QB options
Vic Viramontes' departure leaves the Gophers thin at quarterback, and they have no QB who has taken a collegiate snap.
Battling for the starting job
Tanner Morgan, redshirt freshman, and Zack Annexstad, true freshman
• Morgan would appear to be the front-runner for the starting job after a solid spring that included an 18-for-28, 272-yard, two-touchdown performance in the spring game. The 6-2, 205-pounder from Union, Ky., has an edge in the fact that he's had full year in the Gophers offense.
• Annexstad is a preferred walk-on from IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., who hails from Norseland, Minn. The 6-3, 215-pounder turned down scholarship offers from Cincinnati, Illinois and Pittsburgh, among others, and his quick ascension as an early enrollee moved him ahead of Viramontes. Annexstad went 11-for-18 for 186 yards and a TD in the spring game.
