The 2014 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team represented the University of Minnesota in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by fourth-year head coach Jerry Kill and played their home games at TCF Bank Stadium. They were a member of the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 8–5, 5–3 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for second place in the West Division. They were invited to the Citrus Bowl where they lost to Missouri. It was their first New Year's Day bowl game appearance in 53 years, their previous was the 1962 Rose Bowl.

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2014 Minnesota Golden Gophers football
Citrus Bowl, L 17–33 vs. Missouri
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Division	West Division
Record	8–5 (5–3 Big Ten)
Head coach	Jerry Kill (4th season)
Offensive coordinator	Matt Limegrover (4th season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Tracy Claeys (4th season)
Captain	Mitch Leidner, Cedric Thompson
Home stadium	TCF Bank Stadium
Seasons ← 2013 2015 →

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Heading into their fourth off-season, Jerry Kill's coaching staff at Minnesota suffered their first departure as linebackers and assistant head coach Bill Miller accepted the linebackers coach position at Florida State.^[1] After a brief coaching search, the Gophers named Mike Sherels the new linebackers coach. Sherels had an extensive history with the University of Minnesota, playing middle linebacker for the team from 2003-2007 and then serving as a special assistant and then defensive graduate assistant under Jerry Kill from 2011-2013.^[2]

The Gophers also saw quarterback Philip Nelson leave the team, announcing his transfer to Rutgers University shortly after the conclusion of the 2013 season.^[3] During the off season, Nelson was charged with first-degree assault after allegedly kicking Isaac Kolstad in the head during a late-night scuffle in downtown Mankato, Minnesota. These charges led to Nelson's dismissal from the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football program on May 14, 2014.^[4]

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Melvin Holland WR	Ashburn, VA	Briar Woods HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	4.5	Jan 27, 2014
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:
Jeff Jones[5] RB	Minneapolis, MN	Washburn HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	4.7	Feb 2, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Connor Mayes[5] OL	Van Alstyne, TX	Van Alstyne HS	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	335 lb (152 kg)	5.4	Jun 17, 2013
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

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