P.J. Fleck's risky gamble with the Gophers defense is starting to pay off

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P.J. Fleck and the Gophers were put in a tricky spot when defensive coordinator Corey Heatherman left for Miami (FL) late in the 2025 offseason. Fleck promoted longtime assistant Danny Collins into the DC role, and after his defense allowed an average of 27.4 points in his first 10 games against FBS competition, Collins appears to have found his groove.

Things began to improve in last year’s regular season finale against Wisconsin and the bowl game against New Mexico. This season, after struggling against Heisman Trophy candidate Kamario Taylor and Mississippi State, Minnesota’s defense has looked great against Akron and Washington.

Last 5 games against FBS opponents

  • Matchups: Wisconsin (home), New Mexico (bowl game), Mississippi State (home), Akron (home), Washington (away)
    • Points allowed per game: 20.4
    • Total yards allowed per game: 290.2
      • Rushing yards allowed per game: 108.4
      • Passing yards allowed per game: 181.8

There’s often a learning curve for first-time play callers. Going from being a position coach to coordinator is a huge jump in responsibility. Collins learned that firsthand when his defense allowed 35 or more points four times in his first season. Has Minnesota’s defense been dominant this season? No, but they’ve shown dramatic improvement compared to a year ago.

And the five-game numbers above include the 38-point, 479-yard clunker against Mississippi State.

It’s well documented that Minnesota doesn’t have the same resources to hire proven coordinators as some of its Big Ten peers. Collins worked his way up through Fleck’s staff, dating back to 2015 as a graduate assistant at Western Michigan, but promoting him when Fleck did was still a risky decision.

Collins turned 34 in May and had just four years of experience as a college football position coach before his promotion to defensive coordinator. Expecting immediate results might’ve been unrealistic. The Mississippi State loss was concerning, but that might’ve been nothing more than a bump in the road, and Kamario Taylor might actually be the best quarterback in the entire country.

Minnesota was great at home last season against Nebraska and Wisconsin, but their defensive performance in Week 4 at Washington might’ve been their best under Collins. They limited Huskies quarterback Demond Williams to just 239 passing yards, which was his fewest in a game this season. He was sacked seven times, which was the most since his first college start against Oregon on the road in 2024.

Williams is known as one of the most elusive quarterbacks in the country, and it wasn’t until late in the fourth quarter that he found his rhythm as a passer. Collins’ defense set the tone in the first half by limiting Washington 75 yards of total offense.

Minnesota allowed 38 points per game in five contests on the road last season, so Saturday, holding Washington to 24 points, was a big improvement.

The Gophers had an interesting offseason from a personnel standpoint when star safety Koi Perich, a player Collins recruited to Minnesota, transferred to Oregon. They were able to retain defensive stars Anthony Smith, Maverick Baranowski, and John Nestor. They have plenty of NFL-caliber talent on the defensive side of the ball, and they’re beginning to perform like it.

Is Minnesota’s defense perfect? Far from it. But the performance at Washington was another sign that Collins is improving as a game planner and defensive play caller. That’s something that couldn’t confidently be said at the beginning of last season.

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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Sep 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Gophers section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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