Could Darius Taylor Be the RB1 of the Big Ten in 2024 + Drake Lindsey's Future Shines Bright!

Intro hear me now when I say this and I don't say it lightly Darius Taylor could be the best running back in the Big 10 in 2024 you are on Golden go what we're going to do here we're just going to keep rowing your daily podcast on the Minnesota whenever it turns out we're just going to keep rowing part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day we're just going to keep rowing keep rowing and keep rowing [Applause] [Music] Who Won Spring gopher fans what is up you are listening to locked on Golden Gophers part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day my name's Kane Rob host of the podcast former Collegiate football video coordinator and recruit assistant here to talk Golden Gophers with you each and every day of the week Monday through Friday we've got a little bit of a spicy take but it shouldn't be spicy on today's show and that is that Darius Taylor could finish as the number one running back in the Big 10 in 2024 I'm going to give you what the reasons why that is a realistic outcome on today's show we're also going to talk about Drake Lindsay's future and how bright it is but before we get to those topics we're going to dive into who were the five biggest winners of the spr spring session for the Minnesota Gophers in my opinion we're going to dive right into that so be sure to hit subscribe over on YouTube so you don't miss any of your daily Gophers content moving forward now tomorrow we'll keep you posted on uh maybe some Draft rumors we're hearing with some of the gr gopher prospects but then Saturday we'll be sure to cover anything we hear about players getting drafted and what have you so be sure to hit subscribe on YouTube and we will talk about Gophers each and every single day of the rest of this month for sure but each and every day of the week going forward now let's talk about who won spring five players who made a case to compete for major reps starting in the fall and possibly even putting their name into the conversation for a starting opportunity now the first one is a guy who probably is already a starter but I think he made a case for more targets more reps more snaps more anything get this guy on the field as much as possible and that is none other than mecky Brockington wide receiver for the Golden Gophers now he's sure-handed he's dependable and he's shown that each and every practice ability that we've been able to pop into for the goer spring sessions and he was the only wide receiver who looked consistent throughout Every Spring opportunity that we got to see now the growth that we saw from Daniel Jackson at this point last year I remember tweeting about it I remember talking about it on the show being like look Daniel Jackson looks like he has taken some stride and then some and could be the number one receiver on this gopher team and he lived up to that and then some he was an absolute baller for the golfers last year and it started all in game one it actually started far before that in Fall camp and in that spring session like I just mentioned but Becky Brockington is showing that similar type of growth that we saw from Daniel Jackson last spring we're seeing that from Brockington in this spring and that is what makes me really excited for what could be with this gopher's offense if they take the opportunities so I think if you have Daniel Jackson still here ready to ball out and you're seeing this growth from lamei Brockington you have two wide receivers that could be difference making players in the Big 10 so overall I am extremely excited for Brockington I think he has made a case to really be the locked and loaded number two wide receiver on this team hands down in a future wide receiver one next year and I think that he has made a case for more opportunities to be schemed into more targets for this season so he's number one for me on this list the number two is a player that had opportunity to play a little bit last year got thrown into the fire but he has come with a Vengeance that's none other than Maverick barowski the linebacker for the Gophers now this man has been playing with a newfound sense of confidence speed Instinct and so much more he's even been chirping on the field and I love it I am here for it I it reminds me of when Sor Marin and nuben would fire this defense up in 2022 Maverick Bowski is bringing that type of juice that type of fire that type of energy to this defense and I love it him Devin Eastern they've been bringing this Swagger and confidence about him and I hope it carries over to the season but if mavick baronowski is playing like he has been in the spring and continues to progress forward through the fall and into the season like this this dude is g to be a special linebacker a special player for the golfers in this upcoming season in Blitz packages in coverage in tackling he has come so far from his red shirt freshman being thrown into the fire because of a lindenberg injury and maybe having to communicate the defense but not being 100% ready to do so look he looks ready and venome and I think he can even show the versatility and play a will linebacker position on the field with Cody lindenberg and actually I would love to see the Gophers start game one with both him and Cody on the field I think he has earned a starting role and you pair that with a defensive player who wants to or a defensive coordinator I should mean who wants to play Fast he wants to play violent and he wants to play just like difference making chaos driving defense I think that that play style should