The Arizona Cardinals are expected to hire University of Minnesota’s Winston DeLattiboudere as their new defensive line coach...

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this proves PJ Fleck is the greatest Gopher coach of all time, everyone in the country want his assistants!!
 

Well, we'll see if this is the end of the damage to the defensive side of the ball. When you lose a successful DC followed by a very good and popular D-Line coach in DeLattiboudere, they is no telling if all the recent players he recruited will stick. We still have the next college football transfer portal window (will open on April 16th and close on April 25th) to negotiate. Would I be surprised to see a couple of guys leave, unfortunately NO.
 


99Gopher said:
Well, we'll see if this is the end of the damage to the defensive side of the ball. When you lose a successful DC followed by a very good and popular D-Line coach in DeLattiboudere, they is no telling if all the recent players he recruited will stick. We still have the next college football transfer portal window (will open on April 16th and close on April 25th) to negotiate. Would I be surprised to see a couple of guys leave, unfortunately NO.
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I think a big part of that is how seamlessly the new coaches fill their roles in spring practice. It is possible we could end up with better coaches.
But....if the new coaches are perceived poor to mediocre it could be a problem. I liked both defensive coaches we lost a lot! Time will tell. Congrats to all the coaches for their new positions.
 


It's not surprising, he is a really impressive person. I was selfishly hoping we could hide him out a coaching cycle or two until he could be our next DC.

Congrats Winston!
 

rowdaboat said:
He should have been promoted to DC, easily biggest loss of the offseason now
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He is a popular coach and one rising quickly through the coaching ranks but that doesn't mean he is ready to be a DC and handle all the responsibilities that come with that position (or that he even wants to be a DC at this point in his career).

Collins is a younger coach as well but has been in the coaching ranks now for 13 years whereas 2025 with be Winston's 5th season in coaching.

It is a real bummer that he is leaving but a great opportunity for him. Hopefully he ends up back here in some capacity down the line.
 



College is just burning people out and they are starting to chase the $$ and many are seeing the NFL as a better fit IMO. Arizona HC is now headed into his 3rd year coming off an 8-9 season, so he might need to make the playoffs really soon or the crew will be looking for new gigs.

tOSU lost their coordinators. Notre Dame lost their DC to NFL, Penn State's DC moved. Every season is going to be a brand-new season of coaches and rosters. College football has become very turbulent and will continue to be.
 

MaxyJR1 said:
College is just burning people out and they are starting to chase the $$ and many are seeing the NFL as a better fit IMO. Arizona HC is now headed into his 3rd year coming off an 8-9 season, so he might need to make the playoffs really soon or the crew will be looking for new gigs.

tOSU lost their coordinators. Notre Dame lost their DC to NFL, Penn State's DC moved. Every season is going to be a brand-new season of coaches and rosters. College football has become very turbulent and will continue to be.
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If I were in coaching and I had the option to choose an NFL gig or a college gig I wouldn't hesitate to jump to the NFL even if it paid slightly less. NFL has structure and for the coaches it is just football all the time. There are other people on the staff who get to deal with money and roster management.

College.....yeah not so much.....the chaos of the current college landscape would be a massive drain on coaches (all the coaches, not just the head guy). Unrestricted free agency at all times for all players is not sustainable but it is where we are currently.
 


MNVCGUY said:
Wouldn't shock me one bit to see him back here in that or some other capacity at some point in the future. Will probably come down to whether he prefers the college or pro game.
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Why would any coach prefer the college game over the NFL these days? NFL, you get to focus on just football. With college, you've got recruiting (and more recruiting, and more...), meeting with boosters to get NIL dollars, kids that can decide anytime to quit and transfer to another team, budgets that continually shift each year, players that may become ineligible due to grades, etc. I'd take the structure and focus of NFL any day over the chaos and unknowns that have become college football.
 



GophersInIowa said:
Kinda BS that a former player in the program is the one doing this too. I know Rallis has to do what’s best for himself but this one hurts.
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If Rallis feels Winston would be a good fit for his defensive staff he shouldn't pass on him just because he is currently coaching at his Alma-mater.

On top of that, Rallis is still really young so probably doesn't have a ton of contacts in the coaching ranks so not shocking he would turn to someone like Winston who he has some familiarity with from playing on the 2016 roster.
 

Full Speed Ahead said:
Why would any coach prefer the college game over the NFL these days? NFL, you get to focus on just football. With college, you've got recruiting (and more recruiting, and more...), meeting with boosters to get NIL dollars, kids that can decide anytime to quit and transfer to another team, budgets that continually shift each year, players that may become ineligible due to grades, etc. I'd take the structure and focus of NFL any day over the chaos and unknowns that have become college football.
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Could not agree more with this sentiment although I do think the teaching aspect and working with younger players appeals to some guys over working with professionals, especially at the non power 4 ranks where things are not quite as insane.

But there is a reason some college head coaches have stepped down in favor of NFL assistant jobs and won't be surprised to see that continue. Gotta think Chip Kelly could get another college head coaching job if he wanted one but has opted to go the NFL coordinator route instead.

If you want to be a coach the NFL is the way to go if you can get there......because you will actually get to coach as opposed to dealing with all the other BS college coaches have to put up with right now in this current landscape.
 

GopherEnEspaña said:
This is like coaching trees 101. Should be expected.
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MNVCGUY said:
If Rallis feels Winston would be a good fit for his defensive staff he shouldn't pass on him just because he is currently coaching at his Alma-mater.

