USC swoops in on Minnesota Gophers in-state commit, Jide Abasiri

But then USC called and things quickly changed. Abasiri scheduled a visit out on the West Coast, which he took over the weekend. Shortly upon his return, the 6-5, 290 pound freak athlete made his Minnesota decommitment official on social media:

Onto the next… pic.twitter.com/hAQp7hSGha

— Jide Abasiri🇳🇬 (@jide_abasiri) December 12, 2023

After a long talk and consideration with my family I have decided to decommit from the University of Minnesota. Thank you to all the coaches at Minnesota for helping and believing and me

Pre Season at 295
Post Season at 270
Slowly getting the weight back up. pic.twitter.com/6q8snsWXwn

— Jide Abasiri🇳🇬 (@jide_abasiri) November 17, 2023

I’m going to give Jide the benefit of the doubt and assume his last ‘and’ was meant to be an ‘in’. But no matter, this one hurts. Abasiri was not the top-rated Gopher commit in their 2024 class but he was someone the Minnesota staff was very excited about; an excitement the USC coaches obviously shared.

Related: Gophers Add Three More Transfer Commits to Cap Active First Week in Portal

PJ Fleck in danger of losing other top 2024 commits to helmet schools

The Gophers top 2024 commit is named Koi Perich, a national top-100 safety from Esko, MN. As far as we know, Koi is not interested in USC. He is, however, taking visits to two other helmet schools.

Related: Gophers Fly ‘Row The Boat’ Banner Over Koi Perich State Tournament Game

Given their current lot in NIL life, which is improving every day thanks to Dinkytown Athletes, Minnesota cannot afford to continue losing their best recruits to shinier, better-funded programs.

But how much can you blame Fleck or his staff for failing to keep a kid from choosing USC, where Caleb Williams is driving his NIL-paid Porsche around campus with Jordan Addison on Vikings off weeks?

Caleb Williams to the Vikings what da helllll pic.twitter.com/HRh7BilLNf

— NFL YOUNGBOY🖤 (@strappedbykhi) November 30, 2023

Caleb Williams to the Minnesota Vikings confirmed?

Too bad we can’t recruit quarterbacks from college to the pros because the Minnesota Vikings would have one hell of a good shot at Caleb Williams, given their WR1 Justin Jefferson is one of the best in football and their WR2 Jordan Addison is one of his best friends.

Related: Jared Allen Thinks Vikings Should Move on from Kirk Cousins

That’s before we even get to Darrisaw and O’Neill as his tackles… I need to stop because this dream is not worth having. If Williams does declare for the draft, he will be a top-3 pick and the Vikings have no realistic chance of picking that high. Still, it’s fun to dream. And did you see that car?

Nebraska head coach, Matt Rhule, says there are college players making $6-$7 million per year in NIL contracts. If true, you’d sure think Caleb Williams would be one of those guys.

Of course, no NIL contract lasts forever (that we know of) and Williams’ stock may never be higher than it is right now, especially should USC suffer another underwhelming season while he’s under center.

For those reasons, I could see the Williams decision going either way. But, unless he stays in school and either he or the Vikings completely flop in 2024, there’s no future where he is throwing professional passes to Jordan Addison in the near future.

Related: Josh Dobbs is fine but he isn’t Kirk Cousins

Jordan Addison having NIL regrets?

Speaking of Jordan Addison, you have to wonder if the 21-year-old has any regrets about coming out for the draft last offseason. Sure, he’s had a very successful rookie campaign and his future looks extremely bright. None of that would have been guaranteed had he decided to play out his Senior year at USC.

And in 2023, it’s unlikely Jordan would have made in NIL what he will make as a rookie 1st round pick in the NFL, which according to Spotrac.com is over $7 million in cash. And that’s before we even get into endorsement deals, which is what NIL is (or what it is supposed to be).

