2015 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team

The 2015 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Jerry Kill, who resigned on October 28, 2015 for health reasons. Tracy Claeys^[1] replaced Kill on an interim basis and was named head coach two weeks later on November 11.^[2] The Gophers played their home games at TCF Bank Stadium. They were a member of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. Minnesota finished the regular season with a record of 5–7, 2–6 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for fifth place in the West Division. Despite finishing below .500, the Gophers were invited to the Quick Lane Bowl versus Central Michigan due to there not being enough bowl eligible teams and Minnesota's high Academic Performance Rating.^[3] Minnesota defeated Central Michigan 21–14 to finish the season 6–7.

2015 Minnesota Golden Gophers football
Quick Lane Bowl champion
Quick Lane Bowl, W 21–14 vs. Central Michigan
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	West Division
Record	6–7 (2–6 Big Ten)
Head coach	Jerry Kill (5th season; first 7 games) Tracy Claeys (remainder of season)
Offensive coordinator	Matt Limegrover (5th season)
Defensive coordinator	Tracy Claeys (5th season)
Captains	K. J. Maye (4th year) Mitch Leidner (4th year) Briean Boddy-Calhoun (3rd year) Eric Murray (4th year)
Home stadium	TCF Bank Stadium
Seasons ← 2014 2016 →

2015 Big Ten Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 6 Michigan State xy$^		7	–	1					12	–	2
No. 4 Ohio State x		7	–	1					12	–	1
No. 12 Michigan		6	–	2					10	–	3
Penn State		4	–	4					7	–	6
Indiana		2	–	6					6	–	7
Rutgers		1	–	7					4	–	8
Maryland		1	–	7					3	–	9
West Division
No. 9 Iowa xy		8	–	0					12	–	2
No. 23 Northwestern		6	–	2					10	–	3
No. 21 Wisconsin		6	–	2					10	–	3
Nebraska		3	–	5					6	–	7
Minnesota		2	–	6					6	–	7
Illinois		2	–	6					5	–	7
Purdue		1	–	7					2	–	10
Championship: Michigan State 16, Iowa 13
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

Recruiting

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Beebe, Colton FB	Kansas City, KS	Piper HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	248 lb (112 kg)	4.75	Dec 17, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 71
Brooks, Shannon RB	Jasper, GA	Pickens County HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	201 lb (91 kg)	4.56	Sep 11, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 73
Buford, Ray ATH	Southfield, MI	Southfield HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	193 lb (88 kg)	4.65	Jul 19, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 75
Connelly, Nick OL	Red Wing, MN	Red Wing HS	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	269 lb (122 kg)	5.04	Jun 24, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 72
Craighton, Alonzo DB	Geismar, LA	Dutchtown HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	184 lb (83 kg)	4.60	Oct 13, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 77
Croft, Demry QB	Rockford, IL	Boylan Catholic HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	4.66	Jun 30, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 73
DeLattiboudere, Winston DL	Ellicott City, MD	Howard HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	217 lb (98 kg)	4.78	Feb 1, 2015
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: NR
Dovich, Bronson OL	Chaska, MN	Chaska HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	N/A	May 30, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 74
Femi-Cole, Jonathan RB	Aurora, ON, CN	St. Andrew's College	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	218 lb (99 kg)	4.59	Jul 19, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 74
Hall, Mose DL	Mobile, AL	Murphy HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	253 lb (115 kg)	5.03	Jan 27, 2015
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 72
Hardin, Kiante ATH	Webb City, MO	Webb City HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	4.55	Oct 14, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 72
Huff, Jacob DB	Bolingbrook, IL	Bolingbrook HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	201 lb (91 kg)	4.65	Jun 5, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 76
Huff, Julian LB	Bolingbrook, IL	Bolingbrook HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	4.70	Jun 5, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 75
Johannesson, James RB	Fargo, ND	Fargo South HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	216 lb (98 kg)	4.55	Aug 22, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 73
Johnson, Dior DB	Southfield, MI	Southfield HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	N/A	Jan 28, 2015
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 75
Moore, Tyler OL	Houston, TX	North Shore HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	317 lb (144 kg)	N/A	Dec 16, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 77
Oseland, Quinn OL	Springfield, IL	Sacred Heart Griffin HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	303 lb (137 kg)	5.53	Aug 13, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 76
Register, Hunter WR	Lafayette, LA	Ovey Comeaux HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	191 lb (87 kg)	4.58	Jan 21, 2015
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 74
Rogers, Charlie DB	Iowa City, IA	Iowa Western CC (JC)	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	208 lb (94 kg)	4.47	Dec 3, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 78
Shenault, Antonio DB	Roselle, IL	Lake Park HS	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	4.61	Oct 9, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 72
Stieber, Ted OL	Akron, OH	Archbishop Hoban HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	298 lb (135 kg)	5.86	Jun 18, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 74
Still, Rashad WR	El Paso, TX	Andress HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	4.50	Jan 24, 2015
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 79
Waters, Jaylen LB	Copperas Cove, TX	Copperas Cove HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	4.63	Jul 21, 2014
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 77
Witham, Bryce TE	Grand Rapids, MI	West Catholic HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	4.68	Jan 26, 2015
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN grade: 73
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 56   Rivals: 52  247Sports: 63  ESPN: 62
‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Yahoo Sports: Rivals.com 2015 Minnesota Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 12, 2015. "Scout.com 2015 Minnesota Commitments". Scout.com. Retrieved April 12, 2015. "ESPN 2015 Minnesota Commitments". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 12, 2015. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved April 12, 2015. "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 12, 2015.

