With fall camp slated to open in just a few days, the 2024 college football season is right around the corner. In year two of the Luke Fickell era, Wisconsin has further revamped its roster but faces a daunting schedule littered with marquee matchups.

Throughout July, BadgerBlitz.com will break down each game on Wisconsin's slate. We'll wrap things up with Minnesota, a team that made a bowl game with a 5-7 regular season record last season.

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Minnesota is coming off a 6-7 campaign, its worst year — not counting the Covid-truncated 2020 season — since 2017. The Gophers went 3-6 in conference play and while there were some definite bright spots (freshman phenom running back Darius Taylor, breakout wide receiver Daniel Jackson, eventual day two NFL draft selection safety Tyler Nubin), this was a team that regressed after consecutive nine-win seasons.

Minnesota won the Quick Lane Bowl against Bowling Green, and pulled off a road upset over Iowa thanks in large part to Hawkeyes' punt returner Cooper DeJean's phantom fair catch, but didn't notch a true signature win. The Gophers got stomped by Michigan and Ohio State, and let conference bottom-feeder Purdue hang 49 points on them.

All in all, 2023 was a largely forgettable year for Minnesota. In order for them to have a bounce-back season, the Gophers will need to improve upon what was a lethargic offense and an underwhelming defense. That'll be easier said than done, as Minnesota faces a daunting schedule with Michigan, USC and Penn Sate all on the docket.

After an underwhelming first season as a full-time starter, Minnesota's 2023 starting quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis elected to transfer to Rutgers. The Gophers replaced him with an FCS transfer, Max Brosmer from New Hampshire. He's coming off an excellent season in which he tossed for 3,459 yards, 29 touchdowns and six interceptions. That, of course, was at the FCS level. The Big Ten — and its gauntlet of elite defenses — is another story. In many ways, the Gophers' hopes for this fall ride on Brosmer's game translating to the Big Ten.

There's optimism in Minneapolis that Brosmer represents an upgrade over Kaliakmanis. That later clearly had some talent but couldn't orchestrate an offense with any level of consistency, completing just 53 percent of his passes. Brosmer, meanwhile, saw his completion percentage steadily increase through four seasons at the FCS level. He doesn't have to be the most electrifying gunslinger Minnesota has ever seen, as the Gophers have some playmakers who can do some damage so long as Brosmer can consistently distribute them the ball.

The sophomore tailback Taylor is one of them. He exploded onto the scene as a true freshman last season, racking up 799 yards and five touchdowns on 5.8 yards-per-carry in just six games. He had several massive performances, including 198 rushing yards against Northwestern and 208 rushing yards against Bowling Green. Taylor missed time with an injury, but if he can stay healthy he's already one of the better ball-carriers in the Big Ten.

His understudies aren't to be trifled with either. Last season, Jordan Nubin made a name for himself as the Gophers' backup tailback when Taylor went down. He had a massive 204-yard, two-touchdown performance against Michigan State and continued to be a reasonably productive rusher as the season wore on. He's a physical back who gets north and south and runs with authority.

Apparently not satisfied with those two as a one-two punch in the backfield, Minnesota also landed Seih Bangura (Ohio) and Marcus Major (Oklahoma) by way of the portal. Bangura in particular is an intriguing addition, as over the past two seasons with Ohio he racked up 1,889 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns. This looks like one of the top backfields in the conference.

Another playmaker for Brosmer is wide receiver Daniel Jackson. Despite Kaliakmanis' inconsistency, the wideout managed to post a career year with 59 catches for 831 yards and eight scores. He's an experienced top option for Brosmer to target downfield.

The Gophers have an experienced offensive line as well, as they return three starters and a guard in Greg Johnson who played nearly 400 snaps last fall. At least on paper, Minnesota should be able to ride a dangerous backfield and efficient passing game to a much more effective offense than it deployed in 2023.

Minnesota's defense was middle-of-the-pack at best last season, but with 74 percent of its production on that side of the ball returning, per ESPN, there's hope that continuity will lead to improved play.

This unit is under new direction with coordinator Corey Hertheman, who spent the previous two years coaching linebackers at Rutgers. Prior to that, he had several stops as a defensive coordinator at the FCS ranks with James Madison, Maine and Pace College.

The Gophers return their top tackler, defensive back Jack Henderson. He accounted for 59 total tackles, one sack and two interceptions a season ago and returns as one of the leaders of this defense.

