Anonymous Big Ten coach thinks P.J. Fleck 'chased' jobs to 'get out' of Minnesota

Fleck is signed with the Gophers through 2029.

Oct 1, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck reacts during the second quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

Have you ever wondered what other Big Ten coaches think of the Gophers football team? As it turns out, Athlon Sports recently published quotes from anonymous Big Ten coaches about the Gophers and what came from it was a fairly shocking comment about head coach P.J. Fleck.

"I think P.J. [Fleck] chased UCLA and some other jobs pretty hard to get out of there, and it didn’t happen for him," an anonymous coach allegedly said.

Fleck was a candidate for the UCLA job but this is the first time it's been presented as Fleck "chasing" the job and not UCLA chasing him. And it's definitely the first time it's been described as Fleck trying "pretty hard to get out" of Minnesota.

Shortly after Deshaun Foster was hired at UCLA, the University of Minnesota Board of Regents approved annual retention bonuses in Fleck's contract that could pay him an additional $5.7 million if he stays with the Gophers through 2029. Fleck currently earns $6 million annually.

"P.J. and I have a really close relationship, and when UCLA reached out to him, he kept me up to speed on all those conversations,'' Gophers athletics director Mark Coyle told the Star Tribune in March. "We feel really grateful that he should lead our program, and we look forward to having him do that for a long time."

Coyle also made it clear that Fleck has been a hot commodity when coaching jobs around the country open up every year.

"Every year people have contacted him," Coyle told KFXN-FM's Justin Gaard on the Golden Gophers Podcast in March, later predicting that "his name is going to come up every year because what he does is unique."

Fleck is 50-34 in Minnesota and has taken the Gophers to five bowl games in his seven seasons in charge. The 43-year-old has won nine games or more three times entering his eighth season in 2024.

What else did the anonymous Big Ten coaches say about Minnesota?

One coach said Max Brosmer, the starting quarterback who transferred to the Gophers after leading the FCS in passing at New Hampshire in 2023, "could be a really exciting player in that offensive system." The coach added: "He’s already a captain for them, so they really believe he can be a game-changer for their offense."