Even after P.J. Fleck fell on the sword for Minnesota’s embarrassing 41-3 loss at Iowa last week, his name is still popping up in college football coaching rumors.
After LSU and Penn State fired head coaches Brian Kelly and James Franklin, respectively, one big domino fell Thursday with Nebraska signing Matt Rhule to a hefty contract extension. That takes Rhule out of the Penn State running, and puts the spotlight on all of the other respected head coaches who could be looking for a bigger opportunity at a blue-blood program.
Is Fleck a candidate to replace his friend (Franklin) at Penn State? There doesn’t seem to be any connection to warrant anything realistic, but that isn’t keeping college football insiders from saying Fleck will be a big part of the coaching cycle this coming offseason.
On Friday, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman and Ralph D. Russo named Fleck in a lengthy coaching rumor story.
“Another coach whose name is circulating around the carousel is Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck, who is 63-42 in nine years,” they wrote. “Fleck has only one double-digit-victory season at the school, but his .600 winning percentage is better than any Gophers coach since 1950.”
They didn’t elaborate or connect Fleck to specific openings, but they weren’t the only outlet to offer vague speculation about Fleck. Sports Illustrated’s Bryan Fischer and Pat Forde did the same.
“Minnesota won’t be looking to make a change by any stretch of the imagination, but that doesn’t mean P.J. Fleck stays put in the Twin Cities given all the openings that may be available this cycle,” they said.
Those reports come on the heels of John Brice’s insiding at Football Scoop a week ago.
“Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck is going to be a major factor in multiple coaching searches in this cycle. Florida? Penn State? UCLA?” Brice wrote.
“Fleck is going to get a look or looks, and he’s earned them. The dude wins with less, regardless if he’s viewed as polarizing or gimmicky with his ‘Row the Boat’ mantra. Fleck owns six-straight bowl wins, as well as an 11-win season at Minnesota and an 13-win season at Western Michigan.”
Fleck is in his ninth season at Minnesota and is under contract with the Gophers through 2030. He’s built a culture at the University of Minnesota, but it hasn’t translated to many marquee wins. In fact, the Gophers are 6-18 against ranked opponents under Fleck, though they have gone 3-3 against top-25 teams over the past two seasons.
The biggest wins under Fleck include last season’s upset of No. 11 USC, beating No. 14 Wisconsin in 2021, and taking down No. 4 Penn State during the 11-win season in 2019.
Fleck’s name floating in rumors is nothing new, but there are already a bunch of big jobs available, and the list is likely going to grow by the time the offseason arrives. LSU, Florida, Penn State, Arkansas, Virginia Tech, UCLA, and Oklahoma State are searching for a new coach, and it takes just one school with a big bank account to change the entire landscape in Minnesota. This will be worth monitoring as the season goes on, especially if Fleck’s Gophers finish strong.
