Aireontae Ersery, the Gophers' fifth-year junior left offensive tackle, had a decision to make. He could return to Minnesota for his senior season in 2025 or accept an invitation to the Senior Bowl and its weeklong audition for NFL scouts, coaches and general managers.

Ersery opted to start his pro career after the Gophers' 2024 season ends because he has something he wants to prove.

"That I'm the best," Ersery said Wednesday. "And I want to go out there and compete against the best."

On Saturday, Ersery will compete against one of college football's best when the Gophers face fourth-ranked Penn State in their final home game of the season. The Nittany Lions (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) are thick in the race for a berth in the College Football Playoff and will try to avoid a stumble against the Gophers (6-4, 4-3). A subplot in the matchup for the Governor's Victory Bell is Ersery facing Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter in a meeting of potential first-round draft picks.

Carter, 6-3 and 252 pounds, has been highly productive for the Nittany Lions. He is one of four finalists for the Lombardi Award, given to the nation's best lineman. He leads the Big Ten with 17½ tackles for loss and is tied for third with eight sacks. He's the star of a deep Penn State defense that allows 98.6 rushing yards (fifth fewest in FBS) and 13.6 points per game (sixth). The Gophers counter with Ersery, a nimble, 6-6, 335-pounder.

"[Ersery] kind of makes it so you don't have to worry about the left side of the line," Gophers offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. said. "I'm excited for him. This week, the challenge is he's going up against a top-five, top-10 guy."

Ersery isn't letting the matchup get into his head. "My approach each week never changes, no matter who the opponent is," he said. "Penn State is a great team. They've got athletes everywhere."

The Kansas City (Mo.) Ruskin High School graduate has a solid rating of 79.6 from Pro Football Focus, down slightly from the 84.0 he posted last year. He's allowed only one sack this season and has an 80.9 pass-blocking grade from PFF, up from 71.1 in 2023.

"He's a really talented athlete," Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said. "I mean, he's going to blow up the numbers at the [NFL] combine at his pro day."

Patience pays off

The Gophers discovered Ersery in 2019 during a satellite camp at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo. He was a raw but promising recruit, and he verbally committed to Minnesota during his official visit in June of 2019.

"He's 245, 250 pounds, and he really didn't know much," Fleck said of Ersery during his recruitment. "He hadn't played football very long, but you could see where he was going to go."

Harbaugh was a quality control assistant with the Gophers in 2019, left for Western Michigan for two years, then returned to Minnesota in 2022 as tight ends coach. He noticed the huge strides that Ersery had taken.

"Everybody thinks you just roll out there and you become this elite player right from the start, and it's a process of how you learn," Harbaugh said. "When you look at his maturation, he learned how to practice from [offensive line coach Brian Callahan]."

As a true freshman in 2020, Ersery also learned via trial by fire. With the Gophers missing 33 players, mainly because of COVID-19, Ersery started at right tackle in a 24-17 win at Nebraska. He did not allow a sack and helped his team rush for 206 yards. That game holds a special place for him.

"My best memory probably has to be playing as a true freshman, going out there and not really knowing what to expect," he said. "I had full faith, and my coaches had faith in me, and that's what really gave me the confidence to go out there and play."

Aiming to finish strong

Ersery's presence also influences the Gophers defense, which gets an up-close look at the tackle's talents during practice. Defensive end Danny Striggow believes he's better because of Ersery.

"When he came in, coaches said, 'You guys should take advantage of going against him, because he's gonna be a first-round draft pick,'" Striggow said. "… So, every team rep, every pass rush rep, every one-on-one rep, whatever it is that you have against him, you've really gotta take advantage of it."

Ersery carries a quiet confidence into Saturday's game, and he'll try to finish his Gophers career on a strong note against Penn State and in the Nov. 29 regular-season finale at Wisconsin. He's started 36 consecutive games, battling through injuries but always answering the bell.

"I take pride in that because the best ability is availability," he said.