Unlike other teams around the country, it appears the Golden Gophers will have most of their starters available tomorrow afternoon. That’s no surprise, given how serious Fleck takes each bowl game Minnesota plays in.

It also helps when players are receiving NIL money to do so, like some Gophers are — just the latest way PJ and those inside his program have progressively used somewhat limited NIL funds to make the football team better.

PJ Fleck confident the MN Gophers will retain most starters

Looking beyond the Rate Bowl, to the 2026 season, and the Minnesota Gophers head football coach remains confident that, yet again, he and his staff will be able to keep most of their top talent in Dinkytown and out of the transfer portal.

“Our retention rate has been incredible. We feel great about re-signing the majority of our players, especially the majority of our starters, which is really, really critical for the 2026 season.”

PJ Fleck via the Star Tribune

We already know the most important player on roster — redshirt freshman starting quarterback Drake Lindsey — is returning for the 2026 season. He was the most essential domino that needed to fall.

Besides him, other key pieces to both sides of Minnesota’s puzzle are sticking around — including John Nestor, Kerry Brown, Nathan Roy and Greg Johnson.

All four players will be paid as part of the aforementioned Dinkytown Athletes + Cub Foods NIL promotion.

Locked in for the @RateBowl and committed to returning for the 2026 season 〽️

Gopher @RateBowl content is presented by @CubFoods pic.twitter.com/RbOTmx662G

— DinkytownAthletes (@DTAthletes) December 23, 2025

Drake Lindsey is the key

Greg Johnson is from Prior Lake, MN and says he has not thought about leaving. Other Gophers who will stay, according to the starting guard, will do so because of Drake Lindsey.

“Being from Minnesota, I personally didn’t have any thoughts of going elsewhere. I think Drake really set the tone for the team. This is Drake’s team. He’s our leader and it’s easy to come back and want to play for a guy like that.”

Greg Johnson – via Pioneer Press

Of course, the decision isn’t that easy for everyone. Some of the Gophers’ best players — all of which are down in Arizona and expected to play on Friday — have not made their future plans public.

We are yet to hear from the likes of S Koi Perich (SO), DL Anthony Smith (JR) or RB Darius Taylor (JR). Smith leads the Minnesota Gophers in sacks by a WIDE margin, with 10.5 (32 tackles).

#Minnesota DE Anthony Smith not only has an NFL frame at 6'6 285, but has produced. He's totaled 16 pressures and 6 sacks in 4 games.

Here’s was this week's Shrine Bowl DPOTW, and is a high-level three-down, athletic edge with the closing speed to finish off plays and the… https://t.co/H6Y4uAfegc pic.twitter.com/d8NSzeXjo3

— Eric Galko (@EricGalko) October 4, 2025

Darius Taylor has again dealt with injuries throughout the season, but he finished as Minnesota’s leading rusher with 554 yards and 3 touchdowns on 119 carries (4.7 YPC).

Some Minnesota Gophers unsure of their future

Both upperclassmen — who are paid more than just about anyone else on the team — spoke with reporters this week in Arizona, at MN Gophers practice, where they were not on the same page as their head coach, choosing instead to plead the fifth on their future plans.

Smith: “I’m just focused on this. I really haven’t thought about it at all…I just want to send the seniors out on a good note.”

Anthony Smith on his future with Gophers (Star Tribune)

Taylor: “I really haven’t thought about that stuff… I’m just worried about the game. I will figure all that out after the game.”

Darius Taylor on his future with Gophers (Pioneer Press)

It’s difficult to believe that these kids aren’t actually thinking about their futures, especially given how much is riding on their decisions.

Of course, it’s always possible both Taylor and Smith do have a better handle on their futures than what they are letting on. want to do, and they just aren’t telling reporters about it.

Either way, we’ll find out soon enough because we are talking about the most expensive players on the Minnesota Gopher football roster. Fleck will want to quickly reallocate those dollars, if guys like Smith and Taylor are leaving.

A major reason for the team’s inconsistency was the defense, specifically, the interior. Opposing offenses routinely gashed Minnesota up the middle, and any breakdown starts in the trenches.

