Minnesota Football: Darius Taylor and 20 other Gophers announce participation in Dinkytown Athletes

All week long, Minnesota Golden Gophers have taken to social media to announce their participation in Dinkytown Athletes, the official Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) collective in support of student-athletes at the University of Minnesota. Ahead of the transfer portal opening on Dec. 4, the announcements are a strong indication that each player will remain with the program.

Perhaps the most anticipated announcement was from running back Darius Taylor, who posted Saturday that he would be partnering with Dinkytown Athletes for another year. The announcement should ease the anxiety of Gopher fans still scarred from the offseason in which Minnesota lost their top two leading rushers to the transfer portal after the 2021 season.

Minnesota had to survive a late push from Michigan during Taylor’s recruitment out of high school. As a true freshman, he missed seven games due to injury but burst onto the scene with a breakout game against Eastern Michigan in Week 2. Over a three-game stretch, Taylor rushed for 529 yards and four touchdowns, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors for each performance.

Here is the full list of Gopher football players who announced their participation in Dinkytown Athletes this week:

• WR Kenric Lanier
• WR T.J. McWilliams
• TE Pierce Walsh
• OL Phillip Daniels
• OL Greg Johnson
• OL Martes Lewis
• RE Danny Striggow
• DE Jah Joyner
• DT Deven Eastern
• DT Darnell Jefferies
• DT Martin Owusu
• DT Theo Randle
• LB Cody Lindenberg
• LB Devon Williams
• LB Maverick Baranowski
• LB Matt Kingsbury
• DB Jack Henderson
• CB Za’Quan Bryan
• S Kerry Brown
• K Dragan Kesich

This list does not include players who already partner with the collective.

To learn more about Dinkytown Athletes, visit www.dinkytownathletes.com. You can also follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.