Schedule

Minnesota faced all six Big Ten West Division opponents: Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, and Wisconsin. The Gophers also faced Big Ten East Division opponents Michigan and Ohio State.^[4] Minnesota played four non-conference games: TCU of the Big 12 Conference, Colorado State of the Mountain West Conference, and Kent State and Ohio of the Mid-American Conference. Minnesota had one bye week during the season between their games against Nebraska and Michigan.

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 3	8:00 pm	No. 2 TCU*	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	ESPN	L 17–23	54,147	[5]
September 12	2:30 pm	at Colorado State*	Hughes Stadium Fort Collins, CO	CBSSN	W 23–20 OT	32,500	[6]
September 19	11:00 am	Kent State*	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	BTN	W 10–7	52,823	[7]
September 26	2:30 pm	Ohio*	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	BTN	W 27–24	53,917	[8]
October 3	11:00 am	at #16 Northwestern	Ryan Field Evanston, IL	BTN	L 0–27	30,044	[9]
October 10	2:30 pm	at Purdue	Ross–Ade Stadium West Lafayette, IN	ESPNU	W 41–13	33,780	[10]
October 17	2:30 pm	Nebraska	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN (rivalry)	ESPN2	L 25–48	54,062	[11]
October 31	6:00 pm	No. 15 Michigan	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN (Little Brown Jug)	ESPN	L 26–29	50,789	[12]
November 7	7:00 pm	at No. 1 Ohio State	Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	ABC	L 14–28	108,075	[13]
November 14	7:00 pm	at No. 8 Iowa	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA (rivalry)	BTN	L 35–40	70,585	[14]
November 21	11:00 am	Illinois	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN	ESPNews	W 32–23	47,976
November 28	2:30 pm	Wisconsin	TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, MN (rivalry)	BTN	L 21–31	52,850
December 28	4:00 pm	vs. Central Michigan*	Ford Field Detroit, MI (Quick Lane Bowl)	ESPN2	W 21–14	34,217
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Roster

