All Things P.J. Fleck Rumor Mill Thread - Listed as Candidate for Other Jobs

Southern California is great if you're rich and he's rich. So it won't really impact PJ.

That said, the exodus out of LA isn't a myth. You don't have to watch Foxnews to know it's real, you'd have to just read media reports from the far right sources like the LA Times, NY Times, and every single major media outlet on the left and the right. I recently bought a home in Austin, Texas and almost every neighbor of mine is from California. If you had all of 8 minutes out

I lived in LA for years, I love LA, it's still home to me. There is a decent chance that I move back soon, but the exodus is real and LA is struggling.
I live in Northern California (NoCal) and the exodus here, for Texas just recently, is very real. Two neighbors in the last 6 months on our block alone, moved to Texas. Politics, Crime, Taxes and the overall cost of living here are the reasons why, not necessarily in that order. It's a statewide thing as the population in the state actually declined in 2020.

I still LOVE the beach though... too bad the water is so cold up here in NoCal!
 
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From Stewart Mandel’s mailbag in The Athletic:

USC should be a top-3 job (only behind Alabama and Ohio State), and it’s pretty stunning how far that program has fallen. Still, it is one of a handful of places where you should be able to compete for a national title every year. Are people thinking too small on this hire? Not saying he would leave, but does Lincoln Riley at least take the call? Does Sean McVay? If those 5-stars in Southern California start staying home, wouldn’t either of those guys create truly scary offenses? — Rob, Atlanta

You’re right that, in theory, USC should be one of the top jobs in college football — maybe not top three, but pretty close. On the surface, it seemingly has everything you could want: a great school with great history and tradition, the deep-pocketed donors, the Hollywood backdrop, Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart popping up on national television every week, and, of course, all that backyard talent.

And yet, just one coach in the last 40 years, Pete Carroll, has had enough success to leave on his own terms. The seven others (not counting interims) have all been fired, with an average tenure of four years. Yes, there were quite a few questionable hires in there (Paul Hackett, anyone?), but at what point do we have to concede that Carroll’s tenure was an extreme outlier that might not be remotely replicable, but against which every subsequent coach has been and will be measured?

It’s all a bit puzzling. Antonio Morales’ excellent Clay Helton postmortem detailed some of the ways seemingly well-resourced USC’s staffing and infrastructure had actually fallen far behind that of its peers under former athletic directors Pat Haden and Lynn Swann. But given those longevity numbers I cited, the problems clearly go back farther than that.

Carroll did so many things right in building his culture, but one that probably doesn’t get talked up enough is how he used the LA market to his advantage. With no NFL teams then and the Lakers between title runs, Carroll truly turned USC football into LA’s Team, and parlayed all the media coverage and celebrity attention that came with it. For much of Helton’s tenure, it was kind of the opposite. The fans tuned out and turned their attention to the Rams, Dodgers and Lakers. Those that did still come arguably made it harder, not easier, to recruit by constantly booing the team. And the Los Angeles media still covers USC like a pro team, which means a much higher level of criticism and scrutiny than you going to see in most college towns.

For all those reasons, no, I do not see McVay or Riley entertaining that job, and perhaps not even some of the bigger names you’re already seeing pop on lists. If you’re Mario Cristobal, you may believe you’re closer to winning a national title at Oregon than you would be initially at USC. If you’re Chris Petersen, you might ask yourself, why would I come out of retirement to get crushed by the L.A. Times? Or my own fans, if I go 9-3?

But someone good will want that job. As is well-documented, Carroll was far from USC’s first choice at the time, but proved to be uniquely suited for the job. One guy who I personally believe fits that description, and would absolutely embody that Hollywood vibe and absolutely take it: Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck.
 

I think Fleck would be a great hire at USC but I do not know if he will go for it if his friend Franklin is going for the job. Also, I think he might be looking at a 7-5 type season and that may not be good enough for them. They will get strong consideration from some pretty good coaches.

