P.J. Fleck has been the University of Minnesota Head Football Coach since 2017, when he was hired after bringing Corey Davis and the Western Michigan Broncos to a New Year’s Six Bowl in 2016, only losing to the University of Wisconsin in the Cotton Bowl. Since Fleck has came to Minnesota, he has achieved an eleven win season in 2019, and more recently, an ugly five win season in 2023, in a VERY weak Big Ten West.
There is no doubt in my mind that Fleck is an outstanding teacher of DBs, Safeties, WRs, and RBs, as it seems like every Gopher excelling in those positions either gets drafted into the NFL and/or secures a second contract in the NFL. I hope that this continues to allow Minnesota to compete for high-level recruits, as ultimately Minnesota has established a culture of sending skill position guys into the NFL.
Look no further than Koi Perich, a four star recruit in the Class of 2024 from the state of Minnesota. Perich was the highest ranked recruit from Minnesota to commit to the University of Minnesota, and has taken college football by storm throughout his first eight games. Perich has five interceptions (tied for 2nd most in NCAA-FBS) and one forced fumble. Perich is a shoe-in for the Freshman All-American team, and may even play himself onto one of the All-Big Ten teams.
After demolishing Maryland this past Saturday, Perich spoke about the University of Minnesota football team on a local radio show, stating, “[Minnesota] is a safety school. If you are a safety, you should come here.” This is great to hear, as he is a Minnesota kid who stayed in-state to play for Gophers. Minnesota has had trouble keeping recruits in-state, and Fleck needs to show Perich and future recruits that Minnesota means business and can consistently compete on the field against the better teams in the Big Ten.
The next test comes this Saturday on the road against the University of Illinois, a team that Minnesota has not defeated under P.J. Fleck. If Minnesota truly wants to be a good football team, and I believe that they have the makeup to compete, they need to win against Illinois. Fleck is 0-10 lifetime against Illinois coach Brett Bielema, and after last season’s collapse against Illinois in the final minutes, Minnesota should be out for revenge.
If P.J. Fleck wants to continue to gain back support from the fans, they need to beat Illinois and secure bowl eligibility. Looking at their remaining schedule, there is no reason for Minnesota to finish with less than 7 wins. Minnesota has struggled in the past during November, so it shall be interesting to see whether Minnesota is able to succeed in November, and win games against quality Big Ten foes.
Personally, I wanted Minnesota to move on from Fleck prior to the 2024 season, but with how the team has played and how he has allowed Greg Harbaugh Jr. to call plays offensively, I believe that Fleck can be the long-term answer for the Gophers. However, he needs to win games against inferior opponents, which starts this weekend versus Illinois.