But most of that cash is via his rookie signing bonus, which has already been paid out. Next year, Addison will make under $1.4 million in cash, before that eventually goes up to $2.2 million in 2026. But as the star wide receiver at USC, could Addison have made $2, $3, even $4 million? It’s not impossible.

Related: Pros & Cons: Who Should be Minnesota Vikings Starting Quarterback Out of Bye?

With a really good season, the former 4-star high school athlete out of Maryland could have gone even higher and made even more money, not to mention the lifestyle he would be living as one of the kings on USC campus. Of course, there’s always the other side of the coin in that conversation, which I’m sure he realizes.

So in the end, much like we are very happy of his decision, I’m sure Jordan is happy he is a member of the Minnesota Vikings. But I’m sure he’s feeling pretty big time back on in Southern Cal this week.

Quiet.

Coyle was hired in the midst of historic turmoil within the University athletic department after then AD, Norwood Teague, was fired for sexually harassing and assaulting female employees and media members, while creating an atmosphere of intimidation under his rule.

Teague resigned from Minnesota last week after the school released transcripts of sexual harassment complaints against him by two non-student female employees. Teague was accused of groping both women at a gathering of school officials and employees and sending sexually explicit text messages to one of them.

The Star Tribune also published a firsthand account of men’s basketball beat reporter Amelia Rayno that alleged Teague sexually harassed her over a period of several months, including groping her at a bar and sending her suggestive text messages in 2013.

Sports Illustrated (Aug, 2015)

Coyle came in and quickly cleaned up the department, which included the firing of then head football coach, Tracy Claeys, and the hiring of current head coach, PJ Fleck; an incredibly controversial swap at the time. Now, Coyle operates one of the tightest and cleanest athletic departments in the country. One focused on academic and personal success, alongside its achievements across the sports it offers.

USC could turn to Mark Coyle for similar clean up job

But now, there is another history-laden maroon and gold athletic department 1,900 miles away that needs the same type of cleanup that took place in Dinkytown over the last half-dozen+ years. The University of Southern California (USC) fired their Athletic Director, Mike Bohn, after he created the same type of toxic atmosphere at USC that Teague had created a decade ago in the U of M.

Bohn made inappropriate comments about the physical appearance of female colleagues, including remarks about their dress, hair and weight, that staff members said made them feel uncomfortable, according to two USC sources with knowledge of the incidents. They spoke on condition of anonymity fearing retaliation. They said Bohn’s comments left colleagues — especially women — feeling awkward.

Three USC sources said several people confronted Bohn about comments they felt were inappropriate, but the comments continued.

Ryan Kartje – LA Times

So naturally, one of the possible AD candidates they are expected to be interested in (according to 247Sports.com’s Chris Trevino) is Mark Coyle. He doesn’t have any ties to USC or history working on the West Coast.

But Coyle is quite familiar with the Big Ten, after seven years at Minnesota, and USC will move into the Big Ten Conference after the 2023-24 athletic season. In addition, USC had interest in Coyle back in 2020, before he received an extension at Minnesota and the Trojans eventually hired Bohn.

Overview: If USC wanted to load up with Big Ten experience going into the new era, Mark Coyle could be the answer. Coyle has led the Gophers athletic department since 2016 with 16 regular-season conference titles, eight conference tournament championships and 17 individual NCAA national championships in that time frame. Coyle also serves as a member of the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee and is a former member of the Rose Bowl Management Committee. He has no ties to the West Coast with stops at Kentucky, Syracuse and Boise State along his career. In 2020, Coyle was rated the No. 11 athletic director in the nation via Stadium, No. 3 in the Big Ten behind Gene Smith at Ohio State and Wisconsin’s Barry Alverez. 

Chris Trevino – 247Sports.com

How much would University of Minnesota miss Mark Coyle?

It’s true that Mark Coyle has done exactly what he was hired to do at the University of Minnesota. The Gophers’ athletic department no longer reeks of Norwood Teague’s arrogance and female employees/media members can do their jobs without being treated like a secretary from “Mad Men“.

