When Nebraska fired head coach Scott Frost over the weekend, everyone should've seen it coming: P.J. Fleck has been name dropped as a possible replacement.
Forget the seven-year, $35 million extension Fleck signed last year to keep him under contract with the Gophers through 2028. Every time there is a coaching vacancy at a major FBS program, Fleck's name seems to come up as a possible replacement.
This time, it's ESPN's Pete Thamel including Fleck on a list of 15 coaches he says are "Names for Nebraska." Kansas State head coach and former NDSU head coach Chris Klieman is also on the list.
Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune asked Fleck about the tweet on Monday and Fleck denounced it, saying, "No, our focus is 1-0 against Colorado."
Fleck's contract stipulates that he owes the University of Minnesota $10 million if he leaves for another job before Jan. 1, with that buyout dropping to $7 million if he left in 2023 and $5 million 2024. That's chump change for a big-time university looking to land a young, winning coach like Fleck.
All one has to do is go back to May 2022 to find this article from The Athletic that says Fleck could be a hot commodity if he has another successful season at Minnesota: "And if the 2022 carousel is anything like the 2021 circus, Fleck’s phone will likely be ringing a lot should the Gophers post another strong season."
"I got a lot of respect for Nebraska's program, a lot of respect for Scott [Frost]," Fleck said during his Monday press conference. "It's a part of our profession. It's unfortunate, but it's part of our profession. There's a saying that you get fired when you win, you get fired when you lose."
Fleck is 37-23 at Minnesota, including 2-0 this season. The Gophers face Colorado at Huntington Bank Stadium on Saturday before opening the Big Ten schedule Sept. 24 at No. 11 Michigan State. A win on the road against the Spartans would send Minnesota up the rankings and likely into the national spotlight.
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