PJ Fleck Interview on Sports Huddle 4-29-18

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Gopher FB Coach PJ Fleck appeared on the Sports Huddle on WCCO Sunday morning. His segment aired at 11:10am instead of the usual 10:30.

Sid: you've had time to study film on spring practice. how much did you accomplish?
PJ: accomplished a lot. got better as a team, closer as a team. got to see the young kids playing. spring game was critical to move forward. got the young guys game experience. Still need the upperclassmen to lead way. Not a lot of them - only 9 with game exp. can't let 1 day go by without getting better

Sid: what are the players doing right now?
PJ: finish up school, taking finals. players will get a few weeks off after finals. they'll be back for summer workouts

Sid: what can the coaches do with the players now?
PJ: we're in a period for 2 weeks, where the coaches are not allowed to be around the players. the players can come in on their own. the coaches are out recruiting.

Sid: any position changes? Will Green stay at TE?
PJ: Green will stay at TE. he's done a tremendous job adapting. it's critical for him to develop in summer

Mona: # of slots open for scholarships? do you need more activity from Rush DE's?
PJ: we need to get more pressure on QB. that's something we're trying to address in recruiting now. As far as the recruiting class, we'll sign 23-24 young men. won't have full class. at least 1 grey-shirt from last year. doing well in recruiting. lots of official visits coming up in June. lot of kids will be visiting during season. Rush end is an emphasis.

Sid: what about Cashman and other guys who missed Spring Game?
PJ: they will be fine. only had 4-5 guys with off-season surgeries. every one of those players was able to participate in spring practice at some level: 7-on-7, individual drills, team period. everyone came back and had the ability to do something. last year no one who had surgery could come back and do anything in spring ball.

Max: any update on Gophers in NFL Camps?
PJ: a number of guys have got an opportunity. happy for them. 8 guys got a shot to sign as a free-agent or get a try-out. proud of our Gophers. Have to be able to recruit at high level, develop at high level. haven't had OL drafted in 13 years. have to change that with new culture. MN has had 11 guys drafted in 13 years. have to change that with recruiting and development. so many kids dream of playing in the league and we want to help them get there.

Sid: will Winfield get another year?
PJ: It's final. The paperwork came back. same with Douglas.

Sid: are you still recruiting?
PJ: always recruiting. getting more commitments. 6 commitments for 2019 already. excited about the talent we're bringing in.

Sid: good season tickets available. no raise in prices. Murray's Certificate.
PJ: RTB, Ski-U-Mah.
 



Gopher FB Coach PJ Fleck appeared on the Sports Huddle on WCCO Sunday morning. His segment aired at 11:10am instead of the usual 10:30.

...

Max: any update on Gophers in NFL Camps?
PJ: a number of guys have got an opportunity. happy for them. 8 guys got a shot to sign as a free-agent or get a try-out. proud of our Gophers...
PJ: RTB, Ski-U-Mah.

Thanks SON!

Six of the eight per the Daily Gopher list. Add Steve Richardson and Ryan Santoso to the list.

Let's hope they get to latch on to a team!

Kunle Ayinde -DB—Minnesota Vikings
Kobe McCrary -RB— Minnesota Vikings
Merrick Jackson —DL—Minnesota Vikings
Jonathan Celestin -LB-Houston Texans
Garrison Wright -OL—Cleveland Browns
Nate Wozniak -TE- Atlanta Falcons and Oakland Raiders

I wonder if the Gopher were 7-5 instead of 5-7 if makes a difference to the GOphers being invited to the draft combines.
 

Green to TE, nice to see they made the call early, no need to waste his time... get him some work in.
 


great to hear an official confirmation of an extra year for both Winfield and Douglas. Thank you.
 

Sounds like they are still in on the greyshirt recruit Richter, happy to hear that!
 

