Gophers star Darius Taylor focused on 2026 amid 5-for-5 rule

I haven't really thought about it much. I'm really just focused on the season right now. Obviously after the season those things have to be thought about next level or coming back whatever it is but right now I'm just focused on the season do what I can to win as many games as we can and help the team to be the best I can. I think just our focus on the run as players just needs to be better and we've done a great job of that throughout the spring. We've grown we've kind of set that mindset and that mentality of just running the ball so I think that's the most important thing and I think that's something we've worked on and we've gotten better at. I think you just need to be able to do everything to be honest. Be okay in pass bro, be okay catching the ball, be okay running the ball. I mean now when you look at backs they kind of do everything they're they're like a fifth receiver out there so I feel like that's really important I mean and the way that we run the ball is very physical downhill and with that with that certain mindset that we have so I feel like that's important as well because if you don't run the ball that way here it just doesn't even look right as a go for running back. I mean you'll have alumni that are running backs call you like bro what are you doing so exactly so it's just a way that we run the ball we run physical we run hard run through the back of the end zone and that's just what we do so I mean we've we created a great culture here and with Mo back as a running backs coach he really really emphasizes the culture and how we do things. Mo called me before and said run the ball better that was early though that was like as a freshman Mo called me and said he was just telling me that you got to run more physical more downhill and I took that took that and ran with it I do my best to run as physical as I can I don't shy away from any contact and I just play the game the way it's supposed to be played. I mean he tells us that every day every run we want to get four yards he says like no matter who I put in I'm expecting you to get four yards and if I put you in I believe you can get four yards so I mean get four yards that's the biggest thing obviously we want we want big runs and home run plays but if you get four yards on every single run there's there's no way you don't score touchdown at the end as an offense so if you run the ball every play on the drive we should get a first down every what three plays and drive all the way down the field so no I don't it's just some that's just important to us and the way that we play and how we how we go about our everyday lives and it kind of brings us together and gives us something to connect you to connect with each other on we don't really like pick certain power and just read first man it's just something that we talked about I feel great I think it's it's done great things it's allowed me to understand my body a little bit more I understand how to fluctuate my weight I'm able to go up and way go down the weight because I've paid attention to those back rows and how much calories I'm taking it I understand exactly what I need with what we're doing out there on the field so it's been really cool really helpful it's just another step in the right direction oh I don't know that's kind of the game for me it's been like that since probably what 2020 in high school I was getting the ball between 25 and 40 times a game so I mean that's just basically football for me that's how a game goes I've really not been in that situation so I mean I don't know I don't think about anything like that how many times we're gonna get the ball or not I understand that I'm gonna get the ball a lot so I just go out there ready to play make sure that I know all the plays that's the biggest thing is understanding the scheme exactly what we're doing for the week and allowing yourself to be in the best positions when you get the ball after that it's just you got to go play once you get carry one you got to play and once you get carried 35 you still got to play so it really doesn't make a difference it's really just getting out there playing doing what I can for the team making things happen to win the game oh it's been great Moe was the guy who recruited me here so we already had that personal connection he kind of took me under his wing during the recruiting process and things like that and he was also here in 2024 coach Nick McKissick Luke was here and he was basically volunteering I'm helping out in the room giving me tips pointers yeah and it's it's been really good he's done a great job of leading the room a great job of getting the guys to come together and it's really cool to have a younger coach who just detached from the game he knows exactly what we're going through he knows exactly how to pace practice for us and he understands what we're going through out there so it's been really cool to be able to talk to him and be transparent with him and he has advice for us yeah actually got Pilates later today I like three yeah Pilates is great but it's hard yeah so there's different types of Pilates I'm on the reformer most of the time that's really hard but I don't do it in like the sauna rooms like some of the other people that's like next level because I'm already sweating and shaking in there but yeah it's really cool to like be able to work those muscle groups strengthen your pelvic floor groin get this core strong and be able to just strengthen those things without having like a high-intensity workout Denise over at training house does a really good job of listening to your body so if you come in sore she doesn't just kick your butt in there she'll she'll give you an opportunity to loosen up an opportunity to like recover it's more of a recovery day more than it is a workout but we'll implement things that strengthen muscles that don't destroy you for the next day because I mean I'm doing it every Wednesday right now but on Thursday I got to go out there run practice so she's done a great job of managing my load when it comes to Pilates yeah we've had a couple guys come in I know Beckham was in there one of our kickers and then Aiden West our corner he went in I think they go every Wednesday like me as well they go at different times to me I go in by myself for a more personalized session I'm trying to focus exactly on what I need but those who go together and they love Denise as well she says they're doing really good and I mean I'm sure they'll tell you if you guys get to talk to him today the biggest takeaway is the game is violent the game has to be played a certain way I play violent I run hard as I run as hard as I can so that comes with injuries that comes with the territory of banging yourself up as something that just happens and I've grown to like learn that in the past I get frustrated with myself and things like that but I mean I'm putting everything I can out there on that field so when I'm out there I mean I can't worry about injuries when I'm out there I don't really worry about injuries I just go out there and play as hard as I can if they happen they happen and you got to just fight through them and figure out how to move on to the next step and figure out how to fix it oh I wouldn't say that I think I respected um all our coaches the same Nick McKissick Luke J never they both did a great job in their own way they both had their own way of thinking their own identities and I've taken a lot away from both of them it's given me an opportunity to grow as a running back me him over actually talking about yesterday he it was funny cuz he was like bro you're freshman year you sucked but I was like I know but looking back on it we can say that because of how much I've grown and that's a testament to the two coaches that I had before Mo coach J never in and Nick McKissick Luke they've did a great job of growing me as a man and also as a football player so I mean those guys did just as good I believe as Mo can do and I think Mo could be even better because he has the on-field experience here at Minnesota the way that we run the ball and I'm excited for the season to come around camps coming up here soon it'll be really good to get those teachers out there on the field you know it's a little different when you're actually out there with the pads on and you get to actually experience what we're talking about in the meeting room so I'm excited to get out there with coach Mo I think he's a great coach a young whippersnappers they would say so it's a little different having a younger coach because he's out there running around right there with us screaming yelling jumping cutting everything that we do and he's out there doing so that's really cool to have him out there though thank you