Darius Taylor is Ready to Make History w/the Minnesota Gophers + Realistic Thoughts For Max Brosmer!

look I know it might sound strange but Darius Taylor Will Make gopher's History this season you are on Golden go what we're going to do here we're just going to keep rowing your daily podcast on the Minnesota gold however it turns out we're just going to keep Groll part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day we're just going to keep rowing keep rowing and keep rowing [Applause] [Music] what's up y'all you are listening to locked on Golden Gophers part of the lockedown podcast Network your team every day my name is Kane Rob host of the podcast former Collegiate football video coordinator and recruiting assistant here to talk golden golfers with you each and every day of the week Monday through Friday and today we're diving into football we're talking more about the 2024 season because there's some topics I feel like we hear a lot of excitement about some of these players but what are some realistic expectations and what is the upside we're going to talk about Max brosmer we're GNA talk about Darius Taylor and then we're going to talk about the schedule because I want to talk about a couple games that I think are getting overrated and overhyped and I think it might be a little bit too much to the point where the goers will maybe pull off some wins that others don't quite expect so we're going to dive into all of that today first we're going to kick it off talking about our boy qb1 Max brosmer and what is a realistic outcome for Max brosmer in his one and only year with the Gophers as the quarterback now I'm not going into this season thinking Max brosmer is going to throw for another 3,000 yards 25 plus touchdowns and really rewrite the record books in one year now if he does more power to him I hope he does I'll be pulling for that expectation that he does but the expectation part of it the realistic part of it I'm trying to get to what you can maybe expect on on a a most likely outcome now because those numbers that he had with New Hampshire with the two years over 3,000 yards two years with over 25 touchdowns interceptions staying low all of that was coming in an offense where in 2023 he was attempting 41 pass attempts per game and in 2022 he was attempting 32 pass attempts per game now the ladder might be a little bit more realistic than what that 41 attempts could ever be but at the same time I don't even think he's going to get up to the 32 pass attempts that he saw in his junior year now what is a passing attempt number that could possibly be more realistic for a go first team that says it wants to pass the ball more but we all know it is going to be a run first team first and foremost with Darius Taylor leading the charge but if you look at the gopher's passing attempts over the last five years you'll see what maybe something more realistic could look like so in 2023 with aan Kell Manis at the helm the Gophers passed the ball 24 attempts per game on average over the course of the Season you move it into 2022 the year prior with Tanner Morgan and aan kiak Manis the Gophers attempted 22 passing attempts per game you move it a year prior to that 2021 lowest of the five years 20 passing attempts per game Tanner Morgan was the sole quarterback that season then you get to 2020 in the last five years this is the most passing attempts per game for the Gophers in that time period and it was 26 passing attempts per game so you've seen 24 22 20 and 26 and then in 2019 the the Year everyone loves the Year everyone remembers the magical year where the Gophers absolutely balled out with 11 wins Minnesota was passing the ball 25 attempts per game now that might sound low but it is the Gophers have never cracked the top 100 for passing attempts in a season in the entire country and that's not something I think that they're really going to do anytime soon now if they do if they get to the 80s or something like that more power to them hopefully that means we're trending in the right direction but I'm not going to count on that production until I see it come to fruition of some capacity I've done I'm done being fooled by coach Fleck and staff that this team will pass the ball more now they will possibly have more efficiency and that's what you remember in 2019 that's what you saw with two 10,000 yard receivers on the team it came on 25 passing attempts per game but the efficiency and the effectiveness was out of this world and that's why that team was so special but if you're a betting uh man or woman out there and you're only accounting for slight change or Improvement then I believe counting on the Gophers having about 25 or 26 passing attempts per game is probably more realistic and that would still be some of the highest we have seen with Coach Fleck and crew here in Minnesota now if you want to say there's a little bit of an increase you see a step up in the passing game more balance in our offense and you put it towards 28 passing attempts per game that maybe could be still seen as somewhat realistic I think if you want to get spicy and you say 30 passing attempts per game that's probably the highest we would see even from high level quarterback here in this gopher's offense but looking across the board the Gophers often saw about 8.5 yards per attempt over the course of the last five years now last year aan had a 6.3 per attempt that's pretty bad uh the 2019 year Tanner saw 10.2 per attempt which is out of this world really good but the average that consistently showed up was about 8.5 and the year that both Tanner and aan played in 2022 they're both sitting at about 8.5 8.6 so the Gophers are typically sitting at 8.5 yards per attempt now if you go to Max Bros over his last two years his average yards per attempt sat around 7.5 or 7.6 now that's the last couple years so let's split the difference there and let's say that we sit at eight yards per attempt because brosmer doesn't necessarily air it out or take these downfield shots all the time but rather makes the right and smart plays meanwhile the surrounding Talent here in Minnesota at wide receiver is going to be better across the board than what he was working with in New Hampshire so if we split the difference and we say eight yards per attempt I think