Conor Rhoda was named the starting quarterback for the Gophers on Monday, but if he struggles or goes down with an injury on Saturday against Middle Tennessee State, head coach P.J. Fleck won’t be able to call on Demry Croft as the backup.
Fleck announced Tuesday that Croft will be away from the team for personal reasons.
“He is dealing with some personal issues that are way, way more important than football, so it’s my job as a head football coach to get him what he needs,” Fleck said, according to the Pioneer Press. “We are going to help him any way we can. I’m not going to get into that, in respect to his privacy and his personal life.”
Personal reasons and Fleck’s next comment don’t always go together, which is why there’s plenty of speculation as to why Croft will be away from the team.
“If you do not do the right thing academically, athletically, socially and spiritually, and you do not uphold the high, high expectations of our culture on and off the field, you will not play. And it does not matter who you are,” Fleck said.
With Croft out, Seth Green will be the backup quarterback.
Green was a 4- or- 5-star recruit, depending the scouting service at East Ridge High School in the Twin Cities who originally committed to Oregon, but he was downgraded after moving to Texas for his senior year and serving as the backup at a Texas powerhouse.
Green has not seen the field as a Gopher. He’s still only 19 years old and in his sophomore season at the U.
