Darius Taylor Wanted to Remain in Minnesota + Max Brosmer Feeling Up to Speed Ahead of Fall Camp!

Intro for the first time heading into the new season we hear from gopher Stars Darius Taylor Max brosmer and Daniel Jackson what they have to say ahead of the new year and then why this year's schedule actually makes me happy you are locked on Golden Gophers your daily podcast on the Minnesota Golden Gophers part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day what's up go fans you're listening to lock on Golden Go's part of the lock on 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 Gophers with you each and every day of the week Monday through Friday now you know this offseason we've been only about three shows a week but August will be here before you know it and once we hit August we are back to five shows every week every weekday giving you Gophers daily content we're going to break down every single opponent on the goer schedule in-depth new additions transfers out coaching changes you name it and we're going to break down every position group for the Minnesota Golden golfers and where they stack up within the Big 10 conference in my opinion so definitely be sure to hit subscribe over on YouTube so you don't miss any of that content once we hit the August month but this week we had goers media days where Darius Taylor Max brosmer Daniel Jackson among others all spoke to the media for the first time of the new season and we got some tidbits we got some little inklings here and there things to know about heading into this season things to know about the process and the portal and all of that and so definitely some fun facts for gopher fans overall then we're going to talk about three factors that will make or break the season in 2024 and finally I got to talk about why I am thankful for the Minnesota schedule some people will talk about how hard it is I am very happy with how it rolled out for the goers and I'll tell you why on today's show but first let's talk about the Gopher media days let's talk about what we heard from some of these gopher offensive Stars we'll start it with Darius Taylor who talked to the media and he mentioned in his uh q&as with the media he mentioned that there will very likely be a running back by committee and how this room was very talented and that they will definitely probably be using a committee style approach now he'll obviously be the lead back if that is to happen uh but to be honest we've never seen a true committee under PJ Fleck in his time here with the go now this will be going into year eight so something we haven't seen over years 1 through seven it makes me a little skeptical a little hesitant to fully buy into that notion of course you'd want to put it out there maybe not only to keep your players happy but on the flip side for other schools if they're listening they're breaking down this type of stuff to think okay we have to prep for multiple backs we need to look at who else is on the two deep and who else could be a problem and what to expect so it gives teams more to look into or more to prepare as opposed to hey yep we got a Workhorse and we're going to run the ball to him until he gets gassed so overall it's not surprising to hear but I don't know if I quite believe it at this point now the closest we've seen to more of a committee style approach was 2021 and 2023 but wasn't by choice it was by injuries and default but on top of that even with those injuries and default you still saw kind of a main one horse running back with a complimentary back helping him out uh that's what we've seen a lot of Coach Flex time here 2021 maybe is the closest to a committee where we really saw after Mo went down and then after Potts went down and then after Bryce went down we saw kind of a committee style approach between uh Bucky Irving and his fellow red shirt freshman and not true freshman like Bucky in Kai so over overall I think between those two running backs that was the closest to a almost committee approach that we saw but you haven't really seen that from coach Fleck and I wouldn't believe I wouldn't put my bets on it to happen now until I see it I'm not really gonna think it's true I think Darius Taylor will be closer to getting 25 carries a game minimum maybe creeping up to 30 depending on the game plan and the situation but I think Darius Taylor is going to have a heavy workload now that being said I still think there will be a complimentary running back that gets worked in and I've always talked about could it be ca bangura or could it be Jordan nubin I think one of those two stands out as a complimentary back and then the other on this roster on this to deep like Marcus major like whoever doesn't make it between benora and nuben probably is more of a depth piece who gets occasional touches but isn't really featured by any stretch or any means so we'll see what happens with that hopefully the room can stay healthy overall that is priority Numero Uno now on top of that Darius Taylor also said that he really wasn't looking to leave Minnesota now of course he's not going to put it out there like oh yeah I was trying to get out but then they offered me money he wouldn't put anything out there like that but some some folks some kids some athletes might have been like you know I wanted to see what offers were out there I wanted to hear and get ideas of what my value could be but in the end I really wanted to be here in Minnesota that's not the approach he took he said I wasn't looking to leave Minnesota at all I didn't have any intention of going Minnesota feels like a family and they they are the place that has kind of raised me as far as my football landscape and on top of that he said they can run the ball so why wouldn't I like that it really sounds like Darius Taylor really wanted to be here he didn't have thoughts or intentions of leaving and you know what hopefully that continues to remain true even after the 20 24 season because he is the face of this offense and the wheel that keeps the Gophers offense going so Darius Taylor loved to hear that from him he also talked about being a pro before becoming a pro is definitely pertinent to him and he talked about how last year was really a year of growth for him a year of understanding for him and seeing what it takes to play at the speed how it takes on your body and its toll and getting ready for it and has changed his approach to this