Shooter: Gophers athletics director Mark Coyle said he’s pleased with Fleck

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Gophers athletics director Mark Coyle said he’s pleased with first-year football coach P.J. Fleck, who last week received a one-year contract extension that pushes his deal into 2023, albeit with no new pay increase on his $3.5 million annual salary.

“Obviously, you want more wins — everybody wants more wins — but we feel like we’re putting in a good foundation in building this long-term,” Coyle said. “If you look at what we’ve done off the field — we had our highest grade-point average as a team. We’ve got a nationally-ranked recruiting class that hopefully we can lock in on Dec. 20. I’m very thankful for his hard work and what he’s done.”

Can Minnesota build what Wisconsin has in football?

“I have a lot of respect for Wisconsin — I talked to (then) coach Alvarez when I first got to the Big Ten,” Coyle said. “When I was growing up, you remember when Wisconsin really struggled. And (Alvarez) got there, and they really flipped a switch. They made a commitment — they had alignment from everybody involved.

“And we’re trying to create that alignment here at Minnesota to get everybody on board and involved with all of our sports. But if we can get football going in the right direction, it’ll help all 25 programs here at Minnesota.”

http://www.twincities.com/2017/11/25/walters-vikings-case-keenum-on-track-to-become-very-rich/

Go Gophers!!
 

Oh boy, a nationally-ranked recruiting class.
Isn't every single recruiting class in FBS nationally ranked?
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
Oh boy, a nationally-ranked recruiting class.
Isn't every single recruiting class in FBS nationally ranked?
Click to expand...

Yeah it's weird we keep hearing this. Even in the context of nationally ranked one generally takes that to mean top 25. Will the department issue a clarification? /s
 

What recruiting site should we use to determine how we compare - I still think we will finish in lower half of conference and maybe 40th nationally
 

Coyle doesn't backtrack and throw his hire under the bus? Absolutely shocking.

The Flecksters can call me a troll all they want. But, we haven't played football this poorly in years. Go on and on about recruiting classes and whatever else you'd like. Kill and Claeys found a way to take fewer resources and lesser talent and compete with schools like Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, etc. Games were close. Fleck is getting absolutely obliterated. The games are over before the kids put their pads on. Blame it on this, that, or the other....pound your fist and call me a trolling badger fan....but those are the facts.

On top of that, he's not really reeling in 4 star recruits like we were promised either (we are still behind everyone outside of Purdue, Illinois, Indiana, and Rutgers in composite average....but all I hear is how things have improved.....D'Oh K).

Now that that embarrassing train wreck of a season is over, it's time for Fleck to show he can do something....anything....related to football. If all we want is a motivational speaker, hire Tony Robbins for an hour. I want a football coach that can coach with the big boys.

Questions I posed to the guys sitting with to me in 114 tonight: You flip the rosters on these teams (MN and Wiscy), are we in line for a CFB spot? Do we embarrassingly blank the Badgers in their house on senior night? If the rosters are the same, do Kill/Claeys miss a bowl with the easiest schedule possible as a B1G team? I can't sincerely answer yes to any of those questions, and neither could anyone I talked to in person at the game tonight.
 


Wait until the February NSD. Even then, we may have transfers that will open up scholies.

As of today, we have a solid three star recruiting class and quite respectable PWO commitments per 247Sports.

Whether we like it or not, we are rebuilding the program ala PJ Fleck's scheme.

I'd expect a few more shake up with some players transferring, graduating early, or quitting the program.
 


Heracles said:
Coyle doesn't backtrack and throw his hire under the bus? Absolutely shocking.

The Flecksters can call me a troll all they want. But, we haven't played football this poorly in years. Go on and on about recruiting classes and whatever else you'd like. Kill and Claeys found a way to take fewer resources and lesser talent and compete with schools like Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, etc. Games were close. Fleck is getting absolutely obliterated. The games are over before the kids put their pads on. Blame it on this, that, or the other....pound your fist and call me a trolling badger fan....but those are the facts.

On top of that, he's not really reeling in 4 star recruits like we were promised either (we are still behind everyone outside of Purdue, Illinois, Indiana, and Rutgers in composite average....but all I hear is how things have improved.....D'Oh K).

Now that that embarrassing train wreck of a season is over, it's time for Fleck to show he can something....anything....related to football. If all we want is a motivational speaker, hire Tony Robbins for an hour. I want a football coach that can coach with the big boys.

