2021 Gophers Position Previews: Secondary

After a truncated 2020, Minnesota returns to a full 12-game football season Sept. 2 against Ohio State. Here at Ski-U-Blog will be previews of the team's notable players within each position group. We finish up the defense by discussing the Gophers' defensive backs.

Likely Starters

You could tell last season that Tyler Nubin really wanted to make plays. Minnesota's new boundary safety had maybe the toughest ask of any of the new starters in replacing Antoine Winfield Jr., the unanimous All-American who led the 2019 Gophers in tackles by being everywhere. Winfield made an impact at every level of the field and was as valuable as any defender in the Big Ten thanks to his tackling ability and instinctual play.

It's not reasonable or fair to speculate whether Nubin had Winfield on his mind when the then-true sophomore opened the 2020 season, or if he was trying to play like Winfield instead of in his place. What is undeniable is that Nubin was just as aggressive as his predecessor — if not more so — but did not yet have the understanding that made Winfield a star.

Every game, Nubin missed a gap. Every game, he took poor angles and overran plays. Every game, he looked ready to make an important stop, or to keep the ballcarrier from getting to the second level, but he put himself out of position and made things worse.

Nubin is the deep safety on the far side.

If anyone needed a proper offseason, it was Nubin.

The good news is that by the spring game, it looked like Nubin had already benefited from some normalcy and become a better player. He was already a decent tackler once he was in the right spot; in a performance where he led the Maroon team in tackles, Nubin found those spots more frequently. In general, he was a smarter, less reckless player who laid a few heavy hits.

Hopefully for Minnesota, this foreshadows better safety play. But Jordan Howden will have to hold up his end as well. Howden wasn't a star in 2019 but was not a problem next to Winfield. In 2020, he took a step back. A lot of the negatives came early on in the season — like Nubin, Howden spent a lot of the Michigan game flying into the wrong places — though by the end of the season, he was cleaning up messes without many problems. And there were a lot of messes; Howden finished the year with 30.5 tackles.

What Howden needs to improve on is his feistiness. Too often, he looked hesitant taking to take on blockers or throw himself into a tackle, like he was unsure he could make the play unless he could perfectly wrap up. This wasn't a problem on every play, but it popped up from time to time and gave yardage to the other team.

Justus Harris will start for a second consecutive season at nickelback. Across the board, he was Pro Football Focus' highest-graded Minnesota defensive back. At first, I was surprised to discover this, since Harris made exactly 1.0 havoc play last season, ranked just 6th on the team in tackles, and generally didn't have flashy moments.

But it makes sense when given further thought, for one main reason: Harris just didn't screw up often. He may not have the open-field speed to catch up on a breakaway run, or the strength to take on linemen or bigger tight ends. Even so, he has enough short-area quickness to stick with slot receivers or to blitz, as well as the decisiveness to identify and correctly play the run from just outside the box. There was no shortage of defensive breakdowns on last year's tape, and Harris was not usually responsible for them.

Because of Harris' relative lack of speed, he came off for another corner on a number of passing downs in the Maryland game. And because of his lack of size, defensive coordinator Joe Rossi preferred to use a third linebacker against teams like Iowa and Wisconsin.

Boundary corner Coney Durr has started for three years running and uses his sixth year of eligibility to come back to the Gophers for 2021. At one point, Durr had some of the best statistics of any corner in the Big Ten. He allowed a 51.8 percent completion rate (according to PFF) and broke up or intercepted 21 passes between 2018 and 2019.

Last season was a little worse. His worst games statistically were against Maryland and Purdue, where the Gophers played off coverage to not get beaten deep by talented receivers. Durr's results were mixed; he made some tackles in space — one of his talents — but could get outmatched. Against the Boilermakers in particular, David Bell too much for him.

Outside of those two games, Durr's completion rate against was 52.9 percent, though he only got his hands on three other passes. While he lacks NFL speed, Durr has the coverage skills to be counted on this season.

What level of play the Gophers get from the spot opposite Durr is maybe the most crucial question about this defense. Benjamin St-Juste was solid as the field corner for two seasons before heading to the NFL, and now there's not a player on the roster who figures to match him.

In line to start the opener is Terell Smith, who quickly faded down the depth chart after starting for most of the 2018 season. Smith impressed with his tackling and high pass breakup total (eight, plus an interception), but he was flagged for pass interference a few too many times and still, per PFF, allowed a completion rate over 66 percent.

The next fall, he was an afterthought. With Kiondre Thomas and St-Juste ahead of him, there weren't many snaps left for Smith. In the 2020 season, Thomas was gone, and Smith still couldn't find many snaps. The exception was the Maryland game, where Smith got a chance against the Terps' speedy receivers. The Gophers wanted to prevent big plays by backing off their defensive backs; this allowed space for quick outs and curls, which Smith couldn't always react to quickly enough.