offseason and how he's gone about preparation so that should only help Darius Taylor in the long run and hopefully that means we see a fully healthy ready to go Darius Taylor for an entire season now he also said he was very excited at the thought of getting more involved in the passing game and that's something you love to hear because if there is uh moments last year where for years we've been asking for the running backs to get more involved in the passing game last year was the first time where we saw it happen more consistently but still not a whole lot but when it did happen then the timing of happening last year they were almost always big plays for the running backs who are getting the receptions out of the back field so if the Gophers can get that more incorporated into their offense it could be big time for them and on top of that we have seen the Max Brosmer the production from Max brosmer to his running backs in the receiving game and Darius Taylor said if it's there and if it's in the progression for Max he is going to throw it with no hesitation and that gets him excited so definitely good tidbits in there from dar Taylor now moving over to Max brosmer and what he said he talked about his relationship with Harbaugh the offensive coordinator and quarterback's coach and how they are very very close and that that should help translate to a stronger and more fluid offens as fall which makes sense with them having the headset Communications and the iPads or tablets being able to be viewed from the sidelines that should help him serve as a extra voice of the offense and how well how they really want to make this thing go we'll see if the passing game can be fixed and picked up but overall he talked about that the drive and the want to get better is felt by every single person on this team this summer and you don't always get that from a program and people understand that there is a limit of time they have before the season kicks off and they are trying to make the most of each and every opportunity that they can now on top of that he talked about the work e ethic and how the work ethic is everything and how this team is attacking every rep they don't want to be what they last year they felt very average and how they want to overcome that feeling and overcome what had been set up from last year and it's not about waiting until fall Camp it's about attacking every single day every single rep every single time throughout the summer throughout the spring throughout the winter you name it but it doesn't just start and fall and you love that approach that attitude from your quarterback but also from the entire team now on top of that Max brosmer talked about how he was really impressed with freshman backup Drake Lindsay and how he wants to come in and he wants to learn as much as possible on both the field and in the boardroom we talked about how Drake valind reminds him a lot of himself and his eagerness and his wanting to learn and soak up knowledge so that has been very impressive for him on that front and that should be music to goord fans ears now on top of that he talked about the adjustments that he has had to make and everybody talks about the speed from FCS to FBS which we talked about here on the show that we need to stop worrying about that when it comes to Max brosmer but Max brosmer talked about how everyone talks about the speed difference and he feels like that's gone he feels like he's gotten through that since the spring and every he talked about really the main difference from FCS to FBS that he keeps in mind or he has noticed more often throughout his work and his reps is that every position is very athletic and very smart so you can't necessarily pick on a weak spots as much at this league because they have the athletes and the the fluidity to cover or make things a lot more difficult now on top of that he talked about how staying on schedule is huge for compete completing explosive plays which gopher suffered from last year and a lot of the situation dictates when you can take explosive opportunities but then also it leads to being on the same page is all in the smaller detail so love to hear these things it sounds like the Gophers are starting to get that chemistry built out he says that he can feel the chemistry is building coming together as since they took those trips to Georgia as a unit and everybody wants to be together but then the final two things he talked about is the things that stand out in his game is he is meticulous meticulous is all get out and that he needs to keep the offense on track and be on schedule and that's what you'll see from him on the field this upcoming season and then finally how he has been impressed by the entire wide receiver room and their grind to learn all positions both inside and outside which will hopefully allow Minnesota to spread the ball around more now finally we heard from Daniel Jackson and the couple of takeaways we got from him he was impressed by the depth of the wide receiver room and is the deepest he has seen in his time here he Embraces the challenge of teams trying to take him away and doing whatever he can to help this team be successful whether that be running decoy routes or being the guy to get it done on top of that he was very complimentary of Elijah Spencer Elijah Spencer mentioned that Elijah Spencer just needs to be himself and play with confidence and everything will have and everything will work out for him consistency was the big thing from Daniel Jackson when he talked about getting the passing game going he said they need to find more consistency and you can't let previous mistakes or drops or anything deplete them but it needs to be a next play next Drive mentality on top of that Daniel Jackson mentioned Tyler Williams the transfer from Georgia is a freak and a playmaker and that he has all the physical tools and all the physical play style you can see that in his play he just needs to continue refining his routes which will uh Matt Simon will work wonders with him in his time here now finally he described Max brosmer the quarterback as a commander and a general a peer leader that commands the room and he said that things that stand out for Max brosmer in his mindset he says he has the arm Talent he has the ability but his mentals are unmatched you talk about his mentals and his mindset that is what impresses him the most and once again are unmatched so those were