Jul 23, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Minnesota running back Darius Taylor speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Darius Taylor is focused on trust over chemistry with Gophers' new-look O-line

Originally posted on Minnesota Golden Gophers on SI
By Tony Liebert | Last updated Jul 24, 2025 12:00 PM ET

It seems like just yesterday Darius Taylor broke onto the scene as a true freshman, but he's now heading into year three with the Gophers. He has the experience to be one of the best running backs in the country this season, but he'll be doing it behind the most inexperienced offensive line that he has had at Minnesota.

Minnesota ran for 1,503 total yards as a team last season, which is its fewest since 2009, excluding the shortened 2020 season. The offense took a more pass-first approach, but Taylor wants the Gophers to get back to their dominant running ways in 2025.

"I think that it's my job to take accountability for that. There's plays where I could've made better cuts, or I could've made better opportunities for the team," Taylor said at Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday. "It's also a team effort. There's a lot that goes into it, that's like the chemistry between us and the O-line this year. It's really exciting to get that going."

Minnesota is replacing the majority of its offensive line from last season. Aireontae Ersery is now with the Houston Texans, Quinn Carroll has graduated and Phillip Daniels and Martes Lewis transferred to Ohio State and Northwestern, respectively.

Greg Johnson and Ashton Beers return as two players with plenty of starting experience, but they switched positions from center to guard. The Gophers added Marcellus Marshall (UCF), Dylan Ray (Kentucky), Jaden Ball (Purdue) and Kahlee Tafai (Washington) from the transfer portal, while redshirt freshman Nathan Roy is looking like a potential breakout candidate at tackle.

"They're doing really good. I am excited about it. It's great to build that trust between them, I don't think it's necessarily chemistry, but a lot of it is trust," Taylor continued. "Trust in the gap scheme that they're going to do their job and get the blocks there, because it's their job to get me a hole in gap scheme, but when a hole becomes a zone scheme, it's my job to make them right. It's my job to set up blocks with them and make them better."

Taylor has surprisingly never run for more than 1,000 yards in his college career. He totaled more than 1,200 yards from scrimmage last season, but he still might have another step to take in 2025.