P.J. Fleck compares Jaxon Howard and Karter Menz to former Gophers stars

Minnesota's defensive line is starting to put things together.

Sep 6, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers defensive lineman Karter Menz (11) tackles Northwestern State Demons running back Kolbe Burrell (3) during the second quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Gophers' defensive line exploded for nine sacks in last week's upset win against Nebraska. Anthony Smith now leads the Big Ten with seven sacks this season, but the emergence of other players should be what has Minnesota fans excited.

Redshirt sophomore Karter Menz had 2.5 sacks against the Cornhuskers, and he now has 3.5 on the season. The former West Fargo Sheyenne High School star played only 23 defensive snaps before this season, and he's now second on the Gophers with 12 total pressures this season.

"I think Karter is a great example of the developmental program. He came to us, and he's a Dakota kid, which I kind of consider at times in-state, when you're kind of looking at where we're recruiting," Gophers head coach Fleck said. "He was long, twitchy, great athlete, but again, you look at his size, you're like, 'It's going to take some years to get him where he needs to be.'"

"He has completely bought into the nutrition, the diet, the weight room. It takes players a year or two to get where they need to be. This is a huge year for him, a huge year."

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Menz was relatively under-recruited in the 2023 high school class. The 247Sports Composite ranked him as the 809th-best player in the country, and he held other notable offers from Nebraska, Kansas and Stanford. He has now developed into an intriguing Big Ten pass rusher.

The breakout performance of Menz alongside Smith shouldn't come at the expense of Jaxon Howard, who also joined the sack party against Nebraska with two of his own. The former four-star high school prospect has seven total pressures this season, and his 74.4 Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade was the highest of his college career.

Fleck compared the emmergence of Menz and the improvement of Howard to when Boye Mafe was "the guy" and he still split reps with Thomas Rush. "This is what we have to create with Jaxon and Karter," he continued.

In Mafe's final season with the Gophers, he and Rush were first and second on the team in total sacks. The duo combined for 12.5 of Minnesota's 25 sacks as a team in 2021. The biggest difference between that situation and this one is that the Gophers have Smith, who could be the best pass rusher in the conference.

The departure of Jah Joyner and Danny Striggow from last season's defensive line opened the door for some players to step up alongside Smith this season. Howard and Menz have begun to find their roles on this defense..