Questions I posed to the guys sitting with to me in 114 tonight: You flip the rosters on these teams (MN and Wiscy), are we in line for a CFB spot? Do we embarrassingly blank the Badgers in their house on senior night? If the rosters are the same, do Kill/Claeys miss a bowl with the easiest schedule possible as a B1G team? I can't sincerely answer yes to any of those questions, and neither could anyone I talked to in person at the game tonight.
Click to expand...

Wisconsin beat the Gophers by double digits every year Kill/Claeys were here.

Easiest schedule possible? Both the Gophers schedule last year and Wisconsin's schedule this year were easier than the Gophers schedule this year.
 

Considering that Coyle wouldn't have the AD job if he didn't get Fleck, he had better like him.
 




GopherWeatherGuy said:
Wisconsin beat the Gophers by double digits every year Kill/Claeys were here.

Easiest schedule possible? Both the Gophers schedule last year and Wisconsin's schedule this year were easier than the Gophers schedule this year.
Click to expand...

But still an easy schedule this year. Can we get a call yet on wins you expect next year or do you want to wait until the games are played?
 

Heracles said:
The Flecksters can call me a troll all they want. But, we haven't played football this poorly in years. Go on and on about recruiting classes and whatever else you'd like. Kill and Claeys found a way to take fewer resources and lesser talent and compete with schools like Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, etc. Games were close. Fleck is getting absolutely obliterated. The games are over before the kids put their pads on. Blame it on this, that, or the other....pound your fist and call me a trolling badger fan....but those are the facts..
Click to expand...

The facts are Kill/Claeys went 1-12 against those teams losing by an average of 16 points per game.

You are a troll.
 

scools12 said:
The facts are Kill/Claeys went 1-12 against those teams losing by an average of 16 points per game.

You are a troll.
Click to expand...

You like facts?
Fleck is 0-4 against those schools.
Average margin of defeat? Just 22 points.
 



Breakin' The Plane said:
You like facts?
Fleck is 0-4 against those schools.
Average margin of defeat? Just 22 points.
Click to expand...

And he is still doing better than Kill/Claeys who also started 0-4 against those schools. Average margin of defeat 33 points.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

The last time we played WI within a TD was two 3 point losses in a row with Brewster.
If we're worried about margin of losses, then we're barking up the wrong tree.

This season started with optimism and it ended when it needed to with a broken down team limited in talent in three areas. OL, DL, and DB... (and probably QB).
I don't recall many great teams that were deficient in talent in these areas.

Again, our 2015 recruiting class is really hurting us except for the few guys who are actually still here playing, but I think we understand none of them are stars that we'll be missing in 2019 and 2020.
 


So, as you read this thread, notice the arguments about which teams were worse under what regime. Never about them being any good - just who was less loyalty. . LOL. Only at the U.
 


Heracles said:
Coyle doesn't backtrack and throw his hire under the bus? Absolutely shocking.

The Flecksters can call me a troll all they want. But, we haven't played football this poorly in years. Go on and on about recruiting classes and whatever else you'd like. Kill and Claeys found a way to take fewer resources and lesser talent and compete with schools like Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin, etc. Games were close. Fleck is getting absolutely obliterated. The games are over before the kids put their pads on. Blame it on this, that, or the other....pound your fist and call me a trolling badger fan....but those are the facts.

On top of that, he's not really reeling in 4 star recruits like we were promised either (we are still behind everyone outside of Purdue, Illinois, Indiana, and Rutgers in composite average....but all I hear is how things have improved.....D'Oh K).

Now that that embarrassing train wreck of a season is over, it's time for Fleck to show he can do something....anything....related to football. If all we want is a motivational speaker, hire Tony Robbins for an hour. I want a football coach that can coach with the big boys.

Questions I posed to the guys sitting with to me in 114 tonight: You flip the rosters on these teams (MN and Wiscy), are we in line for a CFB spot? Do we embarrassingly blank the Badgers in their house on senior night? If the rosters are the same, do Kill/Claeys miss a bowl with the easiest schedule possible as a B1G team? I can't sincerely answer yes to any of those questions, and neither could anyone I talked to in person at the game tonight.
Click to expand...

We've had three previous motivational speakers as head coach: Holtz was one; the other two were Wacker and Brewster.
 

denguegopher said:
IMHO Coyle was brought in to fire Claeys.
Click to expand...

