Seth Green relishing his position changes with Gophers

Seth Green is the Gophers football team's resident nomad.

Ever since he joined, flipping his commitment from Oregon before enrolling in 2016, the Woodbury native has pilgrimaged from one position group to another. He stays just long enough to learn that unit's ways before moving on, never really finding a home.

The rootless existence isn't for everyone. But it seems to fit Green.

"I wouldn't call it a curse," Green said. "It helps me gain a lot of perspective, depending on what position I'm playing. Just knowing what the other position groups are going through or thinking in the plays is something that I feel helps me as a player, knowing how the whole picture works."

The redshirt junior was a quarterback at East Ridge and then one season at Texas powerhouse Allen in high school. The coveted four-star recruit garnered offers from programs such as Texas as a dual-threat player. But he redshirted his first year with the Gophers before playing in only one game as a backup in his freshman season.

Before spring practice last season, Gophers coach P.J. Fleck sat Green down for a tough conversation: He wouldn't be a quarterback anymore, instead moving to tight end.

At 6-4 and 240 pounds, he fits the mold for that position. And he spent all spring and half of training camp a year ago embedding himself into that group. Yet in the season opener against New Mexico State, it wasn't his blocking or pass-catching that drew attention.

One of his best games last season came against Purdue, the Gophers' Saturday opponent. Green rushed eight times for 30 yards and a score and also threw an 11-yard touchdown pass.

Green said he appreciated the wildcat opportunity because it meant his coaches and teammates trusted him in short-yardage, game-critical situations. Preparing for those moments was partly hereditary: His father, Bryan, was a running back for the Gophers and taught his son how to run the ball early. Part of it came from extra work, such as film meetings with coaches and picking the Gophers' running backs' brains for their insight.

And then it was semi-instinctive from his prep quarterback days. Green said even as a dual-threat, he wasn't a scrambler, instead making most of his yards through high school and his first years on the Gophers on designed runs.

He's now in the receivers room, but it seems as if Green might be up for another reinvention. The Gophers have used the wildcat formation some this year, enough for Green to score two touchdowns on six attempts with negative yardage, but Fleck doesn't seem as reliant on it.

Fleck said he implemented it last year because of the running back situation. Shannon Brooks and Rodney Smith sat out most of the season because of injuries, and the two backups were freshmen. Now the running backs are completely healthy, so using Green at wildcat becomes more of a strategic play than a necessity.