Former Hornet Mike Rallis Ready to Lead Golden Gopher Defense

Mike Rallis, a 6-foot-2, 231-pound redshirt junior linebacker from Edina, is hoping to be a key part of a much-improved defense for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The former Hornet started his career as a preferred walk-on, but quickly earned a scholarship.

Rallis moved from safety to linebacker last season and started six contests as he finished with 37 tackles and three interceptions. He bounced back from a season-ending broken leg that he suffered early in the third game of his sophomore season. Rallis was awarded a medical hardship.

Rallis led the Hornets to a 10-1 mark and a Classic Lake Conference title as a senior, losing to eventual state champion Eden Prairie 38-7. Rallis rushed 97 times for 551 yards (5.7 yards per carry) for 13 rushing touchdowns. He caught 48 passes for 883 yards (18.4 yards per reception) and eight receiving scores. Rallis had four games of more than 100 yards receiving and five games in which he scored three touchdowns. He was named all-conference, all-area and all-state. Rallis was named to the Minnesota Vikings All-State team that was honored during halftime of the Vikings-Chicago Bears game.

Rallis had scholarship offers from UNLV, Wyoming and North Dakota State and was offered a preferred walk-on opportunity at Minnesota, USC and Miami of Florida. He decided to stay close to home and quickly earned a scholarship during the summer camp. 

Rallis feel that the adjustment to the new coaching staff, led by head coach Jerry Kill, has been fairly seamless.

“It’s good," Rallis said. "We’re a lot more comfortable than we were in spring under the schemes and the coaches, which is a good thing, obviously. There is a lot less thinking out there and more reacting. People are getting more and more comfortable with it at practice.”

Rallis is playing linebacker for the second straight year after starting his college career as a safety. He expects to role to be somewhat similar to last season.

“I think it may change a little bit," Rallis said. “I may just do a little bit more different things. I’ll do whatever the coaches ask me to do, obviously, but when you get a changing coach, there is obviously going to be some schematic changes. We just have to adapt to it and do whatever the coaches ask you to do.”

Rallis feels that having played safety, his former position, helps him as a linebacker. But he still misses playing in the secondary.

“I loved playing safety," Rallis said. “It was a fun time. I got to do a lot of different things, but I think that I am better suited for linebacker. I enjoy it a little bit more. It is a little bit closer to the action, a little more physical, which I think suits me better. It helped me out tremendously to be able to see it from that (safety) perspective and see what the safeties need to do helps me to do my job at linebacker. Just knowing the whole defense as a whole, really helps you do your job on defense.”

Rallis feels that having playing safety allows him to help some of the young Gopher defensive backs with some of the small details of playing the position.

“Sure," Rallis said. “It is a different scheme than when I was playing safety, but defense is defense to a certain extent. I know how to play safety to a certain extent and from their perspective I know what the coaches are trying to ask of them and how it helps us and our schemes. I’ve been able to have that understanding of defense as a whole and what they are trying to accomplish as opposed to your individual job. It really helps you on defense and you can help out everyone else on defense, too.”

Rallis worked hard this offseason to get ready for what he hopes is going to be a year for him.

“I watched a lot of film to make sure that we had everything down from the spring," Rallis said. “It was a pretty holistic approach to the summer. I work on just about everything that I could. The conditioning aspect. We did a lot of speed work over the summer. For me, the speed work was more short area, some agility work at linebacker. I don’t do a whole lot of running more than 10 yards. A lot of weightlifting. I got stronger. I also did a lot of yoga, too, to work on my flexibility and to help me change direction and help me to get into better positions on the field.”

Rallis admits yoga may not typically be part of a football player’s offseason work, but he is a believer after seeing the progress he gained this summer.

“I was a little skeptical going into it, but I really saw a lot of improvement, I really did," Rallis said. “Coach Klein has mentioned to me that he saw a lot of improvement in my form in the weight room. I feel better being able to bend down on the field, change directions, get myself into good position to make a play. I think it helped a lot.”

Rallis has plenty of positive memories of his high school career.

“I loved playing at Edina," Rallis said. “It was a great time. I got to play with the guys that I grew up with. I got to play some many different positions. I loved play defense. I miss playing offense. The highlight was definitely winning the conference championship against Wayzata at 7-0. I still remember the date that it was on, October 17th, 2007. That is forever engrained in my mind.”

Rallis and the Hornets won plenty of big games, but ran into top teams like Wayzata and Eden Prairie in the playoffs, preventing them from making it to the Metrodome in the postseason.

“Definitely, looking back on it," Rallis said. “When you get into the playoffs, it’s win or go home. It is always disappointing to go home. It’s tough to look back and say ‘my high school career just ended at this game, is there anything else I could have done.’ That’s just how it was and looking back on it, there was nothing we could have really done. We put it all on the field and that is something that we can be proud of looking back on it.”

Rallis tries to get back to Edina as much as possible, despite his busy schedule.

“This summer, has been a little more tough than other ones in the past," Rallis said. “I got back as much as I can to work with my brother (Nick). I love working with my brother. I can’t wait to get back and see him and see how he is doing. It is just a great experience anytime I can pass any knowledge onto him or just work with him in general.”

Rallis is excited to the prospect of having his brother joining him at Minnesota next year. Nick, who is one of the state’s top seniors, re-committed to Minnesota in June.

“I can’t wait for that," Rallis said. “It is going to be a great time. He is one of my two best friends, the other one being my older brother. To have him here is going to be something special that I am really looking forward too.”