Gophers football to host 2 practices open to fans before April 30 Spring Game

Maroon beat Gold 24-17 in the Gophers football Spring Game on Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium to win Goldy's Cup. ((credit: University of Minnesota Athletics))

The University of Minnesota football team announced Friday it will hold two spring practices open to the public before the team’s annual Spring Game at Huntington Bank Stadium.

The practices will be free to watch, and a location will be announced closer to the practice days depending on the weather. The Gophers will hold their first practice open to fans at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, April 5. The other practice open to fans will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 16.

The Gophers Spring Game remains scheduled for April 30, and will feature a Maroon team versus Gold team that will be drafted by players serving as team captains. Fans planning to attend the Spring Game should bring decorated oars that will be hung in the tunnel at Huntington Bank Stadium for players to see as they enter the field.

The football team is also using the Spring Game to hold its annual diaper drive, which has given more than 100,000 diapers to families in need. Fans bringing diapers should drop them off outside Huntington Bank Stadium near the Tribal Nations Plaza.

Minnesota is coming off a 9-4 season in 2021, in PJ Fleck’s fifth season with the Gophers. It ended with an 18-6 win over West Virginia in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl. The Gophers bring black a slew of veterans on both sides of the ball, and will be led by offensive standouts in quarterback Tanner Morgan, running back Mo Ibrahim, receiver Chris Autman-Bell and center John Michael Schmitz.