Rumor: Fleck to be considered for UCLA job.

Donate To GopherHole
ComoCraig said:
Move to LA, pay California taxes, coach the 2nd best college team in a city with 10 pro teams, and pay more for everything

or

Stay in Minnesota, keep your mansion on the lake, be the face of college football in the state, and use your established success to keep your ass out of the hotseat

Doesn't seem like as much of a no brainer as you make it seem.
Click to expand...
Don't forget, UCLA is much farther away from his kids he shares with his ex-wife.
 


I think you could make arguments both ways whether Minnesota or UCLA is a better job. UCLA for sure has some pros, but it definitely has some cons as well.

To me, if Fleck left for UCLA, it tells me more he wanted out of Minnesota, whether it truly wasn't where he wanted to be or he wanted to move while his stock isn't that low.

If it did happen & replacement, I do like the idea of Jimbo, but that cat is getting paid a lot of money not to coach right now. We're a team in the Big Ten/SEC in today's college football world; we'd find someone.
 




The athletic department at UCLA ran a budget deficit of about $35M last year and has not come close to breaking even in years. They might be able to lure Fleck or some one of his standing, but it will not likely be for a lot more than he's making now, at least not initially. If he really wants the job, I'm sure they could back load a six or seven year deal with the big raises coming once they have had a few years of Big Ten money coming in, but I'd be shocked if he gets a $2-3M raise right out of the gate.
 







2nd Degree Gopher said:
The athletic department at UCLA ran a budget deficit of about $35M last year and has not come close to breaking even in years. They might be able to lure Fleck or some one of his standing, but it will not likely be for a lot more than he's making now, at least not initially. If he really wants the job, I'm sure they could back load a six or seven year deal with the big raises coming once they have had a few years of Big Ten money coming in, but I'd be shocked if he gets a $2-3M raise right out of the gate.
Click to expand...
There was talk of Cal regents requiring UCLA to subsidize Cal's athletic department, too. Is that still a thing or has that been avoided with Cal going ACC?

Edit: According to the Athletic, this is still an issue for UCLA although the amount wasn't specified.
 
Last edited:

Few thoughts.

I'm a big PJF guy, I like him as a person and we're a respectable program. That said, we have plateuaed so if it's his time to leave I would thank him but life would go on.

What I would not do is give him a big raise and extension, I'd call his bluff on that.

If he did leave yah Vrabel would be a damn grand slam but I doubt he'd even consider us. I think at this point if we needed a coach I'd go young with upside. Jimmy Rogers at SDSU. Yes he inherited a winner but they were a machine this year. Young guy from the Midwest why not. Maybe he's an all timer and stays here a while, if not ohh well we could fire him the same time Bama cans Deboer for only winning 10 games a year and hire him😁
 

2nd Degree Gopher said:
The athletic department at UCLA ran a budget deficit of about $35M last year and has not come close to breaking even in years. They might be able to lure Fleck or some one of his standing, but it will not likely be for a lot more than he's making now, at least not initially. If he really wants the job, I'm sure they could back load a six or seven year deal with the big raises coming once they have had a few years of Big Ten money coming in, but I'd be shocked if he gets a $2-3M raise right out of the gate.
Click to expand...
That is assuming that booster money doesn't come to the rescue. My guess is Fleck isn't as well known in California.
 




ComoCraig said:
I agree that the program isn't super glamorous on its own. The culture of the area still matters though. I don't think Fleck is gonna do great recruiting California with his binder of acronyms. Even if UCLA isn't glamorous right now, I have to imagine they'd like their next hire to take them to that level.
Click to expand...
I wonder if Heather would be entranced by shining things? Besides her hubby’s head.
 


All the media outlets put PJ right at the top o the list. While this could simply be parroting from a single Brett McMurphy tweet, it's interesting to note that immediately after the season, PJ's name wasn't popping up much, the suspicion being there could be something to this. If one doesn't wear eggplant and white on Saturdays in the fall, one probably thinks the UCLA is a better job than Minnesota, financial issues at UCLA notwithstanding. I personally think PJ's schtick would play quite well in LA and if I'm him, and I can get another million bucks a year and a longer guarantee from UCLA than I presently have here, I'd probably put the old Arien's snow blower up on Craigslist tomorrow.
 




If PJ did leave who would they replace him with? Inside the program? Outside the program? Which players would transfer & or follow him?
 

Out State Gopher said:
Which players would transfer & or follow him?
Click to expand...
Everyone.gif
 

On paper, you'd think anyone would take the UCLA job over Minnesota. Weather alone would be a factor for me. Of course there were idiots around here who thought NDSU's coach was a fool to go work for USC because Fargo is such a more desirable place to live.

But something HAS to be up with the UCLA job. Why would someone leave a B1G HC job to take a coordinator position, albeit at a much bigger name program? There has to be something else going on there to make someone want to up and leave like that.
 

bonin21 said:
Depends on the salary. MN taxes are high, too. If he gets a 50% pay bump, the 4% state income tax bump wouldn't feel too painful.
Click to expand...
Well, CA taxes are probably even higher.
 

just a thought - if Fleck leaves, Mark Coyle would be hiring the next MN coach. I know there are people who give Coyle a lot of credit for hiring Fleck. But football has changed in the last 7 years with the portal, NIL, and now the B1G as an 18-team conference with no divisions.

I think you could make a valid argument that MN is not as attractive a destination as it was 7 years ago. (no chance to win a division title, relatively low NIL, etc).

so the pressure would be on Coyle to land a good coach.

(I had a Justin Gaard joke here, but removed it for being a little too mean-spirited.....)
 



I have grown to like PJ but if he left I can't fault him.
 


disco said:
On paper, you'd think anyone would take the UCLA job over Minnesota. Weather alone would be a factor for me. Of course there were idiots around here who thought NDSU's coach was a fool to go work for USC because Fargo is such a more desirable place to live.

But something HAS to be up with the UCLA job. Why would someone leave a B1G HC job to take a coordinator position, albeit at a much bigger name program? There has to be something else going on there to make someone want to up and leave like that.
Click to expand...
Seattle Times called it: https://www.seattletimes.com/sports...o, UCLA would have owed,wasn't going to spend.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom