By Todd Barin
Murphy News Service

Just 42 days after playing in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl, Coach Jerry Kill and his staff already have a practice schedule set in place.

The Gophers have announced on their Twitter account that spring practice will begin on March 3 and will conclude with a spring game at TCF Bank Stadium on April 11.

Similar to last year’s spring practice schedule, the Golden Gophers are only taking two months off before they ramp practice up again. Just two seasons ago, the schedule looked a lot different, with spring practice not starting until March 26, and the spring game not taking place until April 27.

“The reason we like to have spring practice earlier is in case a player gets hurt,” Ed Lochrie, Head Football Trainer said. “If a player sustains an ACL injury early on in practice, you’re looking at almost a six-month recovery window before the season even starts. If a player breaks his foot or hurts his shoulder, it allows them to recover in time for the start of the season.”

The Gophers come into the spring having lost three dominant players from last season. TE Maxx Williams, predicted to be a first-round pick in the NFL draft; RB David Cobb, predicted to be a third-round pick in the draft; and MLB Damien Wilson who led the team in tackles last season with 119, the most by a player since 2011.

Filling positional needs is a top priority for the Gophers coming into spring practice, but another challenge is getting the newly recruited players acclimated to the college game.

“The best 1 percent of high school football players play Division I,” Lochrie said. “It’s the same case for college freshmen as it is for rookies on the professional level, the size and speed of the players is a big step for new players to get accustomed to.”

Reporter Todd Barin is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.