I've been a whiny little biatch. I'm sorry I didn't think this would happen.

Please forgive me and take this opportunity to take your shots.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/college-football-things-know-undefeated-western-michigan-broncos/

Love to see WRs who can make plays, a QB who limits mistakes, a great O-Line on both run/pass, and good discipline/tackling from the defense.

We don't know about bonus structure or whether Fleck will even earn any bonuses, but he will be paid at roughly the 25-27th best salary in the nation. I think this is the strongest commitment the U has made in quite some time.

They want a top 15 team, and to start out at that level is a step in the right direction. I hope Coach Fleck lives up to the new standard for the U.

It's done.

http://www.gophersports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/010617aaa.html

Sorry, I missed the press release since I've been reaching out to recruits. Here it is:

University of Minnesota Athletics Director Mark Coyle announced today that P.J. (Philip John) Fleck has been named head football coach at the University of Minnesota. The University and Fleck have agreed to a five-year term.

Fleck comes to Minnesota after spending four years as the head coach at Western Michigan, where he was 30-22 overall and 21-11 in the Mid-American Conference. While leading the Broncos, Fleck authored one of the most memorable turnarounds in college football history. The Broncos were 1-11 in his first year in 2013, but ended last season with a No. 12 ranking, a 13-1 record, a conference championship and a berth in the Cotton Bowl.

The Broncos were 12-0 in the regular season and posted wins against Big Ten opponents Northwestern and Illinois. Fleck then led his team to a 29-23 win against Ohio in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship game before ending the season with a narrow bowl game defeat to Wisconsin.

“P.J. is a proven winner and a strong leader. He’s built a unique, positive culture that gets the best out of his students on the field and in the classroom,” said Coyle. “His infectious energy and passion make him a terrific coach and dynamic recruiter. I am excited he will be leading the Gophers for years to come.”

Fleck, 36, is one the youngest and brightest minds in the game. He was named MAC Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2016 and this year led the Broncos to their first MAC Championship since 1988.

Earning FBS Region 3 Coach of the Year from the American Football Coaches Association, Fleck was also named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award and the George Munger Award after Western Michigan became the first team in MAC history to win each of its eight league games by 14 or more points.

Off the field, Western Michigan had a program-record seven student-athletes named to the 2016 MAC Distinguished Scholar Athlete team and the Bronco team posted a 3.14 program GPA in its most recent semester.

“It’s an honor to coach at Minnesota and be part of the Big Ten conference,” said Fleck. “I want to thank president Eric Kaler, athletic director Mark Coyle and the Board of Regents for this opportunity. I also want to thank Western Michigan, my players and the great fans and city of Kalamazoo for a wonderful four years.

“I look forward to meeting my new players and getting to know them as quickly as possible. I am excited to put together a staff and turn my efforts to recruiting, but also want Gopher fans to know that my wife, Heather, and I and our four children will be visible in the community and we are eager to connect with them. I am ready to go. Ski-U-Mah!”

Prior to his time at Western Michigan, Fleck served as the wide receivers coach for the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012 and coached the receivers at Rutgers from 2010-11. He coached receivers and was the recruiting coordinator at Northern Illinois in 2009 and tutored the receivers for the Huskies from 2007-08. Fleck’s coaching career began at Ohio State as a graduate assistant in 2006.
Fleck played receiver at Northern Illinois from 1999-2003 and helped lead the Huskies to a No. 10 ranking, a 10-2 record and wins against Maryland, Alabama and Iowa State in his final season. He ranks in the top five in Northern Illinois history in career receptions (179) and receiving yards (2,162). Fleck holds the school record for punt returns (87) and ranks second in punt return yards (716). He earned First Team All-Mid-American Conference in 2003 and was named Academic All-MAC and Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-American. He graduated in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in elementary education.

Fleck played the 2004-05 seasons with the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL. He signed with the 49ers as a free agent in 2004 and spent most of his time on the practice squad before seeing action against New England late in the season. He spent the 2005 season on the injured reserve roster and in 2006 he stopped playing professionally and started his coaching career. Fleck is one of a select few college football coaches to have played and coached in the NFL.

Fleck and his wife, Heather, have four children, Gavin, Carter, Paisley (P.J.) and Harper.
Coaching History

2017- Minnesota, Head Coach
2013-17 Western Michigan, Head Coach
2012 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Wide Receivers Coach
2010-11 Rutgers, Wide Receivers Coach
2009 Northern Illinois, Recruiting Coordinator, Wide Receivers Coach
2007-08 Northern Illinois, Wide Receivers Coach
2006 Ohio State, Graduate Assistant

I am happy to share with you that we have hired P.J. Fleck as the 30th Head Football Coach in University of Minnesota history. We feel that he prides himself on our values of excelling on the field, in the classroom, and in the community.

We will be introducing Coach Fleck at a press conference today, Friday, January 6, 2017 at 3:00pm CST. The press conference will be televised live on the Big Ten Network and can also be seen live via the Gopher Football Facebook and Gopher Football Twitter accounts.

