Fleck extended at Minnesota
Terms not yet available, but I’d imagine this includes a salary bump (piece above mentions he’s currently middle of the league pack), as well as buyout protection for the school. Fleck’s been mentioned as a potential second tier candidate for a couple of other jobs, like USC, so this looks like Minnesota heading anything off at the pass.
November 3rd, 2021 at 3:38 PM ^
Hey Minnesota, I'll lose to Bowling Green for half what he's making!
November 3rd, 2021 at 8:10 PM ^
Them being ranked by the CFP is mind boggling. I can see Wisconsin given their schedule and the fact they crushed both Purdue and Iowa but what has Minnesota done?!
Beat Purdue in a close game. Is that impressive? The committee seemed to totally ignore bad losses (Oregon, Miss St., Minn, Pitt) which is always infuriating to me. If you lose to a good team, you get punished because the committee thinks you have to be behind them, but if you lose to a bad team, it gets ignored!
November 4th, 2021 at 11:54 AM ^
The problem with Top 25 rankings is that you have to find 25 teams. If it wasn't Minnesota, it would be a similarly flawed team.
Your last point is a good and underrated one. Head-to-head and quality-of-loss are often conflicting criteria. If A&M hadn't lost a close game to Mississippi St, they would have one loss instead of two and Alabama would have to be behind them in the rankings. Yet the fact A&M lost to Miss St should make Alabama's loss to A&M a 'worse loss.'
November 4th, 2021 at 12:23 PM ^
I'll lose to Bowling Green for half what he's making
I think I could actually beat Bowling Green
November 3rd, 2021 at 3:40 PM ^
I haven't heard him as even a second-tier candidate.
November 3rd, 2021 at 3:45 PM ^
This is pre BGSU loss, however.
November 4th, 2021 at 1:59 AM ^
News certainly does or does not travel in many mysterious and confounding ways.
November 3rd, 2021 at 3:43 PM ^
They know MSU may be looking for a coach in a few weeks. They don’t want them offering Fleck.
November 3rd, 2021 at 4:09 PM ^
Tucker isn’t going anywhere. I think he squeezes MSU for a raise and stays put. MSU would be crazy to let him walk at this point. Unless LSU is willing to pay him $10 million a season I think he stays.
November 3rd, 2021 at 4:41 PM ^
His acceptance of the MSU job was exceedingly unenthusiastic, he doesn't deny interest in the LSU job when asked about it, and his success this season is built on the one-time transfer rule.
His stock is peaking right now, and if LSU offers him the job, I think he takes it. Taking the MSU job was a business decision, he has no emotional loyalty to them, and LSU job > MSU job in almost every possible way.
November 3rd, 2021 at 4:47 PM ^
I don’t think LSU would offer someone with such a limited head coaching track record but it would be great if they did. If he is able to parlay wins into some recruiting momentum at msu he could be a bigger thorn in the side that D’antoni
November 3rd, 2021 at 5:04 PM ^
Coach Ed O says hi!
November 3rd, 2021 at 5:23 PM ^
If Tucker ends the season with one loss...to Ohio State...then LSU will pay whatever Tucker wants. The success Tucker has conjured up out of nothing may not be built to last but the accomplishment is a fact. Tucker knows the SEC. He's proven he can win. He would have talent rich Louisiana to himself. Makes all the sense in the world for both parties.
And then there is USC...
November 3rd, 2021 at 7:28 PM ^
I'm not so sure Tucker is as successful as you are portraying. His defense is ranked 103rd in the Nation, and the offense 34th. In 3 of his wins they have been outgained, and some fluky things have helped them win those 3 games. You have the 103rd defense in the SEC and you are road kill to half the teams.
November 3rd, 2021 at 8:07 PM ^
What part of "may not be built to last" do you not understand?
What part of 8-0, top 5, beat Michigan, undefeated, do you not understand?
The success is real, if not long term yet...
November 3rd, 2021 at 8:30 PM ^
My reply wasn't a rebuttal.
November 3rd, 2021 at 8:13 PM ^
Bro, you need to use 21st century metrics. Total yardage, when not opponent adjusted, is so meaningless
November 3rd, 2021 at 8:30 PM ^
I don't think Nick Saban would agree with you.
November 3rd, 2021 at 4:53 PM ^
Tucker's success to be fair is impressive in any context but especially when State itself lost significant talent to the transfer portal before pulling together a top-5 team.