that feels like at least a realistic option for the Gopher so you're putting all this together and we give maybe Max brosmer 61% completion percentage which is lower than his nearly 65% last year and the 62% that he had the year before that now if you take all those numbers quick math tells us even ticking down the production that he has seen over the last two years and giving it a more realistic Outlook if he was going 25 pass attempts at 61% completion with with 325 attempts that means he'd complete about 198 completions for 20 or 2,600 yards if you give him 26 passing attempts that's 338 attempts for about 2,704 yards and finally if you give him that 28 passing attempts the higher end that we were talking about that could maybe still fall into realistic and you give him that completion percentage on his 364 attempts he would come out around 2,912 yards so yes it's not going to necessarily be up in that 3K that we're used to seeing but any of those scenarios that I just listed out 2,600 274 2912 all of those would give Minnesota its second best season at the quarterback position in the PJ Fleck era and also two of the three of those scenarios the 26 and the 28 passing attempts Seasons or the numbers that we ran there would give you Minnesota its second best production since 2008 Adam Weber coming from the quarterback position and that's just from yardage so if the goers fans are trying to set realistic expectations while also remaining hopeful I truly believe Max brosmer can give us the upside in the passing production that we saw from an Adam Weber or a a mitch lner but maybe at a more efficient clip with less interceptions and that is a very good quarterback season in general if you can give us that production while also ticking back on the interceptions in the turn I think that is exactly what this goers team would need now that type of QB production paired with a run first team with one of the best running backs in the Big 10 and maybe in the country could give the Gophers fans some hope for this one year of Veteran quarterback play that could take place in 2024 but speaking of run first I think that's more of a realistic outlook for Max brosmer but I think Darius Taylor is going to shock and awe a lot of people now he might not not shaking gopher's fans but I'm guessing even even if he does what I think he does he still will shaking this fan base but the World At Large the country at large the media at large they're gonna be shocked and I think that I I want to tell you why I believe Darius Taylor will have a historic year for Minnesota and it could be in 2024 that's what's coming up next first let's talk to you about our friends over at fand because the NBA is underway and you know what we're 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the covid year now of all these records and some of those might be Untouchable for Darius Taylor in the short amount of time that he might spend with the Gophers but overall I think he is going to get one or two of those records before it is all said and done for a single season record as long as heal permits now it's going to be tough to surpass those but I think it is very possible for Darius Taylor to set the single season record for rush yards in the next two seasons even at the clip of the 133 yards per game that he we saw last year from Darius Taylor if he did that for a full season with a bowl game Darius Taylor would have been on track for 1729 rush yards which already cracks that single season rushing yard record of 1665 that Mo set now that isn't accounting for any improvement from Darius Taylor or anything that's just saying if he if we take what we saw from him on average last year and we stretch it across an entire season a healthy season for Darius Taylor he will break the record and I think that's possible but I think he's going to improve I think he's gonna get stronger I think he's going to be faster I think he is going to slow the game down mentally and be able to play better with this team but one thing that people don't take into account is that that was over the course of six games 133 yards per game but if you that 133 yards per game which led the entire country in rush yards per game by the way accounts for the one carry three yard game versus Nebraska now if you remove that game where he just wasn't really given any shot or opportunities in the game Darius Taylor's yards per game average was actually 159 .2 yards per game in those five other games where he saw more than one carry 159 point2 yards per game now that that pace Not only would set the single season record for yards per game for the Minnesota Golden Gophers but also over the course of 12 games and a bowl game would be on Pace for 2,70 rush yards that would absolutely obliterate the single season rushing yards record and I think it is attainable for darus Taylor in fact I think he is going to have a historic year and I think it could come in this 2024 year if that Max brosmer line that we were just talking about plays out in the passing game opens up it only gives more efficiency and more opportunity for Darius Taylor to find bigger gains bigger yards and what not on the ground so I think you add all that together and then you look at how Darius Taylor's already impressing with his spring workouts right now with the team he's won multiple awards that the teams have internally with trying to kind of inspire and push the different teammates to really go after it he's won it three times now and you look at that and you look at him just taking on the challenge of wanting to be the greatest that he can be look he is GNA be a special guy he's going to possibly break records here and that's not even mentioning that you have to remember he is newer to the running back position he's switched to the running back position in his junior year of high school so last year was his third year ever playing the running back position prior to that he played as a wide receiver now if you're looking at that that tells you that he probably still doesn't even know how good he can be we don't know how good he can be the upside for Darius Taylor is out of this world and that that's looking at how good his numbers were as a true freshman how he always fell forward how he always broke tackles how he always was impressing