Following the arrival of a truly special recruiting class, Fleck made a significant staff change that could shape the program’s future.

Gophers Dismiss Defensive Line Coach

Over the years P.J. Fleck has lost plenty of assistants to promotions elsewhere, something he’s often proud of, as it reflects their market value and desire for career growth. This season, Danny Collins replaced Corey Hetherman after Hetherman departed for Miami. But after what unfolded on the field, no one was going to come calling for Collins, and Fleck decided he didn’t want Dennis Dottin-Carter on staff either.

Sources: Minnesota dismissed defensive line coach Dennis Dottin-Carter. He’s was in his third season at Minnesota, the first two as a senior defensive analyst. He also coached defensive line at Yale, UConn and Maine. He worked at Delaware, including a stint as interim coach. pic.twitter.com/AnBqlaHTxE

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 5, 2025

Dottin-Carter, who previously worked as a defensive analyst, was promoted to defensive line coach this season. Although Minnesota recorded 35 sacks, good for ninth in the nation, the interior defensive line consistently struggled.

The Gophers allowed more than 122 rushing yards per game, and gave up 3.79 yards per carry. If there was one area opponents exploited repeatedly, it was up the middle.

With Drake Lindsey set to return as the starting quarterback next season, the Gophers need to take a step forward. Fleck briefly appeared to be a name to watch during the coaching carousel, but he’s staying in Minnesota and now must rebuild from within.

The Gophers still have a bowl game ahead of them, and they’ll do so with a new voice leading the defensive line. Fleck is a perfect 6-0 in bowl games as Minnesota’s head coach. If he wants that streak to continue, shoring up the interior defense and controlling the hashes will be essential.

Even though Fleck’s team got trounced 41-3 in what may have been his worst loss as a head coach, the result hasn’t stopped interest in his services. Arguably the most successful Gophers head coach in recent memory, Fleck has become a popular commodity.

Coaching carousel may take PJ Fleck from Minnesota

Currently there are eight head coach openings at the Power 4 level across college football. Among them, the highest profile include LSU, Penn State, and Florida. P.J. Fleck was previously tempted by UCLA, and they have a vacancy once again as well. Where Fleck could land, if anywhere, remains to be seen. That hasn’t stopped multiple sources indicating Fleck’s name continuing to pop up.

Another coach whose name is circulating around the carousel is Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck, who is 63-42 in nine years. Fleck has only one double-digit-victory season at the school, but his .600 winning percentage is better than any Gophers coach since 1950.

The Athletic

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.

Sports Illustrated

Fleck isn’t going to move just for the sake of doing so. He’s been in Minnesota for nine years now, and was with Western Michigan for four seasons prior to that. There are some big names that could tempt him though.

It seems unlikely that Penn State would come calling for the Gophers head coach, but Matt Rhule is basically off the table with his new extension, and Curt Cignetti just got more money as well. LSU will want a bigger hire than a coach who has won double-digit games with the Gophers just once.

It’s possible Florida sees Fleck as a rebound from Billy Napier, but UCLA is likely the school that could push the hardest again. Fleck nearly left the last time around, and there is already an established level of rapport.

Minnesota wants no part of replacing Fleck and the culture he has established for the Gophers. That said, he could see a new opportunity with a fat payday as worthwhile to make a jump. This is going to be a situation to monitor over the next few months.

It seemed curious that the Hawkeyes were favorites by more than a touchdown with the teams owning identical records and both riding high. There was no question who asserted dominance by the end, and Fleck willingly went into the game with his star running back, Darius Taylor, looking questionable.

Darius Taylor injury now raises serious eyebrows for MN Gophers

The Minnesota Gophers kicked off against the Iowa Hawkeyes at 2:30 pm on Saturday. Fleck and his traditional “two hours before the game” injury report was provided at 12:30 pm. Here is what that looked like.

Today’s availability report pic.twitter.com/ss8n1AoJsl

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) October 25, 2025

Not only is starting running back Darius Taylor not listed as questionable, not a single Gophers player was. The star running back played three snaps, he carried the ball one time for a single yard, and then spent the rest of the game on the sideline.