November 3rd, 2021 at 5:12 PM ^
Its possible he stays. He has all the job security in the world (for now), and I believe MSU is building new football facilities so they have that going for them. But if I were him I would at least listen to what LSU's offer is.
Saban may be at Alabama for the next few years but he's not going to be there forever. At the end of his current contract he'll be just about 75 years old. I doubt he has another extension in him. When he leaves, there is going to be a massive power vacuum in the SEC, especially in that division, and LSU is probably the best program to be able to seize on that opportunity. They usually recruit as well as Alabama in any given year, and with the right coach they should be competing with and beating Alabama on an at least somewhat regular basis, even while Saban is there.
Meanwhile, I feel like OSU is not going anywhere anytime soon. They've plugged and played coaches for years and just kept finding ways to get better. You really want to have to keep dealing with that every year? Because at MSU he's going to have to. You're not getting past that juggernaut more than once or twice in a decade.
LSU is always going to be a better job than MSU, and the ceiling is certainly higher. It just is. That doesn't mean Tucker will take it necessarily, but again, I'd at least listen to what their offer is if I'm him.
November 3rd, 2021 at 6:57 PM ^
This is all true. Also, this is probably the peak Tuck can get at MSU. If he stays, his demand can only go down.
November 3rd, 2021 at 8:03 PM ^
I can see this point as legit. Aside from their running back, who is admittedly very very good, this MSU team has a smoke and mirrors feel to it.
Maybe we were just too used to the douchery of Dantonio but Tucker doesn’t seem to have the same passion of hatred towards U of M. He seems more business like.
November 4th, 2021 at 3:04 AM ^
You're operating under false pretenses on a few counts here:
1) That money is the only considering factor to why he would go to LSU. I think that the advantages of a rife recruiting ground in Louisiana makes it a much easier gig to be successful.
2) He's struck gold this year. There's no guarantees next year after some of the Dantonio recruits leave that he even has a modicum of success like he did this year. He outperformed in almost every way with the expectations of his current roster. We saw this success with Hoke here when he went 11-2 and went to the Sugar Bowl and pulled a victory in 2011. It didn't really translate as his record progressively got worse every year thereafter.
3) He left his old job in the 11th hour after he pretty much publicly stated he wasn't going anywhere. I would assume that type of loyalty carried over to this coming situation he will be in when other schools come calling
I'm pretty sure if LSU comes callin'... he gone.
November 3rd, 2021 at 3:51 PM ^
No disrespekt to the OP but I am not a Fleck fan and do not care. But... good post. Something to talk about. Don't want him!
November 3rd, 2021 at 3:52 PM ^
Flextended
November 3rd, 2021 at 4:13 PM ^
Row boat to bank (financial institution)!
November 3rd, 2021 at 3:58 PM ^
BGSU is a funny loss, but he also has them in the middle of the B1G West race with Wisconsin. Again. He's doing okay at football, as far as Minnesota is concerned...
November 3rd, 2021 at 4:04 PM ^
He seems to have at least been able to break through the “competent but that’s it” ceiling of Kill/Claeys. And he seems to have a higher ceiling than Mason as well, though the formula seems mostly the same. Getting one of Floyd or the Axe would make it a really successful year.
November 3rd, 2021 at 4:24 PM ^
Yes, I didn't know they are currently in first in the West. I expect that will change. Unfortunately, the game against Iowa is at Iowa so it appears that Wisconsin is setup to overtake Minnesota with the games yet to be played.
November 3rd, 2021 at 4:08 PM ^
"Head them off at the pass?? I HATE that cliche!"
Hedley Lamar
November 3rd, 2021 at 4:10 PM ^
Big bowl game victory when he won 11 games in 2019 (something JH still trying to achieve at Mich. in yr.7 )
November 3rd, 2021 at 4:33 PM ^
Big bowl game victory when he won 11 games in 2019
Big deal. Like that even means anything! That was TWO whole years ago. Since 2015, Harbaugh has more wins (56) than Fleck does (53). What has he done since 2015 besides win 13 games at Western and 11 at Minnesota? I'll tell you what he did, he LOST to Harbaugh last year. End of story.
Past success only counts for our current coach, not someone that's clearly up and coming who's achieved higher success in two season already, at two different schools, with far lower ranked athletes at significantly smaller programs.