no matter who the opponent was Iowa Northwestern Bowling Green they had quality defenses throughout the year last year and Darius Taylor late on and then some so I think Darius Taylor is set to have a historic season and better yet like I said he's going to get better faster and stronger this off season knowing what it takes to play in the Big 10 and also the game could start to slow down for him as a true freshman things go faster now he played Elite as a true freshman but regardless heading into year two it's going to be a little bit easier it's going to be a little bit slowed down to the point where he can see things and maybe make a a shift a little bit earlier hit a hole a little bit sooner and that could make a massive difference on any given play on top of all of that more success in the pass game with brosmer should only help him and open up more opportunities and Darius Taylor is also an asset in that passing game he can catch the ball we saw it uh in glimpses last year he had close to a 100 yards receiving on 11 receptions last year so if Darius Taylor stays healthy Darius Taylor will be PJ flex's first running back drafted from Minnesota I think that I I'm willing to stamp that right now make that claim and live with it because that's how truly special this guy is and he could be the next Gophers running back to get drafted in the first four rounds since 2004 or 2005 2006 when we saw Marian barara go in the fourth round and Lawrence go in the first round that is how great his upside is so goers fans get excited sit back relax and enjoy these next couple years with Darius Taylor because you could truly be watching something special he might not get all the career records program records depending on how long he stays because I think the NFL will come calling but I do think he is going to make some history in the single season records single game type records and it is going to be a wild ride here with the Golden Gophers now finally to close Today's show I want to talk about three games on the schedule of 2024 that I think are getting overblown and people are talking about how hard this schedule is moving into 2024 and some of these opponents that they list are like oh they're going to be so difficult I'm going to tell you three of them that I think are getting a little bit overhyped and that Minnesota could upset coming up next first let's talk to you about our friends over at LinkedIn because when 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hard this schedule is and I've already mentioned on here before I think it's pretty comparable to the 2023 schedule in fact I think 2023 is harder games were harder than what gopher's hardest games will be in 2024 that being said I think the 2023 is weakest games are weaker than what we will see in 2024 so it's pretty comparable when you average it all out but I think there are three games actually I'm gonna say three and a half games maybe four I guess is the real answer there that are overblown and that are getting way too amped up and I think the Gophers could stand a chance to upset these teams that people are probably going to count them out against now the first one I want to talk about is Maryland now Maryland had a really good year last year Maryland lost only five games last year they lost to the big three in Michigan in Penn State and in Ohio State and everybody in Maryland their fan base is probably praising to the good Lord about how they aren't in the Big 10 East anymore they don't have to take on Ohio State and Penn State and Michigan year after year after year they're happy that these divisions are gone but that being said it doesn't mean it's going to be a cakewalk for this Maryland team Maryland is losing a lot of players and in fact they lost some games last year to teams that weren't necessarily seen as the top tier teams like Northwestern and Illinois now Maryland not only had that happen to them but they lost their number one wide receiver from last year he's gone on top of that they lost the Big 10 passing leader in Talia tongo who is officially in the NFL draft and will not be back for Maryland that is a lot a big thing big departure for them to lose especially with how pass heavy and pass happy that team was and the last I checked they were set to lose potentially four starting offensive linemen but they were making moves to address that through the portal as well but you don't know how that's going to jel out you don't know if it'll all click or if that person will translate to the Big 10 so overall there's a lot of Departures on the offense including on the defense you have your best safety and a quality cornerback who are also gone to the NFL so overall Maryland has a ton of Departures now they brought in a Young quarterback in MJ Morris quality transfer definitely has a lot of upside and talent but he's still very inexperienced and defenses in the Big 10 are much different than the defenses that you're seeing on a week- toe basis in the ACC so how long will it take for him to adjust can he get to the same level that we saw from toia tongoa Maryland played well last year but like I said it struggled at times like with Illinois and Northwestern losing both of those games last year so the team still has it warts and a lot rides on that new quarterback and if he can pick up where tiia left off now it's a little bit different than the Gophers bringing in a transfer Wisconsin bringing in a transfer because those transfers are veteran guys who have multiple years of experience and that have experienced the speed of division one football consistently and that's one thing you got to ask yourself with MJ Morris is can he keep up with that speed consistently or will it take time to adjust we've seen the upside quarterbacks Athan Kik Manis was a high upside quarterback but it didn't work out with the speed level for Minnesota in his time here now speaking of a think kic Manis another game I think is getting kind of hyped up when it comes to being difficult is the ruers matchup with Minnesota now yes it is on the road but that being said they're coming off a good year and respect to him for it but it's their best year in a minute and then you look back even one year prior in 2022 Minnesota ran this team off off the field and that was with teris simc