The hardest jobs in college football (Other notable P5 vote-getters: Minnesota: They think they can win BTW every year but they’re so far away)

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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per The Athletic:

Other notable Power 5 vote-getters: Alabama (17), South Carolina (13) Syracuse (11), Arizona (8), Rutgers (7), Oregon State (7), Minnesota (7), Texas Tech (7), Colorado (7)​


Minnesota: “They think they can win the Big Ten West every year but they’re so far away from that. They don’t spend. Their fans only come out when they’re winning. It’s a pro town. Minnesota is like BC but more people care.” — Agent

theathletic.com

The hardest jobs in college football: Coaches, ADs and agents on Miami, Vanderbilt, Kansas, UMass, Michigan and more

What are the toughest gigs in college football? More than 60 people in the sport weighed in.
theathletic.com theathletic.com

Go Gophers!!
 



Don't subscribe to the Athletic so can't access...
 



Stan said:
We can say otherwise, but this is a tough job. It's why the job Fleck has done here is Elite. He's changed the culture and brought Game Day here for gosh sakes.
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Not going to disagree but Jerry Kill did a lot to start the transformation. We have so many road blocks that the dump created and it takes many years to get the change.
 

I don't really think Gopher fans think they can win the BTW every year. The only two years in my lifetime where Gopher fans thought we had a legit chance were in 2019 and this year.

The only reason it is a tough job is because it's a pro sports town. There are a lot of folks here who don't understand how long and difficult it is to turn around a college football program. With the NFL, everyone can spend the same and they spread the new talent via the draft. Could you imagine how long it would take NFL teams to turn around a franchise if the best teams got all the 1st and 2nd round picks and a significantly higher salary cap?

On the other hand, there aren't many jobs in the country with higher salaries and more realistic/long leashes.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I don't really think Gopher fans think they can win the BTW every year. The only two years in my lifetime where Gopher fans thought we had a legit chance were in 2019 and this year.

The only reason it is a tough job is because it's a pro sports town. There are a lot of folks here who don't understand how long and difficult it is to turn around a college football program. With the NFL, everyone can spend the same and they spread the new talent via the draft. Could you imagine how long it would take NFL teams to turn around a franchise if the best teams got all the 1st and 2nd round picks and a significantly higher salary cap?

On the other hand, there aren't many jobs in the country with higher salaries and more realistic/long leashes.
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There's also the issue of Minnesota High School football being a below average talent producing state.
 

gopherjay said:
Not going to disagree but Jerry Kill did a lot to start the transformation. We have so many road blocks that the dump created and it takes many years to get the change.
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Yep, I like PJ and much prefer him to Kill/Claeys but that group brought the program out of the absolute basement. They also were a pretty big part of bringing in some of the guys who led us in 2019 (AWin Jr, Tyler Johnson, Rodney Smith, Barber, Martin, etc.).

That's not taking anything away from Fleck. I don't think we get there without him but Fleck did a luxury of not following Brew.
 




Johnnyboy18 said:
There's also the issue of Minnesota High School football being a below average talent producing state.
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I think that might only put a bigger spotlight/expectations on a coach. It would certainly make the ceiling higher (and quicker to turnaround), but I think it likely makes the leash shorter.

We also have similar to Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, and many of the other similar Big 10 schools are in states with numerous D1 programs.
 

We all know that Brewster struggled, but he did give us one gift. That was that we shouldn't settle for mediocrity. Mason before him was a very solid coach, but I do believe that the thought that we should be happy with 7-5 and Music City bowls, because that was our "destiny".

Brewster may not have had a plan to get us there, but he saw the potential in this program.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I think that might only put a bigger spotlight/expectations on a coach. It would certainly make the ceiling higher (and quicker to turnaround), but I think it likely makes the leash shorter.

We also have similar to Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, and many of the other similar Big 10 schools are in states with numerous D1 programs.
Click to expand...
I hate to say it but the Fox River Valley in Wisconsin alone produces more D1 football players than our state. They are considerably better with a similar population.
 



mason had the luxury of Gordy Shaw as the OL coach. Kill didn’t retain him. He lost my favor with that decision. Mason and Gordy put 5 OL in the pros. No one has come close since.
 

Minnesota is a pro town?

If it was phrased right, still doesn't make sense. No pro basketball, no pro football, no pro hockey. Baseball can be considered pro sometimes.
I'm joking. I get it the point trying to be made, but there are enough people to like the college football and/or everything to go to a handful of home Gopher games (I know its expensive and not worth it to some), once the winning starts to be consistent, Gophs will bring them in. "If you build it, they will come".
 

I can't believe Northwestern didn't get any votes, and Purdue only got one. Both jobs are far harder than Minnesota. At least in Minnesota you are recruiting to a major city and have the state to yourself. Indiana is also fo sho harder in the Big Ten.
 

BTChamp said:
Minnesota is a pro town?

