Oh boy, ol' Jer and Tracy aren't going to like this one:
When Fleck arrived in 2017, Coughlin questioned the coach's messages and methods. Minnesota was coming off of a 9-4 season -- its most wins since 2003 -- and a Holiday Bowl win. Coughlin had been a solid freshman contributor (25 tackles, two sacks) and, in his mind, an aspiring leader.
"He told me my leadership was terrible and the leadership on the team was terrible, and when I see what it's actually supposed to be, I'll look back," Coughlin said. "I thought he was full of it. Looking back where I'm at right now and where a lot of guys on the team are where right now, it's night and day different."
Although Minnesota had been winning before Fleck showed up, the team threatened to boycott the Holiday Bowl after the university suspended 10 players during a sexual assault investigation. Coach Tracy Claeys tweeted his support for the players, a factor in his eventual dismissal.
"Any time there's a boycott, that's complete separation," Fleck said. "You've got a team that, wins aside, is completely divided, somehow, some way. When you're walking into that, just like our first team meeting, not every player showed up."