On top of that, Rallis is still really young so probably doesn't have a ton of contacts in the coaching ranks so not shocking he would turn to someone like Winston who he has some familiarity with from playing on the 2016 roster.
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Yeah I get it. Just sour grapes on my part. This one will hurt.
 


MNVCGUY said:
yeah, he is rocketing up the coaching ranks so sucks to see him go.
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He is good and has a ton of energy. I hope to see him back as it is a big hit.

However, position coaches seem to be a dime of dozen. Yes some have an extra gear when it comes to recruiting and connecting with players. However, Coordinators put things together and position coach make sure the players are doing what they have to do to fit the coordinator's scheme. Position coaches flow in and out of programs constantly. Some are old, some are young. Heck we have a LB coach that is two seasons out of college. Fleck seems to be prepared and find guys to fill the gap.

As others have said, he is young and getting a taste of the NFL. He might miss the college game and be back in one season. That's the life of position coaches.
 

GophersInIowa said:
Kinda BS that a former player in the program is the one doing this too. I know Rallis has to do what’s best for himself but this one hurts.
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The Cardinals have lost some coaches in the last few weeks. Sucks for the Gophers to lose him but I totally understand Rallis getting some guys in the building in Glendale that he knows and can trust.
 

PTSD@Dome’03MI said:
Best wishes to him.

But can’t we have nice things?
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It's the coaching life....

It is easier when you don't take it personal...

Ohio State has lost their Defensive Coordinator (Lateral move to Penn State), Offensive Coordinator (Oakland Raiders), and Offensive Line Coach (Arizona Cardinals).

I think we all got a little delusional with Kill's staff. That is a very rare case where the staff sticks together and you have little movement.
 

MaxyJR1 said:
He is good and has a ton of energy. I hope to see him back as it is a big hit.

However, position coaches seem to be a dime of dozen. Yes some have an extra gear when it comes to recruiting and connecting with players. However, Coordinators put things together and position coach make sure the players are doing what they have to do to fit the coordinator's scheme. Position coaches flow in and out of programs constantly. Some are old, some are young. Heck we have a LB coach that is two seasons out of college. Fleck seems to be prepared and find guys to fill the gap.

As others have said, he is young and getting a taste of the NFL. He might miss the college game and be back in one season. That's the life of position coaches.
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If I were in coaching, I would do whatever it took to get to the NFL. You probably have slightly less job security but your job is way easier. You at least have some say on who is on your roster due to contracts. College kids can transfer at will, your constantly recruiting, and always working.

Right now Kevin O'Connell can sit in Eden Prairie and analyze Free Agents and the Draft. He has to recruit a little with the Free Agents but guessing that is more the GM and Agents talking, the draft will just bring players here... they can't say no.
 


MNfootballfan said:
If I were in coaching, I would do whatever it took to get to the NFL. You probably have slightly less job security but your job is way easier. You at least have some say on who is on your roster due to contracts. College kids can transfer at will, your constantly recruiting, and always working.

Right now Kevin O'Connell can sit in Eden Prairie and analyze Free Agents and the Draft. He has to recruit a little with the Free Agents but guessing that is more the GM and Agents talking, the draft will just bring players here... they can't say no.
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Just poking fun, but I hope he's sitting in Eagan. I still forget the change from time to time.
 


This isn't just the loss of a position coach, this is the loss of a pinnacle example of RTB culture. Winston was the ultimate final product of what this culture has to offer, which is part of what made him such a great recruiter. I have to feel as though this departure is, in some degree, a response to being overlooked for the DC position. Winston is the embodiment of what this program should strive to be. I am really, really happy for Winston. He is going to kill it wherever he goes. This one hurts bad though.
 

MNfootballfan said:
It's the coaching life....

It is easier when you don't take it personal...

Ohio State has lost their Defensive Coordinator (Lateral move to Penn State), Offensive Coordinator (Oakland Raiders), and Offensive Line Coach (Arizona Cardinals).
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Whoa, whoa, whoa.... Oakland Raiders? The folks in the desert of southern NV would like a word with you
 

Ogee Ogilthorpe said:
Whoa, whoa, whoa.... Oakland Raiders? The folks in the desert of southern NV would like a word with you
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Man, I am off today... I called the Raiders the Oakland Raiders and in another post I said the Vikings were still based out of Eden Prairie and not Eagan.

It is definitely a Monday!
 

ComoCraig said:
This isn't just the loss of a position coach, this is the loss of a pinnacle example of RTB culture. Winston was the ultimate final product of what this culture has to offer, which is part of what made him such a great recruiter. I have to feel as though this departure is, in some degree, a response to being overlooked for the DC position. Winston is the embodiment of what this program should strive to be. I am really, really happy for Winston. He is going to kill it wherever he goes. This one hurts bad though.
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I believe he's only 27 so he would be one of the youngest coordinators ever in P4 if he had been named D-cordinator. Collins has more experience so the decision made sense.
 


GophersInIowa said:
I believe he's only 27 so he would be one of the youngest coordinators ever in P4 if he had been named D-cordinator. Collins has more experience so the decision made sense.
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I understand where you're coming from, but I think it's wrong to put experience above all else. We just saw a 34 year old Kenny Dillingham at ASU come within an inch of bringing a less storied program than ours to a national semifinal. Winston has roughly the same amount of experience as Dillingham did when he got his first OC gig. I think when you have an up and coming alum, a shining example of the culture that your program is built on, you need to make the necessary steps to keep him on staff.
 

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