Fleck knows he is going to lose his entire starting offensive line as well as other key starters and this team may take a step back next year as they replace them. This would be a perfect time to take that jump up to the big time.

He would amp up their recruiting, and he would get their program rolling. I think you have a very good chance he leaves, especially if Minnesota has a great season. This talk should die down if they aren't a big winner this season. If I am hiring at USC and Minnesota finishes 7-5 or 6-6 this year, I will have better options - guaranteed.

My take: This will probably be a major distraction the rest of the year and is not going to help in a pivotal year for this program. I like PJ and hope he stays and is successful here but if he wants to leave, I won't shed any tears, either. He will be addressing this issue very soon as there will be a lot of people talking about it and will be talking about it every week unless he shuts down the talk immediately.
 

I think Fleck would be a great hire at USC but I do not know if he will go for it if his friend Franklin is going for the job. Also, I think he might be looking at a 7-5 type season and that may not be good enough for them. They will get strong consideration from some pretty good coaches.

Fleck knows he is going to lose his entire starting offensive line as well as other key starters and this team may take a step back next year as they replace them. This would be a perfect time to take that jump up to the big time.

He would amp up their recruiting, and he would get their program rolling. I think you have a very good chance he leaves, especially if Minnesota has a great season. This talk should die down if they aren't a big winner this season. If I am hiring at USC and Minnesota finishes 7-5 or 6-6 this year, I will have better options - guaranteed.

My take: This will probably be a major distraction the rest of the year and is not going to help in a pivotal year for this program. I like PJ and hope he stays and is successful here but if he wants to leave, I won't shed any tears, either. He will be addressing this issue very soon as there will be a lot of people talking about it and will be talking about it every week unless he shuts down the talk immediately.
I'm just happy we have a coach that other schools want. This is what having a successful coach looks like. There will always be speculation. How many times has Kirk Ferentz's name popped up over the years in various NFL and College search situations? Quite a few. The alternative is to have a coach that doesn't rebuild our program, nobody else wants him, and after 4 - 5 years, he is fired and goes on to be an assistant at some other school or just retires. The only coach we've had since I've been following Gopher football, that left for another school, was Lou Holtz. That's it. Exactly ONE coach, all others were fired, let go, retired, whatever. Personally, I'd rather have a coach that other schools want, and then be able to keep him. An old saying says, "if you want to run with the big dogs, you'd better be ready to piss in the tall grass".
 

I think Fleck would be a great hire at USC but I do not know if he will go for it if his friend Franklin is going for the job. Also, I think he might be looking at a 7-5 type season and that may not be good enough for them. They will get strong consideration from some pretty good coaches.

Fleck knows he is going to lose his entire starting offensive line as well as other key starters and this team may take a step back next year as they replace them. This would be a perfect time to take that jump up to the big time.

He would amp up their recruiting, and he would get their program rolling. I think you have a very good chance he leaves, especially if Minnesota has a great season. This talk should die down if they aren't a big winner this season. If I am hiring at USC and Minnesota finishes 7-5 or 6-6 this year, I will have better options - guaranteed.

My take: This will probably be a major distraction the rest of the year and is not going to help in a pivotal year for this program. I like PJ and hope he stays and is successful here but if he wants to leave, I won't shed any tears, either. He will be addressing this issue very soon as there will be a lot of people talking about it and will be talking about it every week unless he shuts down the talk immediately.
Or you know...we take Fleck at his word that he likes it here, has a great situation and is at a Big Time job in the Big Ten....as opposed to doing the Minnesota football fan thing and assuming every coach is going to leave the first chance they get.
 


Or you know...we take Fleck at his word that he likes it here, has a great situation and is at a Big Time job in the Big Ten....as opposed to doing the Minnesota football fan thing and assuming every coach is going to leave the first chance they get.
 

Fleck leaving would just crush all the players that are full on drinking his Kool aid. I hope he doesn't, bump him up to $6 million a year...
 