truly fit Maverick barowski and it's why he should be a starter and an impact player in this game regardless of Devin Williams coming back from injury and being healthy regardless of other linebackers in this room potentially show going well I think Maverick baronowski and Cody lindenberg could be a dangerous duo in that linebacker core and really help get this Minnesota defense back into that top upper echelon of the Big 10 so hopefully that's what we get to see this upcoming season now number three for players who made a case for more opportunities more reps maybe even a starting opportunity is Philip Daniels right tackle right now for the Gophers he also is the first uh lineman to come in in six lineman packages that the Gophers have used from time to time whether it be a wild cat whether it be uh when we sometimes would have like a Kramer or a Seth Green come in as the quarterback those type of packages we've had the six offensive lineman Philip Daniels has worked his way into that slot but he has also worked his way on the field competing with Martz Lewis from time to time and getting some ones reps definitely liked it you see the emotion and the fire he plays with you see the tenacity he's been coming along well the coaches are really impressed with him and he's definitely a name that you're going to want to because I think KF fall Camp it's going to be a battle between him and Martz Lewis whoever can do it the most consistency at the highest level and bring the best is going to win that job so that way Quinn Carroll can stay on the interior at Right Guard where he is better suited to play as opposed to the tackle position so I think Philip Daniels is definitely a name who's played himself into opportunities now moving into number four of our five on this list is Pierce Walsh tight end I've talked to you about this spring and he has been one one of my favorite guys to watch in the spring coming up he has just a special Knack around the ball soft hands he's come down with some great grabs some special grabs the timing he's worked on with both Max brosmer and Drake Lindsay he just seems to always be in the right place at the right time and he makes the Dependable grab and that's what you want in a tight end now you're telling me he's a red shirt freshman he looks far stronger than he did coming in in his true freshman year he looks like he's a better blocker he has a better understanding and he still has a ways to go when comes to the blocking aspects but he's showing that he can be a weapon on the field and he can be a Difference Maker on the field and I think he'll get some opportunities this year now gears and CER were both injured throughout this spring so we didn't get to see them on the field that much but I think Pierce Walsh has made a case for himself to get into that conversation starting in the fall and maybe push uh Jameson gears and possibly take some of those snaps with the ones whether it be both of them in tandem or The Winner Takes all but regardless I have been impressed with Pierce Walsh and I look forward to seeing happens with him and then number five who has made a case for some opportunities or at least a competition and battle in the fall is new wide receiver for the Gophers red shirt freshman now heading into the spring I feel like he was kind of below the starters on the depth chart of course with Daniel Jackson lcky Brockington uh uh Elijah Spencer uh Caleb laner uh I think he was working in a tier with uh Christian Hoskins TJ McWilliams and maybe he was even working behind those type of guys but through this spring it seems like he has passed a lot of those names and he has had moments where he runs with the ones and he hasn't looked slow he hasn't looked out of place he's looked like he could really step in there and make some moments happen if given the opportunity I would love to see him at least head into this fall with a chance to get some snaps on the actual season because he looks like he can make a difference and even though he isn't a baffling 6'4 receiver or anything of the sort he seems to find separation he seems to wiggle his way loose and he seems like to always come down with the big catch I remember the back end zone touchdown I saw Drake Lindsay throw his way it was the only touchdown on the day in that second practice that we were available at see but he looked nice he looked special he looked like he was making moments and I love what I've been hearing from him or from about him in this spring sessions it sounds like he earned his way into the opportunity to compete for some time this fall now names that I have as honorable mentions Carrie Brown zaquan Bryan and Ryland Kelly and then the running backs rooms Marcus major and CA bengur have definitely stepped up in ways that have made the team feel confident with this running back's room so overall I think there are good things happening with these gophers and I am excited but those are my biggest winners of the spring session and who has made a case for extra snaps now coming up next we're going to talk about about Darius Taylor because I think he is ready to run the Big 10 and I'm not just saying that because I cover the Gophers I have some factual to back this up I think he could be a top three running back in the conference but I think he could even make a case for number one and we're diving into why coming up Monopoly Go next first let's talk about that app that you need to download yesterday if you haven't already and that is none other than Monopoly go because either as a player fan you've always had those moments where you're looking at the scoreboard