The Gophers will hold their final training camp practice that's open to the public at 4:15 p.m. Friday. Here are some areas to watch from the sidelines of the outdoor fields at Athletes Village:
- Backup quarterbacks: Sophomore Tanner Morgan is the starter, but which true freshman will take up the second spot? Eden Prairie's Cole Kramer and Texas native Jacob Clark are in a battle, but after a scrimmage earlier this week, it will be interesting to see if one has emerged. Offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca said he sees "a lot of potential" in both.
"When Zack [Annexstad] got injured they were able to increase their repetitions," he said. "In spring ball, the only thing I really knew was they had a good skill set, and they were really hard workers. ... They've been thrust into a more important role now at this point, and I've been really impressed with how they've handled it." - Left tackle: If you can pry your eyes away from Daniel Faalele at right tackle, the other side of the offensive line has a battle going on. Could be junior Sam Schlueter or junior Jason Dickson
- Cornerbacks: New position coach Rod Chance has been giving starting reps to pretty much all his players in an effort to fill those wide-open spots. Sophomore Terrell Smith, junior Coney Durr and senior Chris Williamson seem to have emerged, though junior Kiondre Thomas, junior Phillip Howard and transfer Benjamin St-Juste also are in the mix.
- Kicker: Coach P.J. Fleck seemed to have named redshirt freshman Brock Walker and freshman Michael Lantz as the top-two candidates. Walker's also in the conversation for kickoffs along with sophomore Grant Ryerse.
- KFAN and the Big Ten Network will be on site, so that'll be a fun thing to observe for sports media purposes. Senior defensive end Winston DeLattiboudere is also hosting a school supply drive, so bring some notebooks, pens, pencils, etc., to donate.
