Stadium will have priority seating

By CHIP SCOGGINS, Star Tribune

Last update: February 6, 2008 - 8:08 PM

On the same day the University of Minnesota unveiled a video virtual tour of TCF Bank Stadium, school officials also announced that season ticket holders soon will receive information about priority seating in the new football stadium.

Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi said Wednesday that the school has established a "Gopher Points System" that will determine fan seating. Fans will receive information explaining the system in the mail at the end of the month.

"The point system is going to determine where people are going to sit in TCF Bank Stadium," Maturi said. "And in many ways, I hope it's going to determine whether you even have a right to have a ticket or not, because I'm hoping ticket sales will be so great that there will be a waiting list."

Maturi said fans will receive points based on a number of criteria, including the number of years they have held season tickets, donations to the stadium and/or university and whether they are letter winners, graduates or members of the alumni association.

Maturi said the number of tickets allotted for students will remain at around 10,000.

In other stadium updates, Maturi said workers will begin putting brick on the stadium in April and the structure should be enclosed by November.

The school has raised $75 million of the $86 million goal for the stadium, which will open in 2009.

QB competition

Four-star quarterback MarQueis Gray of Indianapolis is clearly the crown jewel of the 2008 recruiting class, and Gophers coach Tim Brewster talks about him in glowing terms. Brewster said it's too early to say whether Gray will redshirt next season, but he said he will not rush him, especially since the team has a proven returning starter in sophomore Adam Weber.

"[Gray] is a tremendously talented kid, but we can't put the cart before the horse," Brewster said. "We have to let him develop. When MarQueis is ready, he will play and not before then."

Brewster said he understands the hype and excitement surrounding Gray, especially from fans. But Brewster described Weber's freshman season -- in which he set a number of school records -- as "nothing short of phenomenal."

"Adam Weber knows that I have tremendous confidence in him," Brewster said. "He's tough, smart. I love the kid. I think his upside is huge. I think we're so fortunate to have that kind of talent."

Numbers game

The Gophers signed 31 players, but only 28 can enroll in the fall, according to NCAA rules. That means three players will either have to "grayshirt" or fail to qualify academically. Brewster said he doesn't anticipate any recruit will fail to qualify.

The Gophers found some room when Cooper offensive lineman Roszell Gayden announced he will grayshirt and enroll in the winter semester. Gayden would become part of the 2009 class.