The Gophers have big plans for tight end Brandon Lingen this season. They just need to make sure he's healthy enough to play first.
Lingen had shoulder surgery in April, after the spring game, and the Gophers have been waiting for doctors to clear him for contact during training camp.
The Gophers didn't list Lingen on the depth chart they released Tuesday, ahead of the Sept. 1 opener against Oregon State.
"It's been tough," Lingen said earlier this month. "As a competitor, I want to be out there."
Lingen is a team captain, an academic All-America and a preseason candidate for the John Mackey Award, given annually to the nation's top tight end.
He's only a junior, but if he can stay healthy, he looks ready to follow in the footsteps of former Gophers tight ends Maxx Williams, Matt Spaeth and Ben Utecht.
The 6-5, 250-pound Lingen started playing tight end for Wayzata, long before he had the bulk to go with the position.
"I just saw his frame as a sophomore, and I watched him on the basketball court," Wayzata coach Brad Anderson said. "He was one of those gritty basketball players, and you see guys like that who make good football players. They know how to get open, know how to catch the ball."