Will this be a bounceback year for the Gopher linebackers?
Well this unit was a disaster last year, largely due to injuries. Can the Gopher linebackers bounce back in 2024?
2023
Starter: Cody Lindenberg, Devon Williams, Jack Henderson (nickel/LB)
Depth: Maverick Baranowski, Ryan Selig, Tyler Stolsky
Lindenberg was the presumed starter but he missed, most of the season with an injury, meaning Baranowski was effectively the starting linebacker along with Williams. And this is the real story of the 2023 Gopher linebackers.
When healthy, Lindenberg is very good. He started the final 6 games of his sophomore season and ended with 71 tackles. Heading into the 2023 season he was a lock to start and be one of the leaders of the Gopher defense. But he missed 9 games and finished with just 31 tackles. Certainly not the season he, or the Gopher defensive staff, had hoped for.
But when one player goes down, there’s an opportunity for another to step up and that was redshirt freshman Baranowski. The kid should have been recruited based on his name alone, but the Florida kid was only getting offers from Kent State, Eastern Kentucky and a couple of service academies. The 2023 season was a learning curve for Baranowski but ultimately he stepped in nicely for Lindenberg, he finished 4th on the team with 52 tackles and 5 TFLs in 10 games.
The other starting linebacker was Williams who quietly had a really nice season, starting all 12 regular season games. Like Baranowski, getting his first season of significant playing time was an adjustment.
Ryan Selig, a Western Michigan transfer, was thrown into action as well. He started 5 games, played in all 13. Stolsky, a walk-on redshirt freshman, ended up starting 2 games and did his best.
It was going to be an interesting unit, even with Lindenberg expected to play all season, but this group ended up being a mess. A learning experience, if I’m putting a positive spin on it.
2024
Starter: Lindenberg, Baranowski, Williams, Henderson (nickel)
Depth: Stolsky, Joey Gerlach
With a year of valuable experience under their collective belts, will this group be a stronger unit for the Gopher defense? Clearly, that will largely depend on remaining healthy.
Lindenberg returns and he is an extremely talented player. If fully healthy, he is one of the best defenders on this team and an impact player.
Then I think you will see a lot of Baranowski and Williams playing alongside Lindenberg. Both will have benefited from being thrown into the fire last year and both should be more consistent and productive.
Henderson needs to get some attention here with the linebackers, but I will discuss him more when I write about the secondary. He started seven games last year after transferring in from SE Louisiana and all he did was lead the team in tackles. Primarily used as an early-down nickel playing what was essentially a hybrid S/LB role.
Upgrade/Downgrade
This unit comes down to two things. Health and coaching. There is little depth here and the Gophers need 2 of those top 3 guys to be active for all 12 games. But this is also a new position coach (and coordinator) leading this unit, so there is a pretty significant element of unknown here.
I think this group is an upgrade over 2023, but that is really a low bar. The question, as it relates to just how good can this year’s Gopher defense can be, is more about how much of an impact will they have.
Frankly I loved the instincts and toughness of Baranowski. I think Williams has the athleticism and strength to be a good, every-down linebacker. And Lindenberg has All-Big Ten potential.
Can they stay healthy and put it all together?