January 4th, 2017 at 5:13 AM ^
January 3rd, 2017 at 4:56 PM ^
And they're going to throw PJ Fleck a TON of money. It was already decided in the back channels of the Minnesota athletics admin last week. Claeys didn't have a shot to keep his job and they're going to pony up the Brinks truck to row the boat.
Honestly? He should take the money. Ain't gonna get better than this and in the B1G West, he's got a shot.
January 3rd, 2017 at 4:57 PM ^
January 3rd, 2017 at 5:02 PM ^
I know media types were throwing his name around, but Cincinnati was the only school reported to show any interest in him. I think he's got more to prove for a job much better than Minnesota.
January 3rd, 2017 at 5:44 PM ^
Exactly. After the coaching carousel, I kept hearing all this proud G5 talk about how Fleck was staying the course. But it's not as though he turned down a bunch of offers. I don't even think Cincy offered him the job and they were the only P5 with real interest in him. Clearly, the P5 isn't as high on this dude as some seem to think.
January 3rd, 2017 at 5:49 PM ^
It sounded like he let them know he wasn't interested before it got that far. They're not P5, btw, although it looked for awhile that they might move up.
January 3rd, 2017 at 6:46 PM ^
Yep. I randomly lumped Cincy in with the other jobs he was interviewing for. Anyway, I'm still not certain that ADs are as high on Fleck as commenters on the internet seem to be.
January 3rd, 2017 at 5:03 PM ^
How many Power 5 schools are going to hire a successful MAC coach with almost exclusively Midwest ties to date? If Fleck is going to avoid moving up a level to an AAC job, he is going to have to settle for a lower tier Power 5 school. Minnesota is not a bad fit. The B1G West lacks a true superpower right now.
January 3rd, 2017 at 5:05 PM ^
January 3rd, 2017 at 5:03 PM ^
With how weak the B1G West is, it actually seems like a great place for him to be. Claeys won 9 games this year with a pretty crappy team.
January 3rd, 2017 at 5:07 PM ^
Exactly. I'd JUMP at that opportunity. He fits the region and you're still in the B1G but you have a shot to win...because you're not winning in the east.
So basically go win the division and you have a 1 game playoff for a potential shot into the playoff or a NY6 bowl. That's pretty doggone good.
January 3rd, 2017 at 5:20 PM ^
get the Gophers into the Big Ten title, that is your ticket to taking the next step up the coaching ladder.
January 3rd, 2017 at 5:36 PM ^
Also very true. A lot of opportunity there.
January 3rd, 2017 at 9:35 PM ^
January 3rd, 2017 at 5:45 PM ^
apply to all Big Ten West schools? If so, then even Illinois is a great opportunity.
OTOH, I have long pushed the idea that Fleck type HC candidates almost always have to go to a lower Power 5 or a group of 5 job before getting considered for the better Power 5 jobs.
January 3rd, 2017 at 6:02 PM ^
Some places are harder to win at than others. There are different levels of facilities, support and messes within the ADs.
January 3rd, 2017 at 7:56 PM ^
But is the level of support at Minnesota really that much different than at Illinois? Not sure.
And at least at this very moment, Minnesota players think that the University and the AD is not supportive b/c they just fired their HC despite being sucessful on the field.
I get why they fired him. But I am not convinced that as a general matter Minnesota is a better job than say, Illinois.
Outside of Nebraska and Wisconsin, all the other Big West programs just turn on whether they are able to get lucky with a decent hire.
Minnesota did a good hire with Jerry Kill. Illinois hired poorly when they hired Beck, etc.
Iowa is very fortunate to have gone from the superb Hayden Fry to the still pretty solid Ferentz.
January 3rd, 2017 at 8:49 PM ^
Illinois was a train wreck very recently, with a dysfunctional AD and administration. Purdue and Northwestern have started to invest in facilities. They are both badly needed. Northwestern at least can sell recruits on elite academics. Purdue's coaches haven't had much to offer, except being in the Big Ten. Wisconsin has had a lot of recent success, but they're cheap with coaches and tough on admissions. Add in a meddling AD and it's a worse job than you might think.
If you consider recruiting, Purdue is again at a disadvantage. Illinois would be in good shape if not for the remoteness of their campus.
Nebraska is the only surefire high tier job in the West. Probably Iowa will be a good one when it opens up. Everywhere else has their issues and their ups and downs. Until the team revolt, Minnesota was one of the better jobs. Who knows, it might appeal to a coach like Fleck who wants to come in and clean house. It should buy their next coach some extra time. They definitely have to find a good fit now or it could spiral down.
January 3rd, 2017 at 10:33 PM ^
with your points. Once we get past Nebraska and Wisconsin, there may be some slightly better Big Ten West jobs than others.
But the gaps between them (Nebraska and Wisconsin apart), in terms of winning potential, seems not very big.
I mean Purdue and Illinois have won the conference much more recently than Minnesota.
January 3rd, 2017 at 6:48 PM ^
It kind of applies, but Minnesota is not nearly the rebuilding job that some of the others are. The last few years they went:
8-5
8-5
6-7
9-4
Minnesota is no powerhouse, but they have consistently been a decent team lately (with last year being an aberration). The same can't be said for Illinois, Indiana, etc.
January 3rd, 2017 at 7:42 PM ^
that now the players are in revolt against the University President and the AD for firing Claeys. Next coach is going to be walking into a toxic situation.
