Yesterday, Gophers Nation took a look at the top returning players on the offensive side for the Minnesota Golden Gophers coming into the 2024 season. Today, we change the focus to the Gophers' defensive side of the ball.

GET THE INSIDE SCOOP EVERY DAY WITH YOUR PREMIUM SUBSCRIPTION!

MORE: INSIDE GOPHERS NATION MESSAGE BOARD

Notably, we only included Gophers who played in more than four games, meaning that Gophers linebacker Cody Lindenberg is not included below. That being said, when on the field last season, Lindenberg was strong for the Gophers with a 69.9 defensive grade overall and was especially strong against the run with a 74.8 run defense grade.

With that being said, here's the top 10 returning players on defense for the Gophers heading into the 2024 season.