We are extremely excited about the future of Gopher Football with P.J. Fleck as our new head coach. Thank you for all of your support and we look forward to seeing you at TCF Bank Stadium this upcoming season!

Go Gophers,
Mark

I know a lot of you on here feel this is a lost cause, but now that we have a legit coach let's make a concerted effort to get this pro football centric radio station to start talking about our Gophers. Biggest football moment in a long time around here and I have heard 5 minutes of mention. If this were the Vikings it would be the whole day. Please take a moment to send and email to booth@kfan.com and let them know how you feel about their piss poor coverage. They are the home of gopher radio football After all

on the Jerry Kill Coaching Tree!

POSITIVE STATEMENT!!!!

Does he pull a grad transfer QB out of the hat?

Is Weyler our starting center next year?

Will be a wild month

Confirmed that the press conference will be at 3:00 PM. I would imagine it will be broadcasted live on BTN.

1. We haven't won back to back road games since 2012

2. Nate Mason is officially our "closer" and that debate of who we want to have the ball down the stretch is over

3. Pitino can coach. He drew up some elite in bounds plays in the last minute of NW to get the ball in to Nate Mason under some heavy pressure. In fact, he made it look easy. It's not that easy when the opponent Knows thats where you want it to go. Mason got it 4 TIMES!

4. We are resilient. We have been down by 7 points in the 2nd half twice the past 2 games and clawed back to regain the lead. This team doesn't fold. Added leadership of springs and conroy I think are big parts of this. There is no panic and Pitino has a better look about him in those situations this year.

5. Improvement. We talk about certain players who come into programs and don't get better. I can't think of a single player who hasn't shown some form of improvement. Kudos to Pitino

6. It's refreshing that players can have off nights and we can still win. Mcbrayer didn't have it vs NW, Coffey wasn't huge factor (did hit some timely shots) vs Purdue and the team still finds ways to win.

7. Defense, defense defense. NW made 1 three the entire 2nd half and it was at the end of the game. This team was hideous at guarding the perimeter last year! Hideous. Lynch has really helped out our interior defense but I love the contested shots and great close-outs of our perimeter players. I've been really impressed with Eric currys hedges on ball screens. Also Pitino hasn't had to play zone all year. Think about that

8. Did anyone see the faces of the gophers shaking hands in NW line? They were stoic. They EXPECTED to win that game. Were they happy? Of course but you could tell it was a business trip and not an upset mentality. These guys are getting it!

9. Ball movement. When this happens, this team can hang with anyone in the BIG10

10. Fans.... The barn is going to be back. This will be fun

3:00 on BTN

if you have heard fleck at all, he is about stories. He has had significant bumps in his life(divorce, loss of child) and embraces those bumps to be a better person/coach.

I believe he will look at these young men and use this debacle/story to begin a new story in dinky town. I think he will use this negative and find a way to turn it into a positive moving forward. These are the challenges he embraces and I think our players will respond in a big way. I think there will be some transfers still yes, but I predict fleck limits the damage and gets us back up and running quicker than expected because that's what he enjoys. Challenges. I'm not sure the U could have hired anyone better given the scenerio we are currently in.

** this is just my opinion/prediction above but I like this FACT: His seniors this season were 1-11 as freshmen his first year at WMU and finished up their careers with a huge bowl game and 13-1 record. Impressive

Login to view embedded media
Will be seeing a lot of this in the future. Time to step up our game and take back this rivalry

Can't wait to see PJ talk about the axe

"It is with mixed emotions that I announce my decision to leave Western Michigan University for the head coaching job at the University of Minnesota. Although I am grateful for and excited about this opportunity, this was a very difficult decision to make; one that involved very much introspection and prayer. Heather and I love Kalamazoo and the Western Michigan University family of staff, students, alumni, and fans. I simply feel called to take on this new challenge and to start a new chapter in my family's journey. I am proud of what we have accomplished together in Kalamazoo. I feel we have left WMU football in a much better place than we we arrived here. That was our mission. I'll always be your fan and friend. RTB PJ"

We are in the dead period for recruiting. That ends in a few days.

If, and it's a big if, we don't have the new HC announced...

Transfers are going to be huge.

Our current commits are gone.

Our recruiting pipeline will be picked over.


I hope to Football Jesus that the next HC is already ready to go and it's just a simple signing of a contract that finalizes it all.

If not, wow. We just gave ourselves a self imposed Death Penalty.

A bad team will be taking the field in front of 20,000 people against Buffalo next August.

Can we be a legit title contender if we average a recruiting ranking of #30. Let's assume over a 5 year period and we make the right hire from available pool of candidates.

Released an official resignation announcement


http://www.twincities.com/2017/01/06/p-j-fleck-to-be-named-gophers-head-football-coach/

Minnesota trying to close deal with P.J. Fleck; Les Miles emerges as Plan B, sources say
Western Michigan coach is lead contender; former LSU coach Miles also considered.
By Joe Christensen Star Tribune
January 6, 2017 — 12:42am



Western Michigan Broncos coach P.J. Fleck

The University of Minnesota was closing in on a deal Thursday night to bring Western Michigan football coach P.J. Fleck to the Gophers, with an eye toward a Friday announcement, but the contract had yet to be finalized, according to people familiar with the situation.

