Spring football is right around the corner for the Gophers, starting March 1, but the team won't be quite as accessible to the public as it's been in the past.
Former coach Jerry Kill kept all 15 spring practice sessions open to the public his first four years at Minnesota. Last year, when the team began experimenting with a no-huddle offense, Kill closed the first two spring practices before keeping the rest open.
This year, new coach Tracy Claeys is keeping eight of the 15 spring practice sessions closed to the public, including the first four. This will give new offensive coordinator a chance Jay Johnson to begin installing his systems before the public (and media) gets access to watch March 10.
It's worth noting that many programs around the country close all their spring practices to the public until their spring games. The Gophers still have seven open sessions, including the April 9 spring game at TCF Bank Stadium.
Just like the past two years, the Gophers scheduled a chunk of their practices before spring break with another chunk afterward. The university has spring break March 14-18. Here's the Gophers spring practice schedule (subject to change):
March 1 -- Practice 1 (Closed to the public and media)
March 3 -- Practice 2 (Closed to the public and media)
March 5 -- Practice 3 (Closed to the public and media)
March 8 -- Practice 4 (Closed to the public and media)
March 10 -- Practice 5, Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex (Open to the public and media)Â
March 22 -- Practice 6 (Closed to the public and media)
March 24 -- Practice 7, Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex (Open to the public and media)
March 26 -- Practice 8, Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex (Open to the public and media)Â
March 29 -- Practice 9 (Closed to the public and media)
March 31 -- Practice 10, Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex (Open to the public and media)
April 2 -- Practice 11, Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex (Open to the public and media)Â
April 5 -- Practice 12 (Closed to the public and media)
April 7 -- Practice 13, Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex (Open to the public and media)Â
April 8 -- Practice 14 (Closed to the public and media)Â
April 9 -- Spring Game, TCF Bank Stadium
Megan Ryan is a sports reporter at the Star Tribune covering college sports, including Gophers football and hockey. Ryan covered Minnesota United FC during its first two years of existence. She previously spent two years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette covering Penn State football, Robert Morris basketball and high school sports. Email Megan to talk about the Gophers.
Gophers to face new Iowa quarterback Petras on Friday at TCF Bank Stadium
Another four-touchdown game gets U's Ibrahim player of week award