it's not looking good and you're feeling like man I cannot make this happen I'm not going to be able to pull off the comeback but you're like you know what we're not giving up we're digging deep we're gonna lift our heads to the sky and we're gonna get back in the game and you can do that by pulling off Bank heists taking as much of your friends money as possible and climbing your way up the leaderboard so definitely download the Monopoly Go app it is free and it's Monopoly you love but on your phone anytime with a ton of new twists including leader boards to compare your progress to your friends and there's so much to do including the leader boards including many Dynamic Monopoly boards and you can charge up players rent on iconic properties like you are in the classics but on top of that you can make your friends bankrupt by Smashing their landmarks with a wrecking ball you can even work with your friends to crack open Community chests and in tournaments to get extra rewards and climb the leaderboard so get back out there put your game face on and download the Monopoly Go app now for free on the App Store or Google play GameTime today and while we are at it we definitely want to talk about the number one ticketing app in my heart and it should be in yours as well and that is none other than game time because game time offers you the best last minute deals when it comes to tickets but they also have amazing features like the Allin pricing where you can toggle this feature and all of a sudden you see what you pay upfront no surprises at the checkout on top of that one of the fees that people probably don't realize is there but you should and you should take advantage of it every single time as the seat views where you get a panoramic view from your seat before you buy the tickets so you know what to expect before you head to the game on top of that like I said game time will credit you with 110% of the difference if you if they aren't the lowest price out there because they have a lowest price guaranteed and if you don't meet it then like I said you get 110% of the difference credited to you so definitely give it a try download the game time app and while you're there create an account and use promo code locked on College that's l c k d o and college for $20 off your first purchase so download the game time app terms and conditions apply use that promo code locked on college for $20 off download game time today last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed [Music] Darius Taylor all right go fans before we dive into why Darius Taylor is ready to be the best running back in the Big 10 I just want to give a shout out to the free 247 sports streaming Channel programmed every day to bring you the biggest stories without all the screaming from ESPN and all of those other shows lock on sports today brings you the can't miss analysis opinions and news on a 247 streaming Channel on YouTube and free on Amazon Fire TV channel apps just type in locked on uh locked on sports today or you can check out lockon Sports Minnesota where it's all of that but strictly to the Minnesota side of things Vikings wild Gophers twins t-wolves you name it you've got it over at the lockdown Minnesota sports definitely give those both a file and follow and check them out today but let's dive in on Darius Taylor and why he is ready to run the Big 10 he could be a top three back in the in the conference hands down but I think he can be the number one player and this is a conference that has been known for its running and its success at the running back position so could Darius Taylor as a sophomore take over and lead the conference in rush yards or touchdowns I think so before people get up in arms and they're like man this dude is just a homer he has no idea he's just talking out his butt no Darius Taylor was leading the ENT entire conference in rush yards through the Iowa week I believe that was week six he was leading the entire conference by almost 100 yards if I believe or if I'm correct uh it was really close to 100 yards if it wasn't over a 100 yards and this was as a true freshman who was still getting his feet wet who is still sharing Touches at times that is why this isn't unrealistic at all that is why this could possibly happen now touchdowns might not be as likely because Minnesota has shown a tendency to throw a decent amount in the Zone but also they struggled to punch them in last season and then you look at some teams that just run the ball like crazy in the Red Zone I look at Michigan last year Blake corm had 27 touchdowns so I just don't know if we're going to get to that level but when it comes to rushing yards I think he can be the leader hands down Bar None and I don't even think that's exaggeration now you look at his stats from last year he finished the year with 799 yards and five touchdowns in six games and that is not a real look at the actual numbers because that's not taking into consideration the friendly reminder that one of those games was against Nebraska week one where he only got one carry for three yards so essentially he almost had 800 yards rushing in only five games on the season now that in itself was good for eighth in the entire Big 10 in all seven players in front of him played a minimum of 10 games so all of them saw at least four games higher than what Darius Taylor saww but most of them ended up playing 12 games or more now the running backs in front of them was Kyle monagy from uh Ruckers 1262 yards eight touchdowns and 13 games that's really good that it led the conference he had a great year Blake corm was next up 1245 yards 27 