Fleck: "We want multi-sport athletes...I want athletes that play multiple positions.”

BleedGopher

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
60,518
Reaction score
15,571
Points
113
Fleck: "We want multi-sport athletes...I want athletes that play multiple positions.”

per the Charleston Gazette-Mail:

P.J. Fleck seems like a pretty bright guy. After all, 36-year-old coaches don’t normally take the reins of a Big Ten football program like Minnesota (and lead Western Michigan to the 2016 Cotton Bowl, which made him attractive to a program like Minnesota) by being a dim bulb.

So if he offers up a strategy, chances are it’s a pretty good one. The latest one he mentioned looks like one of those pretty good ones.

During his weekly appearance on a Minneapolis sports radio station, Fleck discussed his preference for recruiting multi-sport athletes.

“Ninety percent of the people that we recruit, we want to play multiple sports,” Fleck said on 100.3-FM. “There are times where we won’t recruit a kid, just because he doesn’t play another sport.

“We want multi-sport athletes. I’m not saying we won’t — a lot of quarterbacks specialize these days, I get that — but again, I want athletes that play multiple positions.”

That’s a refreshing opinion concerning a youth sports world that, more often than not these days, sees kids throwing all their eggs into one sport’s basket. It’s no longer enough to play baseball during baseball season or soccer during soccer season. There are travel teams and all-star teams and offseason workouts, all focused on one specific set of skills.

https://www.wvgazettemail.com/sport...cle_d3833337-38ca-53cc-93de-39440e44aef9.html

Go Gophers!!
 

The same reason that Jerry Kill likes to recruit QBs from HS to play other positions. They usually are the best athletes.

We need to recruit for speed in critical areas - DBs, Wrs, LBs, and RBs. Speed kills.

Look at how we badly missed on JD Spielman.
 

Many sports these days are going to the year-round, specialized athlete path, via club teams. Volleyball is a great example.

Football is somewhat physically prevented from going that route. In other words, I don't think you're ever going to see kids playing year round football (indoors) on club teams. Now football training (drills, technique, private lessons, etc.) might become a thing one day. This is all very expensive, mind you, and football has traditionally been populated by young men of all socio-economic backgrounds. One of the great things about it.
 

Football may not be year-round in the sense of other sports, but there are summer 7-on-7 leagues and camps, and fall team camps. Add in off-season weightlifting programs, and football is pretty darn close to year-round.

But, the point of the original post is that Fleck does not want athletes to specialize in one sport. You can play FB, Basketball, Hockey or Baseball in HS, and still get a D1 scholarship in the sport of your choice. You do not have to pick one sport and stick with it from birth.

I've covered HS sports for radio stations and newspapers in the midwest for 30+ years. I am seeing fewer and fewer 3-sport athletes, and even fewer 2-sport athletes. It's also putting the multi-sport athletes in a real bind. I know kids who play legion baseball in the summer, but also play in a summer basketball league, and work in coaches practices or camps for FB. A school I cover had a to-do a few years ago when it came out the FB coach was telling kids, "don't play Legion Baseball in the summer - get in a 7-on-7 league instead." The local Legion coach was not happy.
 

My point SON, is not that a person can't do that ... it's that the high school programs themselves are starting to demand that kids specialize! Or if not directly demanding it, the competition at the varsity level indirectly demands it. IE, while you're off playing another sport, or just lifting weights, your competitor is playing the sport year round. It does develop the kids faster.

Not saying I agree with it, just throwing out the observation.
 


My point SON, is not that a person can't do that ... it's that the high school programs themselves are starting to demand that kids specialize! Or if not directly demanding it, the competition at the varsity level indirectly demands it. IE, while you're off playing another sport, or just lifting weights, your competitor is playing the sport year round. It does develop the kids faster.

Not saying I agree with it, just throwing out the observation.
Should recruit Jerry Jones grandson
. The one they mentioned on NBC Sunday night football. Must be doing something right to throw 6 touchdowns in playoff game. This is the type of QB that seems right up PJ Flecks alley to recruit. Would be nice to get into his grandpas wallet as donor. Flecks staff should take a look, Gophers need a QB.

