Tanner Morgan, John Michael Schmitz and other Gophers football veterans eager for Year 6

John Michael Schmitz pointed to a small laundry locker in the Gibson Nagurski Football Complex with the No. 60 on it.

"That's mine, right there,'' the Gophers center said, identifying the spot he used during the 2017 season at the team's former indoor practice facility.

Tanner Morgan knew his locker was somewhere there, too. "I was locker 113,'' the quarterback said.

Schmitz and Morgan were visiting the old complex on Wednesday for media day photograph and interview sessions — and if it had a homecoming feel, that's because some reminiscing went along with looking forward.

The pair of sixth-year seniors and their teammates, headquartered since 2018 in the opulent David and Janis Larson Football Performance Center, aim to keep the program marching ahead under coach P.J. Fleck.

"To see how our culture has moved from that Year Zero, the dig year, to having guys that are on the team together is really cool,'' Morgan said.

Added Schmitz, "Honestly, it went by pretty quick. I've enjoyed every moment of it and learned a lot throughout all those years.''

The 2022 season opener against New Mexico State on Sept. 1 is seven weeks away, four weeks after training camp begins in early August. The Gophers seek to take that elusive next step of winning the Big Ten West Division championship and thereby advancing to the conference title game. It's a goal that slipped through the grasp of an 11-2 Gophers team in 2019 and last year's 9-4 squad.

"We're getting so close,'' said Schmitz, a preseason first-team All-America selection by Athlon Sports. "Winning that championship in the Big Ten, winning the Big Ten West and of course, going to the Rose Bowl, are visions we have with this program.''

Schmitz will anchor a Gophers offensive line that lost four starters, while Morgan will try to rediscover the form that saw him pass for school records of 3,253 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2019. Two other sixth-year seniors — running back Mohamed Ibrahim and wide receiver Chris Autman-Bell — join Morgan and Schmitz as keys for Minnesota's offense.

Ibrahim, the 2020 Big Ten Running Back of the Year, tore an Achilles' tendon in last year's season opener and missed the rest of the season. Autman-Bell, whose 12 career touchdown catches are 10 more than any other active Gopher, oozes confidence after a subpar 2021 season that convinced him to stay with the team rather than leave for the NFL draft.

"It was my plan, definitely, to move on, but God gave me a different plan,'' Autman-Bell said. "I came back for one more [season], taking it day by day.''

Ibrahim, who has rushed for an average of 103.6 yards per game and 5.5 yards per carry in his career, drew high praise from Autman-Bell.

"He's someone who's gonna shock the world again,'' he said. "A lot of people forget about who Mo Ibrahim is and what he's done.''

While the Gophers stress looking ahead rather than dwelling on the past, a glance back at last year's defense should make them smile. Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi's troops ranked third nationally in total defense (fewest yards per game allowed, 278.8) and tied for sixth in scoring defense (17.3 points allowed per game).

This year's version doesn't have the experience of a handful of sixth-year seniors, but players like fifth-year senior defensive end Thomas Rush (5.5 sacks last year) and sophomore cornerback Justin Walley, an All-True Freshman selection by 247Sports last year, give the Gophers defensive standouts who want more.

"Looking back on it now, I wasn't really as good as I thought I was,'' said Walley, who had 29 tackles, seven pass breakups and an interception in 2021. "There's a lot of things to develop.''

Added Rush, "It goes back to Coach Rossi's emphasis on doing your job, each guy's responsibility. That's what this defense is built on. We don't have an awful lot of four-stars; we don't have any five-stars. … That's what's going to give us the best chance to win the football game.''