Get to know new Gophers cornerback John Nestor

The Gophers offered a scholarship to Chicago cornerback John Nestor in February but the three-star recruit committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes two months later Like being allergic to a bee sting it hurt straightaway then swelled The U prides itself on stacking recruiting wins in the Chicagoland area But the exacerbating factor was Nestor picked the Gophers bitter rival Three years later Nestor transferred to the Gophers after spring practices earned a starting spot in fall camp and made two interceptions returning one for a touchdown in a - win over Northwestern State on Saturday If there is an opportunity for you to rekindle that flame you do Gophers head coach P J Fleck reported I thought that our staff did a really good job of that when recruiting John Ultimately we didn t get him initially but we had a really good relationship built that when he went in the portal and he has three four schools you can be right in the mix Here are eight things to know about Nestor Second chance Gophers defensive coordinator Dany Collins who attended nearby Chicago high school St Rita was a primary initial recruiter of Nestor We knew what type of person he was and the type of fit Collins commented about re-recruiting him again this spring It all goes back to again the fit in this plan Being able to have that fit and then come right in On losing Nestor originally Collins announced those are the breaks of recruiting and they respected his decision Now the -foot- -pounder has two years of eligibility remaining remaining for the U Connection with Kingsbury When Nestor visited the Gophers last spring his host was linebacker Matt Kingsbury who also attended St Rita The bliss was evident on Nestor s face when Kingsbury was talking to media members about Kingsbury s two fumble recoveries with one returned yards for a TD against Northwestern State Collins went to a high school that is about minutes from where I grew up Nestor revealed Same high schools as Kings a rivalry but we won t talk about that right now Just joking First try As a true freshman for the Hawkeyes Nestor played directly on special teams and comparisons were made to him possibly becoming Riley Moss an all-Big Ten cornerback now with the Denver Broncos But his sophomore year didn t go well He played snaps on defense allowing five receptions and one touchdown on five targets along with three missed tackles in a - loss to Michigan State He would play only defensive snaps over the final six games before going into the portal Illinois State wide receiver Braden Contreras recovers a fumbled punt in front of Iowa defensive back John Nestor during the first half of an NCAA college football competition Saturday Aug in Iowa City Iowa AP Photo Charlie Neibergall Man of faith The first question Nestor faced from reporters Saturday was about his -yard pick-six on the opening play from scrimmage against the Demons Before I start I just want to give all glory to God Nestor noted from the podium at Huntington Bank Stadium He is my savior He is my Lord and I put him first throughout everything I do every day Nestor who attended Marist High School a private Catholic prep school in Chicago then gave a detailed answer on the big play that set the tone in the blowout We were in Cover Nestor disclosed Throughout our film scrutiny all week coaches were saying in that formation Northwestern State were running had a lot of hitches by No the outside receiver especially to the boundary I read the quarterback and went with my gut feeling Collins added We break the defensive staff meetings at night and I go in the corner room and he s in there watching film He s unfailingly going to take those little nuggets we give him and those coaching points He is going to investigation tips and tendencies on his own as well and find specific things as well Man of football The Marist football crew started winter conditioning workouts at a m but that wasn t early enough for Nestor in the - season Nestor telephoned defensive backs coach John Stefanos about putting him through additional footwork drills on the football field at Stefanos replied If you re gonna be there I ll be there That meant workouts in the pre-dawn darkness In December and January In Chicago They would do it in the freezing cold and would only call it off if it was too snowy outside The best way to describe him is passion and intensity Stefanos announced He s reliably been that kid He s driven He s football smart He doesn t know any speed but full go He s special Mesmerized Marist head coach Mike Fitzgerald coached at York Society High School in Elmhurst during Nestor s career I kind of got to see it from the other side Fitzgerald stated And man he kept me up late at night trying to figure out how we were gonna block him and keep him out of the mix Fitzgerald was supposed to be looking at the Redhawks defense as a whole but was mesmerized watching Nestor s physicality athleticism and coverage skills He was one of those guys on film where you get caught up just watching a member instead of like the defense Fitzgerald stated He was just fun to watch Nestor played safety corner and receiver at Marist and as a junior helped the Redhawks advance to the big school state semifinals Popular dude During down times in college Nestor returns to Marist and runs middle-school camps for defensive backs The sixth seventh eighth-graders they re all Where s Nestor Where s Nestor Stefanos revealed They love him He brings ability and knowledge and passion And we just sit back and watch and let him run it And it s very popular Incredible confidence The Gophers are leaning into being delusional about how good of a company they have this season Nestor is bought in I got so much love for this unit Nestor disclosed Our HAVOC defense man we are the best in the country I m going to say that right now We can go toe-to-toe against anybody in the country But there is also a dose of humanity After Nestor s second pick Saturday he didn t manage any return yards and poked fun at himself Minnesota Gophers defensive back John Nestor intercepts a pass from Northwestern State Demons quarterback Abram Johnston during the second quarter of NCAA football battle at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Saturday Sept John Autey Pioneer Press It didn t look the the majority athletic play when I fell on the ground Nestor stated but it s all good Related Articles Gophers running back Darius Taylor s status for Cal event up in the air Gophers move to - 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