Danny Collins once slept in a closet, now he’s leading Minnesota’s defense

Longtime assistant Danny Collins was promoted to defensive coordinator for the Gophers this offseason after Corey Hetherman left for the same job at Miami (FL). P.J. Fleck highlighted Collins' unique journey through 13 years of working together.

Fleck appeared on the Big Ten Network's B1G Today on Tuesday, where he discussed Minnesota's coaching moves, including the recent departure of defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere III, who is leaving for the same position with the Arizona Cardinals.

"First of all, we're really happy for Corey Hetherman and Winston DeLattiboudere III. One thing I have always said is my job is not only to get the player to where they dream of being—your job as a head coach is to develop your coaches and get them to where they dream of being as well."

The Gophers have experienced significant coaching staff turnover in recent years. This marks the second straight year Minnesota has had to hire a new defensive coordinator, but Collins has worked with Fleck for the past 13 years.

"Danny Collins is a great story. (He) was a student coach for me in year one at Western Michigan, and he's been with me going on 13 years," Fleck said. "This is a young man who's coached every position on defense. He's called games before, he's known our defense for a long time. It's his turn to run it—he could've run it probably six or seven years ago. This is a guy who's earned all of his stripes. He slept in a closet at Western Michigan because that's what it took."

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Collins is 34 years old and began his career as a defensive graduate assistant (GA) under P.J. Fleck at Western Michigan in 2015. He steadily worked his way up the ladder and has been Minnesota's safeties coach since 2022.

"That's the fun part about this. You're paying your dues—not everybody has to do that. When you're a student in college, you're doing everything you possibly can to maybe get a leg up in the time department in the job you're doing," Fleck said. "We're really grateful for the effort he has given over the course of the last 13 years, and we're excited to have him."

If there's anyone on Minnesota's coaching staff who truly understands the Row the Boat culture Fleck has built, it's Collins. The 2025 season will be his first full year as a defensive play-caller, but there's no question he's earned it.