the takeaways from today's Gophers media day from those three offensive stars that I definitely wanted to jump into on today's show now next we're going to talk about the three factors that will make or break the goer season in 2024 so stick around because that's what's coming up FanDuel next first I want to talk to you about our friends over at FanDuel because right now all customers can get a boost or a bonus daily from FanDuel that's right FanDuel is hooking customers up all summer long with a boost or a bonus every single day there's something for everyone every day all summer long so you definitely need to head on over to fanduel.com and start making the most of your summer and you can bet on anything that's going on right now from the MLB which FanDuel is a m a betting partner of the Major League Baseball on top of the WNBA uh the Olympic basketball will be going other Olympic sports will be going you've got the summer league going on right now there are still a lot of sports betting 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can then things will start to work in their favor throughout the season the turnovers will come the pressure will come and what have you but if the golfers can get off the field on third down that's where they will Thrive and strive to be even better in this next upcoming season but more importantly like I said everything relies on third down that is a trait which made the Gophers defense Elite in the handful of years with Joe Rossy aside from last season because it leads to other things as well it leads to turnovers it leads to pressure opportunities it leads two sacks but getting off the field on third down would have singlehandedly turned around possibly up to three games for the Gophers last season definitely Northwestern definitely Illinois and potentially the Purdue game where Minnesota couldn't get off the field and was six of 12 on opportunities on third and fourth down in efficiency now Minnesota also needs to get off the field on third down because it puts the ball back in their offense's hands and allows them to play that physical play style that they want to where they're grinding down the clock keeping time of possession at the top of the charts for the offense and really being able to control the entire game so that's what Minnesota and Coach fle love to do so if they want to do that and they want to be successful at it they have to find a way to get off the field on third downs and creating chaos and pressure will help lead to those more successful third Downs so overall third down is the key when it comes to the Minnesota defense and how successful they can go now flipping into the offense Point number two of makeer break for the 2024 season is if Minnesota can pass for 2500 passing yards that will lead to a more successful offense and to more wins now I'm not saying throw it a million times I'm not saying you have to be an air raid attack or anything like that what I am saying is if you start to find success in the passing game to an extent and you have 2500 passing yards which the ghosters haven't had from a single quarterback in the last few seasons if you can find a way to do that it not only opens up and makes the defense respect you and stay true and not be loading boxes and what have you but it will also open up the ground game for Darius Taylor and for the others on this team to make more explosive runs which we didn't get a lot of last season and especially if you can turn those explosive runs into home runs hitting home runs or home run hitting runs and get the touchdowns and get the scores and what have you that can drain and zap any energy from an opposing uh Team so overall if the Gophers can open it up a little bit more in the passing game it should lead to a more effective Run game now on top of that it should also help this running back room stay healthier because they're not taking 40 cares a game they're not taking all the grind and the pounding and the collisions of an entire full season because they're able to pass the ball more and have less hats in the box and all of a sudden there's less contact coming from you on every single play now you add all those factors together plus Max brosmer has shown to throw it to his running backs more and we've talked about that Dylan love just went to the Raiders in the NFL uh from New Hampshire because of the success he has found in the passing game and that was with Max brosmer now that was an element that Minnesota did more of this past year like I had mentioned earlier but probably still not enough especially for the fact that when Minnesota did throw the b ball to their running backs they often found first down opportunities they often found positive yardage plays and good things happened almost every single time so you get the ball in Darius Taylor's hands you get the ball in CA bangura's hands on the outside in the run or in the pass game that can open up everything in this offense and help you be more successful in the long run now the third and final point of make or break for the Gophers in 2024 is none other than it's hard for me to say it because I don't know how realistic it's going to be but I want to say that is playing to win the game taking risks taking shots taking a chance especially in the games against Michigan USC Wisconsin uh Penn State games where maybe you won't be favored but you're going in there and laying it all on the line taking the risk taking the shot trying to run the score up and put yourself in the position to be a little risky in order to win the game as opposed to playing conservatively and cautiously and hoping you don't lose the game I am I think if the Gophers can take that mindset take that approach and really shift it towards playing to win the game and take uh taking some risks down the stretch now I'm not saying go for it every fourth down I'm not saying try to go for it in your own territory and try to get short yards first downs I'm not saying any of that now can that happen depending on the given situation depending on the team you're playing and what have you then maybe that's what it calls for but overall it's not sitting with your tail tucked between your legs and hoping that if you just uh always punt it or always take the short yardage or don't put the ball in the air because you don't want to put it in Harm's Way or if you're playing a top 10 school and you're in a dog for dog pound-for-pound