Inside Gophers' fierce CB competition at camp: 'It's a race right now'

One of Minnesota's biggest competitions at camp this summer is at the cornerback position.

Gophers defensive coordinator Danny Collins after practice | Picture via: University of Minnesota

Fall camp is a time for college football teams across the country to prepare for the upcoming season, but it's also a time for players to earn starting roles. One of the biggest positional battles for the Gophers this summer is at cornerback.

Justin Walley and Ethan Robinson left behind more than 1,300 snaps for the Gophers to fill in 2025. Redshirt sophomore Za'Quan Bryan is expected to fill one position after playing 266 snaps last season, but the second position is wide open.

Redshirt freshman Mike Gerald had a solid practice on Saturday, but true freshman Naiim Parrish was the standout performer on Tuesday. Iowa transfer John Nestor, NC Central's Jaylen Bowden and redshirt sophomore Rhyland Kelly are also firmly in the mix for big roles in 2025.

"It's a competition. Every day, those guys are competing. Naiim [Parrish] was the player of the day today," Gophers defensive coordinator Danny Collins said after practice Tuesday. "Every day is a little bit different with those guys. We're going to continue to get them to keep competing. We're building a lot of trust into all those guys... It's a race right now with them. We got all those guys competing."

Naiim Parrish, committed to play football for University of Minnesota, puts a hat on his head during a Commitment Day Ceremony for 8 Bergen Catholic athletes at Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. | Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Parrish made a highlight play at Tuesday's practice when he intercepted a pass intended for Koi Perich and returned it for a touchdown. Hailing from Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, New Jersey, he is quickly proving that he will find his way on the field sooner rather than later in a Gophers' uniform.

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If Bryan sees an increased workload, someone will have to assume his 250+ snaps he played last season, along with the other cornerback spot. That's where Gerald, Bowden and Nestor all come into the mix. It seems like anyone's competition at this point of camp.

"That's not my decision. That's Coach Fleck's decision. At the end of the day, there are no jobs that are won right now," Collins continued. "This is training camp. Right now, we're just attempting to get better, every single day. Then whatever happens after that, happens after that. We just want to see those guys compete every single day and the rest will take care of itself."

Kelly had played 26 career snaps, Gerald has played two, Parrish is a true freshman, Bowden is making the jump from the MEAC to the Big Ten, and Nestor is the only player with real experience at this level, with 121 snaps last season at Iowa. Through a week of camp, it seems like a five-man competition for two spots, and it's still a wide-open race.