Thanks SON.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

It stood out that he said we will sign 23-24 players in this class. That's a lot of attrition... looking at the scholarship grid, we only have 3 total seniors on offense (Rodney, Greene and Weyler), 6 on defense (Gibson, Moore, the Huff brothers, Cashman and Shenault) and 2 on special teams, Carpenter and Jordahl. That's 11 scholarships...

https://247sports.com/college/minnesota/Season/2019-Football/ScholarshipDistribution
 



It stood out that he said we will sign 23-24 players in this class. That's a lot of attrition... looking at the scholarship grid, we only have 3 total seniors on offense (Rodney, Greene and Weyler), 6 on defense (Gibson, Moore, the Huff brothers, Cashman and Shenault) and 2 on special teams, Carpenter and Jordahl. That's 11 scholarships...

https://247sports.com/college/minnesota/Season/2019-Football/ScholarshipDistribution

Yeah that jumped out at me. If he’s already throwing out a fairly specific number seems to have some guys in mind. Or, maybe I’m reading too much into it.
 

Yeah that jumped out at me. If he’s already throwing out a fairly specific number seems to have some guys in mind. Or, maybe I’m reading too much into it.

We were talking about it a couple weeks ago...speculating on the number we would sign, with only the limited number of seniors on scholarship departing. So, it is nice to hear we will recruit 23 or 24 guys. But, now the question is, how we gonna do that? Some guys will depart on their own but it would seem a pretty significant number will be encouraged/asked to look elsewhere to continue their education.

Thanks SON.
 

It stood out that he said we will sign 23-24 players in this class. That's a lot of attrition... looking at the scholarship grid, we only have 3 total seniors on offense (Rodney, Greene and Weyler), 6 on defense (Gibson, Moore, the Huff brothers, Cashman and Shenault) and 2 on special teams, Carpenter and Jordahl. That's 11 scholarships...

https://247sports.com/college/minnesota/Season/2019-Football/ScholarshipDistribution

Is it attrition if they were run off? PJ has his strategy, and if he can replace those lost with contributors, that's great, but it seems it more a part of building the legend of PJ Fleck - we only had 3 seniors on offense! I've inherited the Bad News Bears, but by gosh and hard work, we're going to win the super bowl!!!!!!!!

Seems disingenuous to "blame" anything or anyone other than to say, Fleck's made a conscious decision to rebuild the roster how he's sees fit. Let's not call it anything other than that.
 

Is it attrition if they were run off? PJ has his strategy, and if he can replace those lost with contributors, that's great, but it seems it more a part of building the legend of PJ Fleck - we only had 3 seniors on offense! I've inherited the Bad News Bears, but by gosh and hard work, we're going to win the super bowl!!!!!!!!

Seems disingenuous to "blame" anything or anyone other than to say, Fleck's made a conscious decision to rebuild the roster how he's sees fit. Let's not call it anything other than that.

And....?

My take would be, good for Fleck (more likely the position coaches) to be up front and honest with anyone who is unlikely to see the field and contribute meaningfully for the Gophers. Give them every opportunity to succeed somewhere else. Players want to play. If it’s not going to be with the Gophers, no reason it can’t be somewhere else. It’s only fair to them.
 



And....?

My take would be, good for Fleck (more likely the position coaches) to be up front and honest with anyone who is unlikely to see the field and contribute meaningfully for the Gophers. Give them every opportunity to succeed somewhere else. Players want to play. If it’s not going to be with the Gophers, no reason it can’t be somewhere else. It’s only fair to them.

My point exactly. Fleck's done what he believes needs to be done to win. But don't look at the roster and marvel at "attrition". They may not have been the right players and may not have made a difference, regardless, Fleck is responsible for them not being there (although I'm sure he'd say they were responsible). No need to hide behind it, and no "credit" for overcoming a situation he created.
 

We were talking about it a couple weeks ago...speculating on the number we would sign, with only the limited number of seniors on scholarship departing. So, it is nice to hear we will recruit 23 or 24 guys. But, now the question is, how we gonna do that? Some guys will depart on their own but it would seem a pretty significant number will be encouraged/asked to look elsewhere to continue their education.

Thanks SON.

How do we get to 23-24 scholies for the 2019 Class? Let's look at the numbers.

Current Players on Scholies per 247Sports Scholie Grid:
SRS - 11
JRS - 18 (Includes Sam Renner's Scholie)
SOS - 10
FRS - 24
---------
Total 63 (Current scholie players on roster)

Maximum----85
Roster--------63
------------------
Scholie Slots 22 to get to 85 (But, PJ Fleck wants 1 or 2 more)
Commits------6 (to date)
Gray Shirt-----1 (Logan Richter)
-----------------
Total---------15 (Additional open scholie slots to get to 85)

If PJ Fleck wants 23-24 signees in the 2019 Class, that means roughly 1 or 2 departures through transfers,Medical, etc... I don't have any clue as to where the one or two departures from the team are coming from and for what reason.

