By Jordan Hansen
For the third season in a row, Mitch Leidner has been sent to the Big Ten media days and represented Minnesota.
As the quarterback, it’s not only his job to lead the team, but be the face of the program as well. He has started 29 games over the last three years. Some have been good, some have been awful, and he has been a fairly consistent target of both criticism and praise.
“People recognize him more than they do me,” Gopher head coach Tracey Claeys said. “It’s easy to follow a kid like that, who every time he steps on the football field, gives it his best and all he wants is a win for the University of Minnesota.”
Leidner has been injured more than once over the past few seasons. Last season, he had minor foot surgery in between the regular season finale and Minnesota’s bowl game.
“The biggest challenge for me is just being healthy,” Leidner said. “It’s something I’ve wanted since I’ve been here, and this will be the first time in the last two years I’ll be going into the season healthy.”
“Toughness” is a cliché in college football, but it’s more than impressive that he was able to complete 24-of-30 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown in the bowl win over Central Michigan.
Those kinds of moments, however, don’t quickly fade in his teammates mind. When asked how he showcases his control over Minnesota, his teammates were quick to answer.
“The way he carries himself. He always carries himself the right way. He knows when to speak up. He knows when to let guys do their thing,” linebacker Jack Lynn said. “It’s just those little things.”
At 6-4 and 237 pounds, Leidner is an imposing player who commands a certain type of presence. It’s no wonder he’s so beloved by his teammates.
Though to be fair, the way he plays demands a bit of respect on its own. Despite his injury woes, he still looks for contact and doesn’t hesitate to run if the situation calls for it.
Rushing for 270 yards and 6 touchdowns last year, there’s enough ability in his legs to call him a dual-threat quarterback. However, it’s often his passing that is most criticized.
Leidner threw for 14 touchdowns last year but also had a number of bad passes, 11 of which resulted in interceptions. His completion percentage last year (59.5) was also subpar, ranking right in the middle of the conference.
That said, there was obvious improvement from the 2014 season, in which Leidner completed just 51.5 percent of his passes for 1,798 yards. His rushing yards were up that season, but it seems there has been a concentrated effort to use his arm more.
Leidner could and probably will once again improve his numbers, though he’ll have to do it without last year’s leading wide receiver, K.J. Maye. Standout freshman running backs Shannon Brooks and Rodney Smith should help take some of the pressure off, as should a fairly veteran receiving corp.
Claeys seems to want to keep things based around Leidner’s strengths, judging from some of his comments during media days. The overall vibe was “keep it simple” which should bode well for new offensive coordinator Jay Johnson, who sounds like he has the veteran quarterback’s approval already.
“You always want to be able to take your quarterback’s strengths and work around them,” Leidner said. “I think our new offensive coordinator — Coach [Jay] Johnson — has a good feel for my strengths.”