November 3rd, 2021 at 6:33 PM ^
So Michigan = Minnesota but with better talent and same to less results ?
November 3rd, 2021 at 7:26 PM ^
Exactly.
November 3rd, 2021 at 7:56 PM ^
The BIG East is tougher to win in than the BIG West.
November 4th, 2021 at 12:48 AM ^
Nice hate on Michigan. Good work in every thread.
November 3rd, 2021 at 4:48 PM ^
If Michigan played in the Big Ten West, Harbaugh would've likely racked up quite a few more wins than he has.
As it stands, Michigan is in the unfortunate position of competing in one of (if not the) toughest divisions of college football where rivals MSU and OSU have both reached historic heights.
November 3rd, 2021 at 7:59 PM ^
I still think a change has to be made with Penn St, Ohio St, Michigan St, and Michigan playing each other every year. They should not all have to go through that gauntlet every year. It makes it tough on all 4 to be undefeated.
November 4th, 2021 at 1:08 PM ^
Whenever college football realignment threads start, it's always about trying to get the best teams to join the conference, but now it's not fair because the part of the conference Michigan is in is too hard?
In 2012 Alabama played LSU during the regular season and then again in the championship. Was that the right thing? I said it wasn't at the time, but the point is, win your games and things work out.
Michigan needs to figure out how to put together a season where they don't lose a dumb game and they will get their chance. An 11-1 Michigan team with a close loss to OSU would be considered one of the top 4 teams. A 10-2 Michigan team who OSU beats by 25+ isn't considered and they shouldn't be.
November 3rd, 2021 at 5:17 PM ^
You know how many more games Harbaugh would've won by now if he was in that crapshack of a division? The Big Ten West is one of the weakest in college football on a regular basis. Its the Wild West (no pun intended) because outside of Illinois literally anyone in that division can win it in any given year. We rail on Harbaugh for not getting the job done, and it’s true that he hasn’t, but he is also coaching in easily the toughest and deepest division in the sport. Three other teams in the East are either currently in the top 5 or have spent part of the season in the top 5.
Harbaugh would be winning the Western division and would be in Indy at least every other year.
November 3rd, 2021 at 4:19 PM ^
Sink the raft!
November 3rd, 2021 at 4:39 PM ^
As they should. I'm not a fan of the guy but he's winning at a higher clip than any has there since 1950 and while MN has some talent, it's not exactly prime recruiting ground especially when any top level guys will have southern options.
I think he'll jump as I do a lot of those guys in those jobs but it's pretty clear that guys like him, Campbell, Fickell, etc., aren't taking the risk for a small step up. They can make a load of money doing things their way with a much lower stress level, better quality of life, and much less "input" from boosters and legacy guys. It'd be good for college football if that was a trend that stuck around for awhile.
November 3rd, 2021 at 7:37 PM ^
Agreed. I could see some desperate NFL team offering Campbell and Fickell and they'll take it. I could also see Ryan Day getting an offer and Fickell swooping in to get the OSU job.
I'm surprised Fleck didn't leave after 2019 as he had gotten Minnesota to an Outback bowl win, and in my opinion the best record Minnesota will have in his tenure. He will probably finish this season with 2 loses, do something similar next year, and some school will pay a ton to get him there(FSU).
November 3rd, 2021 at 4:58 PM ^
Gophers are a sneaky 6-2. Even if they finish out 2-2 it is Fleck's second best season (notwithstanding a loss to BGSU that is hard to understand). Grinding out wins against Nebraska, and Purdue (on the road), is harder than it looks.
November 3rd, 2021 at 5:07 PM ^
Good news as Mrs. Fleck can get more plastic surgery and help even more on the recruiting front with the motorboats....
November 3rd, 2021 at 5:22 PM ^
I find it really weird to be posting pictures of an opposing coaches wife.
November 3rd, 2021 at 6:27 PM ^
Apparently you missed the story where, allegedly, Mrs. helps in recruiting by having players sit on her lap - allegedly.
Toby, no wonder Michael Scott use to say that....
November 4th, 2021 at 9:56 AM ^
That really doesn't seem like much of a recruiting tool...... having her sit on their lap would seem to be much better of a ploy.
November 3rd, 2021 at 7:45 PM ^
Then you're really going to be offended when you see a post from Glen Mason's Hot Wife.
November 3rd, 2021 at 9:42 PM ^
Or Bert's! There is no Frames Janklin in Toby!
