P.J. Fleck gets six recruits to flip commitment to Minnesota

Fleck released the following statement to Newschannel 3 in Kalamazoo: “It is with mixed emotions that I announce my decision to leave Western Michigan University for the head football coaching job at the University of Minnesota”.

Fleck went 13-1 this year with the lone loss coming in the Cotton Bowl to Wisconsin.

Three days after firing coach Tracy Claeys after the program’s best season since 2003, the Golden Gophers hired a Golden Boy in the 36-year-old Fleck.

Now Fleck has little time to waste in beginning to fix a fractured program. Fleck probably “won” the press conference, wowing with his words.

Rucker described Fleck as a “life coach”. One of the allures of the Minnesota job is that it’s in the exponentially easier side of the Big Ten, as Fleck will walk in the door as one of the West division’s most energetic and established recruiters. To change the movement, for us to create and experience things that the University of Minnesota football has only dreamed of and hasn’t accomplished since the late “60s”.

Ohio State’s Urban Meyer launched his career at Bowling Green, but he had stops at Utah and Florida in between.

“I know coach Fleck will speak for himself, but honestly felt this was his next step, his opportunity”.

“They’ve had, what, four athletic directors and four football coaches in 10 years?”

“Nine wins is a good season, and the Holiday Bowl is good”, Coyle said.

“Right now I’ve opened my recruitment back up and I’m willing to follow Coach Fleck if he offers me because I believe he’ll change the culture there”, said Holley, who found out Fleck was leaving for Minnesota from WMU defensive line coach Jimmy Williams Thursday night.

I always find it to be one of the biggest hypocritical moves by fans when they call out a head coach for being a hypocrite when they are practicing the same methods.

Fleck staying looked like a possibility a month ago when Tony Paul reported that Fleck and Western were in talks regarding a contract extension.

During their coaching search, the Gophers also gave strong consideration to former LSU coach Les Miles, who flew to Minnesota this week to speak to university officials, according to sources. From there, he coached receivers at Northern Illinois (2007-09) under Joe Novak and Jerry Kill and then coached receivers for Greg Schiano at Rutgers (2010-11) and with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2012). The Ryle product had planned on enrolling early at Western Michigan, as well. “I said, ‘I’m a Kill guy!’ I’m part of the Kill tree, I do know that”. It means we are going to recruit our student-athletes every single day with the positivity and energy of the University of Minnesota football every day to think University of Minnesota is the greatest place on earth.

“I get they’re upset”.