The college football season is only a month old and the coaching carousel has already started spinning — with UCLA, Virginia Tech and now Oklahoma State looking for new leaders.
Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck was a top candidate for the UCLA opening in February 2024, with a significant offer from the Bruins. But Fleck turned it down, and the Bruins went on to hire Deshaun Foster, who went 5-7 in his first year and was fired Sept. 14 after an 0-3 start.
The Pioneer Press understands there is nothing brewing between UCLA and Fleck this time around, but the fellow Big Ten program might not have the only nationwide opening during this cycle that could involve Fleck.
“His name’s going to come up at every job,” Gophers athletics director Mark Coyle told the Pioneer Press two days after the UCLA and Virginia Tech jobs opened. “I think that’s a good thing for Minnesota, because we have somebody that people want and people recognize what he’s done.”
There was little turnover among head coaches at the Power Four conference level a year ago, which has national reporters projecting this year to be much busier. Three schools already have a head start.
“I want him to stay here as long as he wants to be here because, again, (of) what he’s done with our program, on and off the field,” Coyle continued. “When I talk about P.J., I talk about (wife) Heather, too. She’s a big part of everything going on here, (for) which I’m grateful for both of them. They’ve been the ultimate change agent.”
Coyle has said similar things about Fleck over the years, and the AD has been trying to back it up in writing.
In July, Fleck received a one-year contract extension, which included increased retention bonuses but smaller buyout totals. He is set to make $6 million annually in a deal that runs through Dec. 31, 2030.
While Fleck has netted contract extensions on a nearly annual basis, one industry source told the Pioneer Press this latest one was a smart move from Coyle to try to stay a step ahead of the market.
The retention bonuses begin at $1 million this year and increase to $1.2 million in 2026. From there, the bonuses go up $100,000 each year to $1.6 million in 2030. Those annual sums are split evenly and paid on Sept. 1 and Dec. 31 each year.
Fleck’s salary, including retention bonuses, is now tied for 11th in the 18-team Big Ten, per documents the Gophers athletics department presented to the Board of Regents at its July meeting.
The retention bonuses are considered hooks to help keep Fleck in Minnesota, but Fleck’s buyout structure — the real teeth in keeping Fleck at the U — went down from his last deal. Combined, it’s in the same ballpark.
In the new terms, if Fleck leaves his contract, his buyout structure went down from $7 million to $5.5 million in Year 1; $5 million to $4.5 million in Year 2, $4 million to $3 million in Year 3 and incrementally downward from there.
“His buyout was just working with him, having conversations with him and his agent,” Coyle said. “He’s been here nine years. He’s been very loyal to us. We appreciate him.”
Fleck is 60-40 overall at Minnesota, with a 34-36 record in the Big Ten. After two tough, initial years in 2017-18, Fleck is 29-23 in conference play. He has produced winning seasons in three of the last four full seasons, while the Gophers’ NIL (name, image and likeness) budget pales in comparison to top teams in the conference and country.
“I fit at Minnesota,” Fleck said at Big Ten media days in July. “You know why I fit in Minnesota? Because I’ve always been able to do a little more with a little less. That’s my life.”
“We are not the highest paid roster in the Big Ten; I think all of you (reporters) know that; that is not a secret,” Fleck added. “But my job is to do more with less. That is my job, and I can find a way to do that with the right fit. I’m the right fit for Minnesota. I don’t give myself a new contract.”
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