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Daniel Faalele's size has always seemed mythological, but now it's a little less so, and that's a good thing for the Gophers football team. Since the Australian offensive lineman came to Minnesota in 2018, he has been associated with an otherworldly 400 pounds and a height that stretches toward 6 feet, 9 inches. During coronavirus, he said he was up to 405. Just some you-got-to-be-kidding-me numbers.

Now going into his fourth year, the right tackle from Australia has shed 25 to 30 pounds to get down to the 375-380 range - which is still pretty insane and undoubtedly enormous. His somewhat slimmed-down size is expected to make the mountain of a man more mobile in pass protection or out in space zone blocking. Faalele opted out of the U's 2020 season out of concerns on contracting COVID-19. But he's back on the field and motivated as the Gophers opened fall camp Wednesday. "I just want to be as dominant as much as possible," Faalele told the Pioneer Press on Tuesday. "… I want to win games, and I missed that feeling of competition." The NFL will be closely watching him play this fall. - Pioneer Press

(DS#7 OT) Sr/2022

OT Daniel Faalele, Minnesota
News Source: Pioneer Press
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08/06/21 - Mohamed Ibrahim, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 5-08, 203 (DS#22 RB) + More +

There isn't much more the Gophers football team could ask Mo Ibrahim to do in the ground game after he led the Big Ten in rushing last season. Ibrahim, though, has been working extra hard on improving his pass catching this summer. So much so that one teammate jokingly hinted at a position switch for the All-America tailback as the Gophers open training camp this week. "I just want to first start out by saying, 'Shout out, Mo. One of the newest members of the wideouts," senior wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell said at Tuesday's news conference. Without a primary target like NFL first-round pick Rashod Bateman this year, the Gophers are looking to spread the wealth around in the passing game. That means arguably the nation's best running back could be used even more as a receiver.

Ibrahim, a 5-10, 210-pound senior, ranked second in the nation with 153.7 yards rushing per game in 2020, but he caught only eight passes for 56 yards in seven games. "Mo's not just a ground and pounder," Autman-Bell said. "Mo is everything. I believe he's going to show that this year coming up. So, he's been working on nothing but his hands this whole offseason. His routes and his break points. So, I think he's going to show you guys he can be more of a receiver this year." Gophers quarterback Tanner Morgan smiled when asked about Ibrahim as a receiving threat to potentially make the offense more explosive. "Definitely," Morgan said. "Obviously, he's a special running back, but he's even more than that. He's got great hands, and he can run routes at a high level. He's definitely more unique than a lot of people have seen.He can do a lot of things; he's very talented. He's obviously, I think, the best running back in the country. He can catch - for real. He's got really good hands." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#22 RB) rSr/2023

RB Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
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07/25/21 - Mohamed Ibrahim, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 5-08, 203 (DS#22 RB) + More +

Minnesota running back Mo Ibrahim was announced Thursday as a member of Team IFA for branding and marketing opportunities during the name, image and likeness era. "Mo Money joined the family," the agency said. "Time to hit the ground running #TeamIFA." The Minneapolis-based agency has a few recent Gophers players under its roof, including Rashod Bateman, Tyler Johnson and Blake Cashman. Ibrahim was one of five players named to the Big Ten West honor roll Thursday. - Pioneer Press

(DS#22 RB) rSr/2023

RB Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
News Source: Pioneer Press
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07/25/21 - Tanner Morgan, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 6-0, 204 (DS#21 QB) + More +

Tanner Morgan has a video on his phone taken recently with his father, who in that moment found enough strength and clarity to deliver a message so typical of him. No excuses when you get back to school, Ted Morgan told his son. Even as he faced death, Ted was thinking of his son and holding him accountable. "It's pretty powerful," the Gophers senior quarterback said this week. Morgan will be in Indianapolis on Thursday representing the Gophers at Big Ten media days, an annual kickoff to the college football season. He goes there after losing his father last week. Ted was first diagnosed with a brain tumor in spring 2020 and had surgery to remove it at Mayo Clinic. His recovery and scans had been encouraging to doctors, but the tumor returned this spring and his condition deteriorated rapidly.

Ted never wanted to know how much time he had left - even when doctors told the rest of his family - because he felt at peace in his faith. That's the lesson that Morgan holds dear and intends to share anytime he talks about his dad. His dad was always a Christian, but his faith became deeply rooted after his diagnosis. He devoted himself completely. Gophers senior quarterback Tanner Morgan says he could always count on his father, Ted, "to point me back in the right direction." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#21 QB) rSr/2023

QB Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
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07/24/21 - Tanner Morgan, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 6-0, 204 (DS#21 QB) + More +