At halftime, Fleck said directly about Taylor that, “he won’t be back.” It was a curt response from a coach getting his tail kicked, but it was one that seemingly had already been predetermined.

Detail: On @KFAN1003, #Gophers coach PJ Fleck said something came up injury-wise for Darius Taylor during the week of #Hawkeyes loss. It factored in him getting only one carry, playing three snaps in Iowa City. Fleck didn't share if Taylor can play vs. Michigan State on Saturday.

— Andy Greder (@andygreder) October 28, 2025

Banking on Taylor to play at this point in his career is fruitless. Despite being uber-talented, he misses games every season, and the list of maladies is a mile long. He suffered a hamstring injury earlier this year, and has already been sidelined during his junior season.

Still, what happened in Iowa for the Gophers is inexcusable given the ramifications in this sports landscape. Fleck already safeguards his injury report to the tune of a final 120 minutes. Taylor was never going to be worth a touchdown swing on the spread, but knowing something was up, reporting nothing, and immediately rendering him unavailable was a goofy plan of attack.

There’s gambling issues at the NBA level, and problems with health reported at the NFL level. Minnesota needs no part of welcoming themselves into that realm as well. Maybe Taylor will be back against Michigan State or maybe he won’t. Hopefully Fleck, and the injury report, will be forthcoming with all players availability regardless.

Maybe the Nittany Lions could turn their focus to someone like Gopher head coach P.J. Fleck. But that is unlikely for a variety of reasons. It wasn’t long ago, however, that Fleck was nearly lured to UCLA, and throughout his Dinkytown tenure, PJ has been involved in all sorts of national coaching rumors.

That’s why, with what’s expected to be one of the craziest coaching carousel offseasons in college football history just a couple of months away, Minnesota fans should brace for a winter/spring full of rumors about PJ Fleck leaving. And if he does stay, a raise/extension.

Arkansas poking around MN Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck

But this first one is pretty early haymaker. According to On3 college football insider Pete Nakos, the Arkansas Razorbacks may have some interest in the Gophers head coach. And if you want Fleck to stay at the U of M, there could be surface reasons to be concerned.

Currently, Bobby Petrino is acting as Arkansas’ interim head coach. Nakos writes, however, that Fleck is “one sitting Power Four head coach to know”, as the Razorbacks get more serious about finding Sam Pittman’s replacement, after canning him on September 28.

One sitting Power Four head coach to know in this search is Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck. The former Western Michigan head coach is 63-41 in nine seasons with the Golden Gophers, winning five bowl games. His name was previously tied to the past UCLA coaching search.

Pete Nakos – On3

Minnesota obviously has recruits from all over the country, so Fleck is well-traveled. That said, Arkansas is the home of current redshirt freshman gem quarterback Drake Lindsey, who has thrown for 1,437 yards, 10 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions through 7 starts this season.

Drake Lindsey makes Razorbacks threat that much more interesting

Minnesota’s blossoming QB1 grew up in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where not only did he rep Razorback attire throughout his childhood and dream nightly about someday wearing an Arkansaw uniform… but most of Drake’s entire family are U of A alumni too.

If Fleck becomes a serious candidate at Arkansas, part of his plan would undoubtedly involve bringing Linsey along with him. So not only would the Minnesota Gophers lose the best coach they’ve had since the 50s, but they’d lose the best QB talent they’ve rostered in three decades too.

ABSOLUTE DOT FROM DRAKE TO JALEN! @jalen3smith

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/HsdiwkviKW

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) September 27, 2025

For now, Minnesota will need to keep the focus on going 1-0 in the Iowa season, as PJ Fleck would say. The Gopher football team is 8.5 point underdogs against the Hawkeyes on Saturday. Similarly to the Nebraska game, this is one that Fleck needs to win if he wants to take the program to new heights.

Prior to taking the Minnesota Gophers job, Fleck finished with a 13-1 season for Western Michigan that culminated in a Cotton Bowl appearance. Minnesota won 11 games in 2019, under PJ, and bested Auburn in the Outback Bowl.

