P.J. Fleck aiming for the stars entering ninth season with Gophers

LAS VEGAS — The third-longest tenured coach in the Big Ten is approaching his ninth year at Minnesota, and has intentions of winning at a high level.

P.J. Fleck understands what it takes to be successful in a league full of speed, physicality and elite coaching. His longevity speaks volumes, and Fleck is a monster in the postseason, with six consecutive bowl victories. What Fleck wants to accomplish with this year’s team is to close the gap in tight games.

That’s going to require execution and mental toughness from the players, and adjustments from the coaches in the clutch. Fall camp is when Fleck will have plenty of opportunity to get the Gophers ready for what should be a challenging schedule.

“You’ve got to win situational football, be better in the two minute, and that’s what we’ve been focusing on since January,” Fleck said. “So if we can give a little bit more and we can flip those, just like in 2019, 6-1 in one-possession games, that’s how you win 11 games in the Big Ten.”

Fleck already feels like he has a plethora of leaders on his squad. The players are being more responsible, accountable, respectful and most importantly, they want to win. All of those qualities are encouraging to Fleck, and when there’s trust among teammates and coaches, anything is possible.

“There’s two things that connect the locker room more than anything, it’s empathy and gratitude,” he said. “If you do not have those two things, you do not have a connected locker room.”

There are some areas of concern approaching the month of August. Minnesota will have a new quarterback behind center this fall, and despite Drake Lindsey having tremendous upside, he’s only a freshman. What’s going to help relieve some of the pressure off Lindsey is having one of the Big Ten’s best running backs in the backfield. Darius Taylor is very versatile, and due for a 1,000-yard campaign. Not to mention the offensive line is talented and experienced.

However, the Golden Gophers need to rack up more yards after finishing 107th nationally in total offense last season. There’s no denying that the offense could use more balance, but that’s going to require more passes, and the current receivers haven’t been that productive.

The defense will be a team strength again, with an All-Big Ten caliber defender at every level of the unit. Several studs return to a group that ranked fifth in the FBS in total defense last year. Defensive end Anthony Smith is a menace off the edge, who tallied 12 tackles for loss and six sacks in 2024. Safety Koi Perich is a dangerous ballhawk, who’s coming off an All-Big Ten campaign. On top of that, linebacker Maverick Baranowski is back to set the tone, after ranking second on the team in tackles.

Everyone wants to improve, and they’re all on the same page, which is promising in Fleck’s mind. There are no egos, or petty distractions either. Just a bunch of young men that are eager to spread their wings on the gridiron, and that’s what Fleck admires.

“What I love about our football team as we go into 2025, they want to do it,” the 44-year old coach said. “They’re not just doing it because they get paid, they want to do it, and they want to be the best team they can be.”

Fleck believes the best is yet to come for this team, and wants to get the Golden Gophers back in that 2019 mode. Another winning season would be great for Fleck, but he expects to make bigger strides. It’s all about raising the bar as the game of College football evolves, and Fleck is confident that Minnesota’s time is now.

“When you’re somewhere long enough, the standards are one thing, but then you continue to raise the expectations, and that’s what we want to continue to do.”