Big Ten reporters predict the Gophers football team will finish in the middle of the pack in 2021. Minnesota was picked to finish fourth in the seven-team Big Ten West division this fall, according to the annual cleveland.com poll released Wednesday. The poll of 34 reporters named Ohio State, the U's opponent to open the 2021 season, as the unanimous pick to win the East division. Voters selected Wisconsin to win the West with 29 first-place votes; Iowa took the other five top votes. The Buckeyes, who will start a new quarterback who has yet to throw a collegiate pass, were picked to beat the Badgers or Hawkeyes on all but one ballots. A single voter picked Wisconsin to top Ohio State. - Pioneer Press

(DS#21 QB) rSr/2023

QB Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
News Source: Pioneer Press
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07/09/21 - Jason Williamson, rSo/2024, Minnesota, 6-2, 210 (DS#999 RB) + More +

Jason Williamson, the 2018 Minnesota Mr. Football award winner for Owatonna, has medically retired from the Gophers. The 6-2 Williamson rushed for 3,012 yards and 46 touchdowns over his career at Owatonna, leading the Huskies to two state titles, and committed to Gophers coach P.J. Fleck as part of the 2019 recruiting class. But Williamson battled through knee and shoulder injuries with the Gophers, playing in just two games. The medical retirement allows Williamson to remain on scholarship, while the Gophers can award a scholarship to another player. - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#999 RB) rSo/2024

RB Jason Williamson, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
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06/17/21 - Mohamed Ibrahim, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 5-08, 203 (DS#22 RB) + More +

Gophers running back Mohamed Ibrahim, who has rushed for more than 2,800 yards in his collegiate career, on Thursday was named to the Walter Camp Preseason All-America first team. Ibrahim, a redshirt senior from Baltimore, was the Big Ten running back of the year and a third-team Associated Press All-America selection in 2020 after rushing 201 times for 1,076 yards and 15 touchdowns in seven games, averaging 153.7 yards per contest. All of those figures led the Big Ten, as did his 90 points, 12.9 points per game and 168.4 all-purpose yards per game. - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#22 RB) rSr/2023

RB Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
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05/27/21 - Tanner Morgan, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 6-0, 204 (DS#21 QB) + More +

Morgan enters 2021 with an 18-8 mark as the Gophers' starting quarterback and will leave as one of the program's most accomplished passers. His 6,028 career passing yards are already sixth in school history, and he is only 1,419 yards away from taking over the No. 2 spot. He had arguably the best season in Minnesota history in 2019 with 30 touchdowns and 66 percent accuracy, both top single-season marks. But he will need to improve after only completing 58 percent of his passes last season and throwing almost as many interceptions (five) as he did in all of 2019 (seven) while attempting 135 fewer passes. A big reason why Minnesota only went 3-4 last year. - News Gazette Tribune

(DS#21 QB) rSr/2023

QB Tanner Morgan, Minnesota
News Source: News Gazette Tribune
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05/27/21 - Mohamed Ibrahim, rSr/2023, Minnesota, 5-08, 203 (DS#22 RB) + More +

Gophers star running back Mohamed Ibrahim joked around during the U's spring game May 1 by dressing up as head coach P.J. Fleck. Instead of pads and a helmet, he took on Fleck's semi-formal attire on game days: a necktie and a quarter-length zip-up and accessory of sunglasses. Minnesota's fourth-year running back was out for the game as he observed Ramadan, and the reigning Big Ten running back of the year has little to prove on the field in an intra-squad setup anyway. Plus, given how Fleck plans to liberally use Ibrahim again in the 2021 season, the less wear and tear the better. In previous years at Minnesota, Fleck has prescribed to the theory of having a "pair and a spare" in the backfield, and fostering that depth served him well with combinations of Rodney Smith, Shannon Brooks, Kobe McCrary, then Bryce Williams and Ibrahim entering the mix.

Fleck didn't spread the workload around in 2020 and won't plan on doing that much of it again in 2021. "I've gotten that question a few times," Fleck said Tuesday about a query on Ibrahim's workload. "Mo's going to play. It's not like, 'All right, Mo. Now that you've done all this stuff, it's your last year and we're only going to give you so many carries.' That's not going to happen. He's going to carry the load." Ibrahim led the nation with 28.7 carries per game in 2020. In a shortened seven-game season, he had a staggering 201 rushes for 1,076 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also had eight receptions for 56 yards. "He's one of the best players in college football, and you want him to continue to be one of the best players in college football," Fleck said. "He's what makes your team really good, and your best players when they're on the field make you better. So, he's going to play." - Pioneer Press

(DS#22 RB) rSr/2023

RB Mohamed Ibrahim, Minnesota
News Source: Pioneer Press
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05/02/21 - Jack Gibbens, rSr/2022, Minnesota, 6-3, 242 (DS#43 ILB) + More +

The influx of talent from the trio of transfers should help, starting with Gibbens, a 6-4, 240-pounder who had 258 tackles, including 22.5 for loss and seven sacks, along with five interceptions in four seasons at Abilene Christian. The Wildcats played Virginia last November, and Rossi saw on film that Gibbens could play at the next level. "He's shown me he's everything we've expected, and maybe even a little more," Rossi said. "No. 1, he's a great human being. No. 2, he's super smart - a 4.0 undergrad. He's big...And he can run. He's definitely added to the group." When the Gophers recruiting staff forwarded Gibbens' name, Rossi became intrigued. Then coach P.J. Fleck was quickly sold.