as the defensive coordinator the same guy that they have as defensive coordinator right now so I think overall Minnesota still has a favorable Outlook when it comes to playing this Ruckers team on top of that the QB play will it be elevated for Ruckers because we played Gavin whimet when he came here and he was a hot mess he did not look anything like the upside player that people have been talking about for years but it hasn't come true fruition or hasn't been consistent now yes they added aan kiak Manis as well and we we know the type of upside he has but we've also seen the warts we've also seen the weaknesses so I think the Gophers will have a very good feel for C Manis if he is indeed the quarterback for Ruckers and I feel like that could possibly play into Minnesota's favor but most of all I am more of a believe it when I see it type of person and for this matchup I haven't seen Ruckers push a Minnesota team with Coach Fleck at the helm in quite some time so I think overall that Minnesota has a good shot to be favored in that game or at least come out with a favorable outcome and I think Minnesota will go improve it in 2024 now the final matchup I want to talk about is actually two this is where I said the half and it's UCLA and USC yes the two California schools coming into the conference I truly believe they're going to have a little bit of a difficult time transitioning to the Big 10 especially UCLA and honestly the only team I may see making a smooth transition from the four teams coming in is Oregon now I maybe would have said Washington prior to them being dismantled with through their staff and their coaching and also their players to the NFL and transfer portal but it happened so I think Oregon is the only team that's going to transition smoothly right away from jump now when we talk about UCLA they're that half foring because they're bringing in a new head coach who has zero head coach experience I believe he doesn't even have any coordinator experience yet people are still amping them up like they're going to be a top 10 top 12 team in the Big 10 I don't think it's going to be easy like that I think they could be a bottom team in the Big 10 and I would not be surprised one bit especially with the transition on top of that they lost their High upside five-star Young quarterback who ended up going to Oregon on top of that they lost their head coach who had some some knowledge to him he was a great offensive coordinator in fact or a great great game game plan and play caller is what I was going for there so much so that Ohio State the best team in the conference brought him to their program as an offensive coordinator so I think they lost a ton overall and then on top of that they lost their running back in Carson steel who's going to the NFL they lost their best defender in latu who's going to the NFL so overall they could be a three to four win team and I think they're getting overhyped like crazy but the one that might surprise you the most is USC now like I said I think that USC is going to have some struggles coming into the conference I think that a lot of people people think very highly of USC due to their coach and rightfully so Lincoln Riley has been a quarterback Whisperer quarterback Guru of Swords but also due to Caleb Williams and what he has done there for the past two years but Caleb Williams is not going to be on this roster next year and that is going to have a huge impact on this USC team especially when they had such a poor defense last season and defense is everything in this big 10 so the quarterback has gone and although Riley has had amazing quarterbacks as a head coach he has led teams with Baker Mayfield who was a Heisman and number one pick Kyler Murray who was a Heisman and number one pick Jaylen Herz who was a Heisman runner up in a second round pick Spencer Rattler who might have been his worst quarterback so far and he is probably going to be drafted into the NFL this year and then finally Caleb Williams who is a Heisman and probably going to be a number one pick so yes Riley has earned himself some benefit of the doubt but his quarterbacks this year will be much different than what he has seen over the past few years especially different than what has been the norm with him they didn't land the big transfers that they had been talking to like a will Howard or like a cam Ward no some of the big transfer names they went elsewhere and their five-star recruit that they got from the 2023 class hit the transfer portal and transferred out to Boise State so overall their quarterback is going to come down to either Miller Moss who will be a red shirt Jr or Jaden mava who comes from a transfer from UNLV where he did pretty good as a freshman last year now Miller Moss is a red shirt junr who has seen some sparse time here and there in the past two years but he did he did ball out in the Bull game last season against Louisville so I'm gonna give him credit there he had 372 yards six touchdowns one interception on 70% passing but overall I think he can spin it but we don't he doesn't have the upside of a Kum Williams he isn't gonna always burn you and I think as teams get more tape on him he might get a little bit more exposed now on the flip side you got mava he's no slouch at all he bowled out as a freshman with UNLV he had 3,000 yards passing 20 total touchdowns and he can get it done but both are Rock Solid but neither are Caleb Williams and even with Williams last year this team was eight and5 so if their quarterback play isn't to the same caliber and isn't miraculous and taking them out of holes and the defense doesn't drastically improve from what we saw last year then USC could be a six or seven win team and being here in Minnesota and more towards the colder times I think Minnesota could pull off an upset there and it isn't as scary as what people are making it out to be let me know your thoughts down below what games do you think maybe people are cooking up a little too much and then tomorrow we're g to talk about gopher's Hoops they've got Ohio State on the docket and we're gonna give you a preview prior to the game on Thursday all that more here at lockdown Golden Gophers thank you so much for listening Row the boats goty you my Go Gophers and as always don't forget to subscribe