SI: Gophers' PJ Fleck: Without NIL money, we can't keep team intact

Not admitting defeat. He’s asking for help which is exactly what he needs to be doing. He should be screaming this issue from the rooftops.

And this is also true.

NIL by far is the big issue, right or wrong that it is, and University of Minnesota is at a disadvantage because of all the other big sports in this town.

Fleck is right to put a spotlight on that for the benefit of the university.

Hmmm... conveniently after an upset loss, again.
 




While the NIL is a hot mess of an unsanctioned marketplace, I take Flecks comments as his "Get out of Minnesota Free Card."

If Fleck cannot produce a competitive team without bags of cash at his disposal then perhaps Minnesota is not the place for him. It seems that he's getting derailed by looking at the situation and crying "woe is me" rather than looking for the opportunity to be successful in a different, more creative way.

I see Fleck throwing in the towel and not seeing an answer to the problem. If that's how he feels, then Coyle needs to start looking around for coaches who believe they can win without bags of money.
 


I would buy this against "the big boys."
But...
I doubt that Northwestern, Illinois or Purdue are doing any better than us, so why make that argument in light of losses like these?
Exactly. It's all on me (but first, here's a bunch of excuses)
 

If Fleck was smart, he'd have started whining about NIL after UNC used its star power to throw the ball all over the field.
He instead chose to first play that card after his stick-up-the-butt offensive philosophy heavily contributed to a crushing collapse against a NW program clawing its way back up from a pretty significant scandal.
 

The way Minnesota wins NIL is with advertising dollars. He needs to turn his players into minor celebrities. There should not be a week in which these guys are not doing some kind of promotion.
So he LITERALLY has to be a used-car salesman in addition to his coaching duties. Non-stop gimmicks 24/7...turn it into a real clown-show. Put up billboards with O-linemen in milk-mustaches.
 

And this is also true.

NIL by far is the big issue, right or wrong that it is, and University of Minnesota is at a disadvantage because of all the other big sports in this town.

Fleck is right to put a spotlight on that for the benefit of the university.

Hmmm... conveniently after an upset loss, again.
We had a player eat some Gushers on a sideline and he ended up with his face on the box. Minnesota is at absolutely no disadvantage in this situation. There is a world in which this catapults them way ahead but they need to execute.
 



If the NCAA can put regulations in I don’t have faith they will.

It probably changes high school recruiting too.

Some programs might be interested in a kid but why offer now when you can let someone else develop him for a couple years and if he turns into a player potentially land him then.

The developmental programs like the U will become feeder programs.
They already have
 


So he LITERALLY has to be a used-car salesman in addition to his coaching duties. Non-stop gimmicks 24/7...turn it into a real clown-show. Put up billboards with O-linemen in milk-mustaches.
Caleb Williams is on Wendy’s commercials. Yes, that is the direction this is headed if Minnesota wants to be successful.
 




Does anybody see the big picture here? NIL is making a sucker out of the fan. You all could donate your entire salaries, and it would NEVER be enough. This is only the beginning, and it doesn't get any better moving forward.
Yup. And it all originated out of California...a place that wants us to have good FB and men's BB about as much as they want to have a good Pac-12 conference.
 

What isn't changing is that there is absolutely no stomach for NIL in this town. None. Zero. Zilch.

But when it comes to bidding for the 16th under assistant east western metro promotion sponsorship for the Vikings, the bidding fee is worth more than every cent of NIL money paid to U of M athletes.
 

What isn't changing is that there is absolutely no stomach for NIL in this town. None. Zero. Zilch.

But when it comes to bidding for the 16th under assistant east western metro promotion sponsorship for the Vikings, the bidding fee is worth more than every cent of NIL money paid to U of M athletes.
Disagree. Minnesota would get behind a curling team if they thought they had a chance to win a gold medal.

Entire state is desperate for a winner.
 

The way Minnesota wins NIL is with advertising dollars. He needs to turn his players into minor celebrities. There should not be a week in which these guys are not doing some kind of promotion.
Ok that makes more sense. How does thst happen without businesses seeking the athletes out though? I feel like we do a fair bit of advertising selling our players but it also seems like a slippery slope in terms of which players you push out there for those sponsorships or endorsements. Especially when we have this culture that advocates the team or family over the individual. It's almost like we're built to fail in the current environment because we're about the we and not the me. And I think that's what makes us a good program in terms of the pride I have in it but that's not going to work in the short term until some major regulation occurs in terms of NIL. And we need to go back to the old transfer rule where you have to sit out a year. We're done fucked until things change nationally, I fear.
 

That's true.

Doesn't Purdue have the same problem?

How do we explain the coverage call to put a safety on a top, fast receiver in a sprint to the endzone? Does d coordinator need more green?
Purdue does have the same problem, and a worse record
Illinois does have a problem, and the same record
Wisconsin has similar problems, and the same record
Nebraska has a lot of NIL money, and the same record
Rutgers has the same problem, and one more win.
Indiana and Michigan state have the same problem, and a worse record.

D coordinator called cover two and our all American jumped a 12 yard dig. And he did the same thing against Illinois the week before.

