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Photo by: Brad Rempel
Q&A: Tanner Morgan
10/23/2020 2:31:00 PM | Football
Heading into his redshirt junior season in 2020, quarterback Tanner Morgan has already proved himself as one of the nation’s premier signal callers.
Heading into his redshirt junior season in 2020, quarterback Tanner Morgan has already proved himself as one of the nation's premier signal callers. Last year, the Union, Ky., native set single-season program records for passing yards (3,253) and touchdowns (30) while powering Minnesota to its most wins (11) since 1904, including a signature victory against No. 9 Auburn in the Outback Bowl.
As the Gophers look to build upon their historic 2020 season, Morgan will once again lead a powerful Minnesota offense that features some of the top weapons in the country. Wide receivers Rashod Bateman and Chris Autman-Bell figure to provide plenty of options for Morgan in the passing game, while Mohamed Ibrahim is poised to spearhead the ground attack that also features wildcat quarterback Seth Green.
With the 2020 season-opener against Michigan just days away, GopherSports sat down with Morgan to preview the opening week of action and more.
GopherSports: This offseason was unlike any other. How did you stay focused and ensure you got adequate work in to take yet another step forward this season?
Tanner Morgan: Our coaches did an elite job of making sure we were ready and that we had everything we could to be prepared, especially in this untraditional year. Really, it's a hats-off to them to be able to help us be ready throughout all these weird and different times.
GS: What has been Coach Fleck's message to the team during this unique training camp?
TM: Coach Fleck has really been talking to us about how about how 'now' matters – each and every day matters – and really how we have to do things for each other. Sacrifice is love, so we have to sacrifice for each other in a lot of ways. Making sure that we follow the correct protocols and all that kind of stuff to make sure that our team has the best chance come October 24.
GS: What was your reaction when you found out Rashod Bateman was officially cleared to compete this year?
TM: That was an elite day for sure. Rashod is obviously a huge part of our offense, but really it's huge for our team just from the aspect of his leadership and what he means to our program. From that perspective, because he does a lot of things for the guys in the program – for the guys in the locker room – and it's for us. I think having him back in the locker room, obviously, is a huge, huge plus.
GS: Opening with a ranked, conference home game against Michigan, what are the keys for the Gopher offense to hit the ground running?
TM: First and foremost, we have to prepare for Michigan's defense and be ready for the things that they do. Secondly, it comes down to just executing our details, our plays and doing it for each other on each and every play. Bringing the HOW and the Nekton mentality that we need to. But just doing things for each other and really being ready.
GS: What do you think about the Little Brown Jug?
TM: I love it. It's exciting to have an opportunity to play for it. That's one thing, one of the many great things about playing at the University of Minnesota, there's a lot of meaningful rivalry games that you get to play in, this being one of them with the history that goes with it. We're really excited to have an opportunity to play for the Little Brown Jug against a really good football team.
GS: What is the most unusual quarantine hobby any of your teammates picked up?
TM: I've seen our guys make some TikToks. Those have been pretty good to watch. I think we all have enjoyed those. The guys that got into TikTok obviously blew up during quarantine, so that was pretty fun. Benny Sapp and Benjamin St-Juste, they're pretty good at it. They have talent for sure.
GS: What are your goals to follow that up your record-setting sophomore season?
TM: To be honest, I don't really have any goals personally. Really, it's about each Saturday doing everything I can to help my team come out victorious and to win football games. Lead our offense and our team in the best way that I can and the rest really will take care of itself. It's not about how many yards or personal stats. It's about doing everything I can to help the team succeed. That's really what's important and what I'm looking forward to.
GS: Which Coach Fleck/Red Savoy Pizza commercial is your favorite and why?
TM: I think the one where he's talking to the dude on the couch in his PJs. Seeing Coach all decked out in his coaching attire and getting the guy motivated is phenomenal. We were all big fans of those. It was very accurate. I think he's got a future in commercials.
GS: What's the best thing to eat in your home state of Kentucky?
TM: This is going to sound very Kentucky, but either my Nana's full-throttle Thanksgiving meal that she would make if we went down there – she would spend hours cooking and put out the whole spread – or my grandma's fried chicken. Home-made fried chicken and apple pie. Which I know sounds very Kentucky, but it's absolutely delicious. Skyline is fire, too. If we're talking restaurants.
GS: If you had to be one teammate for a day, who would it be?
RB: Mohamed or Rashod. I think both of those guys are great people and super funny, too. I think it'd be cool to have to be one of those guys for a day.
GS: Who are you looking forward to playing the most in 2020?
TM: Michigan in week one. That's really all we're concerned about. We're excited for that opportunity, so I would say Michigan.
GS: What's the best piece of advice your cousin, Tim Couch, has ever given you?
TM: One of the biggest things I've gotten from Tim is really how you can defy all the odds. All my family is from Leslie County, Kentucky – some very, very small towns in eastern Kentucky. He wasn't supposed to be the number one overall draft pick, but he was. And he did a lot of things that people from that part of Kentucky, people really write off that you can do. Recently, talking to him, one of the things that I took from him is just be who you are. Don't try to be anything other than yourself and do everything you can to be your best every day.
