Gophers football success makes P.J. Fleck a hot commodity on college coaching marketFleck might be in line for a raise and/or extension. His $3.6 million salary for this season ranks 37th among all 130 FBS coaches and 11th of 14 coaches in the Big Ten Conference.
By
Megan Ryan Star TribuneOctober 31, 2019 — 7:08pm
P.J. Fleck held up an errant piece of sheet music after the Gophers beat Maryland to improve to 8-0. The notes to Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire” had floated in front of the coach on the field, blown away from some member of the marching band.
The Gophers coach said that was no coincidence, as his No. 13 team is currently on fire with its best record in nearly 80 years and a two-game lead in the Big Ten West.
But that could also apply to Fleck himself — not because his seat is hot but because he might become one of the hottest coaching commodities on the market again. No wonder athletic director Mark Coyle said Thursday he has been discussing Fleck’s future, an indication yet another contract could be coming.
Fleck has been a head coach for seven years, notably taking Western Michigan from 1-11 in 2013 to 13-1 by the time he left for the Gophers after the 2016 season. In his three seasons in Minnesota, he has taken the team from 5-7 to 7-6 to undefeated so far in 2019, with No. 6 Penn State visiting next week and a possible ESPN “College GameDay” visit in the future.
The Maryland victory was his 50th, making him the second youngest active FBS coach to reach that milestone, at age 38. Fleck’s “Row the Boat” culture focuses on producing good players as well as good people, which makes him an attractive choice for any athletics director in search of a new football coach.
That’s what Coyle saw in 2017 when he hired Fleck to take control of a program in crisis from a sexual assault scandal and player boycott.
“We talked about having a program that competes academically, athletically and socially, and there is no doubt that he and his student-athletes have done just that,” Coyle said in a statement.
Fleck left Western Michigan, where he was making $800,000 per year with incentives to reach $1 million, with four years left on his contract. He signed an $18 million contract for five years — averaging about $3.6 million per season — with the Gophers, garnering a one-year extension in late November 2017 to bring his contract total to $21.75 million for six years. He did the same in mid-December of 2018, keeping him with the Gophers through 2023 for a total of $25.5 million.
His $3.6 million salary for this season ranks 37th among all 130 FBS coaches and 11th of 14 coaches in the Big Ten conference, according to USA Today.
Given the history of late fall, early winter extensions, Coyle and new school President Joan Gabel could be preparing to offer another re-up for Fleck, possibly timed with the Board of Regents meeting scheduled for Dec. 12-13
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