touchdowns in 15 games definitely played more games they got to the championship they won it all but regardless a pretty good season then you had brillan Allen 984 yards 12 touchdowns in 11 games trayon Henderson 926 yards 11 touchdowns in 10 games KRON Allen had 92 yards six touchdowns in 13 games lesan Williams 821 yards one touchdown in 14 games and Devin makabe 811 yards six touchdowns in 12 games those were the only running backs in the entire conference that finished ahead of Darius Taylor who only played five six games in the year but regardless now monagy is back four Ruckers and he will be a threat to have that running crown but corm and Allen are both off to the NFL KRON Allen is splitting a ton of touches with Nick Singleton so I think we saw close to what his ceiling can be when he is splitting that many carries and then you can say the same about uh trayon Henderson this year when Quin Shan Judkins who is one of the best running backs in the country as well will be splitting touches with him so those two kind of offset they can maybe get towards that lower end of a thousand yards on the season but I don't see them going into the 1250 1500 17700 range which might be needed to lead the Big 10 conference this year now Lesean Williams is going to be splitting time or carries with a healthy Caleb Johnson this year Caleb Johnson was dinged up all last year and then makabe has to be sure not to Fumble his opportunity away from even being the lead back where he had eight fumbles to only six touchdowns last year so the floor is open and PJ Fleck is already said he won't be afraid to ride the hot hand and let me tell you Darius Taylor is going to have hot hand in most of these games now he was averaging 133 yards per game in rushing last year and that is even including that one carry three yard game that he had versus Nebraska so technically if you take that game out because he only had one carry and it wasn't a real game of sorts I think he is averaging about 150 some yards per game but let's run with 133 yards per game including that small game if you would have taken that average and added it to his total for the seven Miss games he had at his average he would have had 1730 rushing yards now Not only would that have been a School record for the Golden Gophers but it would have led the entire Big 10 conference by almost 500 yards and that that that isn't out of the realm of possibilities for Darius Taylor in a healthy season but even if you take his yards down his yards per game down by 33 yards per game dropping it down and that's a significant dropping down of yards per game even if you take him at a 100 yards per game in those final seven games he comes in at what 700 plus 800 1,500 rushing yards and that is still almost 300 rushing yards above monagy over at Ruckers so I think the possibility is definitely there for Darius Taylor to be the number one rushing running back in the Big 10 conference and the possibility is real and don't take for granted how special this young running back we have on this team is Darius Taylor is the real deal and be this next season and hopefully 2025 could be a very special run from a very special player so definitely tap in get excited for it and hopefully we get to see him lead the entire conference in rushing now the final thing I want to talk about on today's show is how exciting Drake Lindsay can be as a future quarterback for the Gophers that's what we're diving into to wrap this one up FanDuel today first we got to talk about our friends over at lock or FanDuel uh official sports book of lockon now it's time for the NBA Playoffs which is the best time for the NBA basketball it's it's a different level of basketball when it comes to the playoffs same thing with hockey you've got playoffs in both those Sports Plus B baseball and full swing plus golf is just getting started here in this early spring so you got lots of things to bet on when it comes to uh every game every opportunity and the best place to do that is FanDuel now right now new customers get $150 in bonus bets guaranteed which is the best deal by far because it means you win no matter what you can bet on everything from slap shots home runs slam dunks winners losers streaks you have who gets fired it's all there on FanDuel so definitely go over and check out an app that's simple safe and secure to use and you'll get $150 in bonus bets win or lose as long as you make your bet go to fanduel.com lockon again that's fanduel.com lockon and make your first bet an automatic win FanDuel America's number one sports book and official sports book of locked Drake Lindsey on all right go fans we are diving into how exciting Drake Lindsay can be as the future quarterback of this Golden Gopher team because Drake Lindsay has been attached to Max brosmer hit pocket ready to learn ready to absorb everything in like a sponge ready to take his game to the next level when it is is time to shine and he is learning from a player who won the or who got second in the FCS Heisman the Walter Payton award a guy who has done it at the highest level in the FCS play and a guy who has a ton of experience has broken down film understands where to be at the on the field understands where his guys need to break their routes understands when and how to do different timings of routes where the ball needs to be the placement of it all he understands it and that's the best type of player for Drake Lindsay to learn from in his true freshman year and it sounds like he has been grasping things very quickly and on top of that you've seen the moments in the spring but you're talking about a player