Meanwhile, an interesting Plan B had emerged for Minnesota.

Former LSU coach Les Miles flew to Minnesota on Wednesday and had meetings with university officials that stretched into Thursday. The Miles visit was first reported by Michael Kim of 120Sports.com, and later confirmed for the Star Tribune by two people familiar with the situation.

By Thursday night, signs pointed toward the Gophers hiring Fleck, but Miles loomed as a legitimate fallback option. The 63-year-old Miles won a national championship for LSU in 2007 but was fired in September, four games into his 12th season in Baton Rouge, La., despite a 114-34 record with the Tigers.

Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle fired Tracy Claeys on Tuesday and warned that the coaching search “is going to feel like an eternity because we need to find the right person.”

Day 2 of the search featured a swirl of online reports, mostly centered on Fleck, whose name has come up in other searches this season, namely at Oregon and Purdue.




Michael Conroy • AP
P.J. Fleck made $800,000 at WMU this season; the U’s salary ceiling for the job is $3.5M.
Fleck, 36, took over Western Michigan’s program four years ago and went 1-11 in his first season. This season, the Broncos had a storybook 13-0 start before losing to Wisconsin 24-16 in the Cotton Bowl on Monday.

Fleck made $800,000 this season, but he and Western Michigan reportedly had been negotiating a lucrative contract extension. One source told the Star Tribune that if the Gophers did hire Fleck, it likely would take a deal richer than the six-year, $20 million deal that Purdue recently gave Jeff Brohm. Another source said Minnesota made it known that its ceiling for the salary was $3.5 million per year.

Forbes reported the average Big Ten salary last season was $3.52 million, inflated by the megadeals of Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh ($9 million salary, according to USA Today) and Ohio State’s Urban Meyer (over $6 million).

Claeys was one of the lowest-paid coaches in a major conference, making $1.4 million. He had two years and $3.1 million remaining on his contract, but the university instead paid him a $500,000 buyout.

Miles was making $4.3 million this season at LSU, and when the school fired him it agreed to pay a $12.9 million buyout. That amount would be reduced if Miles takes another job. His name surfaced during recent coaching searches at Purdue and Houston.

In late November, he told the Detroit News he wasn’t sure if he’d be back coaching by next season.

“I have no idea; I have to be honest,” Miles told the newspaper. “I can tell you this: I’m looking for a school, an AD, a president that wants to invest in their kids and lock arms and go win a championship.”

When Coyle was the AD at Boise State in 2013, he hired Bryan Harsin to replace Chris Petersen, who’d left for Washington. That led to speculation that Coyle might consider Harsin to replace Claeys, but current Boise State AD Curt Apsey dismissed that possibility in a radio interview Thursday.

“In my opinion, he is not interested in the opportunity at Minnesota, he’s interested in being the coach at Boise State,” Apsey told KTIK-FM in Boise.

As of Thursday night, Coyle appeared to have his sights trained on Fleck, with Miles just a phone call away.

Joe.Christensen@StarTribune.com 612-673-7844 JoeCStrib

You can read the preview here. Collins has improved Northwestern every year, and this year they're likely a bubble team.

Quick rundown of their starting 5:

• SG Scottie Lindsey: excellent shooter, and smart with his shot selection.
• SF Vic Law: All-around small forward with good skill, athleticism, and is a very good shooter with his feet set. Law isn't phenomenal athletically or at creating his shot, but he can still score in a variety of ways and may be Northwestern's most dynamic player.
• PG Bryant McIntosh: Distributes well and has good size. He's been more of a high volume shooter than Wildcat fans would probably like.
• F Sanjay Lumpkin: Benilde-St. Margaret's wing that's most effective around the basket and can play as a 4. Good rebounder and defender. Alright shooter with his feet set, but jumpers aren't his strength and thus he's a low-usage player on offense.
• C Dererk Pardon: First game back after being out a month with hand surgery. Low-volume player offensively but a shot blocker and the heart of NU's defense.

Link: Row the boat! Minnesota hires PJ Fleck

Sure hope Mike Sherrels stays on as a Gophers coach. He is fantastic in all facets and the new head coach will be very, very lucky to have Mike on board. It will be tough for Mike to stay on with past loyalty to the outgoing staff, but, Mike has to do what is best for him and it is unquestionably best for Gopher football that Mike stays on as a coach. Please, Mike, keep being a Gopher assistant coach.

MJH,

Without naming names, aside from the 10 players suspended/explelleed, are you hearing about other transfers and how many? I'm sure the coaching change will kick up some dust, hopefully it will settle.

This was a Bo Shembeckler quote...

Coach Novak said it and passed it along to PJ

Fleck said it when he took over Western Michigan. Some left, many stayed and like he said those that stayed became champions