If it was phrased right, still doesn't make sense. No pro basketball, no pro football, no pro hockey. Baseball can be considered pro sometimes.
I'm joking. I get it the point trying to be made, but there are enough people to like the college football and/or everything to go to a handful of home Gopher games (I know its expensive and not worth it to some), once the winning starts to be consistent, Gophs will bring them in. "If you build it, they will come".
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Minnesota's heart belongs to whomever can win a championship next, college or pro.

I don't have definitive data but when you consider the size of the U student body and the relatively large number of students who remain in the area after graduation -- Minnesota might have more alumni living within an hour's drive of the stadium than any other FBS school. It's at least in the top 5. That can be worked with.
 


fmlizard said:
Minnesota's heart belongs to whomever can win a championship next, college or pro.

I don't have definitive data but when you consider the size of the U student body and the relatively large number of students who remain in the area after graduation -- Minnesota might have more alumni living within an hour's drive of the stadium than any other FBS school. It's at least in the top 5. That can be worked with.
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I was at first getting at Minnesota being a town, but you are right. There are a lot of people that if there is a winning product will show up.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I think that might only put a bigger spotlight/expectations on a coach. It would certainly make the ceiling higher (and quicker to turnaround), but I think it likely makes the leash shorter.

We also have similar to Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, and many of the other similar Big 10 schools are in states with numerous D1 programs.
Click to expand...
Not to sound demeaning, but between the four schools(Minnesota/Iowa/Nebraska/Wisconsin) that you lumped together, only Iowa has another D-1 program in the State for competition for high school kids. Wisconsin and to a lesser degree Nebraska, get the lion's share of kids they want within the borders. Minnesota coaches have done a miserable job over the years.

Or did I completely miss what you're trying to say? Over the years, Gopher fans have adopted the mantra that you get the best kids anywhere you can get them from. I suspect that is rooted because the home State studs don't stay home and it's merely an excuse.
 

State of Football said:
I hate to say it but the Fox River Valley in Wisconsin alone produces more D1 football players than our state. They are considerably better with a similar population.
Click to expand...
Wisconsin produces more than Minnesota in the following categories:
More D1 Football Prospects; Cheese Curds; Drunks.

Forty-one of the fifty drunkest counties in the nation are in Wisconsin.

bringmethenews.com

Top 50 drunkest counties list includes 1 in Minnesota, 41 in Wisconsin

A whopping 41 Wisconsin counties made the list.
bringmethenews.com bringmethenews.com
 

Boomtime said:
Not to sound demeaning, but between the four schools(Minnesota/Iowa/Nebraska/Wisconsin) that you lumped together, only Iowa has another D-1 program in the State for competition for high school kids. Wisconsin and to a lesser degree Nebraska, get the lion's share of kids they want within the borders. Minnesota coaches have done a miserable job over the years.

Or did I completely miss what you're trying to say? Over the years, Gopher fans have adopted the mantra that you get the best kids anywhere you can get them from. I suspect that is rooted because the home State studs don't stay home and it's merely an excuse.
Click to expand...
I'm saying that we have a similar number of recruits as Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin and many of the other states (that have better football than us) have multiple D1 teams (Indiana, Illinois,).
 

fmlizard said:
I can't believe Northwestern didn't get any votes, and Purdue only got one. Both jobs are far harder than Minnesota. At least in Minnesota you are recruiting to a major city and have the state to yourself. Indiana is also fo sho harder in the Big Ten.
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It’s cuz they know we are going to be great!
 

Boomtime said:
Not to sound demeaning, but between the four schools(Minnesota/Iowa/Nebraska/Wisconsin) that you lumped together, only Iowa has another D-1 program in the State for competition for high school kids. Wisconsin and to a lesser degree Nebraska, get the lion's share of kids they want within the borders. Minnesota coaches have done a miserable job over the years.

Or did I completely miss what you're trying to say? Over the years, Gopher fans have adopted the mantra that you get the best kids anywhere you can get them from. I suspect that is rooted because the home State studs don't stay home and it's merely an excuse.
Click to expand...
and you are who...? Sounds like another know-it-all.
 

State of Football said:
I hate to say it but the Fox River Valley in Wisconsin alone produces more D1 football players than our state. They are considerably better with a similar population.
Click to expand...
You don't think they're relatively similar? I agree WI usually produces more than MN.

In the last 4 years, Wisconsin has produced 2 top 100 recruits, 6 top 300 recruits, and 25 top 1000 recruits. It has also produced 37 P5 scholarship football players.

In the last 4 years, MN has produced 0 top 100 recruits, 5 top 300 recruits, and 26 top 1000 recruits. It has also produced 34 P5 scholarship football players and that doesn't include Jalen Suggs, Trey Lance, or another kid who chose basketball.

I agree, WI is slightly better than MN at producing football players year in and year out, but it's pretty marginal and absolutely not the reason why WI is a better program than ours.

