University of Minnesota football coach P.J. Fleck announced today that Danny Collins was promoted to defensive coordinator. Collins, who will still coach the safeties, has been at Minnesota since 2017 and most recently served as the safeties coach / pass game coordinator.
Fleck also announced that Mariano Sori-Marin will coach the linebackers and that Dennis Dottin-Carter will coach the rush ends. He also announced the hiring of Kevin Kane, as nickels / outside linebackers coach.
“I am excited for Danny, Mariano, Dennis and Kevin,” said head coach P.J. Fleck. “Danny has been with me since Western Michigan and is an elite defensive mind who has recruited and coached All-American players. I know he will do a tremendous job coaching and calling our defense.
“Mariano played for us at Minnesota and worked for us the past two seasons. He will bring a tremendous voice and poise to our linebacker room, and I know those young men will respond to his leadership.
“Dennis has been with us for two years and is an elite coach and person. His personality, coaching style and relationship with defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere played a big role in why our defensive line was able to generate pressure and have success last year.
“Kevin is a veteran coach who will be a tremendous addition to our staff. He has called defenses at multiple places and has a great deal of experience coaching in the Big Ten. I am excited to welcome him and his family to Minnesota.”
Danny Collins: Defensive Coordinator / Safeties Coach
The 2025 season will be the ninth at Minnesota for Collins. It will be his first as defensive coordinator, his fourth as coaching the safeties and his 13th year with Fleck.
Collins came to Minnesota with Fleck in 2017 and served as the team’s defensive quality control. He was a graduate assistant in 2018 before returning to quality control in 2019. In 2020, he was named Senior Defensive Analyst before being promoted to safeties coach in 2022.
At Minnesota, Collins has coached All-Americans Koi Perich and Tyler Nubin and has seen two of his safeties – Nubin (New York Giants) and Jordan Howden (New Orleans Saints) – drafted into the NFL. This past season, safeties Perich and Kerry Brown were both named semifinalists for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award semifinalists and Perich was one of five national finalists.
The first game of the 2025 season will mark the second time that Collins will call the Minnesota defense, as he also did so in Minnesota’s 2023 Quick Lane Bowl win against Bowling Green.
Since Collins has been at Minnesota, the Gophers have turned in some stellar defensive performances. In 2024, the team ranked fifth in the nation in total defense, seventh in team passing efficiency defense and ninth in scoring defense. In 2022, Minnesota ranked eighth in total defense, fourth in scoring defense and seventh in team passing efficiency defense. In 2021, the Gophers ranked third in the nation in total defense and tied for sixth in scoring defense.
Mariano Sori-Marin: Linebackers Coach
Sori-Marin knows the Minnesota linebacker position better than most, as he played the position for the Maroon and Gold from 2018-22.
The Mokena, Ill., native played in 58 career games for the Gophers and ended his career with 274 tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss. He also broke up 10 passes, forced three fumbles and made one interception. Sori-Marin was honored as All-Big Ten Third Team in 2022 and was Honorable Mention in 2021. He was also named Academic All-Big Ten four times and was also a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
Sori-Marin joined the Minnesota staff prior to the 2023 season as a defensive analyst before being promoted to nickels / assistant linebackers coach in January 2024.
Last year, with Sori-Marin coaching, three of the team’s top six tacklers played either linebacker (Cody Lindenberg and Maverick Baranowski) or nickel (Jack Henderson) and the unit finished the year ranked fifth in the nation in total defense and 12th in rushing defense.
Dennis Dottin-Carter: Rush Ends Coach
Dottin-Carter joined the Gopher staff in January 2023 as a senior defensive analyst. In addition, he has worked closely with the team’s defensive line and is one of the main reasons the team’s sack and tackles for loss totals has increased year-over-year.
In 2022, the year prior to Dottin-Carter’s arrival, Minnesota had 19 sacks and 47 tackles for loss. Last season, the Gophers totaled 28 sacks and 66 tackles for loss. In 2022, the Gopher defensive line broke up seven passes, and in 2024 it broke up 14, led by Jah Joyner (7) and Jalen Logan-Redding (4).
Kevin Kane: Nickles / Outside Linebackers Coach
The 2025 season will be the first in Maroon and Gold for Kane, who comes to Minnesota after two seasons at Purdue as defensive coordinator. Kane has also worked at Illinois, SMU, Northern Illinois, Kansas and Wisconsin, and in addition to Purdue, he previously served as the defensive coordinator at SMU and Northern Illinois.
Kane brings plenty of defensive coaching experience with him to Dinkytown, as he has worked exclusively on the defensive side of the ball since 2012 when he started coaching linebackers at Northern Illinois. He has also coached linebackers at Purdue, Illinois, SMU and Kansas.
(info and photo courtesy of Gopher Sports)
