Big Ten Coaches Talk Anonymously About Conference Foes for 2025 ("if they win nine games or so, he’ll be on the hunt to move.”)

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Funny if it’s Bielema because I doubt his end goal is to stay at Illinois for long.
 

PJ is getting $6 million per year through 2029. Kirby Smart is on top at $13 million.
Ryan Day $12.5
Lincoln Riley $11.5
Dabo $11
Lanning $11
Deion $10.8
Sarkisian $10.8
You can't convince me if Lincoln Riley wets the bed again in 2025 and USC comes calling that PJ wouldn't sprint to double his salary. Heather in Beverly Hills is a match made in heaven for her.
If UNLV finds a backer to pay him $11-12 million, I can see them in Las Vegas.
I don't know where he fits...if Texas A&M doesn't win...they got money, BYU, Texas Tech spend money. Would he leave for Michigan? This may be Moore's last season if they tank.

But, the Gophers have to win minimum 9 regular season games and they can't lose the other three by four touchdowns apiece before PJ's "the hot coach". It would help PJ if the other guys on coaching search lists had bad years to eliminate some other candidates. It seems it always the "hot" guys who get hired.

Hopefully, he's not going anywhere but if he wins big....tough to keep him. He's got a family, he's competitive, he wants to be at the top of the pay scale.
 

MNVCGUY said:
I truly believe there is more too it than just money for Fleck. Not saying he wouldn't leave but I do think it is a fairly narrow window of teams that he would leave for. Would have to be a situation he viewed as perfect.
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UCLA for instance?
 

Lifeleadership said:
I totally agree with you. I truly believe Fleck looks at Minnesota as a perfect fit for him, his family and his CULTURE. They just built a beautiful home on Lake Minnetonka and he appears to love Minnesota. Just my opinion. I don't believe it's all about money for Fleck. He is taken care of well here and he is building a very competitive program. I don't believe he would be as good a fit at a top Blue Blood. He has it quite nice where he is at and his CULTURE works very well. Just my 2 cents.
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Perfect fit indeed. He is rowing away with a boat load of money, can win 7 or 8 games a year and guys here are talking about building a statue. Why leave?
 

60's Guy said:
PJ is getting $6 million per year through 2029. Kirby Smart is on top at $13 million.
Ryan Day $12.5
Lincoln Riley $11.5
Dabo $11
Lanning $11
Deion $10.8
Sarkisian $10.8
You can't convince me if Lincoln Riley wets the bed again in 2025 and USC comes calling that PJ wouldn't sprint to double his salary. Heather in Beverly Hills is a match made in heaven for her.
If UNLV finds a backer to pay him $11-12 million, I can see them in Las Vegas.
I don't know where he fits...if Texas A&M doesn't win...they got money, BYU, Texas Tech spend money. Would he leave for Michigan? This may be Moore's last season if they tank.

But, the Gophers have to win minimum 9 regular season games and they can't lose the other three by four touchdowns apiece before PJ's "the hot coach". It would help PJ if the other guys on coaching search lists had bad years to eliminate some other candidates. It seems it always the "hot" guys who get hired.

Hopefully, he's not going anywhere but if he wins big....tough to keep him. He's got a family, he's competitive, he wants to be at the top of the pay scale.
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Not sure why people think PJ or Heather would be so drawn to the “glitzy and glamorous” places. Haven’t they both basically lived in the Midwest their whole lives? They both have split custody with other parents in the Midwest. I get it, if someone offers a big number from anywhere in the country it’s tough to turn down, but I don’t get this whole Hollywood Fleck narrative.
 



swede2 said:
UCLA for instance?
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Maybe...though at one point he talked about a school being the primary school in the state being important and you don't get that with the Florida and California schools.
 

I doubt any B1G coach talked anonymously about other B1G coaches.

Complete fabrication. There's not even an author listed for the article. "Athlon Sports asked..."

There's zero upside for a B1G coach to talk about another staff. None. Few if any are gonna do that.

Just bullshit for clicks, and can't even be disproven.
 
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MNVCGUY said:
I truly believe there is more too it than just money for Fleck. Not saying he wouldn't leave but I do think it is a fairly narrow window of teams that he would leave for. Would have to be a situation he viewed as perfect.
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Don't forget Mrs. Fleck. She has a lot of pull! They are true Midwesterners. IMO, he stays for the long haul. It's more than money. If Michigan comes calling...?
 



USAF said:
I doubt any B1G coach talked anonymously about other B1G coaches.

Complete fabrication.
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It's like those crime show interviews when they black out a snitch's face and they all have the fake robotic voice.
 

My guess is after another successful season Fleck will look for jobs, not to actually leave, but to propel the admiration to make deeper commitments to football. If they don't dig deeper then he might leave, but I think it will be up to the admin to keep him hear. I truly believe Fleck want to build a contender here in MN and I don't think he is far off. I think our resources are getting bettter and will continue to improve the longer Fleck stays. If he stays he he will eventually be the AD.
 

