Gophers redshirt freshman quarterback Jacob Knuth leaves team

The Gophers football team had its 10^th spring practice on Tuesday at Huntington Bank Stadium, and it featured a different look in the depth at quarterback.

Athan Kaliakmanis still ran with the first team and Cole Kramer with the second, while early enrollee freshman Drew Viotto led the third-stringers. Missing was redshirt freshman Jacob Knuth, and after practice coach P.J. Fleck confirmed that Knuth no longer is with the program.

Fleck's practice is to not comment on players who've left the program, but in general terms he said, "You can see in 2023, rosters change incredibly fast, and the depth charts change incredibly fast. And transparency comes into play. As a coach, you're very transparent and players get to make their decisions on their own."

Knuth, of Harrisburg, S.D., spent the 2022 season as a redshirt. A consensus three-star recruit, he passed for 2,413 yards and 26 touchdowns and rushed for 527 yards and 14 TDs as Harrisburg went 12-0 and won the Class 11AAA state championship.

Viotto has impressed during spring practice after a standout prep career for Walled Lake (Mich.) Western. He passed for 1,875 yards and 16 TDs as a senior after passing for 1,944 yards and 22 TDs the year before.

While one Dakotan — Knuth — left the program, the Gophers added another Dakotan to their 2024 recruiting class.

Riley Sunram, a defensive lineman from Kindred, N.D., gave a verbal commitment to the Gophers on Tuesday night.

Sunram, 6-4 and 265 pounds, is the top-ranked player from North Dakota in the 2024 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports composite of major recruiting services. He's also rated as the 27^th-best defensive lineman nationally in the 247Sports composite.

Sunram has received scholarship offers from nine FBS programs, including Power Five schools Duke, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Miami (Fla.), Missouri and Nebraska.

The Gophers scrimmaged on Saturday, which Fleck said went really well. Tuesday, however, Fleck stopped practice on a couple occasions to hammer home his points with some choice words. He was especially irked by back-to-back delay-of-game penalties on the second-team offense.

"They handled a lot of it really well,'' he said. "And there were times that, obviously, we've got to keep getting better. That's what spring is for.''

Fleck wants his team to practice with a sense of urgency and saw the mistakes as a teaching opportunity.

"When you have accountability to your teammates, you've got to perform,'' he said. "We're 10 practices in, and getting lined up, shifts, motions, making plays when they create themselves. Those are opportunities, and opportunities don't come forever.''

Fleck said the spring game — slated for 11 a.m. April 22 at Huntington Bank Stadium — might not have a traditional Maroon vs. Gold format, with an eye on keeping his team healthy and building depth.

"Will it be like it was in the past, when people pick Maroon or Gold and people pick separate teams? No, but there will be a game and it will be done a little bit different,'' he said. "… There are going to be some guys who you think would play who won't play. I've got to look at the depth of the football team, and I've got to look at each situation.''

Running backs Darius Taylor and Zach Evans did not practice Tuesday, and Fleck said "they're dealing with a few minor things'' injury-wise. That left the running back group thin, with Western Michigan transfer Sean Tyler and senior Bryce Williams relied upon heavily.

"We've gotta get some of them healthy,'' Fleck said. "Sean Tyler's doing a really good job of carrying the load. I really like how Jordan Nubin is coming along. … Every day counts in the spring. That's what's really tough about it.''