2015 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 1 K. J. Maye (C) Sr WR 2 Isaiah Gentry  Fr QB 7 Mitch Leidner (C)  Jr WR 9 Eric Carter  So QB 11 Demry Croft Fr WR 12 Hunter Register Fr WR 14 Chris Streveler So WR 15 Desmond Gant  Fr QB 15 Conor Rhoda  So WR 16 Jeff Jones  Fr QB 18 Jacques Perra  Fr WR 19 Michael Conway  So WR 20 Adam Mayer Fr WR 21 Melvin Holland  Sr WR 22 Jeff Borchardt  So WR 23 E.J. Sardinha  Jr RB 24 Rodney Smith  Fr RB 27 Shannon Brooks Fr RB 27 James Johannesson Fr RB 28 Jonathan Femi-Cole Fr RB 28 Jerry Gibson  Fr WR 29 Louis Tuszynski  Jr RB 32 Berkley Edwards  So RB 35 Rodrick Williams Sr WR 37 Charlie Greif Fr FB 41 Miles Thomas Sr FB 43 Tyler Hartmann  Jr TE 44 Gabe Mezzenga  Jr RB 44 Jacob Kirsch  Jr TE 44 Colton Beebe Fr TE 45 Nick Hart  So TE 49 Bryce Witham Fr OL 53 Luke Rasmussen  Fr OL 55 Connor Mayes So OL 58 Quinn Oseland Fr OL 60 Matt Leidner  So OL 61 Bronson Dovich Fr OL 62 Jared Weyler  Fr OL 63 Jon Christenson  Sr OL 64 Matt Oldenkamp  Fr OL 65 Josh Campion  Sr OL 66 Ted Stieber Fr OL 67 Brian Bobek  Sr OL 68 Issac Hayes  Jr OL 70 Chad Fahning  So OL 71 Tyler Moore Fr OL 73 Joe Bjorklund  Sr OL 74 Nick Connelly Fr OL 75 Noah Kuehn Fr OL 76 Alex Mayes  So OL 77 Foster Bush  Sr OT 78 Ben Lauer  Jr OT 79 Jonah Pirsig  Jr TE 80 Nate Wozniak  So TE 81 Duke Anyanwu  So WR 82 Drew Wolitarsky Jr TE 83 Noah Scarver  So WR 84 Will Reger  Fr TE 85 Lincoln Plsek Sr TE 86 Brandon Lingen So WR 88 Rashad Still Fr WR 89 Matt Morse Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DB 2 Dior Johnson Fr DB 3 KiAnte Hardin Fr DB 4 Adekunle Ayinde  So DB 5 Jalen Myrick Jr DB 6 Ace Rogers  Jr DB 7 Damarius Travis Sr DB 8 Daletavious McGhee  So DL 9 Alex Keith Sr DB 11 Antonio Johnson Sr LB 12 Cody Poock  So LB 13 Jonathan Celestin So DB 14 Zo Craighton Fr LB 15 Everett Williams So DB 17 Jacob Huff Fr LB 18 Peter Westerhaus  Sr LB 19 Cedric Dicke  Jr DB 20 Julian Huff Fr DB 20 Christopher Gray Fr DB 22 Craig James So DB 25 Ray Buford Fr LB 26 De'Vondre Campbell  Sr DB 29 Briean Boddy-Calhoun (C)  Sr LB 30 Chris Wipson  So DB 31 Eric Murray (C) Sr DB 33 John McKelvey  Jr DB 34 Antonio Shenault Fr LB 35 Jaylen Waters Fr DB 36 Blake Cashman Fr DB 40 Alexander Starks  So DL 46 Winston DeLattiboudere Fr LB 48 Blake Weber So LB 50 Jack Lynn  Jr DL 52 Yoshoub Timms  Jr DE 55 Thieren Cockran  Sr LB 56 Nick Rallis  Jr LB 57 Joey Mydra Fr LB 59 Ray Dixon  So DL 69 Justin Carr  Jr DB 87 Cavonte Johnson  Jr DL 87 Gaelin Elmore So DL 90 Sam Renner Fr DE 91 Julien Kafo  Fr DL 92 Robert Ndondo-Lay  Sr DT 94 Mose Hall Fr DL 95 Hendrick Ekpe Jr DT 96 Steven Richardson So DL 97 Scott Ekpe  Jr DL 98 Kevin Lapham Fr DE 99 Andrew Stelter So	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 18 Ryan Santoso  So LS 25 Payton Jordahl  Fr K 33 Andrew Harte  So P 34 Logan McElfresh  Fr P 37 Peter Mortell  Sr K 38 Emmit Carpenter  Fr LS 39 Trey Hansen Fr LS 40 Chase Samuels Fr K 42 Justin Juenemann  So P 47 Jacob Herbers Fr	Head coach Jerry Kill (resigned) Tracy Claeys (defensive coordinator / interim head coach / head coach) Coordinators/assistant coaches Brian Anderson (wide receivers) Matt Limegrover (offensive coordinator) Dan O'Brien (asst. defensive backs / co-special teams coordinator / asst. to the head coach) Jeff Phelps (defensive line) Pat Poore (running backs / co-special teams coordinator) Rob Reeves (H-backs / tight ends) Jay Sawvel (defensive backs) Mike Sherels (linebackers) Jim Zebrowski (quarterbacks) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: December 31, 2015

Players into the NFL

See also: 2016 NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL club
4	106	Eric Murray	CB	Kansas City Chiefs
4	115	De'Vondre Campbell	LB	Atlanta Falcons
Undrafted	–	Briean Boddy-Calhoun	CB	Jacksonville Jaguars

References

1. Christensen, Joe (October 28, 2015). "Jerry Kill Retires As U football Coach Due to Health Problems". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
2. "Tracy Claeys named University of Minnesota football coach". Star Tribune. Retrieved November 29, 2015.
3. "Gophers could still be eligible for bowl berth". Fox Sports. Retrieved December 29, 2015.
4. "2015-2016 Schedule". University of Minnesota Department of Athletics. Archived from the original on March 26, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
5. Christensen, Joe (September 4, 2015). "Gophers Drop Their Chances to Knock off Horned Frogs". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
6. Christensen, Joe (September 13, 2015). "Gophers Need OT to Top Colorado State 23-20". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
7. Christensen, Joe (September 20, 2015). "Signals About QB Are Mixed After Gophers Sputter in Win Over Kent State". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
8. Christensen, Joe (September 27, 2015). "Gophers Score on Final Drive to Escape with Win Over Ohio". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
9. Arnold, Jeff (October 4, 2015). "Gophers Drop the Ball in Big Ten Opener". Post-Bulletin. Rochester, MN. Associated Press. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
10. Washburn, Jeff (October 13, 2015). "Purdue Seeking Answers at Season's Midway Point, Travel to Wisconsin Next". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Archived from the original on October 15, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
11. Christensen, Joe (October 18, 2015). "Nebraska Overpowers Gophers for 48-25 Victory". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
12. Christensen, Joe (October 31, 2015). "Gophers-Michigan Game Recap". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
13. Christensen, Joe (November 8, 2015). "Too Little, Too Late As Gophers Fall 28-14 to Ohio State". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
14. Christensen, Joe (November 15, 2015). "Iowa Keeps U Hog-Tied". Star Tribune. Minneapolis. Retrieved November 18, 2015.