And while we can't fault him too much for not keeping up with someone as quick as Dontay Demus Jr., it is factual that Smith couldn't keep up with him.

According to PFF, Smith allowed six receptions on six targets for 89 yards and a touchdown. Not the most confidence-inspiring stat line.

Optimists will point to Smith's spring game, where he nearly made a one-handed interception on the Gold team's final drive and then actually intercepted a pass to clinch the Maroon victory. There's also the 2020 asterisk: How a player performed in a weird season may not fully reflect his true abilities. But when Smith marks his return to the lineup by facing either Garrett Wilson or Chris Olave on Sept. 2, there won't be much room for error. Until he proves he's up for it, Smith is going to get picked on.

Key Backups

Unlike at linebacker and on the defensive line, there is not as much proven depth in the Gophers' secondary. There are several young players down the depth chart who will play down the line but aren't ready yet, and there are a few upperclassmen who have had limited opportunities to play in the past but are now second in line.

The other veteran cornerback who will see time is Phillip Howard, a converted wide receiver who has filled in on defense the last two seasons. Howard was the more trusted player than Smith last season, and for that reason I assumed he would start until I saw Smith with the 1s at practice.

His PFF grades are generally fine, but there's too little to go off of when he only saw a lot of playing time in two games. Facing Iowa, Howard allowed two completions on five targets; Purdue's receivers caught all four throws at Howard but only managed 3 yards after the catch. He can tackle reasonably well for a corner, having nearly caught St-Juste in total tackles despite having played so much less often.

Howard will definitely see meaningful snaps this season, probably including Week 1. Though he's a sixth-year senior, he needs to demonstrate he can meet the demands of a regular role.

Head coach P.J Fleck says true freshman Justin Walley will be "one of the most talented corners in college football eventually." When he comes in with such high praise, it's hard not to imagine Walley in the rotation on the outside. A utility player at D'Iberville High School (Mississippi), Walley seems likely to burn his redshirt on special teams (or even on offense), so there's no need to save him from defensive work. His highlights show a tremendous athlete and a sound, sometimes violent tackler, but we don't have a great read on his coverage skills. The buzz around Walley puts him in the mix to start at some point this season; for now, he's a reserve.

Calvin Swenson is in his sixth year in the program and for a fifth straight year might be one injury away from becoming an interim starting safety. He's never been in line to be more than a backup for good reasons, but Swenson has held his spot because he's experienced and has shown he can sometimes clean up runs that reach the secondary. (See his 6.0 tackles (all solo) in the spring game for evidence.) That's the minimum you can ask for from a safety, and that's all the Gophers will need against lesser opponents. But if Swenson has to play a prominent role in an important game, Minnesota is in trouble.

As a true freshman, Michael Dixon was one of the players Fleck lauded for his athleticism and potential. He got enough playing time in Nubin's place last season to lose his redshirt, showing a little ability in run support. At last Thursday's open practice, however, Dixon wasn't in pads, which puts into question his availability for at least the start of the season and might mean more opportunities for Swenson.

Potential Rotation Options

Nickelback Bishop McDonald was placed on scholarship in January. That fact and his relative prominence in the spring game (5.0 tackles and a fumble recovery) could foreshadow a larger role than his usual special teams appearances. A year ago, however, Harris wasn't often subbed out for another nickelback, so McDonald might not get that many chances in his stead.

Solomon Brown was the second choice in the slot last season but rarely saw the field. His impact was therefore minimal: 3.0 tackles (all solo). At the open practice, Brown played both nickel and strong safety, possibly to cover for Dixon's absence. Now a redshirt sophomore, Brown appears to be lower on the depth chart. If he stays at nickel, he should still enter next season as the frontrunner for the starting job.

If the Gophers need to press reserves into service, redshirt freshmen Miles Fleming, Jalen Glaze, and Victor Pless are the next candidates. These three corners each probably belong in the section below — only Glaze has appeared in a college game — but Minnesota will need to give one of them live reps this season to lessen the effects of roster turnover in 2022. Fleming might be the favorite to receive those reps.

Notables Unlikely to Contribute

If one of Minnesota's starting safeties is injured, true freshman Darius Green is likely to be passed over in favor of Swenson or a healthy Dixon. But he has potential. At Newton High School (Georgia), Green was a heatseeker who frequently made plays in the backfield. A lot of the big hits in his highlight reel would be considered targeting at the college level, so he'll have to clean up that part of his game.

Steven Ortiz Jr. committed to the Gophers last April and seemingly spent his whole year after that recruiting other prospects to Minnesota via tweet. A 4-star recruit, Ortiz was projected as a corner or nickelback but took a few snaps at safety in open practice — again, maybe as a "just-in-case" measure with Dixon potentially out, if not to just get Ortiz reps somewhere. I expect Ortiz will stick long-term at a position closer to the line. For now, he's is too far down the depth chart to expect him in more than the four games he's allowed while maintaining his redshirt.