The 2025 Gophers are currently 5-2, heading to Iowa City and a Kinnick Stadium that has not been very friendly during PJ Fleck’s nine-year tenure in Dinkytown.

Enter P.J. Fleck.

To a kid who grew up in MN during the Mason, Brewster and Kill eras of Gopher football, it's pretty crazy what PJ Fleck has created in Dinkytown… pic.twitter.com/Z0ITQYKzUQ

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) October 18, 2025

Whether you like his approach or not, the reality is that Fleck has hit home in Dinkytown. His presence has represented a resurgence for the Gophers, and he’s been the greatest coach in modern history. This team won’t win a National Championship, but plenty are telling you to take notice.

Tom Fornelli is rowing the MN Gophers boat

CBS Sports college football personality Tom Fornelli is among the biggest voices in the business. He’s invested in these Gophers, and says you should be too.

As the clock wound down Friday night at Huntington Bank Stadium with Minnesota leading Nebraska 24-6, the reaction to the result was predictable. Nebraska, coming into the game ranked for the first time since Week 3 of last season, blew it. Matt Rhule, who had been mentioned with the suddenly vacant Penn State job all week, blew it as well.

I get it. That’s how it works when the teams with the numbers next to their names lose to those without them. However, I had a different takeaway in the immediate aftermath. I thought, “Boy, P.J. Fleck does not get nearly enough credit for what he’s done at Minnesota.”

The win improved the Gophers to 5-2 on the season and 3-1 in the Big Ten. They are a win away from their fifth straight bowl appearance, which would tie the school’s record for consecutive postseason berths. It also improved Fleck’s record to 37-37 in Big Ten games. If you take out his first season, the Gophers are 35-30 in Big Ten play, and if you ignore 2020 (and, honestly, we should all ignore the results of the COVID season, because they’ve mostly proven meaningless) he’s 32-26. Those numbers won’t wow you, but in the context of where Minnesota has historically found itself in the Big Ten over the last 75 years, it’s impressive.

Tom Fornelli – CBS Sports

Sure, Fleck has spanked the Huskers with that boat oar each of the past six seasons. Yeah, maybe Rhule was distracted by rumors he could be in play for the Penn State opening. The reality is that Minnesota got the job done.

To sit back and talk about the Minnesota Gophers National Championship victories is something for alumni during homecoming. The last one came in 1960, and none of them hold any weight when considering the current college football landscape.

Fleck has turned Dinkytown, and Huntington Bank Stadium, into a difficult place for similar teams to win. The next hurdle for him is to accomplish those same results on the road. As 8.5 point underdogs, he’ll have an opportunity for the Gophers to do just that this weekend against Iowa at Kinnick Stadium.

Rivalries features MN Gophers in Big Ten

Fornelli didn’t just suggest that Fleck has the Gophers trending in a positive direction. He ranked the rivalry trophies in the Big Ten as well, and Minnesota is featured among his list.

• Floyd of Rosedale
• Paul Bunyan’s Axe
• Illibuck
• Paul Bunyan Trophy
• Little Brown Jug

Three of the top five Big Ten trophies feature the Gophers, and the top entrant is on the line this weekend. Minnesota leads the all-time series 63-53, but is looking to bounce back from a second-half trouncing (31-14) last season. They’ll need to win as road dogs, but a potential 9-win season is on the line if they can get it done.

The Little Brown Jug stays with the Wolverines this season as the two won’t see each other, but Minnesota can get a second-straight win against a terrible Wisconsin team to keep the The Axe during the last week of the season. A victory would push the series record to 64-63 in favor of Minnesota.

After three straight losses, and losing potential first round draft pick Drew Allar for the season, things have completely gone off the rails. James Franklin was booed off the field following a home loss to Northwestern this weekend. Fleck is trending in an opposite fashion for the Gophers, and their paths may cross.

Per his contract, Penn State owes James Franklin more than $49 million. https://t.co/IlWOXPS3QX

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) October 12, 2025

Despite a massive contract buyout, Penn State has pulled the plug on their head coach. A search will begin quickly, and Minnesota Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck tends to find his name brought up in recent hiring cycles.

