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The Minnesota Daily


Serving the UMN community since 1900

The Minnesota Daily

Serving the UMN community since 1900

The Minnesota Daily

Tanner Morgan drafted ninth overall to USFL’s Michigan Panthers

The five-year starting quarterback for the Minnesota Gophers will join the Panthers’ roster for the franchise’s second season.
Image by Kamaan Richards
Quarterback Tanner Morgan winds up for a pass at Huntington Bank Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019. The Gophers defeated Georgia Southern 35-32.
by Theo Franz
Published February 22, 2023

Former Gophers starting quarterback Tanner Morgan was drafted in the second round of the USFL Draft on Tuesday by the Michigan Panthers. Morgan was the ninth player to be taken off the board in this year’s draft and was the Panthers’ second selection of the day.

The 23-year-old passer orchestrated a prolific collegiate career at Minnesota, accumulating numerous school records including, but not limited to, most single-season passing yards (3,253), highest career completion percentage (62.2) and most games won as a starting quarterback (33).

Morgan will team up with NFL coaching journeyman Mike Nolan as the Panthers’ head coach along with Indiana wide receiver Whop Philyor, Northwestern linebacker Paddy Fisher and several other players from the Big Ten.

The Panthers will play their first home games at Ford Field in Detroit after being stationed in Birmingham, Alabama, throughout the league’s inaugural season. In that season, they finished with a 2-8 record and defeated the Pittsburgh Maulers in their last game to earn the right to pick first for the 2023 draft.

The Panthers are scheduled to open the season with a nationally broadcasted matchup against the Houston Gamblers on April 16.

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