GS: What are your overall expectations for the Gophers this season?
TM: It comes down to how we do things together and doing things the right way. Our definition of success is all about the peace of mind you get from knowing you did everything you could to be the best on a daily basis. That's what success is for us.
As the Gophers look to build upon their historic 2020 season, Morgan will once again lead a powerful Minnesota offense that features some of the top weapons in the country. Wide receivers Rashod Bateman and Chris Autman-Bell figure to provide plenty of options for Morgan in the passing game, while Mohamed Ibrahim is poised to spearhead the ground attack that also features wildcat quarterback Seth Green.
With the 2020 season-opener against Michigan just days away, GopherSports sat down with Morgan to preview the opening week of action and more.
GopherSports: This offseason was unlike any other. How did you stay focused and ensure you got adequate work in to take yet another step forward this season?
Tanner Morgan: Our coaches did an elite job of making sure we were ready and that we had everything we could to be prepared, especially in this untraditional year. Really, it's a hats-off to them to be able to help us be ready throughout all these weird and different times.
GS: What has been Coach Fleck's message to the team during this unique training camp?
TM: Coach Fleck has really been talking to us about how about how 'now' matters – each and every day matters – and really how we have to do things for each other. Sacrifice is love, so we have to sacrifice for each other in a lot of ways. Making sure that we follow the correct protocols and all that kind of stuff to make sure that our team has the best chance come October 24.
GS: What was your reaction when you found out Rashod Bateman was officially cleared to compete this year?
TM: That was an elite day for sure. Rashod is obviously a huge part of our offense, but really it's huge for our team just from the aspect of his leadership and what he means to our program. From that perspective, because he does a lot of things for the guys in the program – for the guys in the locker room – and it's for us. I think having him back in the locker room, obviously, is a huge, huge plus.
GS: Opening with a ranked, conference home game against Michigan, what are the keys for the Gopher offense to hit the ground running?
TM: First and foremost, we have to prepare for Michigan's defense and be ready for the things that they do. Secondly, it comes down to just executing our details, our plays and doing it for each other on each and every play. Bringing the HOW and the Nekton mentality that we need to. But just doing things for each other and really being ready.
GS: What do you think about the Little Brown Jug?
TM: I love it. It's exciting to have an opportunity to play for it. That's one thing, one of the many great things about playing at the University of Minnesota, there's a lot of meaningful rivalry games that you get to play in, this being one of them with the history that goes with it. We're really excited to have an opportunity to play for the Little Brown Jug against a really good football team.
GS: What is the most unusual quarantine hobby any of your teammates picked up?
TM: I've seen our guys make some TikToks. Those have been pretty good to watch. I think we all have enjoyed those. The guys that got into TikTok obviously blew up during quarantine, so that was pretty fun. Benny Sapp and Benjamin St-Juste, they're pretty good at it. They have talent for sure.
GS: What are your goals to follow that up your record-setting sophomore season?
TM: To be honest, I don't really have any goals personally. Really, it's about each Saturday doing everything I can to help my team come out victorious and to win football games. Lead our offense and our team in the best way that I can and the rest really will take care of itself. It's not about how many yards or personal stats. It's about doing everything I can to help the team succeed. That's really what's important and what I'm looking forward to.
GS: Which Coach Fleck/Red Savoy Pizza commercial is your favorite and why?
TM: I think the one where he's talking to the dude on the couch in his PJs. Seeing Coach all decked out in his coaching attire and getting the guy motivated is phenomenal. We were all big fans of those. It was very accurate. I think he's got a future in commercials.
GS: What's the best thing to eat in your home state of Kentucky?
TM: This is going to sound very Kentucky, but either my Nana's full-throttle Thanksgiving meal that she would make if we went down there – she would spend hours cooking and put out the whole spread – or my grandma's fried chicken. Home-made fried chicken and apple pie. Which I know sounds very Kentucky, but it's absolutely delicious. Skyline is fire, too. If we're talking restaurants.
GS: If you had to be one teammate for a day, who would it be?
RB: Mohamed or Rashod. I think both of those guys are great people and super funny, too. I think it'd be cool to have to be one of those guys for a day.
GS: Who are you looking forward to playing the most in 2020?
TM: Michigan in week one. That's really all we're concerned about. We're excited for that opportunity, so I would say Michigan.
GS: What's the best piece of advice your cousin, Tim Couch, has ever given you?
TM: One of the biggest things I've gotten from Tim is really how you can defy all the odds. All my family is from Leslie County, Kentucky – some very, very small towns in eastern Kentucky. He wasn't supposed to be the number one overall draft pick, but he was. And he did a lot of things that people from that part of Kentucky, people really write off that you can do. Recently, talking to him, one of the things that I took from him is just be who you are. Don't try to be anything other than yourself and do everything you can to be your best every day.
GS: What are your overall expectations for the Gophers this season?
TM: It comes down to how we do things together and doing things the right way. Our definition of success is all about the peace of mind you get from knowing you did everything you could to be the best on a daily basis. That's what success is for us.
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