Why would Penn State hire MN Gophers coach P.J. Fleck?

The reality is that Penn State is a blue blood college football program and they aren’t going to accept mediocrity. That reality was made evident in pulling the plug on Franklin despite owing him more than $50 million simply to go away.

The financial outlay to Franklin may make it a bit more enticing to go after a coach that won’t come with the most substantial payday. Fleck was very close to leaving Minnesota for the UCLA job, and he’s definitely open to the idea of an upward move. While he hasn’t reached the mountaintop with the Gophers, he has been the most successful coach in recent history.

Fleck 62-41 (.602)
Claeys 19-11 (.579)
Kill 29-29 (.500)
Brewstr 15-30 (.333)
Mason 64-57 (.529)
Wacker 16-39 (.291)
Gutekunst 29-37 (.441)
Holtz 10-12 (.455)
Salem 19-35 (.355)
Stol 39-39 (.500)
Warmath 87-78 (.526)
Fesler 10-13 (.444)

Fleck’s the best Gopher coach in 75 years. pic.twitter.com/qETfsf9oFS

— Thor Nystrom (@thorku) October 12, 2025

Of course Fleck’s agent, Bryan Harlan, loves when his client’s name is in the news. It’s a level of publicity that doesn’t go unnoticed, and being tied to premium jobs is hardly a negative. Penn State plays a similar style to what the Minnesota Gophers strive for, and that strategy could seemingly transfer schools as well.

Why Penn State won’t hire P.J. Fleck from Minnesota

Certainly it’s unlikely that a school like Penn State, with unlimited funds, is worried about what they pay their next coach. They just agreed to pay more than $50 million simply to make James Franklin go away. The boosters are ready to win again, and getting back to the Big Ten title game, and College Football Playoff is a must.

There’s a pretty simple answer if they want to look within the conference, and that comes in the form of Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti. You may not have heard of him before he landed in Bloomington, but you absolutely know his name now.

Indiana head football coach Curt Cignetti when asked how he sells recruits:

“I win. Google me.”

No. 16 Indiana is now 7-0. pic.twitter.com/bTtLXaUVcV

— Jamie Shaw (@JamieShaw5) October 20, 2024

Cignetti is from Pennsylvania and has taken the Hoosiers from an afterthought as a football program, to a top five team in the country. He may say publicly he’s not interested in jumping ship, but a blank check could speak volumes.

Fleck has done wonders for the Gophers, but someone like Cignetti or even current Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule have a more impressive track record. There’s also little chance the “Row the Boat” mantra plays the same way it does in a place not worried about catchy slogans.

It doesn’t seem like this should be hard for Penn State to figure out their next head coach. The difficult decision was to rip off the buyout band-aid. That’s gone and the door is wide open.

They started the game off with a pick-six, one of four defensive takeaways on the afternoon. The first teamers were so dominant that they scored 35 points in the first quarter and another 24 points in the second.

By the time QB Drake Lindsey, S Koi Perich, EDGE Anthony Smith and the rest of Minnesota’s starters were pulled from the contest, the score was 49-0 and there was still over 10 minutes remaining in the first half. The Gophers slowed their role offensively, from there, but still shut out the Demons 66-0.

Victory highlights with your Sunday morning coffee 😌☕️#RTB #SkiUMah #Gophers pic.twitter.com/K4YklFDBvJ

— Minnesota Football (@GopherFootball) September 7, 2025

Of course, a power four school with CFP aspirations is supposed to blowout their early-season FCS opponent, and Northwestern State is considered the bottom of the barrell, even at that level. Nonetheless, taking care of business is easier said than done sometimes, so winning by 66 points deserves praise.

This is a different age of college football, though. And when you look at the compensation of each roster, you quickly realize why these kinds of matchups will become mostly obsolete in the future.

Expanded Minnesota Gophers NIL budget for football paying dividends

In all likelihood, Northwestern State doesn’t have an NIL budget at all. If they are able to offer some side cash to help pay for food and rent, they’d be doing more than most of their FCS competitors.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Gophers’ Name Image and Likeness fund for football has exploded over the past few years, on top of the $21 million they are now paying student athletes out of their athletic budget in 2025.

