When it was reported that P.J. Fleck would go internal for the Minnesota Golden Gophers' next defensive coordinator, safeties coach Danny Collins made a ton of sense for the position.

A long-time assistant for the Gophers, Collins has seen his stock rise with the Gophers, going from a graduate assistant to a quality control coach to a defensive analyst, a position coach, and now a defensive coordinator.

Per multiple reports, Collins is set to be the Gophers' next defensive coordinator following the departure of Corey Hetherman from th program.

Not only has his stock within the program skyrocketed over that period but Collins has also gained notoriety across the country.

Collins since taking over the safety room in 2022, helped oversee the development of numerous safeties for the Gophers including a pair of rising stars in the secondary in redshirt sophomore Kerry Brown and sophomore Koi Perich.

The two young safeties were the program's highest-rated defenders this fall according to Pro Football Focus. He also, of course, got to work closely with both Jordan Howden and Tyler Nuibin briefly before they left for the NFL.

In his first year as defensive coordinator in 2025, Collins will have a high bar to meet. In Hetherman's lone season with the program, the Gophers had a top-10 scoring defense nationally while allowing just 285.7 yards per game.

============================

- Talk about it INSIDE GOPHER NATION.

- Follow us on Twitter: @MinnesotaRivals, @RivalsDylanCC

- SUBSCRIBE to Gophers Nation