For the sake of extending a thread that is making me sick (I like PJ, and hate the thought of him leaving), who would the Gophers go after as a replacement? All this is fan board bs, so let's add to it. I have zero idea who might be on a short list.
 

Isn’t that true for every prediction ever?
I dunno, Broadway Joe might be looked at a little differently if the Jets don't pull that one off. Regardless, I think my point still stands. He's throwing darts, but if he's right, he'll act like he had some knowledge that we didn't.
 



It’d be interesting to hear Mason’s logic behind that answer.
He's talked about it before. The idea is that if you are coach at a school that hasn't had much recent success or is mid-level or lower-level in it's own conference, it is easier to turn things around in the short run than it is to maintain that success over the long term. Even if you maintain that elevated status, eventually that "new normal" isn't enough and you may get fired despite the improvement in the program if it appears to have become stagnant. Better to strike while iron is hot rather than wait for things to possibly grow stale.

Looking at his career here, few would dispute that the Gophers football program was better off at the end of Mace's tenure at the U than it was at the beginning. Nonetheless, the failure to keep building toward being one of the better teams in the conference year in and year out eventually contributed to him losing his job.
 

He's talked about it before. The idea is that if you are coach at a school that hasn't had much recent success or is mid-level or lower-level in it's own conference, it is easier to turn things around in the short run than it is to maintain that success over the long term. Even if you maintain that elevated status, eventually that "new normal" isn't enough and you may get fired despite the improvement in the program if it appears to have become stagnant. Better to strike while iron is hot rather than wait for things to possibly grow stale.

Looking at his career here, few would dispute that the Gophers football program was better off at the end of Mace's tenure at the U than it was at the beginning. Nonetheless, the failure to keep building toward being one of the better teams in the conference year in and year out eventually contributed to him losing his job.
Look at Zimmer. His "awful" seasons were 7-9, and his record is 64-48-1. He has had less playoff success than most would like, but he did take a team with a 3rd string QB to the NFC championship game. But now he is on the hot seat, and all I can think is "if you fire him, are you going to expect his replacement to never do worse than 7-9 and have a winning percentage better than .571?"
 

I dunno, Broadway Joe might be looked at a little differently if the Jets don't pull that one off. Regardless, I think my point still stands. He's throwing darts, but if he's right, he'll act like he had some knowledge that we didn't.
Which he might. He spends time closer to the team than anyone on here.
 

He's talked about it before. The idea is that if you are coach at a school that hasn't had much recent success or is mid-level or lower-level in it's own conference, it is easier to turn things around in the short run than it is to maintain that success over the long term.
Gutless loser mentality right there. No wonder glen never accomplished much.
 



Or you know...we take Fleck at his word that he likes it here, has a great situation and is at a Big Time job in the Big Ten....as opposed to doing the Minnesota football fan thing and assuming every coach is going to leave the first chance they get.
Well -- he will be asked about it very soon if not already and if the reporters aren't satisfied, they will be on him all year about it. He will need to "sell" he is happy here and has no intentions of leaving (like JAX coach Urban Meyer did) to quell the rumors.

If I were Coyle, I might think about coming up with a "just in case" list for after the year. I DO think Fleck is in play after the season. And if the Gophers finish 8-4 or better, he is going to be getting some calls.
 

The reality is, just because PJ likes it here, doesn't mean he couldn't be persuaded by more money, prestige, recruiting opportunities, etc. We need to deal with the reality that there is a good chance he gets poached at some point.

That said, it's certainly not a forgone conclusion, and nobody should act like it's a guarantee that he leaves. People forget that it's no guarantee he ever gets offered a big time job. A lot has to fall into place for him to leave. My suggestion is that people just enjoy the ride and appreciate what we have, for however long we have it.
 

Well -- he will be asked about it very soon if not already and if the reporters aren't satisfied, they will be on him all year about it. He will need to "sell" he is happy here and has no intentions of leaving (like JAX coach Urban Meyer did) to quell the rumors.

If I were Coyle, I might think about coming up with a "just in case" list for after the year. I DO think Fleck is in play after the season. And if the Gophers finish 8-4 or better, he is going to be getting some calls.

