For Tracy Claeys, starting a restaurant in his hometown was more important than pursuing a head coaching job this offseason.

The University of Minnesota’s defensive coordinator always said he would go tend a bar back home in Clay Center, Kan., if he wasn’t coaching.

He bought and remodeled an old Dairy Queen in downtown Clay Center last fall, replacing it with a steak and burger joint called Coach’s Pub and Grill in December.

“Everybody laughed when I said that I’d go back and serve beer when I was told I couldn’t coach anymore,” Claeys said Tuesday. “I got the bar. It’s all ready to go.”

Business is just fine without him, too.

His mom’s special potato salad is on the menu on Wednesdays.

A woman in town agreed to sell her homemade pies, which are a hit.

His sister, Teresa, is running the city’s most stylish place to watch games maybe ever, featuring 10 TVs and decorated to showcase Kansas State, Kansas and, of course, the Gophers.

“I think it’s raised the quality of life there,” Claeys said.

Sticking with Gophers coach Jerry Kill for the past 20 years has paid off, literally, for Claeys, who went from making $4,000 a year as an assistant at Saginaw Valley State (Mich.) to Kill’s highest-paid assistant with a $600,000 salary after a $250,000 raise in April.

Claeys gained national recognition last season, taking over as Minnesota’s acting head coach for the final seven games while Kill managed his epilepsy. A few head coaching offers came as a result, but Claeys never interviewed.

There’s a chance he never will, and that next job just might be at his restaurant in Kansas — if he’s not with Kill.

“For me to leave, there would have to come a day where I was no longer wanted here or I just get so big that I made up my mind that I want to be a head coach,” Claeys said. “I’m not to that point right now. I’m getting closer to 50. The more you wait, the less that opportunity there is. But me being a head coach is not a fulfilling life dream.”

With no regrets about turning down jobs, Claeys remains motivated, thinking of new ways to build a championship-level defense at Minnesota.

Despite the loss of captains and All-Big Ten performers Ra’Shede Hageman and Brock Vereen, who were picked in the first four rounds of last month’s NFL draft, Claeys says confidently that his defense “will be better than last season.”

The progress shown in 2013 will be hard to match, let alone surpass.

Minnesota’s scoring defense went from 45th nationally in 2012 to 25th last season. The Gophers also held 11 of 13 opponents to 24 points or fewer, something in which Claeys takes the most pride. His defense allowed eight opponents to score 24 points or more two years ago.

The Gophers expect to be much more consistent on third downs this season (seventh in the Big Ten at 36.8 percent in 2013). And Claeys anticipates that defensive end Theiren Cockran, linebackers Damien Wilson and De’Vondre Campbell and cornerback Eric Murray will show their NFL potential and push for all-conference honors.

“Eric is the type of kid, he’s not just going for All-Big Ten,” Claeys said, “He’s shooting for All-American.”

Claeys is keeping his fingers crossed that Wilson develops into a leader after adjusting from junior college last year. The Gophers are counting on seniors Cam Botticelli and Cedric Thompson to keep their teammates in line going into fall camp.

“If each week, as coaches, we get kids in the right spot, and they prepare like they should,” Claeys said, “I’ll be disappointed if we’re not better.”

For the most part, the defense is missing only a few key players (Hageman, Vereen and linebacker Aaron Hill) from a group that more than held its own against top Big Ten opponents like Wisconsin, Michigan State and Nebraska.

“Physically, we’ve reached to where we can compete with the two-back teams,” Claeys said. “This year, with all the kids we’ve got in the secondary coming back, I think the one-back and spread teams we’ll be able to match up with. That puts us in the position to where we should have the best defensive team we’ve had.”

Claeys gained added confidence last season that he can run his own team after going 4-3 as acting head coach.

Kill said he’ll coach from the field again this season after spending several games in the press box until the second half of the Texas Bowl loss to Syracuse.

Claeys seems nearly as excited about returning to the press box and concentrating on the defense as he was about building the restaurant back home.

“If I had to do it today, I’d go back to the box,” he said. “I’ve gotten comfortable up there. I like having the Coke Zero. I like having papers in front of me and being removed. It all worked out, and I enjoyed it last year. But I don’t know if that’s what’s best for the team. We’ll see.”

Follow Marcus R. Fuller at twitter.com/GophersNow.