· Fleck opened up by saying he feels “Elite”, and that what the staff was able to do in two weeks was incredible.
· Said they have a lot of “How-phers”, not yet Gophers. Guys that are passionate who love to play.
· Asked about recruiting kids to come from Western Michigan to Minnesota, Fleck said that change is always going to be hard. He doesn’t feel like the stole them, but he offered them a scholarship somewhere else. Also commented that it speaks volumes to the kids to commit on site, that each kid felt that the University of Minnesota was “Elite” enough. Pretty much everyone from Western Michigan that came here committed site on scene.
· Fleck again reiterated that he has one of the best staffs in the nation, and that he is not much of a micro-manager in football scheme sense, but that he is very involved in recruiting. Coach Fleck wants all of his assistants to become head coaches someday.
· Dan inquired if Fleck felt he always has connected well with players. Fleck said he’s always learning as he goes on, and said he came to the University because of the resources it offers, and one again, said he is not here to change tradition but to change culture to one that has not been here for a long time.
· He said 80% of his time throughout the day is dealt to things that have nothing to do with football (press conferences, fundraisers, etc.) and that he gets better at delegating jobs with time.
· On if he could have waited a year or two to go on a bigger job, he said “I don’t want to take the next step, I want to make this the next step.” He’s always been a crack on the shoulder, blue collar person from Chicago. This place fits him better, the other schools did not interest him.
· Dan asked about the quarterback going into next year, and Fleck took it to the next level saying they have depth issues at defensive tackle and defensive back. On a flip side, he commented that this may be the best situation for any quarterback to come into, because they’ll have opportunities. “The unknown is the fun part, the development. That’s where the culture comes in.”
· The style of his offense was one that hasn’t been talked about much, however Fleck said they will be more variable depending on their personnel. Whether they run more zone or counter bases depend upon who they have, but they traditionally play with one-back, one tight end, and three wide receivers. However, he does not call it a spread offense. Credits his system to being very complex, but that one thing they will do is take care of the ball.
· Barreiro asked about Chris Autman-Bell. Coach Fleck said that they thought were going to lose him going into his senior year because he was attending camps and doing so well. Calls him a “gym rat”. Has incredible explosion, hands, and an incredible route runner. Reminds him of a young Mohamed Sanu, who will be playing in the Super Bowl this weekend.
· As for Tanner Morgan, Fleck said he’s one of the only few players in Kentucky history to throw for more than 10,000 yards, and says he is a winner. Was a finalist for Mr. Kentucky football.
· “Ray-Ray” Estes was a 14-0 starter and state champion. PJ calls him an incredibly explosive athlete, and if quarterback doesn’t work out, he can become a defensive back.
· Fleck said they want to close down the borders of the state. Wants to build walls around the state. Talked about a 6-7 hour radius around the state and wants to shut down those areas to make them Gophers.
· Dan had a good question about the star rating for players. PJ laughed and said he wished he had a bunch of five stars since they may look and run different, but that they have to be “how-phers”. He doesn’t want five stars who aren’t “how-phers”.
· The day PJ Fleck got cut from the pros, Mike Nolan was offered a job as a coach that same day. Called that a blessing that they had the confidence in him to hire him as a coach.
· Education and teaching, that is the motto for Fleck’s coaching demeanor. Applies his elementary school education degrees to coaching players, says that it is more similar than many expect.
· This was a “dream” job for Coach Fleck, because there are a ton of coaches in the area to learn from: Zimmer, Thibodeau, Pitino, etc. Laughs that “you’ll regret inviting me anywhere, since I’ll ask you questions all day long.”
· On if there is anything new that he didn’t expect here, he said the media. He said the media, alumni are going to have to be positive to get recruits here, and that winners surround themselves with positivity. He enjoys challenges, which is why he took this job, and he looks forward to changing that demeanor to be positive.
· The plan for the program is the same as at Western Michigan, said they have a lot of seniors this year. Although nothing is broken and that Kill/Claeys did a phenomenal job, they are young after this senior class, so they may have to play a lot of young players that next year.
