In the spirit of Opening Day, let's draw a quick analogy between the Gophers football team and the Twins. Both fan bases have been hearing about help on the horizon. With the Twins, it's Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Alex Meyer, etc.
With the Gophers, it's the trio of redshirt freshmen receivers: Isaiah Gentry, Melvin Holland Jr., and Desmond Gant. All three look promising. Gentry is 6-4, 205 pounds. Holland is 6-3, 196. Gant is 6-3, 214. All three have made plays this spring. But it's unclear how much, if any, they'll be able to do in the spring game.
So it's worth remembering the other returning receivers. KJ Maye (16 catches for 298 yards) is back for his senior year and clearly a leader now. Drew Wolitarsky (10-106), a junior, is back to full health. Then there's Eric Carter. The 5-11, 189-pound Florida native managed just one catch last season as a redshirt freshman, but he's taken a step in his development this spring.
The Gophers are using Jeff Jones as a slot receiver in addition to tailback. Add it up, and there should be plenty of intriguing receiving options to watch at the spring game.
Gridiron Gold: startribune.com/gophers