Word said:
As far as I know he didn't leave for UCLA.
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Well, come on, UCLA has a nice surrounding lifestyle. However, they are not spending money on football. Foster makes $3 million per year. Half of what PJ makes at Minnesota. They are spending less on NIL. There was no decision necessary for PJ.
 

btowngopher said:
Not sure why people think PJ or Heather would be so drawn to the “glitzy and glamorous” places. Haven’t they both basically lived in the Midwest their whole lives? They both have split custody with other parents in the Midwest. I get it, if someone offers a big number from anywhere in the country it’s tough to turn down, but I don’t get this whole Hollywood Fleck narrative.
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You are not paying attention if you don't think that they are attracted to glitz and glamor. PJ has had 3 different houses in Minnesota....each one a step up from the pervious one.
2017...this was house number two: house 2

House number 3 is an upgrade and i can't find the story.

The places they travel. The elite circles they choose to associate with are not different than the lifestyle their homes portray.
 



Ah it must be summer...people speculating that PJ is leaving based on nothing at all.
 

These "quotes" each year stir the pot for about 5 minutes and then we all move on. Same for this year's batch.

As for Coach moving on after a 9-win season, sure, it could happen but all available evidence suggests otherwise.

Probably the bigger statement is the first one noting Coach building a "consistent winner even though it's not at an elite level," which is both good and bad depending on your mindset. Whether use of the term "elite" is a little jab to PJ's appropriation of the term or really just describing the next tier up of programs, the "consistent winner" part is very true.

Seeing how much has changed across the whole CFB landscape since PJ arrived, to be a consistent winner is an achievement for a program like Minnesota. Nebraska comes to mind here. So for this year's stock of anonymous quotes from other coaches, I'll look for that record of winning (defined as more Ws than Ls on January 5th) to be sustained this year too.
 


60's Guy said:
You are not paying attention if you don't think that they are attracted to glitz and glamor. PJ has had 3 different houses in Minnesota....each one a step up from the pervious one.
2017...this was house number two: house 2

House number 3 is an upgrade and i can't find the story.

The places they travel. The elite circles they choose to associate with are not different than the lifestyle their homes portray.
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You’ve got kind of a weird hobby.

If I’m being honest, I’ve had multiple houses in my city. Each one a step up from the previous one. Should I be worried about myself?
 

GopherPoke said:
You’ve got kind of a weird hobby.

If I’m being honest, I’ve had multiple houses in my city. Each one a step up from the previous one. Should I be worried about myself?
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If we win 10 games are you taking a new job?
 

WAGopher said:
I’m kind of the other way. A $10 million QB will be all in on PJs for the time he’s here. Not because he’s bought into it, but that’s what he’s getting paid to do.
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I disagree. The people coming up with the $10M in NIL for these types of QBs...they are paying them to win football games, period. Not to wave goodbye to a female hockey team or to go volunteer in the community.

If I was ponying up the money for that QB, I'd be pissed if he was out volunteering somewhere instead of watching game film or practicing with the WRs more. I'm not paying him to learn to be a better man for later in life.

Not to sound harsh, but that's the new reality.
 

GopherTheJugular said:
I disagree. The people coming up with the $10M in NIL for these types of QBs...they are paying them to win football games, period. Not to wave goodbye to a female hockey team or to go volunteer in the community.

If I was ponying up the money for that QB, I'd be pissed if he was out volunteering somewhere instead of watching game film or practicing with the WRs more. I'm not paying him to learn to be a better man for later in life.

Not to sound harsh, but that's the new reality.
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If a team signed a player, they will expect him to buy into their program and culture, and a good coach isn’t going to let a player choose to not participate in all aspects of the program, even if they are paid $10 million.

In your example, I’m sure even PJ would be ticked off if a player decided to skip their football responsibilities to do volunteer service.
 

GopherPoke said:
You’ve got kind of a weird hobby.

If I’m being honest, I’ve had multiple houses in my city. Each one a step up from the previous one. Should I be worried about myself?
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Only if your wife in Beverly Hills is a match made in heaven. I know I go to GH so I can not only find out what PJ thinks, but also what his wife thinks.
 

WAGopher said:
If a team signed a player, they will expect him to buy into their program and culture, and a good coach isn’t going to let a player choose to not participate in all aspects of the program, even if they are paid $10 million.

In your example, I’m sure even PJ would be ticked off if a player decided to skip their football responsibilities to do volunteer service.
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I think you're underestimating the amount of control players now have.

I think everything you said is true. I also think it's unrealistic because no $10M player is going to want to deal with the "outside of football" responsibilities the players under PJ have.
 

WAGopher said:
In your example, I’m sure even PJ would be ticked off if a player decided to skip their football responsibilities to do volunteer service.
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That's not what I meant. I was talking about time away from practice. PJ expects volunteer work and such, boosters expect more football stuff.
 

Some of that seems honest.

Some seems like FUD you want recruits to see ... it's the same thing every year.
 
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GopherTheJugular said:
I think you're underestimating the amount of control players now have.

I think everything you said is true. I also think it's unrealistic because no $10M player is going to want to deal with the "outside of football" responsibilities the players under PJ have.
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I half agree with you because I think there are both prima donna and team players. Coaches like Neon Deion will take the primas and coaches like PJ won’t.
 


WAGopher said:
I half agree with you because I think there are both prima donna and team players. Coaches like Neon Deion will take the primas and coaches like PJ won’t.
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I think you're more than "half" agreeing with me. ;) In all good debating spirit, I think the prima donnas are the ones taking the $10M and wanting to just focus on football.

But we'll see if we ever get one. And no, I'm not counting Koi - he didn't cost anywhere near $10M.
 

60's Guy said:
You are not paying attention if you don't think that they are attracted to glitz and glamor. PJ has had 3 different houses in Minnesota....each one a step up from the pervious one.
2017...this was house number two: house 2

House number 3 is an upgrade and i can't find the story.

The places they travel. The elite circles they choose to associate with are not different than the lifestyle their homes portray.
Click to expand...
Well, we've basically narrowed it down to two choices:

1) He likely doesn't leave because he already has a ton of money and is comfortable being near the pinnacle of success in his industry.
2) He still wants to be THE best in his business, not just one of the best, and get the money that goes with it.

If you're a 60's guy, you know that motivation changes over time. A lot of us were hard chargers when we were younger and then got comfortable. Everyone eventually gets comfortable, it's just a question of when. PJ is in his mid-40's so he still has a long runway in front of him. I could easily see him going for the bigger job. It would be more doubtful if he were in his 60's. I could also see him and his wife making more family orientated decisions and saying we have enough. They are already super successful! Maybe their house is finally big enough! Hahaha!

In writing this, I was going to argue he might make family decisions or make a decision based on leading a life of significance vs. solely success. We see pro basketball players leave money on the table because they make so much nowadays. We saw Chip Kelly do it by leaving as the head coach at UCLA to become a coordinator at Ohio State. However, I think I'm now more on your side that he could very likely leave and for one very big reason, he is only 44 years old.

I'm 52 years old and have had good success in my industry enough that I'm starting to feel satisfied, but 52 is A LOT different than 44! PJ has had a lot of success and is still very young from a coaching perspective and from a career perspective. He's in his prime! He has a long time left to go if he wants it. That scares me. He is basically the PERFECT coaching candidate if he has a little more success here. Old enough to have a lot of experience, but young enough to still create a legacy for himself someplace else. Michigan is a scary thought!

On the other hand, when I hear PJ talk nowadays, he sounds confident and COMFORTABLE. If he has more success, the whole question is going to be how much will it take for him to upset that applecart? He has it really good here. I'd personally feel a whole lot more comfortable if he was 64 instead of 44!
 

SeaBee_Gopher said:
Well, we've basically narrowed it down to two choices:

1) He likely doesn't leave because he already has a ton of money and is comfortable being near the pinnacle of success in his industry.
2) He still wants to be THE best in his business, not just one of the best, and get the money that goes with it.

If you're a 60's guy, you know that motivation changes over time. A lot of us were hard chargers when we were younger and then got comfortable. Everyone eventually gets comfortable, it's just a question of when. PJ is in his mid-40's so he still has a long runway in front of him. I could easily see him going for the bigger job. It would be more doubtful if he were in his 60's. I could also see him and his wife making more family orientated decisions and saying we have enough. They are already super successful! Maybe their house is finally big enough! Hahaha!

In writing this, I was going to argue he might make family decisions or make a decision based on leading a life of significance vs. solely success. We see pro basketball players leave money on the table because they make so much nowadays. We saw Chip Kelly do it by leaving as the head coach at UCLA to become a coordinator at Ohio State. However, I think I'm now more on your side that he could very likely leave and for one very big reason, he is only 44 years old.

I'm 52 years old and have had good success in my industry enough that I'm starting to feel satisfied, but 52 is A LOT different than 44! PJ has had a lot of success and is still very young from a coaching perspective and from a career perspective. He's in his prime! He has a long time left to go if he wants it. That scares me. He is basically the PERFECT coaching candidate if he has a little more success here. Old enough to have a lot of experience, but young enough to still create a legacy for himself someplace else. Michigan is a scary thought!

On the other hand, when I hear PJ talk nowadays, he sounds confident and COMFORTABLE. If he has more success, the whole question is going to be how much will it take for him to upset that applecart? He has it really good here. I'd personally feel a whole lot more comfortable if he was 64 instead of 44!
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Great points! PJ has deferred to his wife on many comments as a factor for a decison and I presently get the feeling she is still status climbing. I would like him to stay. I just don't know if he does if somebody comes close to doubling his salary. I don't think he'll leave without the major boost in money unless it was say Michigan or Notre Dame or some other elite program.
 

GopherPoke said:
You’ve got kind of a weird hobby.

If I’m being honest, I’ve had multiple houses in my city. Each one a step up from the previous one. Should I be worried about myself?
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My "hobby" is reading about Gopher sports. I think it is pretty much most everybody's desire to move to a bigger house in a nicer neighborhood. At least it used to be the "American Dream."
I don't begrudge PJ for moving into nicer houses. I was answering the folks who think he is satisfied in Minnesota and don't see him as a status climbing type of guy (or family.). That was my disagreement....PJ lives and wants elite.
 

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