The most recent example was OLB/Nickel coach Kevin Kane, who was (re)hired by Purdue to re-take his place as their defensive coordinator. Kane’s departure happened just a couple weeks after Minnesota fired its defensive line coach, Dennis Dottin-Carter.

C.J. Robbins Earns Defensive Line Title for Gophers

So with their Rate Bowl matchup vs New Mexico on deck December 26, Fleck needs to make some adjustments to his coaching staff. The first came from within. On Monday, we saw one of those dominoes fall when Rush Ends (OLB) Coach C.J. Robbins was promoted to defensive line coach.

The Gophers football program is working towards promoting C.J. Robbins to defensive line coach, the Pioneer Press learned on Sunday. Head coach P.J. Fleck has a track record of elevating existing coaches on his staff to bigger roles and is expected to do so again with Robbins, who has been the U’s rush ends coach since February.

Robbins would replace Dennis Dottin-Carter, who was dismissed as D-line coach Dec. 5 after one season in charge of that position group. Over the last few weeks, Robbins has been the acting defensive line coach going into the Rate Bowl against New Mexico at Chase Field at 3:30 p.m. Friday.

Andy Greder – Pioneer Press

C.J. Robbins — who first coached for the Gophers in 2020 and 2021 — was re-hired last offseason. Prior to rejoining Minnesota, Robbins was at Central Michigan.

The defensive coaching shuffle this winter comes after the 2025 Gophers were gashed up the middle in the run game on a regular basis. While Anthony Smith (10.5 sacks), Karter Menz (5.5), and Jaxon Howard (4.5) posted solid pass-rushing numbers, the interior lacked consistency.

Minnesota ranked 31st among Division I defenses in rushing yards allowed per game, which ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten, a stark difference from most Gopher defenses, under PJ Fleck, which have consistently ranked in the top 10 nationwide.

Andy Greder’s report at the Pioneer Press also noted that the Gophers plan to fill Robbins’ former role with an external hire. In addition, the staff must replace Kane as the outside linebackers/nickelbacks coach.

Meanwhile, Golden Gophers underclassmen are already preparing for next season, while PJ Fleck and his coaching staff fly around the country recruiting high school prospects and transfer portal targets from coast-to-coast.

Speaking of the Golden Gophers coaching staff, it’s been in flux this offseason, much more so than the roster. Minnesota lost another defensive coordinator, when Corey Hetherman was hired by Miami. They replaced him with defensive backs coach Danny Collins.

Fleck also lost running backs coach Nic McKissic-Luke, who was hired by the New York Jets for the same position. That after they lost top young assistant, Winston DeLattiboudere, who coached the defensive line and held the position of assistant head coach to the Arizona Cardinals.

Minnesota Gophers football hires C.J. Robbins as Rush Ends Coach

But on Monday, PJ Fleck moved to fill part of the coaching vacancy left by DeLattiboudere by hiring Central Michigan DL coach C.J. Robbins as the Golden Gophers’ new Rush Ends coach. Robbins isn’t a stranger to PJ’s program, though. He was a member of the MN coaching staff in 2020 and 2021.

Sources: Minnesota is expected to hire Central Michigan defensive line coach C.J. Robbins as the school's new rush ends coach. Robbins coached previously at Kent and South Dakota. He was also on the staff at Minnesota for two seasons in 2020 and 2021 and is a Northwestern grad. pic.twitter.com/0RorjumzYD

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 11, 2025

C.J. Robbins is from the small town of Peru, Illinois. He was a three year starter for the Northwestern Wildcats from 2014 to 2016 where he wore the captains patch as a senior and where he was named academic All-Big Ten twice.

When Robbins’ playing career ended, he started his coaching career at the University of Miami (Ohio) in 2019 as an assistant defensive line coach. From there, he left for the University of Minnesota, where he worked mostly with Rush Ends, just like he will now.

Related: Minnesota QB Max Brosmer Gets THE Invite

After he left Dinkytown in 2021, C.J. Robbins landed at the University of South Dakota where he also worked with outside linebackers for two seasons. In 2023, he moved on to Kent State University, where he also coached Rush Ends under former U of M running backs coach, Kenni Burns for the past two seasons.