How much, you ask? Well they aren’t yet to the $35 million that the Ohio States of the world have at their disposal, but on top of their new revenue sharing allotment, they could be getting close.

According to Charley Walters (Pioneer Press) — who’s arguably more plugged-in to deep-pocketed U of M donors than any other reporter in town — the 2025 Golden Gophers football team is operating under a player budget “in the $15 million range”.

The revenue-sharing name, image and likeness (NIL) cost for reigning national football champion Ohio State players this season reportedly is $35 million. Player payroll for the Gophers, who play at Ohio State on Oct. 4, is in the $15 million range.

Charley Walters – Pioneer Press

Related: Rival Schools Coming for PJ Fleck and Gophers AD Knows It

This number likely does not include NIL money, however. It’s been reported multiple places over the past few months that the Gophers are using about 70-75% of their ($21M) revshare money to pay football players, which is approximately $15 million, the amount mentioned by Walters.

If we include the millions being paid to football players in separate Name, Image and Likeness dollars, or if Walters is referencing NIL money (not rev share) in his article, that would left the Gophers’ total player budget exponentially higher.

The PJ Fleck radio rant that’ll live in MN Gophers history books

Back in 2022-2023, the Minnesota Golden Gophers lost running back Bucky Irving to Oregon via the transfer portal, after the Ducks came calling with Nike money that PJ Fleck and a small group of Dinkytown donors couldn’t compete with in their wildest dreams.

That was when Minnesota’s head coach went on KFAN radio, where he pleaded for fans to send their hard-earned dollars to the Gophers’ licensed NIL collective, Dinkytown Athletes.

Fleck warned that, if NIL donations didn’t start coming in hand over fist, we’d all be left watching the football program devolve into a minor league feeder system for bigger schools to come and pluck their best talent year in and year out.

“So, if we wanna keep players, all these guys we have, they won’t be here next year [if we don’t get more NIL money to pay them]. Just making sure everybody understands. [That] our fans [understand]. [Our best players] won’t be here. So we’ll be a Triple-A ball club for somebody else. That is the reality and the truth of the situation. So please, contact Dinkytown Athletes…”

PJ Fleck – KFAN Radio (9/26/23)

Related: Gophers Star Avoids Serious Health Scare in Rout

From that point forward, money started pouring in to help support Gopher football. And now, Minnesota has been able to keep guys like Darius Taylor, Anthony Smith and Koi Perich, who are all being paid handsomely to wear maroon and gold.

No doubt, that speech on 100,000 watt sports radio will go down as one of the most important moments in Gopher sports history. Without it, there would be no hometown warm fuzzies with Koi or darts being thrown around the field by Drake Lindsey.

Instead of dreaming of the CFP, we’d be happy to reach bowl eligibility every few seasons, while Huntington Bank Stadium became a desolate, empty wasteland. Are we Ohio State or Oregon? No, and we never will be, as long as there’s no salary cap in power four college football.

Last season, Minnesota finished with an 8-5 record, after beating Virginia Tech in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. This season, the head coach is trying to raise the bar again. 2024 QB Max Brosmer is now with the Minnesota Vikings, but the presence of Lindsey, a redshirt freshman, has Fleck incredibly bullish over the upcoming season.

“What is the next right step? That’s going to be subjective to a lot of different people. As a head football coach, my job is to get the most out of my football team every single year, academically, athletically, socially and spiritually in this life program. … If you get the most out of your players, you’re going to have a chance to be really successful on the football field.

With the College Football Playoff where it is, as Indiana showed last year, anybody can get there. If we’re delusional enough to know we can do that, we can get there. … You’ve got to continue to raise the expectations.”

P.J. Fleck – Star Tribune

Fleck remains locked in at Minnesota, where he just signed a contract extension through 2030, over the offseason. Still, that doesn’t mean the Gophers are safe from outside vultures, who may try to pry the 9th year Golden Gopher head coach out of Dinkytown, especially if his squad starts the season out hot.