Sent from my SM-J327P using Tapatalk
 

Football may not be year-round in the sense of other sports, but there are summer 7-on-7 leagues and camps, and fall team camps. Add in off-season weightlifting programs, and football is pretty darn close to year-round.

But, the point of the original post is that Fleck does not want athletes to specialize in one sport. You can play FB, Basketball, Hockey or Baseball in HS, and still get a D1 scholarship in the sport of your choice. You do not have to pick one sport and stick with it from birth.

I've covered HS sports for radio stations and newspapers in the midwest for 30+ years. I am seeing fewer and fewer 3-sport athletes, and even fewer 2-sport athletes. It's also putting the multi-sport athletes in a real bind. I know kids who play legion baseball in the summer, but also play in a summer basketball league, and work in coaches practices or camps for FB. A school I cover had a to-do a few years ago when it came out the FB coach was telling kids, "don't play Legion Baseball in the summer - get in a 7-on-7 league instead." The local Legion coach was not happy.

Agree, they are becoming a smaller and smaller pool of elite athletes due to the focus on sport specialization.
 

My point SON, is not that a person can't do that ... it's that the high school programs themselves are starting to demand that kids specialize! Or if not directly demanding it, the competition at the varsity level indirectly demands it. IE, while you're off playing another sport, or just lifting weights, your competitor is playing the sport year round. It does develop the kids faster.

Not saying I agree with it, just throwing out the observation.

Yeah it is a real shame to see the specialization taking place in youth sports and the age is getting younger and younger. My 10 year old loves playing multiple sports, he does traveling baseball in the spring but plays soccer in the fall and basketball in the winter. One of his best friends is in hockey year round and isn't able to play any other sports due to the massive time commitment.

Parents are the driving force behind it, so many think that if their kid doesn't do a certain sport year round they will fall behind so they invest tons of money in camps and training. In a lot of cases it isn't about having fun and being part of a team anymore, it is all about getting that scholarship someday.
 

The same reason that Jerry Kill likes to recruit QBs from HS to play other positions. They usually are the best athletes.

We need to recruit for speed in critical areas - DBs, Wrs, LBs, and RBs. Speed kills.

Look at how we badly missed on JD Spielman.

Too bad Jerry couldn't recruit a QB that could throw.
 



My point SON, is not that a person can't do that ... it's that the high school programs themselves are starting to demand that kids specialize! Or if not directly demanding it, the competition at the varsity level indirectly demands it. IE, while you're off playing another sport, or just lifting weights, your competitor is playing the sport year round. It does develop the kids faster.

Not saying I agree with it, just throwing out the observation.

Agreed.
HS sports are really focusing on year round play. It's hard for a kid to play more than one sport with all the off-season time commitments that their coaches "require".
I think girls sports are worse than boys in that regard, but the boys are catching up.
Since football isn't something that can be practiced year round like all the other sports, it is the one that is going to be impacted the most as boys choose other sports to specialize in.
Really is very sad that kids can't just play the sports for the enjoyment anymore. The Strib did a nice three part series on this during the fall.
 


Too bad Jerry couldn't recruit a QB that could throw.

That is the problem. He gets leftovers who are converted to other positions. The 40/60 pass/run scheme (in reality, RUTM) that they were eschewing at one time must have also scared a few recruits away. It doesn't help that we don't have a well developed receiving corp. The QBs that end up being QBs for the Gophers are not the elite level QBs that you have in other teams especially in the SEC or Big 12.

They seem to totally miss out on recruiting and developing QBs. Marquis Gray was ruined by Brewster by making him play TE. How many of them transfer out like Max Shortell, Philip Nelson, and Chris Streveler?
 

Football may not be year-round in the sense of other sports, but there are summer 7-on-7 leagues and camps, and fall team camps. Add in off-season weightlifting programs, and football is pretty darn close to year-round.

But, the point of the original post is that Fleck does not want athletes to specialize in one sport. You can play FB, Basketball, Hockey or Baseball in HS, and still get a D1 scholarship in the sport of your choice. You do not have to pick one sport and stick with it from birth.

