Going into the first week of Gophers football training camp, Coney Durr tweeted to his former college teammate Rashod Bateman about how he missed "going at it" with him in practice.
Bateman is a rookie wide receiver with the Baltimore Ravens. Durr could have pursued his NFL dreams, but he is entering his sixth season as a Gophers defensive back. He says he got asked ad nauseam during the offseason about why he returned to college.
"I feel like last year was basically not really a real year," Durr said. "So, I felt like coming back with the same group of guys. Most of the guys are back. Just competing for a Big Ten championship, ultimately a national championship would kind of wrap off my career."
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound native of Baton Rouge, La., was a legitimate NFL prospect as a three-year starter with a combined 93 tackles and four interceptions since 2018, when he came back from a knee injury.
In the Gophers' final game in 2020, Durr recorded four tackles and an interception in the Dec. 19 loss against Wisconsin. Fellow senior starting cornerback Benjamin St-Juste declared for the draft the following day. Durr wondered if he should make the same decision, but he posted on social media soon afterwards that he wasn't ready to leave due to "unfinished business."
"It was really tough," Durr said. "It was kind of stressful, but ultimately I made the right decision."
St-Juste was drafted in the third round by Washington. His departure leaves that second starting cornerback spot open for competition in fall camp, likely between seniors Terell Smith and Phillip Howard.
The 6-1, 215-pound Smith's potential is intriguing after he was one of the standouts on defense in spring ball. Durr's presence has been helpful to show him how to lead.
"He's the head of the corner room," Smith said of Durr. "He's very vocal and is a good leader. He holds everybody to the same standard that he holds himself to. He's definitely a big part of our defense."
Along with Durr, Gophers coach P.J. Fleck has a veteran secondary with returning starters Justus Harris at nickelback and Jordan Howden and Tyler Nubin as the safeties. There's also young talent in the mix, including freshman corner Justin Walley.
Durr recalled when he was a bright-eyed and confident freshman in 2016 playing for former Gophers coach Tracy Claeys. He made his first career start in the 17-12 victory over Washington State in the Holiday Bowl, but suffered a torn right anterior cruciate ligament in that game. Claeys was fired and replaced by Fleck that offseason. "My first season was crazy man," Durr said. "But everything happened for a reason."
After taking a medical redshirt year in 2017, Durr re-emerged as a starter and has played in all 33 Gophers games over the past three seasons. He thought hard about joining Bateman and St-Juste entering the NFL last year.
But the NCAA gave athletes an extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic, and the Gophers defense and his pro stock should both benefit with his return to school.
"I've definitely taken my game to newer heights just mentally on the field," Durr said. "Just paying attention to the little things, like splits, routes, concepts. Things like that. The more advanced stuff. Focusing on that type of stuff is taking my game to the next level."