Minnesota must replace the aforementioned Nubin, the do-it-all, first-team All-Big Ten safety. That figures to be a group effort as Darius Green, Coleman Bryson and Aidan Gousby all return in the defensive backfield.

The defensive line could be the Gophers' strongest unit in 2024. They return Jah Joyner and Danny Striggow, who accounted for 7.5 and 6.0 sacks, respectively. With those two flanked by experienced returnees Deven Eastern and Jalen Logan-Redding, this figures to be a stout defensive line for Minnesota.

One of the areas this defense must improve is getting off the field. The Gophers were maddeningly unable to cut drives short in 2023, as they allowed opponents to convert 46 percent of their third down attempts. That was 11th-worst in the nation.

This defense should be just fine in 2023, but they're considerably less daunting than some of the other units the Badgers will face like Iowa, Penn State and Rutgers.

Wisconsin didn't get to face Taylor last season, although 'get to' may be the wrong phrase as it's far from a privilege. Of the six games the true freshman halfback played in last season, he ran for at least 138 yards in four of them. He's a very natural runner who displays great balance and vision, and always seems to fall forward for extra yards.

Wisconsin's rushing defense wasn't airtight but it wasn't abysmal last season. At times, it seemed the Badgers struggled more to contain mobile quarterbacks than dynamic halfbacks. For instance, Rutgers' star running back and the 2023 Big Ten rushing leader Kyle Monangai only managed eight carries for 16 yards in Madison last season. Still, Taylor presents a problem for all defenses and he's one if, if not the most important player on the Gophers' offense.

We spoke to Dylan Callaghan-Croley of GophersNation to get an inside scoop on Minnesota:

1. What needs to happen in order for the Gophers to have a bounce-back season in 2024?

If Minnesota is going to bounce back from its tough 2024 season it's going to have to be a pair of major improvements. The first is major improvement from the quarterback position. Last season, Athan Kaliakmanis struggled mightily at quarterback and the Gophers just couldn’t move the ball at any consistent pace through the air. The rushing attack this season has a chance to be amongst the best in the Big Ten but if the passing attack doesn’t take a step forward, it's going to be a tough season offensively at times for co-offensive coordinators Greg Harbaugh and Matt Simon.

Secondly, the defense will need to improve. The 2024 season was certainly a step back for the Gophers defense, one of their worst performances for a season under P.J. Fleck. This offseason, defensive coordinator Joe Rossi left the Gophers for Michigan State and in return, Fleck went out and hired Rutgers linebackers coach Corey Hetherman, who has a good track record at the FCS level as a defensive coordinator. The Gophers defense will need to vastly improve against the run as they allowed nearly 150 rushing yards a season ago.

2. Who among Minnesota's offensive playmakers is the most dangerous?

The most dangerous playmakers offensively is without a doubt running back Darius Taylor and wide receiver Daniel Jackson.

Taylor only appeared in six games last year, missing time with an injury but when on the field was phenomenal for the Gophers. In six games, he totaled 799 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He had three games in which he totaled over 190 rushing yards, including 208 yards in the Quick Lane Bowl against Bowling Green. Notably, against Power Five opponents last season in North Carolina and Northwestern, he totaled 138 and 198 yards, respectively.

Jackson experienced a breakout season last year despite Athan Kaliakmanis's passing struggles, bringing in 59 receptions for 831 yards and eight touchdowns. Now with a potential upgrade at quarterback with Max Brosmer, Jackson could be in for potentially an even bigger season in 2024.

3. What's the early Buzz on QB Max Brosmer?

The early buzz on Max Brosmer has been positive. The Gophers believe they have a quarterback that can run the offense exactly how they want him and he brings plenty of experience with him. It will be intriguing to see how he adjusts to playing Power Four defenses on a regular basis but the expectation is that at the very least, Brosmer should give the Gophers a quarterback with a reasonably high floor. Overall, may not put up huge passing numbers but he should be able to take the Gophers passing attack up a few levels as well.

4. Who or what is the biggest X-factor on this team?

The biggest x-factor on the Gophers is a good question. I think Taylor and Brosmer both fit the bill but to discuss another player, I’ll say defensive end/edge rusher Jah Joyner. Joyner was very good for the Gophers a year ago with 7.5 sacks but Minnesota defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere III believes that Joyner is only scratching the surface of his potential. The Connecticut native has an opportunity to be a very high NFL draft pick next spring if he continues his ascent and should be one of the best edge rushers in the Big Ten this season.

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