Minnesota's Darius Taylor has a clear rushing yardage goal in 2024

Taylor has a goal in mind and his sights set on a future among Minnesota running back greats.

Sep 9, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Darius Taylor (1) runs the ball against the Eastern Michigan Eagles during the third quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Darius Taylor has his sights set on 1,000+ yards and a place on the Mount Rushmore of Minnesota Golden Gophers running backs.

Taylor, who only played in five full games and averaged 159.2 yards in those five contests, is entering his sophomore season as one of the top running backs in the Big Ten. On Tuesday, he spoke to former Gophers wide receiver Ron Johnson on the The Ron Johnson Show about his 2024 goals.

"I just want to be me. Just be DT and make plays when they're there. Take what they give us. A stat goal that I have is want to try to get [1,000+ yards]. That's something that's big for me," Taylor said. "I think that'd be a great accomplishment and that'll set me up for years to come. I think that'll be a good opportunity to do it this year, especially against the competition that we do have this year. I feel like those will be a clean 1,000 yards. There won't be any asterisks next to that 1,000 yards or anything like that just because of the competition level we have this year."

Minnesota does have a difficult schedule with a non-conference game against North Carolina to open the season on Aug. 29, followed by a Big Ten slate that includes Iowa, Michigan, USC and UCLA in consecutive weeks, along with Penn State and Wisconsin in the final two weeks of the 12-game regular season.

"I feel like it's a good opportunity to showcase where I am and it'll show me personally where I line up against better competition," Taylor said. "I think it's a good opportunity as a team to do big things."

When asked who he has on his Mount Rushmore of Gophers running backs, Taylor picked Laurence Maroney, Mohamed Ibrahim and Darrell Thompson. The fourth? "Me. I'm making my way," he said.