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Former Gopher FB Player Turned Coach Returning to Big Ten?
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- Former Gopher FB Player Turned Coach Returning to Big Ten?
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Gophers are headed to the Rate Bowl later this month and head coach P.J. Fleck will be looking to position his team for another victory. Undefeated in bowl games with Minnesota, a victory would be his seventh .
After the Rate Bowl the Gophers will turn the page and focus on the 2026 season. They could find themselves staring down a very familiar face on the opposing sidelines as well.
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Winston DeLattiboudere spent four years as a player for Minnesota before joining the coaching staff. After leaving for the NFL, he could return to the collegiate ranks next season.
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It has become commonplace for P.J. Fleck to lose assistants. That's a byproduct of hiring good people. DeLattiboudere joined the Gophers staff as the defensive line coach in 2023 before being promoted to assistant head coach in 2024. This season he worked as the Arizona Cardinals defensive line coach, but now a return to the Big Ten is on the horizon.
Michigan State is working to hire Cardinals DL coach Winston DeLattiboudere to the same role, sources tell @On3sports .
Former Minnesota assistant coach and player. CBS first reported he was the target. https://t.co/j9D9PVLlpK pic.twitter.com/BW6nUZBtEx— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) December 15, 2025
Michigan State went just 4-8 this season and head coach Jonathan Smith got the axe for it. They lost 23-20 against the Minnesota Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium as well.
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Now with former Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald taking over, the Spartans are seeking talent to round out the staff. Turning to an individual having such a history with the Big Ten makes a good amount of sense.
DeLattiboudere overlapped with Michigan State defensive coordinator Joe Rossi during his time in Minneapolis. Minnesota increased its sack total from 19 in 2022 to 26 in 2023 and 28 in 2024.
As a player with the Gophers, DeLattiboudere appeared in 51 games from 2016 through 2019. He had 83 total tackles and racked up five sacks.
Coming back to college from the NFL, DeLattiboudere has experience that will make him a valuable member of Fitzgerald's staff. At just 27 years old, he has built quite the resume early on in his career.
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