Quarterbacks typically show improvement in their third season under Minnesota head coach Jerry Kill, and Mitch Leidner showed signs of progress in the Gophers’ Citrus Bowl loss to Missouri in January. The junior set career-highs for completions (21), attempts (31) and passing yards (258) in that game, including 14 straight completions.
Leidner has drawn comparisons to Chandler Harnish, who was the quarterback at Northern Illinois at the end of the Kill’s tenure there. Harnish improved his numbers from his sophomore to junior seasons, most notably passing yards (1,670 to 2,530), passing touchdowns (11 to 21) and passer rating (137.