Gophers receiver Chris Autman-Bell back for seventh season, hoping for a lucky one

The question came to Chris Autman-Bell in the form of a statement.

"Seven years is a long time," the reporter said.

"Ohhh, yeah," Autman-Bell said with a smile. "Ohhh, yeah."

The effervescent Gophers wide receiver — now 24 and in his seventh year at Minnesota — represented the program during Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis in July. He was equal parts friendly, fun-loving, thoughtful and steadfastly supportive of coach P.J. Fleck during a 45-minute interview session. His emphasis, though, was completing the comeback from a knee injury that ended his 2022 season in the third game and delayed his chance to chase an NFL career.

"This is my last year. I can't do an eighth or a ninth," Autman-Bell said. "College is done with me, and I'm done with college after this."

Autman-Bell will try to finish his Gophers career on a high note, and that begins Aug. 31 against Nebraska. Fleck has limited Autman-Bell's training camp reps, working him back toward full participation. At 90% to 95% recovered in the second week of camp, Autman-Bell is confident that he'll play against the Cornhuskers.

"It's all God's timing," he said. "Whatever God has in store for me, whatever time he has, I'm following that plan."

It's been a long journey full of ups and downs for Autman-Bell, who originally committed to Fleck at Western Michigan and followed the coach to Minnesota in 2017. He redshirted that first season, played all 13 games in 2018, broke out in 2019 with five touchdown catches, averaged nearly 20 yards per catch in the abbreviated 2020 season and led the team in receptions, receiving yards and TD catches in 2021.

Last year, the Kankakee, Ill., native began the season as one of the team's "Encore Four" of sixth-year seniors, along with Tanner Morgan, Mohamed Ibrahim and John Michael Schmitz. But then came the knee injury, prompting Autman-Bell to seek an injury waiver from the NCAA that enables him to play in 2023. Coupled with the COVID-19 waiver that all players received for the 2020 season, Autman-Bell is playing seven seasons the hard way.

'I wish I was out there'

That Autman-Bell is back with the Gophers instead of in an NFL training camp can be traced to last Sept. 17, when he tried to catch a pass thrown behind him against Colorado but landed awkwardly on his right leg. The anterior cruciate ligament tore, and the knee also had meniscus damage. Just like that, Autman-Bell's promising season ended — he had 11 catches for 214 yards and a touchdown in three games — and the road back through surgery and rehab began.

"The toughest days were when I would see my guys continue to do the things that they love," Autman-Bell said of the Gophers wide receivers. "I got football snatched from me by being hurt. … Not in a hating way, but I was like, 'Man, I wish I was out there with those guys.' "

When Autman-Bell has been out there, he's been effective. His 125 receptions rank 12th in program history, with his 1,970 receiving yards ninth and his 13 TD catches tied for 13th. He also has an active 41-game streak with at least one reception.

The biggest moment of Autman-Bell's career came in 2019. The Gophers went 11-2 that season and finished No. 10 in the final AP poll, but that doesn't happen if Autman-Bell doesn't make one of the most spectacular plays in recent team history.

With Minnesota trailing 28-21 and facing fourth-and-13 from the Fresno State 20-yard line, Autman-Bell snagged a pass from Morgan and just got his right foot in bounds in the corner of the end zone for a TD that tied the score with 46 seconds left in regulation. The Gophers won 38-35 in two overtimes.

"If he has a size-13 shoe, it's out of bounds," Fleck said. "Thank God he has a size-12 shoe."

The full college experience

Autman-Bell is tight with his coach and calls himself a "P.J. Fleckian." He's known Fleck since 2016 — in other words, a third of his life — and embraces the culture the coach has instilled in Gophers football.

"I have two degrees. I've done amazing community service work, and I became a man in seven years, all because of P.J. Fleck," said Autman-Bell, who has degrees in youth studies and retail merchandising. "So, whatever everyone else is saying about him, how they feel about him ... I will forever stand for him and his program and his culture."

Nicknamed "Crab" as a play on his initials, Autman-Bell has taken advantage of a few name, image and likeness opportunities. There's one more NIL role he'd like to have.

"If there's a seafood place listening or watching: Please, I would love to get a crab deal somewhere," he said, laughing.

Autman-Bell is particularly proud that he could please his mom through his academic accomplishments.

"My biggest thing is hearing my mom tell me, no matter how many touchdowns I score, no matter what I do in life, you have two degrees from one of the top universities in the world," he said. "To see the tears in my mom's face and to see her smile, it's awesome.

"… She's literally my superhero," he added. "Shoutout to Rosie Autman. You're the best mom in the world.''

Teammates speak of Autman-Bell in similar tones.

"He's a huge reason I came back," said tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford, who considered leaving for the NFL after the 2022 season. "He's one of my best friends."

With the opener against Nebraska quickly approaching, Autman-Bell allowed himself to both look forward and reflect.

"It's gonna feel crazy because I haven't played football in like a year," he said. "I was talking to Brev about this earlier. 'Bro, I don't remember last time I put a helmet on [for a game] because it's been so long.' I'm excited, man. I get to play ball one last time in the University of Minnesota Golden Gopher uniform."