Gophers' Campbell and former juco roommate reconnect in Orlando

Orlando – Gophers linebacker De'Vondre Campbell was an impressionable 17-year-old when he arrived at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College from his hometown of Fort Myers, Fla.

His roommate that 2012 season was Markus Golden, who's now a senior defensive end for Missouri. Those two will be on opposite sidelines in Thursday's Citrus Bowl, but they had a chance to catch up at a charity event Saturday morning.

"He's like my little brother," Golden said. "We used to talk about going Division I, and my last game at Mizzou is in a bowl game, facing him. It's amazing."

Golden, a St. Louis native, was a second-team All-SEC selection this year after notching 8½ sacks.

"He gave me a lot of good advice because when I first went to college, I was young," Campbell said. "I had never been away from home like that, and he kind of took me under his wing. I'll always be thankful for that."

Campbell started all 12 games for the Gophers this season as a junior, ranking third on the team with 71 tackles, recovering three fumbles and delivering a key pick-six in the victory at Michigan.

Campbell and Golden have kept in touch with each other, and with another former Hutchinson teammate — Vikings receiver Cordarrelle Patterson.

Jerry Kill has long pined for a rule change that would allow teams to use redshirted players in bowl games.

"We've got three or four guys that would start for us, if they were in the bowl game," he said. "I wish we had a rule where they could play. It makes sense because we're starting a new year, and then everybody goes into the bowl games limping in because of injuries."

Kill didn't want to name names, but true freshmen wide receivers Isaiah Gentry, Desmond Gant, Jerry Gibson and Melvin Holland Jr. all would be starting candidates.

"We've got four wide receivers that we've redshirted," Kill said. "We've got two great running backs [Rodney Smith and Jeff Jones] that are guys that are redshirted. We've got some offensive linemen.

"I could keep going, but our football team a year from now, I think, will even be better."

That award went to Louisville's Gerod Hollimon.

"I believe that you dream big, so I was aiming for the Thorpe and settled for the Big Ten," Boddy-Calhoun said. "But that's still a great honor to be awarded that, and it just makes me want to work harder and harder to get that Thorpe next year."

Boddy-Calhoun also was named one of three Gophers captains for next year, along with Mitch Leidner and Maxx Williams.