January 3rd, 2017 at 5:05 PM ^
Not really. A B1G school that will get behind him, show him the money and has a chance to win? And a school that isn't awful already? This is his best shot unless he wants to stick around at WMU for another year or 2 and he's got to keep doing what he's doing...which isn't easy.
What else is out there that's better? He's not getting some high level P5 job, that's crazy. He's still in the MAC.
Like I said, unless he sticks around and goes 27-2 or something crazy over the next 2 years...he's not going to get a much better opportunity.
January 3rd, 2017 at 6:20 PM ^
As long as he stays, WMU is going to have by far the most talent in the MAC and will be among the best G5 schools. Why leave for a Minnesota job that is in the bottom tier of the B1G when you can win at a high level at WMU? Fleck's current class is ranked 64th, Minnesota's class is ranked 68th.You won't make the playoff at WMU but you aren't making it at Minnesota.
Here are some P5 jobs that could open next year:
ACC-
Boston College
NC State
SEC-
Tennessee
Texas A&M
Missouri*
Ole Miss
Pac 12-
UCLA
Cal
Arizona State
Arizona
B1G-
Indiana*
Big 12-
Texas Tech
With the exception of Indiana and Missouri, which both feature interim coaches that were promoted to full time coaches (and if things go south next season) their ADs may want to do a real search) the coaches at these schools will enter next season on some degree of a hot seat.
In terms of job attractiveness, Minnesota would rank above just Indiana and Boston College. Not all of them will open, but some of them will. Even if Fleck gets passed over for these, there will be additional openings when these schools inevitably hire coaches at other P5 schools.
January 3rd, 2017 at 6:22 PM ^
Notre Dame will probably come open, too. The fanbase is on the verge of open revolt. Kelly's going to need a huge season in 2017 to calm them down.
January 3rd, 2017 at 6:32 PM ^
Look at Urban Meyer:
Bowling Green -> Utah -> Florida -> OSU
January 3rd, 2017 at 5:26 PM ^
isn't in need of a major rebuilding job. Over the last 18 seasons they've only finished below 500 in the regular season 4 times.
Purdue is a total rebuilding job. Minnesota is a decent program where you'd try to take them to the next level (8-4/9-3 on a regular basis).
January 3rd, 2017 at 5:37 PM ^
The foundation has been built by Kill and Claeys. You can argue about it's relative strength, but they won essentially all of the games they were supposed to win this year and have a system built to grind down the noncon and get to bowl eligibility.
Now, they tried to improve on that once before, firing a builder-type in Glen Mason and going for the home run in Tim Brewster, and it backfired spectacularly. Perhaps Fleck offers the best chance to raise what's been a fairly firm ceiling within the confines of the foundation.
January 3rd, 2017 at 5:55 PM ^
Mason really got a raw deal. He was coaching them when they still were sharing the Metrodome off-campus. His successors got the fancy new stadium.
January 3rd, 2017 at 6:24 PM ^
He pissed off the boosters and his AD by publicly campaiging for the OSU job before Tressel was hired.
It was still a dumb idea to fire him.
January 3rd, 2017 at 6:25 PM ^
to deal with though. Here's a quote from QB Mitch Leidner today.
“No one is happy w/administration right now. I don’t know who would want to be part of this program at this time"
January 3rd, 2017 at 6:43 PM ^
Just saw this. And, yeah, that doesn't look good. Suggestions of mass transfers. Maybe this isn't such a good place to start coaching, after all.
Oh, hey, Brady Hoke, I didn't see you come in, how've you been?
January 3rd, 2017 at 8:56 PM ^
January 3rd, 2017 at 9:04 PM ^
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January 3rd, 2017 at 5:02 PM ^
I just pray to God they don't come after Wheatley to be the next HC. Sucks for Brady Hoke, if he didn't destroy his career in Eugene, he may actually have a legit shot to replace Fleck at Western should he leave. Oh well.
January 3rd, 2017 at 7:14 PM ^
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January 3rd, 2017 at 4:56 PM ^
I think it was the right choice. There were fans on the Minnesota blogs trying to minimize how royally effed up his handling of the player boycott was, but unless the attitude is win at any cost, I'm not surprised to see him gone.
January 3rd, 2017 at 4:57 PM ^
Good for Minnesota. He's coming off a 9-win season and a surprising bowl victory. Some things are more important than winning football games.
January 3rd, 2017 at 5:07 PM ^
January 3rd, 2017 at 6:33 PM ^
January 3rd, 2017 at 7:08 PM ^
Yeah, Minnesota had an epidemic of targeting this year. That needs to be addressed by their next coach.
January 3rd, 2017 at 7:40 PM ^
January 3rd, 2017 at 9:00 PM ^
January 3rd, 2017 at 9:25 PM ^
and something else in private. A lack of leadership to curry favor with the players. It may not be true, but it was an unusually strong statement.
January 3rd, 2017 at 4:58 PM ^
January 3rd, 2017 at 4:58 PM ^
That makes me think it wasn't the AD's call. I wouldn't be surprised if it's a reaction to the boycott.
January 3rd, 2017 at 5:21 PM ^
January 3rd, 2017 at 5:25 PM ^
I can see how that makes sense.
January 3rd, 2017 at 5:22 PM ^
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January 3rd, 2017 at 4:58 PM ^
Fleck or Miles. I'm not sure why Fleck seems better suited for Minnesota than an Indiana or Purdue but he just does.
January 3rd, 2017 at 5:01 PM ^