Now put in play the swirling rumor (albeit from Shooter) that Coyle himself might bolt for Kentucky if Don Calipari gives his blessing. If Coyle leaves I'm guessing PJ would be on high alert to take the next flight out of town, USC or otherwise. And if PJ leaves, Coyle hires Tyrone Carter as his replacement (as recommended by Joan Gabel) to secure the state's borders.
 


Well -- he will be asked about it very soon if not already and if the reporters aren't satisfied, they will be on him all year about it. He will need to "sell" he is happy here and has no intentions of leaving (like JAX coach Urban Meyer did) to quell the rumors.

If I were Coyle, I might think about coming up with a "just in case" list for after the year. I DO think Fleck is in play after the season. And if the Gophers finish 8-4 or better, he is going to be getting some calls.
If Coyle doesn't already have an extensive "just in case list" he should be fired.
 

For the sake of extending a thread that is making me sick (I like PJ, and hate the thought of him leaving), who would the Gophers go after as a replacement? All this is fan board bs, so let's add to it. I have zero idea who might be on a short list.
Hopefully Coil already has such a list made up, and is putting feelers out.

Would like to see him go back to the MAC well. Let's see who wins it this year, but I've said before I like what the Kent State coach is doing.
 

From Stewart Mandel’s mailbag in The Athletic:

USC should be a top-3 job (only behind Alabama and Ohio State), and it’s pretty stunning how far that program has fallen. Still, it is one of a handful of places where you should be able to compete for a national title every year. Are people thinking too small on this hire? Not saying he would leave, but does Lincoln Riley at least take the call? Does Sean McVay? If those 5-stars in Southern California start staying home, wouldn’t either of those guys create truly scary offenses? — Rob, Atlanta

You’re right that, in theory, USC should be one of the top jobs in college football — maybe not top three, but pretty close. On the surface, it seemingly has everything you could want: a great school with great history and tradition, the deep-pocketed donors, the Hollywood backdrop, Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart popping up on national television every week, and, of course, all that backyard talent.

And yet, just one coach in the last 40 years, Pete Carroll, has had enough success to leave on his own terms. The seven others (not counting interims) have all been fired, with an average tenure of four years. Yes, there were quite a few questionable hires in there (Paul Hackett, anyone?), but at what point do we have to concede that Carroll’s tenure was an extreme outlier that might not be remotely replicable, but against which every subsequent coach has been and will be measured?

It’s all a bit puzzling. Antonio Morales’ excellent Clay Helton postmortem detailed some of the ways seemingly well-resourced USC’s staffing and infrastructure had actually fallen far behind that of its peers under former athletic directors Pat Haden and Lynn Swann. But given those longevity numbers I cited, the problems clearly go back farther than that.

Carroll did so many things right in building his culture, but one that probably doesn’t get talked up enough is how he used the LA market to his advantage. With no NFL teams then and the Lakers between title runs, Carroll truly turned USC football into LA’s Team, and parlayed all the media coverage and celebrity attention that came with it. For much of Helton’s tenure, it was kind of the opposite. The fans tuned out and turned their attention to the Rams, Dodgers and Lakers. Those that did still come arguably made it harder, not easier, to recruit by constantly booing the team. And the Los Angeles media still covers USC like a pro team, which means a much higher level of criticism and scrutiny than you going to see in most college towns.

For all those reasons, no, I do not see McVay or Riley entertaining that job, and perhaps not even some of the bigger names you’re already seeing pop on lists. If you’re Mario Cristobal, you may believe you’re closer to winning a national title at Oregon than you would be initially at USC. If you’re Chris Petersen, you might ask yourself, why would I come out of retirement to get crushed by the L.A. Times? Or my own fans, if I go 9-3?

But someone good will want that job. As is well-documented, Carroll was far from USC’s first choice at the time, but proved to be uniquely suited for the job. One guy who I personally believe fits that description, and would absolutely embody that Hollywood vibe and absolutely take it: Minnesota’s P.J. Fleck.