When you have no depth + injuries + your best players making bone head plays, you have a 5-5 disappointing season
 

While the NIL is a hot mess of an unsanctioned marketplace, I take Flecks comments as his "Get out of Minnesota Free Card."

If Fleck cannot produce a competitive team without bags of cash at his disposal then perhaps Minnesota is not the place for him. It seems that he's getting derailed by looking at the situation and crying "woe is me" rather than looking for the opportunity to be successful in a different, more creative way.

I see Fleck throwing in the towel and not seeing an answer to the problem. If that's how he feels, then Coyle needs to start looking around for coaches who believe they can win without bags of money.
If fleck leaves because of this fleck would be absolutely stupid to pay him a buyout to get rid of him when he is quitting voluntarily
 

This program is doomed.
We're in bad shape until some rules with heavy handed discipline applied evenly across all programs, no matter the clout, are enacted. I fear we're going to drop off for a significant amount of years and no coach, whether it's Fleck or someone else, is going to fix that particular problem.

We need the Vikings to go all in with the U. That is literally the only solution, but I have no idea how that happens or how it would work without the U giving up some kind of institutional control and I don't know if that's either permissible or if the powers that be would even allow it.
 

While the NIL is a hot mess of an unsanctioned marketplace, I take Flecks comments as his "Get out of Minnesota Free Card."

If Fleck cannot produce a competitive team without bags of cash at his disposal then perhaps Minnesota is not the place for him. It seems that he's getting derailed by looking at the situation and crying "woe is me" rather than looking for the opportunity to be successful in a different, more creative way.

I see Fleck throwing in the towel and not seeing an answer to the problem. If that's how he feels, then Coyle needs to start looking around for coaches who believe they can win without bags of money.
There is no one who can come here and out coach money. Look at the entire conference's performance compared to OSU, Michigan, and PSU. They'll harvest the best players from the rest of our teams with NIL money and we'll be fighting amongst each other for fourth place in the conference with a bunch of three stars and underachieving four stars.
 


You could solve NIL with a couple of rules. None of which have court precedents currently that would lead to the rules being overruled by federal courts:



1) any player who transfers sits out one football season from date of transfer
Players get 4 seasons of playing eligibility. If you transfer 4 times, you play your 4th season in your 8th year. We don’t care. But each time you just sit out a season. If you play in more than 4 games, it uses up your eligibility regardless of injury or anything.

2) there are no exceptions to rule 1. You could play in 3 games 25 years in a row if you want.

3) roster limit for practicing and dressing for games including walk ons is 85. If you are not on the official 85, it does not count as a transfer sit out year (though you don’t lose a year of eligibility).




You’re welcome.
 
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If fleck leaves because of this fleck would be absolutely stupid to pay him a buyout to get rid of him when he is quitting voluntarily
I don’t think he’ll leave on his own accord. Where’s he gonna go? I’m doubtful there are many power 5 jobs that would go after him at this point.
 

I don’t think he’ll leave on his own accord. Where’s he gonna go? I’m doubtful there are many power 5 jobs that would go after him at this point.
A program like Michigan state is a lateral move to me in terms of ability to win. But in NiL, Michigan state has deep pockets. Last time they hired a guy who had one 5-7 season at the P5 level. I guess fleck is going to have 2 of those maybe.

BYU has deep pockets.

I don’t think he will go to a school like that. But Fleck would be a really good get for a program like that.

Otherwise they’re going to hire a coach without head coach experience. Or they’re going to hire a coach who has MaC or mountain west experience.
 

What isn't changing is that there is absolutely no stomach for NIL in this town. None. Zero. Zilch.

But when it comes to bidding for the 16th under assistant east western metro promotion sponsorship for the Vikings, the bidding fee is worth more than every cent of NIL money paid to U of M athletes.

This is a Vikings town.

And then Twins.

And then...
 

Was itUNLV that got $1 million from their pro-team? If the Gophers can’t compete with the “new” B1G., then maybe it’s time to swallow our pride and drop down a class. Still competing but at a different level with different caliber athletes.
 

The way Minnesota wins NIL is with advertising dollars. He needs to turn his players into minor celebrities. There should not be a week in which these guys are not doing some kind of promotion.
He can’t directly do NIL.
 

Was itUNLV that got $1 million from their pro-team? If the Gophers can’t compete with the “new” B1G., then maybe it’s time to swallow our pride and drop down a class. Still competing but at a different level with different caliber athletes.
I would honestly rather drop down if you could guarantee the following teams drop down to form a new G5 with us:

The big ten west conference
Illinois
Wisconsin
Northwestern
Iowa
Nebraska
Purdue
Indiana
Minnesota
Michigan state
Plus 0-3 of your favorite comparable teams
 

Was itUNLV that got $1 million from their pro-team? If the Gophers can’t compete with the “new” B1G., then maybe it’s time to swallow our pride and drop down a class. Still competing but at a different level with different caliber athletes.
The Vikings gave the U about 6 million dollars a few years ago. I highly doubt Zygi is keen on handing any more cash over simply as a good will gesture.
 




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