Coyle’s tenure in Dinkytown hasn’t been all flowers and rainbows, however. He started off with a bang back in 2017, when he hired PJ Fleck, who has quickly become the most successful coach in modern day Gopher football history.

But Mark’s basketball hires of Lindsay Whalen on the women’s side and Ben Johnson on the men’s side have both ben complete failures. The former has already been fired, the latter has a 10-30 conference record in two seasons and is on his last leg this season.

Still, PJ Fleck and Mark Coyle are partners in crime. USC already has Lincoln Riley as their head coach so I’m not concerned about Fleck following Coyle to the West Coast. It’s important to remember, however, that Coyle is one of the main reasons why PJ has stayed in the Twin Cities for so long. Their visions align perfectly and the two seem to have a very close relationship.

I’m not saying Fleck’s departure would be imminent or guaranteed, should Mark Coyle leave. But his status would be more in flux than if Coyle is here. If USC’s interest in Coyle turns from hypothetical to steamy… we’ll have it covered at MinnesotaSportsFan.com.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Soon after the internet became bored with articles and blogs about top candidates, sportsbooks answered the call with odds to attach to each of them. Gopher fans breathed a sigh of relief when they saw PJ Fleck in the middle of most betting boards at around +1000, usually landing him somewhere between 4-6 best odds by most outlets.

But now, the situation has had a couple days to settle down. And unfortunately, PJ Fleck has been working his way up the oddsmaker ladders. BetOnline is a top-3 sportsbook worldwide. They currently have PJ at +650 to land the USC job, behind only Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator, Eric Bieniemy (+600).

Latest odds @betonline_ag for next USC head coach… pic.twitter.com/93h387B6MG

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 15, 2021

Concern?

There’s a lot of time left in the USC head coaching search. Alarms aren’t ringing yet but you have to wonder why these numbers have moved the way they have. Does Vegas know something we don’t? Have some of these coaching candidates already displayed a certain amount of interest (or disinterest) behind the scenes?

These are some red flags that are worth keeping in the back of your mind. Fleck gave his weekly press conference on Monday morning, before Clay Helton was fired, and hasn’t had to face questions yet publicly. That’ll change next week because I’ll ask if someone doesn’t beat me to it.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

A lot of rumors. And they’re already pouring in from a variety of sources. Fleck has been rumored as a possible replacement at USC by big shots at ESPN, FOX, Yahoo Sports, Athlon Sports, The Athletic and 247Sports. Local outlets, including the OC Register, LA Times, and California News Times have mentioned PJ, as well. The job opened up two hours ago.

I’ll have a full piece on #USC candidates later tonight, but James Franklin and Luke Fickell (who AD Mike Bohn hired at Cincinnati) have to be high up. Would USC make a run at Mario Cristobal? PJ Fleck could be in the mix. And obviously Urban ????

— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) September 13, 2021

Early list for USC: James Franklin, Matt Campbell, Bill O'Brien, Luke Fickell, P.J. Fleck, Mario Cristobal, Greg Schiano and Tony Elliott. Former coaches who could be sought include Chris Petersen and Bob Stoops.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 13, 2021

Who are the top candidates to take over the Head Coaching job at USC? ????@RJ_Young shares some of his favorites ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Qbx1yMT9oC

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 13, 2021

Should we be concerned?

Yes, we should always be concerned when PJ Fleck is mentioned in the college football coaching carousel. Especially when it’s a helmet school with national title aspirations. Part of that concern is, admittedly, just the Minnesota mentality built into all of us. But, there is some cause for concern.

USC is widely seen as a school that should regularly contend for a national championship. They just need a resurrection. Any coach who can role into Southern Cal and get the local kids to stay home, would already be on that fast track. Southern California is loaded with high school football talent. They’ve struggled to keep them home, though recently. The Minnesota Gophers are not that. PJ believes he can build that, but even if true, it would take a lot more time. We’re just trying to catch up with Wisconsin and Iowa.

