Will Gophers football have a better defense in 2024?

Minnesota will have a new-look defense this season.

Oct 22, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive back Justin Walley (5) runs with the ball following an interception during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports / Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, the Gophers' defense allowed 26.7 points per game, ranking 70th in the country. That tied for the worst mark since P.J. Fleck took over the program in 2017.

Longtime defensive coordinator Joe Rossi left for the same job at Michigan State and Minnesota hired Rutgers linebackers coach Corey Hetherman as his replacement. With eight returning starters, there is plenty of reason for optimism, but also more than a few questions.

What went wrong last season?

The Gophers' biggest issue on the defensive side of the ball last season was injuries. Starting middle linebacker Cody Lindenberg was limited to four games and only 241 snaps due to a leg injury. This threw Devon Williams into the No. 1 spot, who had only 28 career snaps heading into the season. The No. 2 spot was held by redshirt freshman Maverick Baranowski for much of the season, who made his college debut in Week 1.

Rossi's defense leaned heavily on the leadership and consistency of players like Mariano Sori-Marin, Kamal Martin and Jack Gibbens throughout the years, so having two completely inexperienced players and Western Michigan transfer Ryan Selig made it hard to have any sense of rhythm and flow on that side of the ball.

Heading into 2024, Lindenberg is now fully healthy, while players like Williams and Baranowski have experience that they likely wouldn't have had at this point in their careers. Minnesota will need better play from the LB position and they have the personnel to do so.

Questions heading into this season?

Hetherman is a football lifer, but this will be the first time he has held a coordinator role at a major program. He found great success at the FCS level at Maine and James Madison before he was hired at Rutgers in 2021. The Scarlet Knights' current DC Joe Harasymiak interviewed for a couple of jobs in the offseason and Hetherman was the presumptive replacement in waiting.

He will likely run a familiar system next season, but those eight returning starters will now have a new coach to trust and build a rapport with. Hetherman has the personnel to hold its own and the Gophers have one of the better defensive units in the new 18-team Big Ten, but he is a first-year DC who will need to get comfortable quickly if Minnesota wants to have a successful season.

2024 expectations

Replacing the 47th pick in last month's draft, Tyler Nubin, and one of the better defensive coordinators in the country, Rossi, is not easy for any program. But, the Gophers had an impressive offseason, adding as many as three high-impact players from the transfer portal. The biggest question mark will be the interior run defense and youth at safety, but this roster is talented enough to slow down most offenses in this conference. I expect a bounce-back year for the Gophers' defense in 2024.