who as a senior helped lead his team to a 13-0 record and a state championship in which he was named the MVP he threw for nearly 4,000 yards in his senior year with 3,941 yards while completing 69% of his passes and on top of that he tossed 54 touchdown passes against three interceptions a touchdown to interception ratio of 18 to1 now he had six games with at least 300 yards passing and he had a season high of 535 yards passing in one single game now he threw at least two touchdown passes in every single game of his senior season with six games of five or more touchdowns including seven touchdowns against one school now in his junior year that was also impressive 36 120 yards 67% completion 37 touchdowns to three interceptions and you look at his entire prep career all four years you add them all together he had 90 passing touchdowns to seven interceptions 90 to seven that's baffling that isn't easy to do no matter what type of high school you are playing at that is impressive in its own right and you're starting to see the flashes here in the spring you're starting to see the touch the lob passes dropping a dime into a basket for new ha seeing uh Pierce Walsh come across the center and him hitting for him for a strike before two Defenders come across he is throwing with touch anticipation learning from his mistakes tight window throws and now yes there have been some balls batted down at the line there have been some throws he'd maybe want back there have been plays where he probably would have been sacked but it is exciting to see the possibilities and so Daniel house one of my favorite Gophers media people to talk to especially at these events but we just chop it up all the time he says his Elite trait Drake Lindsay's Elite trait is his anticipation and you saw that full front on some of these spring practices and that's impressive that a high schooler is able to throw with anticipation at this speed at this level this early as a true freshman in an early and rolly situation now Drake told us here on the show here at lockon if you have watched that show yet you definitely should he told us that he was aiming to make strides in his senior year by improving in his anticipat anticipatory throws being able to throw with anticipation throw things open and get his timing down basically get the ball out of his hands always on time always ahead of time and ready to deliver and that was something he really stressed heading into his senior year and it is showing even now at the D1 level in Spring practices that he has that ability and it is going to continue to carry over as the game slows down for him so you take all that together and then you look at what could be it's exciting it's very exciting even coach Fleck said I don't know if I've ever seen someone as young as Drake make is the strides that he's made as early as a true freshman in only three months and he's learning from someone who's super smart and experienced in Max brosmer so it only can go up as the season goes on and as the roster sits right now I think he is the quarterback too and if he gets maybe half of the season to really sit and learn and grow and whatnot I wouldn't be afraid if something happened and he had to step in as the quarterback too so it makes you comfortable now we want Max brosmer to play as qb1 and to be as successful as he was at New Hampshire if not even more successful and help lead this team through his leadership through his experience through his talent I can't wait to see Max brosmer play football for this goph team but I love the potential building behind him and working with him in Drake Lindsay so I think this Go's quarterback room is starting to be in a good situation now they still need probably one more scholarship quarterback working in this room just in case but I am not as afraid if Drake Lindsay heads in as your qb2 even as a true freshman as I maybe would have been before the spring not knowing how he adjusts to the speed of the game but everything seems to be coming along really quickly which is promising for this gopher team now you add all of that together and you remember that this is a kid from Arkansas who wanted to be here and he tripled down down that he didn't double down he didn't just do it one time committing he told people over and over as his home state Arkansas wanted to get involved and get him to stay in the state as other schools started to come as his success grew he was like nah I'm Minnesota is where I'm going to go that's where I want to be and that connect who his grandfather who had played for the Minnesota Vikings his favorite team Drake Lindsay's favorite team the Minnesota Vikings he's got those ties to his grandfather who played for the Vikings so it is a a storybook type of uh potential for Drake Lindsay and his time here with this program and the building up to status that could be something legendary something a fairy tale for folks if Drake lindsy can come in here and absolutely ball out during his time and make a name for himself have those ties in Minnesota with his grandfather and be the guy that stayed through it all through the ups and downs through the lack of recruiting that he absolutely should have had more of I'm excited this is building up and I'm ready for everything to come together here for Drake Lindsay that's goingon to do it for us on today's show now like I said tomorrow we are going to dive into some more football T talk and so much more so be sure to hit subscribe over on YouTube so you don't miss any of that going forward I will see you then R the boat Sky Mar goers and don't forget to hit subscribe [Music]