Through ups and downs, Gophers coach P.J. Fleck keeps promise on sustainability

P.J. Fleck grew up in Sugar Grove, Ill., about 45 miles west of downtown Chicago. He was raised in Big Ten country, influenced by college football programs in the Midwest. He witnessed how Ohio State and Michigan used their historic advantages to sustain success. He watched how Illinois loaded up on Chicagoland talent, produced solid seasons, then fell into mediocrity by repeatedly changing coaches.

And he took those observations with him when he became a coach.

By the time Fleck took the Gophers job in January 2017, after a successful four-year run at Western Michigan, he had developed an appreciation for how two other Big Ten teams went about their business. Iowa and Wisconsin are prime examples of what Fleck calls programs with “cultural sustainability.” He’s had no qualms following the example of consistency and patience used by the Gophers’ biggest rivals.

Starting in 1979 with Hayden Fry and continuing in 1999 with Kirk Ferentz, Iowa has had only two head coaches, but the Hawkeyes have produced five Big Ten championships and 35 bowl appearances. Starting in 1990 at Wisconsin, Barry Alvarez lifted the Badgers from the Don Morton abyss to three Big Ten championships, then saw his handpicked successor, Bret Bielema, win three more conference titles and a longtime assistant, Paul Chryst, claim another. That run included seven Rose Bowls among 29 postseason games.

“The reason they are so successful,” Fleck said of the Hawkeyes and Badgers during a 2018 news conference, “is that that’ve had the same system, same coaches, same people that they can recruit to, that they can develop. … If people think you just hire a coach and immediately win, you need to look around the country."

Fast forward seven years, and Fleck has that cultural sustainability he sought. He begins his ninth season as Minnesota’s coach when the Gophers face Buffalo on Thursday night at Huntington Bank Stadium. Suddenly, he ranks third in tenure among active Big Ten coaches, trailing Ferentz (27th year) and Penn State’s James Franklin (12th). Fleck is fifth among all Gophers coaches in time on the job, trailing only Henry L. Williams (22 years), Murray Warmath (18), Bernie Bierman (16) and Glen Mason (10).

Fleck has had his ups — an 11-2 record and No. 10 final poll ranking in 2019 — and downs — a 5-7 debut in 2017 and a 6-7 clunker in 2023. He’s won six consecutive bowl games but three times has fallen a win short of earning a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game.

“Any program, when you’re in it nine years, you always want to take what the next right step is,” said Fleck, whose .598 overall winning percentage ranks third among Gophers coaches with six or more seasons. His .486 Big Ten winning percentage is the best since Warmath’s .532 from 1954-71.

“What is the next right step? That’s going to be subjective to a lot of different people. As a head football coach, my job is to get the most out of my football team every single year, academically, athletically, socially and spiritually in this life program. … If you get the most out of your players, you’re going to have a chance to be really successful on the football field."

Fleck, 44, still relies on the “Row the Boat” culture and various catchphrases, but at less volume. He turned heads a couple of years ago with pleas to fans to contribute to the Dinkytown Athletes collective for name, image and likeness payments to players. Now, that looks like 20/20 foresight when you consider the success the Gophers have had in retaining star players such as Darius Taylor and Koi Perich.

Fleck has the steadfast support of the man who hired him, athletic director Mark Coyle. Coyle gave Fleck a one-year contract extension in July that runs through 2030; he will receive $6 million in base pay and can earn up to $2.3 million in retention bonuses if he completes the terms.

Appearing on Gophers broadcaster Mike Grimm’s podcast on Monday, Coyle reiterated that support.

Should the Gophers get off to a fast start this season, Coyle believes his phone will ring.

“I promise you in a few weeks as we get into the college football season, his name is gonna pop up at other destinations,” Coyle said. “The reason why is he does it the right way.”

The 12-team College Football Playoff debuted last season, and it’s expected to grow to 16 for the 2026 season. While advancing to the Big Ten Championship Game is among any conference team’s goals, Fleck believes earning a playoff berth is possible if the Gophers reach their potential. Last year, the Big Ten put four teams in the 12-team field, with Indiana going from 3-9 in 2023 to 11-1 in the regular season under first-year coach Curt Cignetti.

“With the College Football Playoff where it is, as Indiana showed last year, anybody can get there,” Fleck said. “If we’re delusional enough to know we can do that, we can get there. … You’ve got to continue to raise the expectations."

Fleck wants his players to use that delusion, especially in tight games. In that breakthrough 2019 season, the Gophers went 6-1 in games decided by seven points or fewer. Last year, they were 3-4 in such games and finished 8-5.

Playoff aspirations, however lofty, require talent to attain, and the Gophers have been on the upswing lately. Beating Ohio State to land Perich and keep a top Minnesotan home has resonated in the state.