MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — When Max Brosmer was at New Hampshire, spring practice was conducted before dawn and, sometimes, even in the aftermath of a snowstorm.
For the Wildcats to conduct those 6 a.m. workouts in the frigid air made colder still by the coastal winds, the field needed to be plowed first. With nowhere to put the piles but into the entrance, players had to lace up their cleats and climb 10-foot drifts to start the session.
“If we had the opportunity to go practice inside, we would’ve done it for sure, but it teaches you a lot of things, I think,” said Brosmer, who transferred to Minnesota this year. “Adding people from different backgrounds, it allows your team to see a perspective and ultimately grow tighter as a unit.”
In the FCS, indoor facilities are largely a wish, not a feature — just like the meals, tutors and array of other benefits of being in a power conference program. Joining the Gophers has given Brosmer, a sixth-year quarterback making the most of his lone Big Ten season, an immeasurable sense of gratitude alongside the fulfillment of his desire to compete at the highest level of college football.
Brosmer, who is seventh in the conference in pass efficiency rating and sixth in completion percentage, has thrown 14 touchdowns against only four interceptions and rushed for another four scores. His ability upon arrival to fully grasp the offense has pushed Minnesota into the rare air of calling more pass plays than run plays for the first time in 17 years.
He told coach P.J. Fleck and co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Greg Harbaugh during the recruiting process he wanted to be able to take full control of the offense on the field, and he has continually impressed the staff with how immersed and invested he is in the weekly game plans and film reviews.
“I’ve never had a relationship with a player like him where we can have this dialogue,” Harbaugh said.
Starting cornerbacks Jack Henderson, in his second season after transferring from Southeastern Louisiana, and Ethan Robinson, in his first season after coming from Bucknell, have given the Gophers an FCS presence in the secondary, too. Just as important as talent in the decision to offer them scholarships was attitude.
“I’m not saying it’s solely because of what we can afford, but it fits our resources and our ability to have grateful players in this university, our program and our locker room,” Fleck said. “They are really good players and good people, and I think it’s something we’ll continue to focus on.”
After Minnesota beat Rhode Island earlier this season, Rams coach Jim Fleming said Gophers assistants were actually trying to recruit some of his players on the field once the game ended, a tactic he told Fleck during their postgame handshake that he didn’t appreciate.
“I said, ‘Hey, I know I wouldn’t have done it,’” Fleming said in an interview with The Associated Press.
For typically middle-of-the-pack programs like Minnesota that can’t name their NIL price for the nation’s top recruits, whether straight from high school or via the transfer portal, the FCS might well be a hidden gem for filling depth charts or, occasionally, finding an impact player like Brosmer even if it requires a two-level leap.
Nebraska punter Brian Buschini was an FCS first team All-American with Montana in 2021. Michigan State starting left guard Luke Newman came from Holy Cross. Rutgers leading receiver Dymere Miller transferred from Monmouth. Wisconsin has two contributors on defense, John Pius (William & Mary) and Elijah Hills (Albany), plucked from the FCS, and a starting cornerback, Nyzier Fourqurean, who made a three-level jump from an NCAA Division II program, Grand Valley State.
“Sometimes you find those guys who are incredibly hungry as opposed to maybe somebody who’s moving laterally, and they’re moving laterally for a reason, whether they couldn’t get it done where they were, maybe didn’t have the work ethic to do it,” said Badgers coach Luke Fickell, who actively recruited the FCS ranks at his previous job at Cincinnati.
The other power conferences are open to it, too. Colorado coach Deion Sanders brought a bunch of talent with him from Jackson State, starting with two-way standout Travis Hunter. Oklahoma’s leading receiver, tight end Bauer Sharp, came from Southeastern Louisiana. Virginia’s second-leading receiver, tight end Tyler Neville, transferred from Harvard. California leading tackler Teddye Buchanan moved up from UC Davis.
Then there’s Pittsburgh running back Desmond Reid, who was picked by the AP at midseason as the most surprising player in the ACC, who followed offensive coordinator Kade Bell from Western Carolina.
Reid entered the week ranked fifth in the FBS in total yards from scrimmage. In a win over Cincinnati earlier this season, he became the first player in Panthers history to top 100 receiving yards and 100 rushing yards in the same game. One reason he was overlooked by the rest of the FBS? He’s listed at 5-foot-8.
“He just plays with a chip on his shoulder, and those are the guys I love to coach because they’re never satisfied. No matter how he plays, he’s always frustrated, like, ‘Oh man, I could have ran this ball better,’ or ‘Man, I could have hit this hole better,’” Bell said.
Bell didn’t have to persuade coach Pat Narduzzi to sign Reid. The film from his time with the Catamounts took care of that.
“There’s players everywhere,” Bell said. “It don’t matter what level you play at.”
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AP Sports Writers Will Graves and Steve Megargee and AP freelance writer Patrick Donnelly contributed.
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Dave Campbell, The Associated Press