I've covered HS sports for radio stations and newspapers in the midwest for 30+ years. I am seeing fewer and fewer 3-sport athletes, and even fewer 2-sport athletes. It's also putting the multi-sport athletes in a real bind. I know kids who play legion baseball in the summer, but also play in a summer basketball league, and work in coaches practices or camps for FB. A school I cover had a to-do a few years ago when it came out the FB coach was telling kids, "don't play Legion Baseball in the summer - get in a 7-on-7 league instead." The local Legion coach was not happy.

It’s up to the kids and parents to say I’ll play what I want. If you’re good enough that coach will take you. If the coach doesn’t that’s on him and the kid will be better off for it. The coach probably won’t be too successful.

I remember even way back in my day the hockey coach discouraged the hockey players from playing football, and our football team was not very good. I loved football and played, still played on the hockey team every year as well. He didn’t want us getting injured. All it did was toughen me up for hockey and help me with the physical part of the game.

Let the kid play what he wants. Sad. It’s ignorant, selfish, and childish of these coaches.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 



That is the problem. He gets leftovers who are converted to other positions. The 40/60 pass/run scheme (in reality, RUTM) that they were eschewing at one time must have also scared a few recruits away. It doesn't help that we don't have a well developed receiving corp. The QBs that end up being QBs for the Gophers are not the elite level QBs that you have in other teams especially in the SEC or Big 12.

They seem to totally miss out on recruiting and developing QBs. Marquis Gray was ruined by Brewster by making him play TE. How many of them transfer out like Max Shortell, Philip Nelson, and Chris Streveler?

Ruined him so badly he's played TE in the NFL for 5 years.
 

I agree that at least some of this is being driven by parents - who are often the worst judges of talent. I've seen parents who think their kid is going to get a scholarship, when in reality the kid is barely good enough to start on a HS team - let alone play in college.

I know a guy who thinks his daughter is going to be some world-beater pitcher in softball. the kid is a freshman, and is already having shoulder problems from throwing year-round. may be facing rotator cuff surgery. I know another guy who thinks his kid is going to be a D1 hockey goalie. Kid isn't even old enough for HS yet, and dad is talking about skipping HS and sending the kid to a developmental program out of state. It's really sad.
 

I agree that at least some of this is being driven by parents - who are often the worst judges of talent. I've seen parents who think their kid is going to get a scholarship, when in reality the kid is barely good enough to start on a HS team - let alone play in college.

I know a guy who thinks his daughter is going to be some world-beater pitcher in softball. the kid is a freshman, and is already having shoulder problems from throwing year-round. may be facing rotator cuff surgery. I know another guy who thinks his kid is going to be a D1 hockey goalie. Kid isn't even old enough for HS yet, and dad is talking about skipping HS and sending the kid to a developmental program out of state. It's really sad.

It is. Things have really changed over the last 10 years. The club scene is frankly a cesspool of delusion. Kids (and their parents) that never play still being pressured to spend $ travel around the country for tournaments. Parents that think simply being on a club team is the fast track to a scholarship. It's crazy.

A friend of a friend's kid that was on scholarship at Colorado just quit because the desire wasn't there anymore. Burned out, hated the grind and gave up the scholarship to pursue academics full-time.

My colleague's wife used to drive their teenage kid two hours away every day for a swim club because they like the coach (they had moved away for work reasons). This went on for a year or two and I think he was fifteen when he told the dad "I don't want to swim anymore". Broke their hearts...but I feel bad for the kid. A lost youth commuting through the hellish socal metroplex instead of having fun with friends.

Compared to some football still seems pretty egalitarian as far as cost. Some of the other sports, club sports, it's gone from expensive to totally insane. These people are nuts. And, there are moneyed interests pushing the marketing. Private equity sniffs opportunity (i.e. desperate people willing to shell out money) and looms large, Bain Capital et al bankrolling leagues, websites, facilities etc as they do in many industries. That's what it seems to have become - industry to make money.
 

That is certainly a thing ... parents invest all this money, all this time, tournaments, travel, etc. ...... kid gets to 15,16,17 years old and says "I can't anymore ... I'm out".

Could see some parents blowing a gasket. Could see others relieved. Just depends how you look at it, I guess.
 




Top Bottom