Report: 'Don't be surprised' if P.J. Fleck's name is connected to UNC job

It is officially coaching carousel season.

Nov 2, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck before a game with the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

It is officially coaching carousel season and Minnesota Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck has already been connected to an open job.

North Carolina fired longtime head coach Mack Brown on Tuesday, becoming the first power conference program to have a head coaching vacancy this cycle. Ever since Fleck arrived in Minnesota in 2017, there have been consistent rumors connecting him to other jobs.

Last season's smoke about him having interest in the UCLA job wound up being real and confirmed by AD Mark Coyle. On the latest episode of Minnesota Sports with Mackey and Judd, local Minnesota sports insider Darren Wolfson said that he wouldn't be surprised if Fleck's name comes up in the discussion to replace Brown at North Carolina.

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

"I am not suggesting that he's leaving, but I do believe that P.J. Fleck's name is going to come up for that job. I do," Wolfson said. "Maybe it will be agent-driven, but we'll sift through it this time next week. Don't be surprised if you see P.J.'s name attached to that job. We'll see a number of names go up and down the list. We'll see a number of names attached to that job, but I am just saying that I would not be shocked if P.J. Fleck's name is attached to that job."

Fleck is 43 years old and he's about to complete his eighth season as head coach of the Gophers. He's compiled a 56-39 overall record and a 33-36 record in Big Ten play. He has zero obvious connections to North Carolina or athletics director Bubba Cunningham, but his agent Bryan Harlan has routinely shown that his client finds his way into discussions for just about every open job.

Evidence that he would actually leave Minnesota for North Carolina remains to be seen, but it's entirely reasonable to think we could hear Fleck's name mentioned among possible candidates to become the next head coach of the Tar Heels.