2021:
WI: 0 in top 100; 3 in top 300; 6 in top 1000
10 players on P5 scholarships
MN: 0 in top 100; 2 in top 300; 8 in top 1000
9 players on P5 scholarships (a 10th chose basketball)

2020
WI: 1 recruit in top 100; 3 recruits in top 300; 9 recruits in top 1000
10 players are on P5 scholarships.
MN: 0 recruits in top 100; 1 in top 300; 10 in top 1000
11 players on P5 scholarships (this doesn't include Jalen Suggs).

2019
WI: 1 players in top 100; 0 in top 300; 3 in top 1000
6 players on P5 scholarships
MN: 0 players in top 100; 2 players in top 300; 5 players in top 1000
7 players on P5 scholarships

2018:
WI: 0 in top 100; 0 in top 300; 7 in top 1000
11 players on P5 scholarhips
MN: 0 in top 100; 0 in top 300; 3 in top 1000
7 players on P5 scholarships (this doesn't include Trey Lance)
 

Here’s what makes us jaded and this “pro town” shouldnt apply.

we’re a market that should not be able to have all the major pro sports from a population perspective.

that’s why like another poster mentioned, we’re a pro “who is consistently winning” team.

if gopher football becomes a program where 2019 is a normal year, gopher football will be the hot ticket
 

BleedGopher said:
per The Athletic:

Other notable Power 5 vote-getters: Alabama (17), South Carolina (13) Syracuse (11), Arizona (8), Rutgers (7), Oregon State (7), Minnesota (7), Texas Tech (7), Colorado (7)​


Minnesota: “They think they can win the Big Ten West every year but they’re so far away from that. They don’t spend. Their fans only come out when they’re winning. It’s a pro town. Minnesota is like BC but more people care.” — Agent

theathletic.com

The hardest jobs in college football: Coaches, ADs and agents on Miami, Vanderbilt, Kansas, UMass, Michigan and more

What are the toughest gigs in college football? More than 60 people in the sport weighed in.
theathletic.com theathletic.com

Go Gophers!!
Click to expand...
Think we can win the Big Ten West every year? This guy has no clue.
 

STPGopher said:
We all know that Brewster struggled, but he did give us one gift. That was that we shouldn't settle for mediocrity. Mason before him was a very solid coach, but I do believe that the thought that we should be happy with 7-5 and Music City bowls, because that was our "destiny”
Click to expand...

STPGopher said:
Mason got the stadium on campus before Brewster was ever hired. A lot of folks here seem to want to ignore how much drive on the part of Mason it took to set the date for the end of the damn dome horror story. Thank you for that Coach Mason.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:

Bob_Loblaw said:
You don't think they're relatively similar? I agree WI usually produces more than MN.

In the last 4 years, Wisconsin has produced 2 top 100 recruits, 6 top 300 recruits, and 25 top 1000 recruits. It has also produced 37 P5 scholarship football players.

In the last 4 years, MN has produced 0 top 100 recruits, 5 top 300 recruits, and 26 top 1000 recruits. It has also produced 34 P5 scholarship football players and that doesn't include Jalen Suggs, Trey Lance, or another kid who chose basketball.

I agree, WI is slightly better than MN at producing football players year in and year out, but it's pretty marginal and absolutely not the reason why WI is a better program than ours.

2021:
WI: 0 in top 100; 3 in top 300; 6 in top 1000
10 players on P5 scholarships
MN: 0 in top 100; 2 in top 300; 8 in top 1000
9 players on P5 scholarships (a 10th chose basketball)

2020
WI: 1 recruit in top 100; 3 recruits in top 300; 9 recruits in top 1000
10 players are on P5 scholarships.
MN: 0 recruits in top 100; 1 in top 300; 10 in top 1000
11 players on P5 scholarships (this doesn't include Jalen Suggs).

2019
WI: 1 players in top 100; 0 in top 300; 3 in top 1000
6 players on P5 scholarships
MN: 0 players in top 100; 2 players in top 300; 5 players in top 1000
7 players on P5 scholarships

2018:
WI: 0 in top 100; 0 in top 300; 7 in top 1000
11 players on P5 scholarhips
MN: 0 in top 100; 0 in top 300; 3 in top 1000
7 players on P5 scholarships (this doesn't include Trey Lance)
Click to expand...
I agree with you on similar. Wisconsin has more high schools and individuals playing football meaning it’s proportionate.
 

SanDiegoGopherFan said:
Here’s what makes us jaded and this “pro town” shouldnt apply.

we’re a market that should not be able to have all the major pro sports from a population perspective.

that’s why like another poster mentioned, we’re a pro “who is consistently winning” team.

if gopher football becomes a program where 2019 is a normal year, gopher football will be the hot ticket
Click to expand...

The only market larger than the Twin Cities that doesn't have all 4 major sports is Seattle and they'll likely have a basketball team in the next 5 years.
 

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