All Gophers

Gophers star RB Darius Taylor returning to Minnesota for senior season

Taylor will be back for a fourth season in Minneapolis in 2026.
Will Ragatz|
Oct 17, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Darius Taylor (1) runs for a touchdown against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at Huntington Bank Stadium.
Oct 17, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers running back Darius Taylor (1) runs for a touchdown against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at Huntington Bank Stadium. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

In this story:

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Gophers standout running back Darius Taylor is coming back for his senior season with the program, according to a post from Dinkytown Athletes — the official NIL collective of the university's athletic department — on Friday.

24 hours ago, the two biggest question marks around the Gophers' 2026 roster pertained to the futures of their two most prominent names. And while safety Koi Perich chose to enter the transfer portal, Taylor is sticking around for a fourth year in maroon and gold.

In the current landscape of college football, where star players are essentially on one-year contracts, this qualifies as significant news.

A high three-star recruit from Michigan in the class of 2023, Taylor chose the Gophers over a long list of offers that included Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Missouri, Louisville, and Iowa. He hit the ground running as a true freshman for Minnesota, piling up 891 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns in essentially five games in 2023. He missed seven games due to a hamstring injury but racked up over 200 yards three times.

In 2024, Taylor stayed mostly healthy and had a strong year, finishing with 1,336 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns in 12 games. He hit the 200-yard mark against USC and also put up big numbers against Illinois and Wisconsin.

Injuries were a bit of an issue again for Taylor this past season, as he missed three contests. In the ten where he played, he totaled 915 yards and four touchdowns. He had big games against Buffalo, Nebraska, and Wisconsin in the regular season, then had his third straight 100-yard rushing performance in a bowl game in last week's win over New Mexico.

For his career, Taylor has 2,455 rushing yards (on 5.1 yards per carry) and 19 touchdowns, plus 687 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver. He's done all of that in 28 games, including three where he barely played. The 6-foot, 215-pound back is an explosive playmaker with the ball in his hands. Taylor will again be a central piece of the Gophers' offense in 2026, and he could easily be in line for the biggest year of his career if he's able to stay healthy.

More Gophers football coverage

Published
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.

Share on XFollow WillRagatz
Home/Gophers Football