Minnesota Gophers Hire Fresh Face as New RB Coach

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Minnesota Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell saw a handful of his coaching staff interview for open jobs this offseason. Grant Udinski wound up being the only loss main loss. That same fortune hasn’t been afforded to Minnesota Gophers coach P.J. Fleck, who’s seen his staff stolen away left and right.

First, Defensive coordinator Corey Heatherman went to the Miami Hurricanes for that same job, out of the blue. Next, former standout player Winston DeLattiboudere was hired away by the Arizona Cardinals, to be their defensive line coach. Then, Nic McKissic-Luke left a vacancy at the running backs coach spot, when he was hired for the same position by the New York Jets.

Darius Taylor, Minnesota Gophers
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Fleck has been somewhat of a machine on the recruiting trail this offseason, but he has needed to replace some important staff as well. Jayden Everett, who was previously with South Alabama, now gives him a fresh face to coach Darius Taylor and the rest of the RB’s group.

Jayden Everett joins MN Gophers as RB coach

Max Brosmer gave the Minnesota Gophers a legitimate passing attack last year. The hope is that whoever is under center this season will follow in his footsteps. That said, P.J. Fleck has always leaned on the running game, and has made sure he has a solid stable of talent. Over the past handful of years, the RB rooms has hosted Mohamed Ibrahim, Rodney Smith, David Cobb, Darius Taylor, Shannon Brooks, and Bucky Irving. Jayden Everett now gets the opportunity to help them develop.

Everett is pretty well-traveled. He joins Minnesota after such a brief stop at South Alabama that it may not even be recorded. His last full season job was in the Big Ten, having coached running backs at Michigan in 2024. The tandem of Donovan Edwards and Kalel Mullings ran for over 1,500 yards and bolstered an offense that had little quarterback direction.

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A linebacker during his time in college with Indiana State, Everett has an small, but interesting Minnesota connection. His first coaching job came at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas. There, he coached former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cordarelle Patterson prior to his one season at Tennessee.

The Minnesota Gophers represent Everett’s ninth coaching stop, and it will be the eighth time he has been employed as the lead running backs coach.

Minnesota Gophers can lean on running backs again

Darius Taylor is among the most talented running backs in the country. In 12 games last season he rushed for 986 yards and ten touchdowns. He also hauled in 54 receptions for an additional 350 yards (2nd in NCAA for RB) and two more touchdowns.

As the Gophers break in a new starting quarterback (Redshirt Freshman Drake Lindsay or Redshirt junior Zach Pyron, it seems logical that Fleck will lean heavily on his veteran runner. Behind Taylor, the Gophers have two transfers in the form of A.J. Turner (Marshall) and Cam Davis (Washington). Each has just a single season of eligibility remaining.

Younger depth options include Fame Ijeboi, Jaydon Wright, Cortez LeGrant, and Kaedon Johnson. That group all has four years of eligibility remaining, aside from LeGrant who has three.

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Everett can continue to make his mark on impacting young runners and helping to elevate their game. The Minnesota Gophers group should be excited to work with a coach that had his fingerprints on future NFL talents like Mullings and Edwards.

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