PJ Fleck Contract Extension Incoming?
PJ Fleck finished his ninth campaign as Minnesota Gophers head coach with a victory over New Mexico in the Rate Bowl. This after the 8-5 Gophers finished the regular season with an undefeated 7-0 record at Huntington Bank Stadium.
There have been more ups than downs during Fleck’s near-decade tenure in Dinkytown, which is saying something in this market, where finding competent football coaches has proven awfully elusive, at times.
MN Gophers preparing a PJ Fleck extension
And that is probably why the University of Minnesota is on the verge of extending their head football coach, yet again. At least that’s what local sportswriter David Shama wrote in a column he posted today at his website, Sports Headliners.
The longtime local insider got his Fleck information after recently speaking with another local reporter, Marshall Tanick (Minneapolis Times), who recently spent time in Florida covering a Gophers event that featured both Fleck and U of M president Rebecca Cunningham.
It was there, he told Shama, that he realized another new contract is likely in the works for Mr. Fleck.
School president Dr. Rebecca Cunningham indicated that at a social club gathering in Naples, Florida recently. Minneapolis-based attorney, writer and historian Marshall Tanick reported via email to Sports Headliners what Cunningham and Fleck said at the Minnesota Breakfast club gathering, an organization in Southwest Florida that was started in 1964 by Minneapolis natives and draws prominent speakers during the winter months to its weekly programs.
Tanick wrote Cunningham “intimated that the school is about to extend Fleck’s contract” which now runs through 2030. Other details weren’t offered but a new extension falls in line with the support Fleck has received from athletics director Mark Coyle who hired him.
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It’s not a surprise that Coyle go in on more Fleck. The athletic director has been a staunch supporter of the head ball coach he hired, as do the University Regents — which hasn’t always been the case.
Last season, PJ Fleck was paid $7 million, which ranked 12th of 18 coaches in the Big Ten. That number also comes in just $1 million more than the Minnesota Vikings paid to Brian Flores in his new contract extension, according to recent reports.
Fleck has gone 66-44 during his time with the Minnesota Gophers. He is just 39-40 in Big Ten games, however. He will return a team ripe with established talent in 2026, but the path to more wins will be more difficult, given the schedule.
Fleck praises new Minnesota Gophers kicker
Dragan Kesich was a semi-reliable placekicker during his time for the Minnesota Gophers. Syracuse transfer Brady Denaburg was less successful, hitting just 66.7% of his attempts last season.
Now, Minnesota has another new kicker in Michigan transfer, Beckham Sunderland, who PJ Fleck is a huge fan of.
Tanick wrote that Fleck is excited about Beckham Sunderland, a placekicking transfer from Michigan and Texas State. Fleck described the senior as an “unreal kicker.” He played at Texas State for special teams coordinator Daniel Da Prato, who recently was hired for that job at Minnesota.
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Sunderland has a big leg, but very little experience. In 15 games the last two seasons between Texas State and Michigan, he never attempted a field goal.
A former professional soccer player, Sunderland has solely operated as a kickoff specialist during his time playing American Football. New special teams coordinator Daniel Da Prato knows Sunderland from their time at Texas Tech, so his landing in Minnesota makes a ton of sense.
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