· Said they have a lot of “How-phers”, not yet Gophers. Guys that are passionate who love to play.
· Asked about recruiting kids to come from Western Michigan to Minnesota, Fleck said that change is always going to be hard. He doesn’t feel like the stole them, but he offered them a scholarship somewhere else. Also commented that it speaks volumes to the kids to commit on site, that each kid felt that the University of Minnesota was “Elite” enough. Pretty much everyone from Western Michigan that came here committed site on scene.
· Fleck again reiterated that he has one of the best staffs in the nation, and that he is not much of a micro-manager in football scheme sense, but that he is very involved in recruiting. Coach Fleck wants all of his assistants to become head coaches someday.
· Dan inquired if Fleck felt he always has connected well with players. Fleck said he’s always learning as he goes on, and said he came to the University because of the resources it offers, and one again, said he is not here to change tradition but to change culture to one that has not been here for a long time.
· He said 80% of his time throughout the day is dealt to things that have nothing to do with football (press conferences, fundraisers, etc.) and that he gets better at delegating jobs with time.
· On if he could have waited a year or two to go on a bigger job, he said “I don’t want to take the next step, I want to make this the next step.” He’s always been a crack on the shoulder, blue collar person from Chicago. This place fits him better, the other schools did not interest him.
· Dan asked about the quarterback going into next year, and Fleck took it to the next level saying they have depth issues at defensive tackle and defensive back. On a flip side, he commented that this may be the best situation for any quarterback to come into, because they’ll have opportunities. “The unknown is the fun part, the development. That’s where the culture comes in.”
· The style of his offense was one that hasn’t been talked about much, however Fleck said they will be more variable depending on their personnel. Whether they run more zone or counter bases depend upon who they have, but they traditionally play with one-back, one tight end, and three wide receivers. However, he does not call it a spread offense. Credits his system to being very complex, but that one thing they will do is take care of the ball.
· Barreiro asked about Chris Autman-Bell. Coach Fleck said that they thought were going to lose him going into his senior year because he was attending camps and doing so well. Calls him a “gym rat”. Has incredible explosion, hands, and an incredible route runner. Reminds him of a young Mohamed Sanu, who will be playing in the Super Bowl this weekend.
· As for Tanner Morgan, Fleck said he’s one of the only few players in Kentucky history to throw for more than 10,000 yards, and says he is a winner. Was a finalist for Mr. Kentucky football.
· “Ray-Ray” Estes was a 14-0 starter and state champion. PJ calls him an incredibly explosive athlete, and if quarterback doesn’t work out, he can become a defensive back.
· Fleck said they want to close down the borders of the state. Wants to build walls around the state. Talked about a 6-7 hour radius around the state and wants to shut down those areas to make them Gophers.
· Dan had a good question about the star rating for players. PJ laughed and said he wished he had a bunch of five stars since they may look and run different, but that they have to be “how-phers”. He doesn’t want five stars who aren’t “how-phers”.
· The day PJ Fleck got cut from the pros, Mike Nolan was offered a job as a coach that same day. Called that a blessing that they had the confidence in him to hire him as a coach.
· Education and teaching, that is the motto for Fleck’s coaching demeanor. Applies his elementary school education degrees to coaching players, says that it is more similar than many expect.
· This was a “dream” job for Coach Fleck, because there are a ton of coaches in the area to learn from: Zimmer, Thibodeau, Pitino, etc. Laughs that “you’ll regret inviting me anywhere, since I’ll ask you questions all day long.”
· On if there is anything new that he didn’t expect here, he said the media. He said the media, alumni are going to have to be positive to get recruits here, and that winners surround themselves with positivity. He enjoys challenges, which is why he took this job, and he looks forward to changing that demeanor to be positive.
· The plan for the program is the same as at Western Michigan, said they have a lot of seniors this year. Although nothing is broken and that Kill/Claeys did a phenomenal job, they are young after this senior class, so they may have to play a lot of young players that next year.
