Gophers' Darius Taylor 'may very well lead' the Big Ten in rushing

Darius Taylor is getting a lot of hype ahead of his sophomore season.

Sep 23, 2023; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Darius Taylor (1) leaps over Northwestern Wildcats linebacker Kenny Soares Jr. (35) during the second half at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

As a true freshman in 2023, Gophers running back Darius Taylor broke onto the scene with 799 rushing yards while starting only five games. He battled injuries for much of the season but showcased that he is one of the most talented young backs in the country.

He appeared in six games last season, but in Week 1 he played only four snaps and had one carry for three yards, so in reality he only had five full-game experiences. His five-game pace of 159.2 yards per game would've been over 30 yards more than the best mark in the country produced by Missouri's Cody Schrader, who averaged 125.2 yards per game.

Heading into the 2024 season, Minnesota seems well aware of his elite talent, opening the door for a monstrous year on the ground. National college football media personality Josh Pate even fancied the idea of Taylor leading the Big Ten in rushing on his podcast "The Late Kick with Josh Pate" when one of his listeners presented it as a bold prediction.

"That's only an 8.75 [out of 10], sounds a lot bolder than it is," he responded. "If Darius Taylor totes the rock by himself, 25 times a game, nobody at Ohio State is going to do that, so he may very well lead [the Big Ten] individually in rushing... this is not crazy bold."

Pate mentioned that the Gophers return four of five starters on the offensive line, losing only center Nathan Boe, who ran out of eligibility. He also noted that Minnesota brought in three transfer running backs, Sieh Bangura from Ohio, Jaren Mangham from Michigan State and Marcus Major from Houston.

Ultimately, under P.J. Fleck, the Gophers have shown a willingness to lean on a bell-cow running back. Most recently in 2022, Mohamed Ibrahim led the conference in rushing with 1,665 yards. In his five starts last year, Taylor averaged 27.4 carries per game, which if he had maintained that pace for 12 games he would've led the nation in rushing attempts.

Earlier this offseason, Taylor said that he believes the Gophers are "looking to do a committee backfield." That is something that Fleck and his staff have mentioned almost every offseason since he took over, but they seem to always have a back around 20 carries per game.

With schools like Ohio State and Penn State having true two-headed monsters in the backfield, and Minnesota's willingness to lean on the run, the idea that Taylor could lead the Big Ten in rushing yards isn't crazy at all.