Eclectic or dominant, Anthony Smith is everything the Gophers need

Anthony Smith is an imposing 6-6 and 285 pounds yet might be the most gregarious member of the Gophers football team.

He plays the quarterback-hunting position of defensive end, leading the Big Ten in sacks, yet is quick to deflect credit to his teammates.

And when he’s not engaged in the high-speed collisions that define football, he might be found “thrifting,” looking for a unique piece of clothing at a second-hand store.

“Anthony’s a very eclectic individual,” Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said. “His life is fascinating to me because he has a lot of interests. And whatever he’s doing, he does it 100%.”

On Saturday, Smith and the Gophers will face Wisconsin at Huntington Bank Stadium (2:30 p.m., FS1) in the battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe in the regular-season finale.

The game also could be the final one as a Gopher for Smith, a fourth-year junior who has a year of eligibility remaining but could opt to enter the 2026 NFL draft. Players who enter the draft early typically don’t play in the bowl game to lessen the chance of injury.

During a news conference Wednesday, Smith didn’t reveal his plans for after the season — if he has decided his plans. Nor did he indicate that he would participate in the Gophers’ “Senior Walk” ceremony.

Indeed it is for the Gophers, who carry a 6-5 overall record and 4-4 Big Ten mark into the border rivalry against Wisconsin (4-7, 2-6).

Minnesota has lost two consecutive games — 42-13 at Oregon and 38-35 against Northwestern at Chicago’s Wrigley Field — in which it gave up a combined 1,035 yards of offense.

The Gophers could use a big game from Smith, who has a Big Ten-best 10½ sacks — one more than second-place Derrick Moore of Michigan — and whose 13½ tackles for loss are tied for the Big Ten lead with Ohio State’s Caden Curry and Indiana’s Stephen Daley.

Smith said the emphasis this week for the Gophers defensive line has been gap responsibility, which was inconsistent against Northwestern. “That was a big thing for us,” he said, “and just playing with violence every single snap.”

Said Fleck: “He’s made a lot of big plays for us, but there’s also this humble piece about him that’s always willing to grow and get better.”

“I only want players back if it benefits them for their future,” Fleck said. “If they’re able to maximize what they’ve been able to do, then I’ll support them 100%, but we do an exhaustive amount of homework with them and for them through the NFL process, along with agents, and then ultimately, it’s the player’s decision.”

Smith is from Shippensburg, Pa., a town of about 5,600 located roughly 45 miles southwest of Harrisburg.

Eric Foust, Smith’s coach at Shippensburg High School, remembers meeting the big youngster as a ninth-grader and having to tell him and his mother that he was too big to play ninth-grade football. He had to move up to the junior varsity.

“He was a great basketball player — really took to basketball well, and football was kind of a second sport for a long while," Foust said. “Then he grew into his body more and more and realized that football was a better sport for him than basketball.”

The “aha” moment for Smith and football came in his sophomore year against Red Land High School when he amassed five sacks in a game.

College recruiters came calling — Penn State, Pitt, Nebraska, Michigan, West Virginia — but the Gophers got in early.

Smith made an official visit to Minnesota in June of 2021 and wanted to commit on the spot. Fleck told him to think about it for a couple of days. Smith did and promptly said yes to Minnesota.

“Coach Fleck. That’s why I decided to Row The Boat,” Smith said. “… I trust Coach Fleck, and he’s never steered me wrong."

Smith redshirted in 2022, had one sack in 2023 and shared the team lead with six sacks last year while earning All-Big Ten honorable mention. His breakthrough came this fall, especially in the 24-6 win over Nebraska when he had 2 ½ of the Gophers’ nine sacks.

“Everybody gets a sack,” Smith said at the time. “It’s like an Oprah Winfrey thing.”

“I’m a big guy, and sometimes the retail stores don’t have the big-guy stuff,” Smith said. “Some of the stuff [at thrift stores] is handed down. You see this 2XL Carhart jacket or these size-40 pants, and you’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh. These are perfect.’ And it’s like a diamond in the rough.”