The Minnesota Golden Gophers are adding veteran defensive coach Kevin Kane to their staff as an on-field assistant according to ESPN's Pete Thamel.

Kane, 41 has spent the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator of the Purdue Boilermakers but has also spent time at Kansas, Wisconsin, Northern Illinois, SMU, and Illinois in his career.

The 2025 season will be Kane's 20th in college football as the former Kansas linebacker immediately entered the coaching ranks in 2006 as a student assistant for Kansas.

Notably, there was previously a cap on how many on-field coaches a collegiate team may have but changed that role last June allowing all football staff members to coach during both practices and names.

What role Kane will take over has not been reported.

The Gophers are expected to announce in the near future that safeties coach Danny Collins will take over as the program's defensive coordinator, replacing Corey Hetherman who left for Miami. Mariano Sori-Marin who was serving as the team's nickel coach and assistant linebackers coach is expected to be elevated to the full-time linebackers coach as well.

During his coaching career, Kane has coached tight ends, full backs, and linebackers from a position aspect while also being a special teams coordinator and defensive coordinator as well.

Kane could have a potential similar role to that of senior defensive analyst Dennis Dottin-Coarter who also works with the program's defensive line. Dottin-Carter came to Minneapolis in 2023, shortly after the hiring of Winston DeLattiboudere as the program's defensive line coach.

Thanks to Kane's experience, he could potentially serve as a senior defensive analyst who will focus on the linebackers' room alongside a young Mariano Sori-Marin who will be entering his first season as a position coach in college football. The veteran defensive mind additionally could serve as a consultant for Danny Collins as he takes over the play-calling duties on defense for Minnesota. The 2025 season will be the first time in Collins' coaching career in that he will be calling the plays.

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