Gophers safety Tyler Nubin showed a penchant for big plays at age 8

Tyler Nubin sprinted to catch the ball-carrier, ripped the ball out of the opponent's hands and ran with it for the winning touchdown as time ran out.

When did he make that play? Purdue in 2021? Nope. The Guaranteed Rate Bowl? Not there.

Instead, the future Gophers safety played the hero in a St. Charles (Ill.) youth football game, circa 2009. That's when Rodney Nubin, Tyler's father, realized his 8-year-old son had an advanced mind for football.

The kicker to the story: Nubin made that winning play as a wide receiver.

"We were about to lose the game," said Rodney Nubin, who was coaching Tyler's team and called for a long pass to his son. "The [opposing] kid intercepts the ball and starts running toward the end zone. Tyler runs the kid down, snatches the ball out of his hands and starts running the other way for the touchdown. I was like, 'You've got to be kidding me.' ''

Afterward, Rodney asked Tyler about the play.

"I was curious, walking back to the car, just me and him. I turned to him, 'What made you snatch the ball? Why didn't you just tackle him?' " Rodney said. "He said, 'Dad, there was only a few seconds left. We needed a touchdown!'

"You can't teach a child that at 8 or 9 years old," the elder Nubin added. "He understood the game at a very early age."

Fast forward 13 years later, and it's the Gophers who are benefiting from Tyler Nubin's football smarts. Entering Saturday's game at Nebraska, the fourth-year junior leads the team with three interceptions, ranks second with 36 tackles and is drawing the attention of NFL scouts.

In last week's 31-0 win over Rutgers, Nubin intercepted two passes in the fourth quarter, setting up a pair of Gophers touchdowns and earning Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week honors.

"He tackles well and blitzes well, but I think you're seeing his coverage really go to the next level," Gophers defensive coordinator Joe Rossi said. "He's doing a really nice job of anticipating routes."

That was especially true on Nubin's first interception against the Scarlet Knights, when he diagnosed the route, swooped in to grab the ball and got a foot inbounds.

"I just read his eyes and intentions," Nubin said of Rutgers quarterback Gavin Wimsatt. "I just broke on it and somehow got my foot in.''

Gophers coach P.J. Fleck sees Nubin's development following the path of another Gophers safety who now stars for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"He's got that personality and he's got that drive," Fleck said. "Antoine Winfield [Jr.] had 'it,' and that's why he's won a Super Bowl. Tyler is closest thing to having 'it' that we have."

Values instilled early

Tyler's parents, Rodney and Sherese Nubin, were student-athletes at Eastern Michigan. Rodney played cornerback and Sherese ran the quarter-mile in track. Together, they instilled a love of sports and the priorities of discipline in both Tyler and his younger brother, Jordan, a redshirt freshman running back for the Gophers.

"I kind of brainwashed him. It was my turn to watch them, and I'd have Tyler and Jordan on each side of me, and I'd be watching football and other sports," Rodney remembered. "One day, when he was 5 or 6 years old, he said, 'I want to play football.' ''

Said Sherese, "They've had a football in their hands since they have been able to walk. A year old, 2 years old, just tossing it around. It's just been ingrained in them since they were toddlers."

As Tyler and Jordan progressed during their careers at St. Charles North High School, their parents made sure they excelled in academics, too.

"Every weekend, they weren't able to always go to parties and do a lot of the things their friends were doing," Sherese said. "We run a very structured household."

Tyler had scholarship offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, Northwestern and Purdue of the Big Ten, along with Tennessee and Kentucky of the SEC. When it came time to pick his school, he opted for the Gophers after connecting with Fleck, the coaching staff and players.

Big decision coming

As Nubin's play has progressed, so has his presence on the team. He's a fierce competitor but also keeps things loose with specialized handshakes for different players. His leadership style has caught teammates' attention.

"It's infectious," quarterback Tanner Morgan said. "… He's going to put it all out there. And he demands that from everybody else around him. That's elevated a lot of guys."

Added linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin, "He's like, 'I'm gonna go make the play. Who's gonna make the play after me?' He'll say those things and then he'll go out and force a fumble."

A rangy 6-1 and 210 pounds, Nubin has one year of eligibility remaining after this season but is garnering attention from NFL scouts. He'll have a big decision ahead of him after the season: returning to Minnesota or entering the NFL draft.

"He'll make it at the proper time, but we know that he's always welcome back," Fleck said. "What does Motel 6 say? We'll leave a light on for him."