons is he's an unbelievable person, the hardest worker on this team, the heartbeat of the team," said Fleck, who declined to specify the injury but said Ibrahim sustained a tear. The severity suggested an Achilles tendon. Ibrahim was hurt on the second-to-last play of the third quarter Thursday against fourth-ranked Ohio State, when he ran to the right side for 1 yard and tried to escape a tackle by safety Ronnie Hickman. After Ibrahim planted his left foot, slow-motion replays on the Fox broadcast showed his leg react as if something had popped inside. - AP College Football

(DS#22 RB) rSr/2023

RB Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
News Source: AP College Football
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08/28/21 - Matthew Trickett, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 5-11, 190 (DS#23 K) + More +

Arguably the most competitive Gophers position battle this fall came to an end Friday with coach P.J. Fleck naming Kent State transfer Matthew Trickett the starting kicker for next week's opener vs. Ohio State. Fleck was committed to fixing the issues on special teams from last season. Missed kicks plagued the Gophers in 2020. He had four kickers compete for the job this month, including two graduate transfers. "I'm not saying it's fixed," Fleck said. "This isn't just about sticking a piece of bubble gum in the hole in the boat. This is about the ability to have it sustainable over a long period of time." Trickett, the Mid-American Conference special teams player of the year in 2019, earned the starting job over Temple transfer Will Mobley, redshirt junior Brock Walker, and sophomore Dragan Kesich. In three college seasons, Trickett made 47 of 57 field goals (82.5%) and 94 of 95 extra ponts, including tying for the NCAA lead with 29 field goals two years ago. His career-long field goal of 49 yards was in 2018. - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#23 K) rSr/2023

K Matthew Trickett, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
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08/28/21 - Marcus Major, rSr/2025, Minnesota, 6-0, 213 (DS#77 RB) + More +

It was no secret heading into fall camp that new guys had to deliver in OU's backfield. With the dismissals of Seth McGowan and Mikey Henderson, the Sooners were left to lean on Tennessee transfer Eric Gray and Kennedy Brooks for the bulk of their run production. That left some backup carries for the taking, but the list of candidates grew shorter on Tuesday when Sooner Scoop reported that redshirt sophomore Marcus Major had been ruled ineligible for the 2021 campaign due to an academic issue. Gray and Brooks should be the two main workhorses, but the door is open for another running back to carve out a role. - Daily Oklahoman

(DS#77 RB) rSr/2025

RB Marcus Major, Minnesota
News Source: Daily Oklahoman
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08/28/21 - Mohamed Ibrahim, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 5-08, 203 (DS#22 RB) + More +

The difference between instinct and learned behavior is hard to define. It's a gray area between the limits of innate ability and where quick-trigger responses from countless repetitions start to kick in. Gophers running back Mo Ibrahim's skills are an example in the difficulty of defining what is given and what is earned. "He is one of the most instinctual players I've had in a long time," U running back coach Kenni Burns said. "He can really feel things and see things and progress through things the right way." But the next thing Burns said dove straight into the gray area. "That comes with years of practice, sitting back and watching, taking his scars, know where he's failed and grown, failed and grown," He said. "I think he's just become this consistent (tailback)."

Ibrahim pointed to the work. He said one day this summer he and backup running back Trey Potts on their own talked about Minnesota's outside-zone running scheme for five hours. Wait, five hours? "Five. Hours." Ibrahim confirmed. "We were just sitting there talking about film and just going back and forth on different things we would do," Ibrahim added. "We couldn't do that (in person due to the pandemic) last year, so now we are happy to do it and just capitalizing on every moment." - Pioneer Press

(DS#22 RB) rSr/2023

RB Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
News Source: Pioneer Press
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08/23/21 - Mohamed Ibrahim, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 5-08, 203 (DS#22 RB) + More +

The subject came up at times in talks with Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck and running backs coach Kenni Burns during the summer. Mohamed Ibrahim is going to get plenty of attention from opposing defenses this season. "Just talking about what to expect. It's not going to be like last year or like two years ago when nobody knew who I was," said Ibrahim, the reigning Big Ten running back of the year. "People know who I am now. People know I need to take that next big step. They are going to want to stop me this year." Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman have moved on to the NFL in recent seasons. Ibrahim headlines the offense now. And he's preparing to handle anything defenses throw at him.