Carol did things right OK. He paid all his best players. Understand, winning big time in college football flat out doesn't happen without paying players.

And those that think Fleck won't leave if offered this job are clueless. Twice the money, better place to live, better area to recruit, more rabid fan base, better university. Literally, there is nothing that MN has on USC, other than the Big Ten is a better conference than the Pac and you don't have to do as much to keep fans happy here.
 

Agreed. The USC job is like the Notre Dame job. It's major national program (an actual one, unlike Nebraska ... stupid Delaney), whether people like it or not.

And especially with NIL now ... meaning players can get their own side money out in the open, rather than under the table, and lots of potential "sponsors" in LA. Just takes the right salesman to convince enough high star guys to go there.


If it happens, hope he doesn't take (too many) players with him.
 

Agreed. The USC job is like the Notre Dame job. It's major national program (an actual one, unlike Nebraska ... stupid Delaney), whether people like it or not.

And especially with NIL now ... meaning players can get their own side money out in the open, rather than under the table, and lots of potential "sponsors" in LA. Just takes the right salesman to convince enough high star guys to go there.


If it happens, hope he doesn't take (too many) players with him.
Oh, you can be sure he will. If he leaves, you will have a substantial number of players who leave the program. Just look at the Gopher basketball team for your indication. I imagine most players are here because PJ is the coach so that transfer portal will most likely take a beating. Let's not worry about this just yet though - let's enjoy the season and we will see what happens!!
 

For the sake of extending a thread that is making me sick (I like PJ, and hate the thought of him leaving), who would the Gophers go after as a replacement? All this is fan board bs, so let's add to it. I have zero idea who might be on a short list.
Honestly, Helton's resume isn't bad....Don't know how he would fit here.
 

Look at Zimmer. His "awful" seasons were 7-9, and his record is 64-48-1. He has had less playoff success than most would like, but he did take a team with a 3rd string QB to the NFC championship game. But now he is on the hot seat, and all I can think is "if you fire him, are you going to expect his replacement to never do worse than 7-9 and have a winning percentage better than .571?"
The issue with Zim is that it feels like there is a ceiling on how far we can go with an old school, defense first, run the ball coach in the 2021 NFL. And that ceiling is probably never making the Super Bowl. So at some point you have to try something else, even if it might turn out worse.
 

The issue with Zim is that it feels like there is a ceiling on how far we can go with an old school, defense first, run the ball coach in the 2021 NFL.
Anything works if you have an elite QB. That's pretty much what the league is.
 

Anything works if you have an elite QB. That's pretty much what the league is.
Yes. But offensive minded coaches have taken Jared Goff and Jimmy G to Super Bowls and Cousins is arguably better than both of them.
 

With Mason in mind, it would be great to have a coach who announces, after just a few years as head coach, "I'm not going anywhere. I came to build this program and have no interest in any other job."
 

For the sake of extending a thread that is making me sick (I like PJ, and hate the thought of him leaving), who would the Gophers go after as a replacement? All this is fan board bs, so let's add to it. I have zero idea who might be on a short list

For the sake of extending a thread that is making me sick (I like PJ, and hate the thought of him leaving), who would the Gophers go after as a replacement? All this is fan board bs, so let's add to it. I have zero idea who might be on a short list.
Would be nice to have a program that was successful and regardless if a coach left other successful coach would line up for the job.
 

For the sake of extending a thread that is making me sick (I like PJ, and hate the thought of him leaving), who would the Gophers go after as a replacement? All this is fan board bs, so let's add to it. I have zero idea who might be on a short list.
Urban Meyer 😎
 

Have a friend that is a USC grad that has great loyalty even in these less than stellar football times.

Living here for almost 40 years...and with a current hubby who likes the Gophers and Coach Fleck...I think she would have a stroke if this happened.

Like anything winning would cure any reticense. I still figure he stays. You don't get days like today in SoCal...
 




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