IMHO, Coyle was brought here to help find the "solution" to the overblown men's sexual misconduct issue. Enter Coyle...Enter his pc, psychology thumping, values pounding, social justice warrior PJ Fleck.
I mean, seriously, look at Coyle...Trying to be respectful but every man here knows the difference between a Barry Alvarez who looks like he's been in a few fights, and a Mark Coyle who looks like the high school nerd with the "punch me face".
Any wonder why this nice program is totally limp?
 

milfoil said:
IMHO, Coyle was brought here to help find the "solution" to the overblown men's sexual misconduct issue. Enter Coyle...Enter his pc, psychology thumping, values pounding, social justice warrior PJ Fleck.
I mean, seriously, look at Coyle...Trying to be respectful but every man here knows the difference between a Barry Alvarez who looks like he's been in a few fights, and a Mark Coyle who looks like the high school nerd with the "punch me face".
Any wonder why this nice program is totally limp?
Click to expand...
Wow. That is an ignorant take. I can only imagine how you would feel about a female AD.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 

Ignorant to a progressive maybe.
Look, men's football is an athletic department's profit driver. It stands to reason you'd want someone who has first hand experience with an institution's most critical department as its executive. Unless being diverse and politically correct is your ultimate end.
If so, I suggest you go into government, not college football where wins and losses still matter.
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
You like facts?
Fleck is 0-4 against those schools.
Average margin of defeat? Just 22 points.
Click to expand...

It should be even worse! Wisconsin showed absolutely nothing for next week. They, wisely, played things closed to the vest b/c they were never threatened. They could have had 50 by the end of the 3rd if they opened up the playbook.
 

milfoil said:
Ignorant to a progressive maybe.
Look, men's football is an athletic department's profit driver. It stands to reason you'd want someone who has first hand experience with an institution's most critical department as its executive. Unless being diverse and politically correct is your ultimate end.
If so, I suggest you go into government, not college football where wins and losses still matter.
Click to expand...
I agree, but that's not what you said. Your statement was based on appearance. Your logic suggested Mike Tyson would be the best candidate for AD.

I personally have no concerns with Coyles experience.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 

Just to clarify. I'm not saying Coyle has no qualifications to be AD, but again let's compare the ADs running the Wisconsin and Minnesota football programs...
Wisconsin has Barry Alvarez, a hall of fame college coach with numerous Rose Bowls and Big10 championships for experience.
Minnesota has Mark Coyle, hirred mainly due to his competent oversight of Boise State's NCAA samctions predicament (sound familiar?)
The results speak for themselves...
 

Back to the original point of the thread. Let's face it - Coyle and Fleck are joined at the hip. Whatever you think about the previous coaching regime, Coyle is the AD who fired a 9-win coach (after previously giving him verbal assurances that he would be retained). Coyle is also the AD who brought in Fleck as coach. The timing of the hire strongly suggests that Coyle was - at the very least - conducting a back-channel coaching search while simultaneous saying that a decision on the coach would not be made until after the season.

The available evidence suggests that Fleck was Coyle's guy from the start. Fine - Coyle is the AD, and he got his guy. Now, Coyle is tied to the success and failure of his guy. If Fleck succeeds, Coyle succeeds by proxy. If Fleck does not succeed, Coyle shares that lack of success.

In all fairness, the Pitino hire seems to be working out well for the U of MN after a rocky start. The Fleck hire may follow a similar trajectory - or it may not. That, only time will tell. Of course, the AD who hired Pitino is no longer around to share in that success, because he was an early victim of Harvey Weinstein syndrome. Which adds a level of irony to the whole situation. If Teague had not been a letch, Coyle would have never been hired and Teague would have been the one making a decision on the FB coaching situation after Kill resigned. How would the history of Gopher FB be different if Teague had been the AD? that is a question no one can answer.
 

If you're a fan of this program, you have to see where this goes.
If Fleck's program isn't going to work in the B1G for some reason, it doesn't matter -- the damage is already done. At the least, Fleck has already reversed the national perception of MN football from the depths Teague and the EEOC had it 11 months ago.

Trust the process. If for no other reason, because there is no alternative at this point anyway.
 

Still dislike the AD but certainly glad this year's performance was within his tolerance zone. Lord help us if that was not the case.

Concur that all that a fan can do is trust the process at this point, however painful.

In the meantime, it will be the Nebraska game that gets frozen to the DVR for when I need a Gophers happy place for my offseason football fix.
 

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