PJ Fleck is recruiting like he plans on being here a long time

[builtbadgers]

I think what could push us past that "ceiling" of B1G West recruiting is how well P.J. is doing across the entire country. Iowa and Wisconsin do extremely well in recruiting and developing in the Midwest with maybe a couple of guys from elsewhere each year. The talent to be found in the Midwest is finite. P.J. is targeting guys who we wouldn't have even glanced at in prior years. Not only is it great for getting these talented guys now, but it's laying down the groundwork for some serious pipelines down the road.

The CFP era has taught us that in order to make it to that upper echelon, you need pure talent. You need athletic players everywhere. Obviously, you need good coaching as well. I can't think of a team that made the CFP using the Wisconsin/Iowa method. Again, they're both great at doing what they do, and it's what has allowed them to be consistently at the top level of our division. But it feels like they're at their ceiling.

Iowa and Wisconsin recruit to win the division. Minnesota is recruiting to do more than that. Time will tell if we can get there.

You best research UW's rosters over a long period of time and you will nearly half that come from outside the midwest. That includes dozens of all big 10 guys, ncaa, rushing leaders, NFL players. Not as familiar with IOWA and they have not been close to the success UW has had. The coaching staff at UW is recruiting to try and win every game, just like us.

 

[Word]

You best research UW's rosters over a long period of time and you will nearly half that come from outside the midwest. That includes dozens of all big 10 guys, ncaa, rushing leaders, NFL players. Not as familiar with IOWA and they have not been close to the success UW has had. The coaching staff at UW is recruiting to try and win every game, just like us.

I would assume every coach is recruiting as best they can and attempting to make the best team possible. If not they should be fired. It's not unique to Iowa, Wiscy, or Minnesota.

 

[#2Gopher]

Two years ago we were 7-6, and now we have GHer's arguing if we can win a national title or not. Another good sign that PJ is doing a great job. Go Gophers!

We were pretty impatient then. Most people expected immediate results. Shoots even Brewster said it would take a few short years to get it done. Still remember those days.

 

[builtbadgers]

We were pretty impatient then. Most people expected immediate results. Shoots even Brewster said it would take a few short years to get it done. Still remember those days.

What is so encouraging is early success, something pretty special in the first 4-6 years and Fleck won 11 in year 3. That usually portends great things to come. Conversely, when you do not do it early you almost never become a conference champion.

 

[BTChamp]

What is so encouraging is early success, something pretty special in the first 4-6 years and Fleck won 11 in year 3. That usually portends great things to come. Conversely, when you do not do it early you almost never become a conference champion.

This is especially true compared to basketball (disclaimer: not trying to talk shit about basketball success, but talking about how good PJ is), where there are only 12 or so scholarships, and 1 or 2 walk-ons. Football has 85 scholarships, can get to 125 total players, and I have no idea how many "special assistants/quality control positions" there are.
I'm nowhere near certain about the numbers and am only using rounded off figures, but the point is there. For what PJ has done to a department with close to 200 people involved is amazing and fun to watch.

 

[youngstowngopher]

I have not read through all the postings and not sure if anyone else feels this way but I think we might see some schools holding off on coaching changes for a year or two. With everything going on financially with everything right now I don't know how some schools could justify buying out contracts and then turning around and outbidding for a big name coach. Maybe I'm wrong but just a thought.

 

[LakevilleBro]

I have not read through all the postings and not sure if anyone else feels this way but I think we might see some schools holding off on coaching changes for a year or two. With everything going on financially with everything right now I don't know how some schools could justify buying out contracts and then turning around and outbidding for a big name coach. Maybe I'm wrong but just a thought.

People think this was the situation with Pitino.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

In College FB, you rarely if ever see a "flash in the pan" team that comes out of nowhere - or least outside of the top 25 - and jumps into national contention in 1 or 2 years.

It's a process. 1st, become a consistent winning team. then, win your division (preferably more than once), then, win your conference. (preferably more than once). Then - and only then - will you see a team play its way into the National playoffs.

The Gophers are at that first level now - establishing an identity as a winning team, a team to be taken seriously. The next step is winning the division. Once they win the division, then you can talk about conference titles. And once you win a conference title, then you can talk about playoffs.

Getting the athletes on campus comes first. then, you need coaches to maximize the athletic ability of the team. and sometimes you need a little luck - avoiding injuries, turnovers, penalties in key games.

I am not saying Fleck can't do it. I'm simply saying he hasn't done it yet.