MINNEAPOLIS -- Damien Wilson was frustrated when he took a look at the Gophers' final statistics for the 2013 season.
Despite making 78 tackles in his first year at Minnesota after transferring from Jones County Community College, Wilson fell short of leading the Gophers in tackles -- by one. The team leader was Cedric Thompson, a safety who recorded 79 tackles.
That one tackle bugged Wilson.
"I looked at the stat sheet at the end of the year and I was like, 'What? A safety beat a linebacker in tackles? That can't be,'" Wilson said. "So I made it my mission to beat him this year."
Wilson not only has more tackles than Thompson this year, but he has more than anyone else on the Gophers' roster through five games. His 51 tackles are well ahead of the 19 that Thompson has, and they're more than the next two Gophers players combined -- fellow linebackers Jack Lynn and De'Vondre Campbell each have 25. On top of that, Wilson's 10.2 tackles per game rank fourth among all Big Ten players.
Entering the season, Minnesota had high hopes for its defense, although linebacker remained a question mark. Wilson made 12 starts as a junior last year, but Campbell -- another junior college transfer -- started just three games. And Lynn was a bit of an unknown after playing in just three games as a redshirt freshman.
Yet as the Gophers prepare to host Northwestern this Saturday, they do so with one of the best defenses in the Big Ten. Minnesota's trio of linebackers have been instrumental in the team's 4-1 start.
"Those three kids right now are really playing well. They really are," said Gophers head coach Jerry Kill.
Wilson has emerged as a leader of not only the linebacker corps but of Minnesota's defense. As he showed last year, he has a knack for finding the football. Along with his 78 tackles, he had 5.5 tackles for loss.
While Wilson's cousin, Gophers running back David Cobb, has stolen most of the headlines early in the season, Wilson's game has gotten even better than it was during his junior year.
"It's like worlds apart," Wilson said when asked how different he is this year compared to last season. "As far as understanding the game and the schemes we're in, I've got more freedom to play. It's not even close from last year."
Campbell had a similar response when asked the same question. After 41 tackles last season as a redshirt junior, Campbell already has 25 tackles, one tackle for loss, a fumble recovery, a blocked field goal, and an interception returned for a touchdown two weekends ago at Michigan.
That pick-six by Campbell came at a crucial time. Minnesota was clinging to a 13-7 lead in the third quarter before Campbell intercepted Wolverines quarterback Shane Morris and ran it back 30 yards for the score and a 20-7 edge. Campbell said this week that it was easily the best individual moment in his football career, and it was a testament to the type of player the 6-foot-5, 241-pound linebacker has become.
"I think I've made leaps and bounds from last year to this year," he said. "The biggest difference this year is I'm a lot more comfortable with the playbook. I think last year I just kind of depended on my athleticism to take me through. That showed when we got into conference games because I wasn't really too familiar with the playbook. But I think that's my biggest improvement from last year to this year, just being a lot more comfortable with the system, knowing where I've got to be and when I've got to be there."
And then there's Lynn, a 6-3, 238-pound redshirt sophomore from Lake Zurich, Ill. He didn't get much of a chance to show his skills during games last year as a backup linebacker. But after the graduation of Aaron Hill and James Manuel, a starting linebacker spot opened up.
Lynn seized the opportunity and hasn't looked back, proving he belongs right next to the more experienced Wilson and Campbell.
"The guy we don't talk about who's playing at a high level is Jack Lynn," Kill said. "He may be one of the most improved players I've seen in one year. Athletically, he's worked hard in the weight room and his flexibility and so forth."
Minnesota knew it had depth and experience in the secondary, and there were plenty of returning players on the defensive line to instill confidence in Gophers fans. The linebackers? That was the wild card for an otherwise impressive defense led by coordinator Tracy Claeys.
Five games in to the 2014 season, Wilson, Campbell and Lynn have proven themselves a worthy trio and an important reason for Minnesota's success on defense.
"I guess we all just do our job. We're bigger, more physical, stronger," Wilson said of the linebackers. "We just like to have fun out there."
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