For fun, here are Alabama's, Georgia's, Ohio State's, and Penn State's 2019 Scholie Grids:

Alabama:
SRS - 3
JRS - 16
SOS - 19
FRS - 33 (Did they get special exemption on the 25 maximum per class?)
----------
Total 71

Georgia:
SRS - 7
JRS - 21
SOS - 20
FRS - 23
----------
Total 71

Ohio State:
SRS - 12
JRS - 37 (exemption to 25 max?)
SOS - 21
FRS - 7
------------
Total 77

Penn State:
SRS - 10
JRS - 21
SOS - 15
FRS - 24
-----------
Total 70

PWOs:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Somehow, one way or the other the Gophers are trying to upgrade the team through attritions and walk-ons.

Walk-ons are going to be more critical than ever for team depth. We are seeing people like Zack Annexstad, Micah Roane, Owen Piche, and Max Zane who could have played on scholarship at other schools but decide to walk-on at the U. Twelve games in the B1G is a long season fraught with uncertainties of injuries. Quality depth is critical which is where PWOs factor in.

http://www.forums.gopherhole.com/boards/showthread.php?78477-2018-PWO-Commitments/page6

The vision and the direction of the program is slowly coming into focus. There is an all out war in the B1G West with the competition level rising instead of falling. The Gophers need every ounce of improvement in personnel they can get.
 

When you run off enough upperclassmen you can claim lack of depth and being a very young team without experience. Don't let a excuse die easily.
 

When you run off enough upperclassmen you can claim lack of depth and being a very young team without experience. Don't let a excuse die easily.

What upperclassmen that were 'run-off' made an impact here, or ended up at schools equal to or better than Minnesota?
 

How do we get to 23-24 scholies for the 2019 Class? Let's look at the numbers.

Current Players on Scholies per 247Sports Scholie Grid:
SRS - 11
JRS - 18 (Includes Sam Renner's Scholie)
SOS - 10
FRS - 24
---------
Total 63 (Current scholie players on roster)

Maximum----85
Roster--------63
------------------
Scholie Slots 22 to get to 85 (But, PJ Fleck wants 1 or 2 more)
Commits------6 (to date)
Gray Shirt-----1 (Logan Richter)
-----------------
Total---------15 (Additional open scholie slots to get to 85)

If PJ Fleck wants 23-24 signees in the 2019 Class, that means roughly 1 or 2 departures through transfers,Medical, etc... I don't have any clue as to where the one or two departures from the team are coming from and for what reason.

For fun, here are Alabama's, Georgia's, Ohio State's, and Penn State's 2019 Scholie Grids:

Alabama:
SRS - 3
JRS - 16
SOS - 19
FRS - 33 (Did they get special exemption on the 25 maximum per class?)
----------
Total 71

Georgia:
SRS - 7
JRS - 21
SOS - 20
FRS - 23
----------
Total 71

Ohio State:
SRS - 12
JRS - 37 (exemption to 25 max?)
SOS - 21
FRS - 7
------------
Total 77

Penn State:
SRS - 10
JRS - 21
SOS - 15
FRS - 24
-----------
Total 70

PWOs:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Somehow, one way or the other the Gophers are trying to upgrade the team through attritions and walk-ons.

Walk-ons are going to be more critical than ever for team depth. We are seeing people like Zack Annexstad, Micah Roane, Owen Piche, and Max Zane who could have played on scholarship at other schools but decide to walk-on at the U. Twelve games in the B1G is a long season fraught with uncertainties of injuries. Quality depth is critical which is where PWOs factor in.

http://www.forums.gopherhole.com/boards/showthread.php?78477-2018-PWO-Commitments/page6

The vision and the direction of the program is slowly coming into focus. There is an all out war in the B1G West with the competition level rising instead of falling. The Gophers need every ounce of improvement in personnel they can get.

I only took a quick glance but that grid doesn’t seem to include any of the incoming summer freshmen so your numbers are a wee bit off.
 