fight at halftime uh but you've been playing conservatively to open it up in the second half and really take a shot and try to zap the energy and take the momentum and push it forward and get your audience or your crowd fired up or make their crowd silent and really help your team Thrive off of that momentum now I know coach Fleck doesn't believe in momentum but momentum is a huge thing and I think a lot of it comes from playing to win the game so that is my point number three if the Gophers play aggressively and play to win as opposed to playing not to lose I think that could be make or break for the goer season especially in the games where they will be underdogs now the final thing I want to talk about is that factor of underdogs it's about the Gopher schedule in 2024 and why I absolutely how love how this schedule worked out for the Gophers we're going to dive into those thoughts to end Today's show coming up Schedule next all right G fans I'm going to tell you why I absolutely love this Minnesota schedule for 2024 now a lot of folks are saying oh it's a super difficult schedule and what have you I think last year's schedule was harder I think last year's top teams were more difficult and what have you but this year schedule it does have challenges it does have some difficulty and according to f Pi on ESPN Minnesota has the 41st hardest schedule so it's a still top 50 hardest schedule of the 130 plus FBS teams but I am thankful for how difficult it is and how it sets up for Minnesota because when you're looking at the breakdown of it all things could be much much worse in fact if you look at the possibilities that could have happened in 2024 you could have gotten Oregon and Ohio State or you could have got one of those two schools but those are the top two schools in the Big 10 as seen heading into the season and you get to avoid both of them so I really like looking across the landscape of who Minnesota could have had in the Big 10 and who they ended up avoiding not getting Oran not getting Ohio state is a blessing in this year where you're trying to bounce back on top of that Michigan should still be good but they won't be as dominant as they have been the last couple years especially not as dominant as they were last year as the national champions and then Penn State is the only game on the schedule that I look at and I'm like Minnesota probably doesn't have a chance in that game now the Michigan game it probably definitely skewed toward Michigan probably 80% in favor of Michigan but it's a game again that you don't necessarily have a 0% shot on and then aside from those two games Minnesota's remaining games are all winnable games to some extent in those games that they might be underdogs I'm talking about Wisconsin on the road I'm talking about uh USC see at home I'm talking about uh who else uh maybe Iowa except for it's at home so it might be more of a 5050 game uh who else is on the schedule that is not coming to mind right now regardless those ones that might be more difficult in the soall uh betting standards or what have you the betting lines and what have you I think it'll be more 6040 as the odds with Minnesota being more of a 40% on those unfavored games than it is anything higher than that which means it's a much more closer uh 5050 coin flip type game than it is A True Underdog and on top of that we've already talked about on this show we like how the schedule laid out for who is playing or who you are playing and where so UNC that could be a difficult non-conference game but you get it at home to open the season then on top of that you got Iowa but you get them at home this season Wisconsin you get them on the road but at the same time it's the final game of the year and the last three times you have gone to Wisconsin you have either won the game or it has come down to the wire in OT for a loss so that is a an environment that the Gophers feel typically somewhat successful in on top of that you get uh who else is at home we got UCLA on the road but that's not too bad you get your maybe hopeful upset against the USC team that could still be feeling the transition pains you get them at home your road games are UCLA who I think is going to be one of the worst teams in the conference a road game at Illinois who doesn't really have a dangerous or hostile environment by any means and really is still working to get their fans to come out to the games you got Ruckers on the road but at the same time again not a fan base that makes you feel like it's a hostile or toxic environment so overall these away games that the golfers are playing the only super difficult away game is that Michigan game in which you already have lower odds in you get Penn State at home that's a nice one to have at home but overall this schedule feels favorable for the Gophers you can't ask for better than that plus UNCC is a respectable non-conference so people can't claim that you played cupcakes the entire season overall I love how the schedule has shaped out and if the golfers want to bounce back if they want to make a name for themselves if they want to take advantage of the opportunity this schedule is one that should help hopefully play in their favor I would take the over on wins on any Sportsbook line out there for the Gophers because I think they are going to at least get six wins and get to a bll game all the lines I've seen have been under that so overall I like the schedule I like how it's laid out I like who ended up being the Big 10 opponents and I like the non-conference and when you're talking about the non-conference as well Rhode Island Max broser played them last year he lost in an overtime game with New Hampshire but he had over 400 yards passing so a familiar team maybe to help get this offense in the passing game cooking in the very early stages in the years so that way you can carry that over into future ones I love love love how this game laid out how do you feel about the schedule let me know your thoughts let me know your worries let me know your concerns all down in the comments Below on YouTube but while you're there be sure to hit the Subscribe button so you can tap in for your gopher daily content moving forward and that's going to do it for us on today's show I appreciate you listening I appreciate you taking time out as always I am going to say Row The Boat skyuma go go overs and please don't forget to hit subscribe [Music] [Music]