A position in the Minnesota football teamâÄôs secondary ought to just come with a glaring spotlight. That way, players wonâÄôt ever forget the scrutiny theyâÄôre under. Then again, coming off a season in which the GophersâÄô pass defense was ranked 115th in the country , a reminder probably isnâÄôt necessary. Or maybe it is, since the spotlight will be shining on some new faces this season. Minnesota started three new defensive backs in its fresh-look secondary Saturday night against Northern Illinois, including junior college transfers Tramaine Brock and Traye Simmons and junior receiver-turned-cornerback Marcus Sherels. And in front of more than 44,000 at the Metrodome, the trio held up well. Sherels was named Defensive Player of the Game by head coach Tim Brewster at TuesdayâÄôs press conference in large part because of three key pass breakups. The walk-on, who spent his first two years with the Gophers on the other side of the ball, impressed coaches and players during fall practice, and didnâÄôt slow down on Saturday. Quiet demeanor aside, Sherels has also emerged as a leader in MinnesotaâÄôs secondary, according to Simmons. Sherels said he tries to lead by example, but insists that he is hardly the only leader in the young group. âÄúI think all four starters are leaders in their own way,âÄù he said. Like leaders statistically. Brock, a free safety, led the team in tackles Saturday night with five , displaying his prowess with two open field tackles that likely prevented big gains. Brewster praised the former Mississippi Gulf Coast standoutâÄôs hitting ability along with his speed and run support. But Brewster also mentioned that like all young players starting their first Division I game, Brock has plenty of work to do. âÄúHe obviously had some things we need to improve on,âÄù Brewster said. âÄúIâÄôm really expecting to see a big jump from week one to week two with a lot of our guys, Tramaine (Brock) being one of them.âÄù One of the other guys may be Simmons, but if Brewster isnâÄôt expecting a jump, Simmons is from himself. Dubbed âÄúBig Play Traye,âÄù Simmons considered his performance Saturday to be subpar. âÄúIâÄôm very hard on myself,âÄù Simmons said. âÄúI had three tackles and one knockdown , but that wasnâÄôt me, IâÄôm better than that.âÄù A four-star recruit according to Rivals.com, Simmons spent his junior college days at College of the Sequoias, where he got the attention of some major programs. Offers came in from the likes of California, Florida and Purdue, but ultimately Simmons chose to bring his big play mentality to the Gophers. When Minnesota heads to Bowling Green this weekend, however, the immediate focus of the secondary will be on stopping big plays. And to help do that, another new face may pop up in the secondary. Questions have been raised at the possibility of freshman Troy Stoudermire, who saw action on kickoff returns Saturday and shined, racking up runbacks of 35 and 39 yards , stepping in as a nickelback in defensive situations this week, replacing sophomore cornerback Ryan Collado, who struggled mightily against Northern Illinois. âÄúI see him as possibly working into our scheme defensively,âÄù Brewster said. âÄúWeâÄôll see as the week progresses, weâÄôll see how he progresses, but I like what IâÄôve seen from Troy Stoudermire.âÄù Stoudermire said he has been studying game film and observing the starting defensive backs closely, and could well become yet another new face in the GophersâÄô secondary. “I feel like I’m close to being ready,” he said. “By the end of the week, I’ll be ready.”