DETROIT — Darius Taylor says angst about his future with the Gophers football program was much ado about nothing.

After the true freshman tailback led the Big Ten in rushing yards through September, fears set in that Taylor might exit via the NCAA transfer portal, taking a possible bigger package of name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation from another school.

That concern emanated from head coach P.J. Fleck down to random aliases posting on message boards. The precedent of Mar’Keise “Bucky” Irving leaving the U for Oregon after his true freshman year in 2021 made the experience visceral.

A public exhale came when Taylor posted on social media on Dec. 2 that he would return to the U for his sophomore season in 2024. He mentioned Dinkytown Athletes, the Gophers’ NIL collective, in his post.

“There wasn’t really a process,” Taylor told the Pioneer Press on Saturday. “I just love it here. Great experience. I haven’t had anything bad or negative in any way. Everything I’ve been told about the school has come true and been through. So I just feel like there was not really a decision. It was just where I wanted to be.”

Taylor knew he was a topic of conversation.

“Yeah, it was there, but I didn’t pay any attention to it,” he said. “I put the blinders up and just focused on what I need to do. Get healthy and do what I can for the team.”

The Gophers play Bowling Green in the Quick Lane Bowl on Tuesday, and Taylor might be able to return to the field after dealing with injuries over the final two months of the regular season. If Taylor carries the ball, it would be a special homecoming for the Detroit native, who played 30 minutes northwest of the city at Walled Lake Western High School.

Taylor was thrilled with the first month of his collegiate career. After getting only one carry in the season opener against Nebraska, he rattled off three terrific performances:

— 33 carries for 193 yards and one touchdown in a 25-6 win over Eastern Michigan on Sept. 9.

— 22 rushes for 138 yards and one TD in a 31-13 loss at North Carolina on Sept. 16.

— 31 carries for 198 yards and two TDs in a 37-34 overtime loss at Northwestern on Sept. 23.

With those totals, he won Big Ten freshman of the week three consecutive times.

His season highlight came against Northwestern, when on one play he appeared to be stuffed behind the line of scrimmage on fourth and 1, but he broke a tackle from all-Big Ten senior linebacker Bryce Gallagher and scored a 43-yard touchdown.

“I’d say it’s probably my favorite highlight,” Taylor said. “It was just a regular play for me. Honestly, I wasn’t thinking he’s an all-Big Ten linebacker. He’s a great player. I just came out of it, and it was all green grass. Yeah, a great play.”

But injuries kept him out out of six of the final seven games, with him returning to contribute 59 yards on 16 carries in the 12-10 win over Iowa on Oct. 21. He got hurt again in that rivalry game.

“I wouldn’t say it was difficult,” Taylor said about the past two months. “It was just kind of just keeping a good headspace, have a positive mindset. Trainers helped me through it a lot. They did a great job with me. Obviously had a little setback in Iowa game. But, I mean, that’s just life really. Just keeping a positive mindset and working with the trainers every day. And just staying on it.”

Fleck has an open-door office philosophy with players, and Taylor has been coming in for visits more often.

“I just think it’s really important for young people to understand — those who don’t like to talk much about anything,” Fleck said. “They like to either text it or TikTok it or Instagram it or Snapchat it, but (it’s good) to have connections with your head coach and come in and talk about things that are going on in your life, non-football related.”

Taylor said they talked about a wide range of topics, from relationship advice to football.

“I really just get an opportunity to talk to him on a personal level,” Taylor said. “We talk about what’s going on in each other’s lives. We talked about anything. … It’s kind of just an open discussion. I’m sitting there for 20 to 30 minutes and just chop it.”

Two football-related things Taylor wants to work on going into his sophomore season are staying healthy during the grind of a 20-week season and being smarter in situational football. In that Northwestern loss, Taylor bounced a short-yardage run to the outside and he was tackled short of a first down. It aided the Wildcats’ big comeback.

“In the Northwestern game, I made a few situational errors,” Taylor said. “Other than that, it’s just obviously keeping my body healthy, that’s the main thing. Just being available for the team and creating plays when my team needs me.”

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