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After Being Spurned For NFL, Gophers Try Again With Key Assistant Hire

Steve Stanard is joining Minnesota as its new rush ends coach, according to a report.
Will Ragatz|
Nov 26, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; A Minnesota Golden Gophers helmet sits on the sidelines during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium.
Nov 26, 2022; Madison, Wisconsin, USA; A Minnesota Golden Gophers helmet sits on the sidelines during the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Golden Gophers

For the second time this offseason, the Gophers are hiring a new rush ends coach to work under P.J. Fleck and defensive coordinator Danny Collins.

The first time around, they hired former Stanford defensive coordinator Bobby April III. But that partnership didn't last long, as April then accepted a job as the Buffalo Bills' outside linebackers coach under new head coach Joe Brady in early February. While it's hard to blame April for taking a position coach job in the NFL, that meant the Gophers had to go back to the drawing board.

The Gophers' new hire is former Kansas State linebackers coach Steve Stanard, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. Stanard had been with KSU under Chris Klieman since 2020 but was not retained by new head coach Collin Klein. Stanard has been coaching in the college ranks in some capacity for almost 40 years.

Stanard played defensive end at Nebraska under Tom Osborne from 1984-87. He got his start in coaching as a student and then graduate assistant for the Cornhuskers. Since then, he's worked on coaching staffs all over the place, including a brief stint as head coach of D-III Nebraska Wesleyan in the mid-1990s. The Gophers will be the 12th program to employ him as an assistant coach.

Before his six years at Kansas State, Stanard spent three seasons coaching defensive ends at Syracuse. Before that, he was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Wyoming. He's also had stints at North Dakota State, Tulane, Ohio, Colorado State, New Mexico State, and South Dakota in the last 30 years.

Stanard steps into an important role on Minnesota's coaching staff. He'll be working with a position group that has a very strong case as the most talented room the program has to offer in 2026. Anthony Smith could've been a top-50 draft pick this year but elected to return for one more season. Karter Menz and Jaxon Howard are also back, and those three are joined by Cal transfer T.J. Bush Jr., forming quite the quartet of edge rushers.

In addition to Stanard, the Gophers will have new position coaches working with their running backs (Mohamed Ibrahim), wide receivers (Isaac Fruechte), and defensive linemen (C.J. Robbins) this year.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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