"We sicced Coach on him, and he was like, 'I want him!...Let's offer him. Let's go,'?" Rossi said. "He committed 24 hours later." Fleck is impressed with Gibbens' mental approach and how it's helping fellow linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin. "A smart player is a better player. He can process information really quickly, he's learned our entire defense, he's responded really well," Fleck said. "There's a big difference between working hard and competing, and he competes every single play. That rubs off on everybody else. His leadership, the way he plays is infectious. Him and Mariano are kind of connected at the hip." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#43 ILB) rSr/2022

ILB Jack Gibbens, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
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05/01/21 - *Rashod Bateman, Jr/2021, Minnesota, 6-0, 190 (DS#6 WR) + More +

Soon, Rashod Bateman will be catching passes from 2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson. The Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night selected Bateman, a highly productive wide receiver for the Gophers, with the 27th pick of the first round of the NFL draft. Bateman is the Gophers' first first-round draft pick since running back Laurence Maroney in 2006, and he'll join a team that has advanced to the AFC playoffs for three consecutive years. "I can't even put it into words right now," Bateman said during a video conference after he was picked. "Obviously, I look up to Lamar a lot. To be a teammate, I know I'll learn a lot from him. I'm just excited to get to work with him."

Bateman, the fifth receiver selected in the first round, believes he's ready to make an immediate impact with Baltimore. The Ravens were last in the NFL with 182.4 passing yards per game last season, and Bateman joins a team whose top receiving targets are Marquise Brown (58 catches, 769 yards, eight touchdowns last year) and free-agent signee Sammy Watkins (37 catches, 421 yards, two TDs with Kansas City last year). - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#6 WR) Jr/2021

WR *Rashod Bateman, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
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03/30/21 - Chris Autman-Bell, rSr/2024, Minnesota, 6-0, 203 (DS#108 WR) + More +

With Rashod Bateman preparing for his jump to the NFL, Minnesota's receiving corps is undergoing its biggest transition in Fleck's era at the U. Junior Chris Autman-Bell has totaled 78 receptions for 1,250 yards over his three-year career, but nobody else on the roster has been a consistent contributor. "Wide receiver is probably going to be one of the more youthful and inexperienced positions," Fleck said. "...Coach (Matt) Simon, I said, 'We got our work cut out for us this year.' It's going to be fun. We got to earn it. It's going to be great." "But when you look at it," Fleck added. "It's also the fastest (WR) unit we've ever had." - Pioneer Press

(DS#108 WR) rSr/2024

WR Chris Autman-Bell, Minnesota
News Source: Pioneer Press
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03/26/21 - Nyles Pinckney, rSr/2022, Minnesota, 6-1, 286 (DS#61 DT) + More +

Fleck is also looking forward to competition along the defensive line, where the interior was bolstered this offseason with the addition of Clemson graduate transfer Nyles Pinckney, a former four-star recruit from Seabrook, S.C. A two-time captain at Clemson, Pinckney was invited to the East-West Shrine Game, a college all-star game for NFL evaluators, before choosing to play his final year of eligibility in Minnesota. "What Nyles Pinckney has brought is this competition in like that," Fleck said snapping his fingers. "He handles himself in a first-class fashion. He's a father. He's providing. He's got an agenda. He's got a mission. He came in here and he's put his head down and worked." - Minneapolis Star Tribune

(DS#61 DT) rSr/2022

DT Nyles Pinckney, Minnesota
News Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune
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02/28/21 - *Rashod Bateman, Jr/2021, Minnesota, 6-0, 190 (DS#6 WR) + More +

The Gophers football program's "Pro Day" has been scheduled for April 1 at the U's indoor facility in Minneapolis, the NFL said Thursday. This date is especially important for aspiring NFL players this year due to the league's pandemic-related decision to not host workouts at its scouting combine in Indianapolis. This will be the best chance for players - primarily receiver Rashod Bateman and cornerback Benjamin St-Juste - to display their speed, strength and agility in front of NFL front-office personnel. - Pioneer Press

(DS#6 WR) Jr/2021

WR *Rashod Bateman, Minnesota
News Source: Pioneer Press
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02/05/21 - Jake Paulson, rSr/2022, Minnesota, 6-4, 270 (DS#999 TE) + More +

Gophers junior tight end Jake Paulson has decided not to return to the football program. Paulson played 27 games for Minnesota, totaling seven receptions for 87 yards and one touchdown. His 2019 and 2020 seasons were sidelined by multiple injuries, including a shoulder injury that kept him out of the Outback Bowl win. - Pioneer Press

(DS#999 TE) rSr/2022

TE Jake Paulson, Minnesota
News Source: Pioneer Press
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