In 2007, the Minnesota defense finished dead last in all of Division 1 football. Having given up 519 yards per game in 2007, the Gophers then lost standout safety Dom Barber to the NFL. 2008 brought in new defensive coordinator Ted Roof and five junior college transfers (JUCOs) for the defense. Many analysts doubted that significant improvements could be made for the defense heading into 2008. Michigan’s highly respected MGOBLOG ripped on Minnesota’s strategy of adding JUCOs in this article and predicted a record of 4-8:

The Gophers will probably swing an extra nonconference victory or two and may pick off an unwary, bad Big Ten foe, but bowl eligibility, or anything close to it, is not in the offing.

In 2008 the Gopher defense improved to 378 total yards allowed per game, which was in the middle of the pack for the Big Ten. Having replaced Everett Withers, Ted Roof has instilled a new attitude and effective game plans in his first year as Minnesota’s defensive coordinator. However, Everett Withers is now the defensive coordinator for a North Carolina Tarheel defense that finished strong in the ACC. There is more to Minnesota’s defensive improvements than better coaching alone.

Ted Roof’s coaching, Willie VanDeSteeg’s rebound from injury, Lee Campbell’s move to middle linebacker, and Marcus Sherels’ move to defense all contributed to an improved defense. Although there were several contributing factors, the one change that differentiated the 2008 defense from 2007 was the play of three JUCO transfers.

Traye “Big Play” Simmons is a JUCU transfer cornerback who racked up four interceptions, 13 passes broken up, and 17 pass deflections. Simmons also finished out the season with second-team All Big Ten honors. Unless he decides to head to the NFL, Simmons should be back next season for the sequel, “Bigger Play.”

JUCO transfer Tramaine “T-Brock” Brock is a safety who added speed, aggressive play, and solid tackling to the Gopher secondary. He contributed 68 tackles, an interception, and three forced fumbles to the maroon and gold cause. Brock is one of the better Minnesota safeties in recent memory, and should also be back next year for an encore.

Simoni Lawrence, who transferred to Minnesota as a JUCO safety, had an outstanding year as an outside linebacker. Lawrence had 64 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for a loss, four sacks, an interception, two forced fumbles, and two defensive touchdowns. Lawrence is a fast, hard hitting linebacker who can also play pass defense. Like Simmons and Brock, plan on seeing him on the field in 2009 at TCF Bank Stadium.

Where would the 2008 Gophers be without Traye Simmons, Tramaine Brock, ans Simoni Lawrence? Probably not headed to a bowl game. The Gopher Nation is likely venturing to either Tempe or Orlando to dance the jitterbug in jubilee for the JUCO jamboree.