P.J. Fleck in danger of getting poached from Minnesota Gophers

University of Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle recently spoke with Randy Johnson (Star Tribune), and he was honest about other schools targeting his head football coach early and often this season, given what he continues to move with the Gophers.

“If you go back to P.J.’s very first press conference, he talked about sustainability. How can he be here long-term? It’s amazing how many fans come up to me and say, ‘Does he have the Notre Dame clause in his contract?’ He’s starting year nine here. He and Heather love it here. I promise you in a few weeks as we get into the college football season, his name is gonna pop up at other destinations. The reason why is he does it the right way.”

Mark Coyle – Star Tribune

Coyle sharing that with the Star Tribune does not come out of fear. He doesn’t necessarily seem concerned over which school could come gunning for Fleck. Instead, he seems confident, not just in PJ’s abilities as a football coach, but in his desire to remain in Minnesota.

Of course, it’s worth noting that Fleck — as recently as last offseason — nearly left for the UCLA job, before ultimately deciding to stay. But given how long PJ has stuck around, it’s clear that there are only a select few jobs that would pique his interest, at this point, especially given what he’s built at the U of M.

Where have Gophers been under Fleck and what’s next…

PJ Fleck won just five games during his first season as Minnesota Gophers head coach, back in 2017. Since, he’s won six-straight bowl games and pushed the Minnesota as high as seventh in the AP Poll, back in 2019. Overall, the 44-year-old head coach holds an 58-39 record as Golden Gophers head coach, 33-36 in the Big Ten.

Related: What to Expect From Gophers’ Extremely Talented Freshman QB in Debut Start

This season is an opportunity to be something the Minnesota Gophers haven’t since 2019. If Lindsey winds up being the talent that Brosmer was or better, PJ Fleck’s 2025 squad should be a force to be reckoned with.

As long as Fleck is coaching the Gophers and having success, there will be a wide-level of concern that he could up and leave. If he has success this season, PJ will need to decide, yet again, how much he likes coaching at the University of Minnesota.

For now though, both he and Coyle appear content with where things stand with his head football coach.

Minnesota has an important season ahead of them in that the schedule sets up favorably. They could be a dark horse not only in the Big Ten, but may play their way into national relevance as well.

P.J. Fleck has been a solidifying force for the program since taking over, and now he’s destined to last a bit longer.

P.J. Fleck gets an extension with Minnesota Gophers

Although P.J. Fleck wasn’t heading towards contract uncertainty, athletic director Mark Coyle tacked on another year of security for his head football coach. The new extension keeps Fleck with the Minnesota Gophers at least through the 2030 season.

“Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck will get a one-year contract extension with increased retention bonuses, pending approval at the next Board of Regents meeting July 11…Under the new deal, Fleck’s salary would remain $6 million, but he would receive a $1 million retention bonus after Year 1 and $1.6 million after Year 6. All told, Fleck’s new deal would pay him an additional $2.3 million in retention bonuses. The university said Fleck’s deal, including the retention bonuses, would rank tied for 11th in total salary out of 18 Big Ten football head coaches.”

Joe Christensen – Star Tribune

Fleck took over the Minnesota program in 2017 after spending four years as the head coach of Western Michigan. In eight years with the Gophers he owns a 97-58 (.598) record. He has taken the Gophers to six bowl games and has wins in all of them.

The Minnesota Gophers football program has struggled to remain relevant in previous decades, but Fleck has been a stabilizing force for the university. It’s something that athletic director Mark Coyle also noted when talking about the impending extension.

“P.J. has consistently recruited and coached teams that Minnesotans can be proud of on and off the field. The program has produced record GPAs and 10 Academic All-Americans under Fleck, and his teams have won a consistent level not seen in more than 75 years. He has added significant value to the University, its student athletes and all of Minnesota. It is critical that we keep him.”

Mark Coyle – Star Tribune

This current run has consistently resulted in multiple NFL draft picks. Fleck has proven an ability to develop top-tier talent and good men. That was on display during the recent Minnesota Gophers pro day.

Related: Max Brosmer Already Turning Heads Inside MN Vikings Organization

The university is certainly bought into the “Row the Boat” mantra, and is looking forward to having their leader around for the long haul.