getting some tremendous looking facilities to go along with there new stadium. Think Fleck will be a home run and eventually take over that division.
PJ Fleck and Minnesota.......
- Thread starter CoastGuard2018
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Fleck has amazing energy and will likely improve the program.
But where do they get good players? Dominate the Twin Cities and the state of MN, but what else? Scattered around? Doesn't appear to be a good natural recruiting area.
It's just a matter of time until O$U, scUM and Iowa "discover" some "infractions", bringing down Minny.
It's what they do.
It's what they do.
There have been some very good HS players from Minnesota but they all seem to leave. Fleck needs to keep them at home. The locals want to believe in Fleck but seem wore down by recent events. Gophers have an easy schedule to begin the season but the end is just brutal.
Cretin Durham Hall HS and Breck HS seem to put out decent players over the years. But for the most part they go elsewhere.
I lived in St. Paul for seven years, 1991-1998 and I can tell you that the state does not produce many NCAA Division I (FBS) prospects. High school football is just not the focus there. Someone mentioned Cretin-Derham Hall High School and the Breck School . . . yes, those schools produce talented players, but they as the poster said, they often go elsewhere. There are some other high schools in the Twin Cities area that have good teams and produce a Division I player or two, but it is not a consistent pool/pipeline.
This time it's Barkley! Cutting inside! Barkley touchdowwwwwwwn!
funniest thing about that play was that 99% of us were moaning as soon as we saw it was another read-option. Barkley had been stuffed all day on that.
If that happened he would be hired away by a bigger program and Minnesota would have to start over again.
It may sound strange, but that is my favorite play of the year because of its suddenness, finality, and significance. That victory was huge. Not much was expected of Penn State last year, and they had just come off a really bad loss. Then they went back and forth with minnesota and could have packed it in down 3 late in the 4th quarter. The team showed heart and an ability to make clutch plays. The season turned around with that win.
Shouldn't be too hard since that division has been there for the taking since it's creation.
Yep... you're right.... my shoulders slumped upon seeing the play develop.... then the invisible shivvers went up my spine
Mine too, Bob. People don't yet view it the same way, but that was our pivotal "Poz stuffs Indiana at the one" moment for this run we're going to enjoy.
Row the boat or chop some wood. Remember that guy at Rutgers. Just another passing fancy. They'll be running him out on a rail when he can't beat Wisky, Nebraska and Iowa.
You mean until Barry Alvarez finds some infractions so his Badgers have no competition in the west?
Well, maybe; he said he identified Minny as a sleeping giant, one of 8 on a list he and his wife had agreed to consider if they called.
His enthusiasm is off-the-charts high. Trying to think of another B1G coach for a comparison -- maybe Ron Zook, the hyper guy who coached at Illinois for 5 or 6 years. Zook had some success recruiting, but couldn't put it together.
I am not a big believer in the whole "enthusiasm" thing. Fleck strikes me as a guy who is trying to create a brand for himself centered around the notion of "look at me, I have so much energy and so much enthusiasm and am so articulate..." His success will come back to wins and losses. IMHO Minny has a ceiling of 8-9 wins a year and both of his last two predecessors were able to reach that. But as others have pointed out, talent in the Minnesota region is scarce so the only way he can produce a team that has the talent to win 10+ games is if he goes into FL and TX and brings in kids who do not have offers from their home state schools. Also, don't underestimate Nebraska, Wisc and Iowa - they are long time established programs that are relatively consistent year in and year out. They will be Fleck's competition.
Hmm. This description reminds me of another coach who was hired a couple of years ago. If only I could remember his name, but I believe he has had some recent success.
Of course he is going to say that Minny was 'on his list' and isn't a stepping stone, but I don't believe it. As has been said, going to be very tough to get Minny to a legit Top 25 program year in and year out, let alone move up to that top 15 type elite tier. Just not the support, history, local talent, etc...to get that done. And if Fleck gets Minny in a Big Ten Championship game in 3 or 4 years, the big boys will come calling with money and resources that Minny cannot match and Fleck will leave. Just the way it has always gone. And it doesn't appear Fleck has any ties to Minny like growing up there or going to school that such that he feels the urge to stay around.
bwifan
Well-Known Member
Pretty impressive facilities being put in for Minny... I was impressed. Whether Fleck stays for the long haul will be interesting. Stay and build there where if successful become a legend or move to a more well known program and go for the money and a tad easier recruiting and more fertile recruiting grounds.
bwifan
Well-Known Member
Well several things here... 1. Minny didn't have top notch facilities like they do now under Holtz and made recruiting very difficult. 2. Holtz had a Notre Dame clause in his contract to opt out if they came calling. Not sure if Fleck has a similar option. 3. Holtz had recruiting violations with a bowl ban and several years on probation afterwards. So Minny admin not necessarily unhappy to see him go.
I am not sold on Fleck but I will give the Gophers credit at least for trying something new. Continuing to be a less successful version of Iowa wasn't going cut it.
I am more impressed by Purdue's new coach Jeff Brohm. He has a bigger mess to clean up but I think he will have the Boilers bowling for the '18 season.
I am more impressed by Purdue's new coach Jeff Brohm. He has a bigger mess to clean up but I think he will have the Boilers bowling for the '18 season.
I am not sold on Fleck but I will give the Gophers credit at least for trying something new. Continuing to be a less successful version of Iowa wasn't going cut it.
I am more impressed by Purdue's new coach Jeff Brohm. He has a bigger mess to clean up but I think he will have the Boilers bowling for the '18 season.
Agree about Brohm. I think he can make PU a player in the west.
I would change Breck and insert Eden Prairie and the Lakeville H.S.'s. Minnesota will still have to go outside to get more players. Minnesota has been making inroads to states like Georgia. The hope is Fleck's connections to the Midwest (from Chicago and coached in the MAC) will help him pull in players from those areas.
Tomorrow night at 6pm. Hoping for the best!
Best wishes for the Nittany Lions vs Akron! May your squad be injury free.
Cheers!
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