When you run off enough upperclassmen you can claim lack of depth and being a very young team without experience. Don't let a excuse die easily.

Curious as to whom you're talking about? Have not heard of any player claiming Fleck has created a culture where "running off" upperclassmen is the norm.

Always defaulting to the negative when Fleck's name comes up stifles good conversation. Facts would be appreciated.
 

I only took a quick glance but that grid doesn’t seem to include any of the incoming summer freshmen so your numbers are a wee bit off.

Oh cr@p! I sh@rded, didn't I? I forgot about the 19 incoming FR at the end of this summer, 63+19=82.

With 11 seniors graduating, that means an additional 12 or 13 scholie spots that need to open up. We are 3 scholies under the 85 limit, so that is still 9 or 10 scholies to account for.

How are they going to get under the roster limit and still get 23-24 signed commitments by NSD next year? There must be quite a few Juniors out of eighteen graduating early plus people transferring out.

It must be somebody's nightmare at the coaching staff office to track and fudge numbers constantly.
 

Oh cr@p! I sh@rded, didn't I? I forgot about the 19 incoming FR at the end of this summer, 63+19=82.

With 11 seniors graduating, that means an additional 12 or 13 scholie spots that need to open up. We are 3 scholies under the 85 limit, so that is still 9 or 10 scholies to account for.

How are they going to get under the roster limit and still get 23-24 signed commitments by NSD next year? There must be quite a few Juniors out of eighteen graduating early plus people transferring out.

It must be somebody's nightmare at the coaching staff office to track and fudge numbers constantly.

I would look at redshirt juniors who are currently on scholarship and might either grad transfer out or simply retire from football. I know this won't make up the complete difference, but I would imagine some of the variance will come from them along with other underclassmen transferring to be closer to home.
 

Curious as to whom you're talking about? Have not heard of any player claiming Fleck has created a culture where "running off" upperclassmen is the norm.

Always defaulting to the negative when Fleck's name comes up stifles good conversation. Facts would be appreciated.

Nothing from Demry Croft's best friend's Mom?
 

I would look at redshirt juniors who are currently on scholarship and might either grad transfer out or simply retire from football. I know this won't make up the complete difference, but I would imagine some of the variance will come from them along with other underclassmen transferring to be closer to home.

As in the case of home-sicked Handy-Holly. We've got nine red shirt juniors who you'd think can graduate or grad transfer next year if they want to continue playing. Then, there are players who have injury issues that may decide to hang it up.
 

What upperclassmen that were 'run-off' made an impact here, or <b>ended up at schools equal to or better than Minnesota?</b>

Well, isn't that convenient - even for you. As an upperclassman I would think losing a year of eligibility would make an 'equal or better' school rather prohibitive.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

I only took a quick glance but that grid doesn’t seem to include any of the incoming summer freshmen so your numbers are a wee bit off.

Yeah, his numbers are off.

I think it breaks down like this:

23 Incoming FR (scholarship)
19 RS FR
11 SO
15 JR

- - That brings us to 68 (I could be missing a couple).
- - I did not include people like Renner or any of the other known 1 year scholarship players.

That brings us to 17 available scholarships. We have quite a few RS JRs who might not crack the starting lineup next season (wouldn't be shocked to see some of them move on).

I think we'll sign a full class.
 

Does anyone have numbers for the Gophers' average attrition over the last 10-15 years? I'd bet it's close to 6-7 players minimum. I know we don't want to keep seeing that, but until we don't see it for a few years...
 

How is Bama going to compete is the SEC with such a young and inexperienced roster?
 

Nothing from Demry Croft's best friend's Mom?

Haha... I would be happy even with that! ... or even Walrus' Morse Code.

.-- .- .-.. .-. ..- ... / .. ... / .- -. / .. -.. .. --- - .-.-.-
 

How is Bama going to compete is the SEC with such a young and inexperienced roster?

You don't think there is a difference in the type of players Alabama and Minnesota (or just about everyone else) are getting?
 

Haha... I would be happy even with that! ... or even Walrus' Morse Code.

.-- .- .-.. .-. ..- ... / .. ... / .- -. / .. -.. .. --- - .-.-.-

That wasn't a very nice thing to say.
 




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