One week from the start of spring practice, Gophers football coach Tracy Claeys answered some questions about his squad Tuesday. Here's a quick recap of the news:

* Offensive lineman Alex Mayes is retiring because of injuries. Mayes, the older brother of guard Connor Mayes, will remain on scholarship, but the team will get a medical waiver, allowing them to award a scholarship to another player.

* The Gophers will have two new position changes of note: Redshirt freshman Mose Hall is moving from defensive tackle to offensive tackle, where he'll have a quicker chance to get on the field. And Blake Cashman, from Eden Prairie, is switching from defensive back to linebacker after getting his weight up to 223 pounds.

* Walk-on defensive lineman Justin Carr has left the program to pursue more playing time elsewhere.

* Quarterback Mitch Leidner hopes to return from foot surgery during spring ball, but Claeys said he won't take chances. He said Leidner might be able to take part in pass shell drills. A big key for Leidner this spring will be learning offensive coordinator Jay Johnson's systems, and he'll get that through watching practice, film study and meetings.

* Junior college transfer Garrison Wright, an expected starter at guard, could move to tackle opposite Jonah Pirsig, depending how tackle competition shakes out, Claeys said. But Claeys did note how well redshirt freshman tackle Nick Connelly has looked in offseason workouts.

* The Gophers have switched their morning workout time from 6 a.m., to 7 a.m., allowing the players to get an extra hour of sleep. Claeys put a lot of thought into that after reading about how students learn better when classes start later.