Hard to replace a 2nd round pick
The Gophers have been blessed with a run of NFL-caliber safeties from Antione Winfield Jr to Jordan Howden and then Tyler Nubin. Will there be a “next” great Gopher safety?
2023
Starter: Tyler Nubin, Darius Green
Depth: Coleman Bryson, Aiden Gousby
We knew this would be a strength of last year’s defense and Nubin came through with a fantastic senior season. He earned All-American honors along with being a 1st team All-Big Ten safety and eventually being drafted by the NY Giants. Very little needs to be said about Nubin’s career and final season.
Alongside Nubin, was a combination of Darius Green and Aiden Gousby. Green started 11 games, missing 2 to injury. Gousby played significant reps as well in the nine games he was healthy. Green
Bryson saw significant time but being stuck behind an All-American will limit your opportunity. When given reps, he has played well, but again…it was limited for obvious reasons.
2024
Starter: Bryson, Green
Depth: Kerry Brown, Gousby, Koi Perich
This should be the four or five names you will see this year. Bryson appears to be the most likely starter at free safety, replacing Nubin.
At strong-safety, it will be a combination of Green and Gousby a lot. As we went through the 2023 season, Gousby saw his playing time increase, particularly in passing situations. But I suspect you will see both of these guys throughout the game.
Brown, as a redshirt freshman, is going to be in the mix and will get some time.
And I know the name everyone is excited about is Perich. The highly ranked, Esko native who rejected offers from all of the major programs to stay with Minnesota. There is very good reason to be excited about Perich, but one should temper that enthusiasm for the 2024 season. After not enrolling until the summer, and just being a true freshman, I would expect that Perich will take some time to adjust to Big Ten football before he is allowed to roam the backend of the Gopher secondary. His time will come, but I would be surprised if he is making an impact this fall. Best case scenario is probably getting 4 games of reps while still retaining his redshirt status.
Upgrade/Downgrade
This unit is going to be a downgrade. I do not feel that we are replacing an NFL safety with another NFL safety. This one has a high bar, that is unlikely to be met.
The combination of Bryson with Green/Gousby is not obviously concerning. I think they will be fine with the opportunity to be good.