Much more than national clout, however, I worry about money. In the statement released by USC AD Mike Bohn, officially addressing the dismissal of Clay Helton, it’s very clear that winning will come first during this search and money will, and already has, come last. The University of Southern California is going to break the bank on this hire. And there is ZERO chance the University of Minnesota would get close to matching, if USC come after Fleck.

The U of M is too focused on the pushback they’ve received for eliminating men’s indoor track. Fleck makes $4.6 million per season (according to USA Today Sports), which ranks in the top-25. The next USC coach will make over $5 million and possibly much more, depending who has interest.

We are making a change in the leadership of our football program. #FightOn pic.twitter.com/xChL8xi0oG

— Mike Bohn (@USC_mikebohn) September 13, 2021

Other candidates

Some of the other candidates mentioned as possible replacements for Helton seem out of grasp. Names like Urban Meyer, who just took an NFL head coaching job in Jacksonville; Mario Cristobal, who already coaches at a better program in the same area; and James Franklin, who coaches the only team in the Big Ten East who can even dream of challenging Ohio State. Why would any of those “candidates” be interested in starting a program over in SoCal?

Coaches who I could see USC being more interested in than PJ, that should be gettable, include Matt Campbell (Iowa State), Luke Fickell (Cincinnati) and Greg Schiano (Rutgers). The guys listed in the last paragraph feel more like a wish list. These are the dudes who would be competing with PJ Fleck, should he be interested.

Now, it’s not like Fleck would be leaving next week, if chosen and he accepted. The hiring process at USC is expected to take months and shouldn’t finish until the 2021 college football season is over. That means we have a full season of rumors to fight off. Let the games begin.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Mark Coyle signed a contract extension last week that, on paper, attaches him to the University of Minnesota through 2026. At the time, I discussed how important he is to our future. PJ Fleck needs him so we do to.

At the time, Andy Greder of the Pioneer Press quietly reported Mark Coyle as a wanted man. He did not say what school was after him however…

University of Minnesota Athletics Director Mark Coyle received a raise and a two-year contract extension from the school’s Board of Regents on Friday. This agreement comes as other schools recently have looked into prying Coyle away from Minnesota, a source told the Pioneer Press.

Andy Greder – Pioneer Press

I was able to catch up on Darren Wolfson’s latest podcast earlier today, and found our answer. “The Scoop” airs on SKOR North (1500 AM) if you are driving around the Twin Cities but is also available in podcast form, afterward.

In Doogie’s segment where he “empties his notebook”, he discloses at least one big time school, that was “sniffing around” our AD, Mark Coyle… the USC Trojans.

— Coyle + USC interest discussed at 30:27 mark —

“Mark Coyle had some interest from USC, going back a few months…

… Some people with The U citing, that there were some schools sniffing around Mark Coyle… that the contract extension made sense. I can tell you one of those schools, I don’t know if there’s more than one, but one of them was USC…”

Darren Wolfson – The Scoop – SKOR North

Let’s not forget that we aren’t that far removed from hearing PJ Fleck’s name surface amid USC coaching searches, so it’s very interesting that they were “sniffing around” our AD, who PJ loves.

It might be even more intriguing that both Coach Fleck and Coyle quickly signed contract extensions with Minnesota, before rumors involving such an iconic school like USC, could even get rolling. That tells me, the two jobs aren’t that different, in the eyes of both guys.

Now, the University of Minnesota just needs to put their money where their mouths are and give PJ Fleck & staff the pay they deserve. Maybe then, his assistants will stop leaving for other schools and we can stop worrying about him doing the same.

The University of Minnesota is still cost-cutting football corners… and eventually it’ll cost us PJ Fleck #Gophers #RTB https://t.co/W9WIjuCy0Z

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) February 23, 2020

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan