“I haven’t really been around (Ron Johnson and Eric Decker) enough to really get to know them or learn anything from them.”

“When I first got here, (Tyler Johnson) accepted me with open arms, just like my big brother.”

“(Growing up in SEC territory does) not really (give him extra incentive), a lot of people think it would. I grew up around it, but there’s no hard feelings… I’m happy to go represent the Big Ten.”

“(Winfield) definitely makes me a better football player… He just does things where you’re like ‘wow.’ It’s hard to put into words how talented he is on the field.”

“(The injury) was rough on Zack (Annexstad) at first, going through surgery and all that. But he’s definitely better than ever, himself now. He’s just ready to get back on the field and play ball now. He’s in the process of still recovering, getting back out on the field. I can’t wait to see him back out there.”

“To be a leader, you have to be a servant leader. You can’t be the first to be served; you have to be the last to be served. You have to be the first to serve other people.”

“No wavering at all (in deciding to play in the bowl game). I knew I was going to play in the bowl game. So I’m just excited to get out there and play one more with my boys.”

“Right now my focus is all on Auburn. Any decision I make (about next year) will be after the bowl game.”

“(Tanner’s) developed into an amazing player. Every time I’m out there, we’re always laughing and making jokes out there, always competing. I’m always just making fun of him pretty much. We just make each other better… He’ll make a good play on me. I’ll make a good play on him, and we just bicker back and forth a little bit. It’s fun playing against him.”

“I never really watched (Antoine Sr.’s) Ohio State film. All I really watched were his high school and the pros. But I need to check that out, see how he did…”

“It’s just funny, seeing (Antoine Sr.) go against great players. Come home, see him every night, this little short guy, like how’s he doing this with all these great, amazing football players? It’s weird, it’s weird.”

“Coach Fleck brought (Ciarrocca’s departure) up in a team meeting, and we just rolled from there… It’s life, you know. Things come and go. I’m happy for Coach Ciarrocca, but we’re just focused on what we have to do here in the moment.”

“Coach Simon does a great job of going over the entire scheme from each play, so I feel like he’s ready for it. He’s definitely ready for it, I should say.”

“(The young receivers’) preparation is outrageous. It’s extreme, at a high level. Being able to see them go out there day in and day out, not complain about the amount of balls their catching from the quarterback… Hats off to those guys just going out there and working hard.”

“I knew right away I was going to play in (the bowl game). Last opportunity to represent my university, my state, my hometown. Last time I get to play with my brothers as well. I knew right away; there was no doubt in my mind.”

“I know that if Kamal was healthy he’d be playing with us…”

“Talk to (Eric Decker and Ron Johnson) from time to time. Nothing but good things are always said. That’s a nice support system to have.”

“(Sori-Marin and Oliver) are just high-motored, high-intelligence. You can’t not say Thomas Rush either. All three of them… They’ll definitely be a trio of elite linebackers in the Big Ten coming up…”

“Coach Fleck used to always tell us he’s here to out-recruit us, and I see that. I’m like, dude these guys he’s bringing in, these guys some freaks… They’ll be a great defense, there’s no doubt in my mind about that. The state of Minnesota will be in good hands on defense.”

“Special teams, they got some real dudes out there. It’s a different beast. People might not believe it, but special teams is different. It definitely got me in my head (freshman year) that hey, this is college D1 football right here.”

“You always look at high school football on Friday, college football on Saturday, and NFL football on Sunday in terms of traditional, but you know, I was a head coach in the MAC, played in the MAC, and we played any day of the week we could. I think it’s healthy to get viewers to look on Friday nights and to play the Big Ten at different days sometimes. I think that can be healthy for audiences.”

“The first (bowl) week we take off. We just take off, so that way everybody can decompress a little bit. It’s a long year, get healthy, focus on academics, get ready for finals. That next week is Minnesota vs. Minnesota. The next three to four practices is true spring ball-ish, and most of it’s done by the young guys. I mean you can get four spring ball practices in that week. You know, Tyler Johnson, Rashod Bateman practiced but they didn’t do a lot. So they get about a week and a half off; the workload they have that second week isn’t very high. Then you get into the third week, then it’s all the opponent… Then you get a little bit of break… holiday season, get them back on Christmas.”

“We’re playing a team that’s had four straight top ten recruiting classes… They’re very talented. We’re talented, they’re talented, both had a lot of time to prepare for each other.”

“A lot of you ask me before the season, ‘Coach what would be a successful amount of wins?’ This season’s been successful. Not because the ten wins. Did we get everything out of our players? Did we get peace -- did they do everything they could to be the best they could possibly be? Did they change their best everyday academically, athletically, socially, spiritually? This group did.”

“I think I’ve talked to Antoine every day (about the NFL). The good thing is that we’re getting a lot of factual information from the National Football League. I give Antoine, his dad, his mom a lot of credit for going through the right protocols to see what’s the best option for them. You know, as a head football coach, of course you want a young man like that to play for you again, but is that the best thing for him moving forward. Because at this point in his career, what he’s done for the University of Minnesota, what his family’s done for the University of Minnesota, he deserves to be able to pick what’s best for him. And we all know, in the National Football League, that first contract is everything. I mean 80% of players in the National Football League really never even make it to the second contract. So the first one’s everything. So we need to be able to position him the best we possibly can… and if that means he goes out now, we support him 100%. If that means he stays, we support him 100%. Of course we’d love to see him come back, but if the data comes back and says he’s a first or second rounder, then go. 100% go. If it says first, second round, go. If it says stay in school, then it says stay in school for a reason.”

“One thing that’s helped is throughout the year is our scout team is getting better and better and better. And that scout team is full of guys who are going to play for us next year, whether that’s DeAngelo Carter, whether that’s Rashad Cheney. You look at MJ Anderson. I mean these guys are getting better and better and better.”

“We’re going to lose coaches here. We are, and I support that 100%.”

“(Greg Harbaugh’s) been in the quarterback room all year, just sitting back there and really putting every gameplan together.”

“(Simon and Harbaugh) are both capable, and it’s a great opportunity for both of them. I trust all those guys, and if I didn’t think they could do the job, I wouldn’t have them do the job… It’s going to be a collective staff, unity type call on gameday. We’re all going to have a lot more input, a lot more feedback. I think it’s going to be really healthy moving forward as we’re looking for the next coordinator.”

Audio/interviews courtesy of the University of Minnesota