Ibrahim gained 1,076 yards in only seven games last season, a school-record average of 153.7 yards a game. Math can be hard, which is why some of us are writers, but this is fun math. Over a 12-game season, that's a whopping 1,844 yards. He has 2,840 yards in 28 career games. But Ibrahim, a graduate student with a degree in business and marketing, is looking for more while helping the Gophers move on from a 3-4 season. "He's workedhis tail off to transform his body even more," offensive coordinator Mike Sanford Jr. said. "Even more stronger. Even more compact. Even more powerful. Even more twitchy. You're seeing a really, really good version ofMo." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#22 RB) rSr/2023

RB Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
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08/22/21 - Chris Autman-Bell, rSr/2024, Minnesota, 6-0, 203 (DS#108 WR) + More +

After seeing their top wide receiver, Chris Autman-Bell, leave Thursday night's practice at Huntington Bank Stadium because of a right leg injury, the Gophers received some good news Monday. Autman-Bell's injury is a week-to-week issue, not a long-term one, coach P.J. Fleck said on KFXN-FM. "He's one of the toughest kids we have on this football team," Fleck said, without going into specifics on the injury. "...He's week to week. He's doing great...We'll get him back here very shortly. He'll be in and out of some practices here and there...This is not a long-term issue, so everybody take a big, deep breath." Fleck considered the diagnosis a relief. "Absolutely. Any time a young man gets hurt, you think worst-case scenario, and you think, 'Please tell me best-case scenario," he said. "There was a lot of different things they checked...We're fortunate that it is what it is." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#108 WR) rSr/2024

WR Chris Autman-Bell, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
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08/17/21 - Coney Durr, rSr/2022, Minnesota, 5-09, 194 (DS#87 CB) + More +

Going into the first week of Gophers football training camp, Coney Durr tweeted to his former college teammate Rashod Bateman about how he missed "going at it" with him in practice. Bateman is a rookie wide receiver with the Baltimore Ravens. Durr could have pursued his NFL dreams, but he is entering his sixth season as a Gophers defensive back. He says he got asked ad nauseam during the offseason about why he returned to college. "I feel like last year was basically not really a real year," Durr said. "So, I felt like coming back with the same group of guys. Most of the guys are back. Just competing for a Big Ten championship, ultimately a national championship would kind of wrap off my career."

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound native of Baton Rouge, La., was a legitimate NFL prospect as a three-year starter with a combined 93 tackles and four interceptions since 2018, when he came back from a knee injury. In the Gophers' final game in 2020, Durr recorded four tackles and an interception in the Dec. 19 loss against Wisconsin. Fellow senior starting cornerback Benjamin St-Juste declared for the draft the following day. Durr wondered if he should make the same decision, but he posted on social media soon afterwards that he wasn't ready to leave due to "unfinished business." "It was really tough," Durr said. "It was kind of stressful, but ultimately I made the right decision." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#87 CB) rSr/2022

CB Coney Durr, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
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08/14/21 - Jack Gibbens, rSr/2022, Minnesota, 6-3, 242 (DS#43 ILB) + More +

With a bachelor's degree in the double major of accounting and finance in hand, Jack Gibbens left Abilene Christian University last winter ready for a challenge. No, he wasn't off to start a career at a Big Four accounting firm. Instead, he still had some football business to finish. "Everybody on an FCS school wants to prove they can play at this level,'' Gibbens said. This level is Football Bowl Subdivision, and Gibbens, a three-year starter at linebacker for Abilene Christian, a Football Championship Subdivision program, joined the Gophers as a graduate transfer and wants to show he belongs. He had 258 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in four seasons with the Wildcats. Now, he's aiming to bolster a Gophers linebacker group that took its lumps in 2020.

"They were looking to add depth and experience in the linebacker room,'' Gibbens said of the Gophers coaching staff, led by defensive coordinator Joe Rossi. "There's a bunch of guys in there who are really talented but really young. We had a ton of guys who had great springs, and we're going to play a lot of guys at that spot." The Gophers' gain at linebacker was Abilene Christian's loss, and Gibbens' defensive coordinator with the Wildcats, Clint Brown, believes Minnesota is getting an outstanding player. "He was a guy who didn't ever want to come off the field,'' said Brown, formerly the defensive coordinator at South Dakota State. "He loved practice, and you never had to worry about him showing up and being down. He was a really good vocal leader, too, which comes pretty easy when you have the work ethic. When you put that work in, people are going to listen to you." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#43 ILB) rSr/2022

ILB Jack Gibbens, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
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