Everything Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck said after Minnesota's open practice
On Saturday, the Minnesota Golden Gophers held an open practice for both the media on fans, giving a first look at the 2025 Golden Gophers. Following the practice, the leader of the Gophers, head coach P.J. Fleck, met with the media to discuss his 2025 team through the first week of practices.
First impressions of the 2025 team
I mean, I like them. I think I told them over the course of the last, we’ve only been here six days, and to have a practice like that that you all saw, and that takes a really special team to do that, 90% of what we have is in, and to go out there and execute the offense, defense, special teams, I mean, we did a ton of special teams live today. We are so far ahead because it just shows their work in the offseason, January all the way through July. I’ve told them this. I really respect this team. They do better when you put more in front of them. They do better when you’re playing football, and not just running plays, but playing football. They’re a really fun team to coach. Again, six days in, but I really respect what they’ve been able to put in so far. It’s been really, really impressive.
What do you see out of Drake in the command of the offense?
From where he was last year to where he is this year is night and day, and I thought he grew as a true freshman, maybe more than any true freshman I’ve ever had. It’s a credit to him. It’s a credit to Max Brosmer. It’s a credit to Coach Harbaugh, Coach Keegan. Watching those guys work closely together is impressive. I think he’s handling the offense really well, and again, Randy, 90% of it’s in, and it’s not a very simple offense. I mean, we’re talking syllables, long, long, long play calls, and checks, and plays at the line of scrimmage, and freedom to do it at times, sometimes not freedom to do it. He’s processing at a really high level as a redshirt freshman, but I don’t expect anything less, and that’s why we believe in him. That’s why I believe in all of our quarterbacks, and we have really, really high standards for what they do and how they perform.
On Drake’s comfort this summer into fall camp
Yeah, I think, you know, I don’t think comfort’s a great way to use with Drake because I don’t think he’s ever that way. I mean, the way he drives and challenges himself daily, he’s never comfortable, but I think there’s a clarity and a calmness that you see, and I think that’s really hard to find. That is really hard to develop. That’s really hard to create. I mean, that’s two years of work to create that, right? And we got a long way to go until we play Buffalo. We got to keep getting better, but there’s a lot of things that tested him today, and, you know, we didn’t show everything, and some things we did, and maybe it was the first time we ever did it for a lot of reasons, maybe the only time we’ve ever done it for a lot of reasons, but I think he’s handling it really well, and I think the team trusts him. Yeah, that’s a really good question. For us, we said that Big Ten Media Day, it’s not just about Drake. It’s about the supporting cast really performing at a high level because of the inexperience we have at quarterback. There are some inexperience at wideout, too, but they’ve got to elevate their game, tight end, running back, the O-line. We have playmakers at every position. They’ve got to elevate their game, and I was really impressed with that today, too. It’s hard after six days of what you have to come in here, lights on, fans here, Big Ten network here, stadium. You know, we’re 26 days out. I mean, that’s going to be here really quickly, so the faster we can put pressure on these guys in that environment, the better, and I like where we’re at at that position. It’s really competitive, but they’re multiplying each other. I mean, they really are. They don’t care who gets the credit. They all want it.
What has caught his eye about Matt Kingsbury?
Kingsbury is a football player. I mean, Dad played in the Big Ten. I mean, he’s as tough as they come. I mean, he reminds you of, you know, at Western Michigan, a Robert Spillane, here a Mariano Sori-Marin that just pinned their ears back and played football. I mean, he’s violent as he plays. He’s tough. He’s strong. He’s smart. He’s athletic. He’s one step ahead of people. He has no fear. I mean, he’s getting better by the day, but the whole room’s getting better. I mean, Devin Williams is challenging for that position, challenging Kingsbury. The room, because they’re multipliers, it’s all getting better. That competition with each other, it’s impressive, and everybody’s getting better every single day. I mean, they’re like gremlins, right? They’re, like, multiplying. Can’t feed them after midnight, right? Can’t get them water and can’t get them sunlight, right?
Did the defense or offense have an edge on Saturday?
I think it went back and forth, Randy, and as a head coach, I mean, I haven’t watched the film yet, but, you know, you’re still watching it in six days into camp. You know, you’re watching each. You’re not watching almost as a whole. You’re watching individual people to see how they perform in certain situations, but I thought they went back and forth, back and forth. You know, we held Devin out today. He’ll be back Monday. You know, Anthony got some reps. Sometimes he didn’t. You know, JLR got some reps. Sometimes he didn’t. I don’t think it’s a mystery. We’re pretty good with those three guys in there all the time, but it’s creating that depth around them, Jaylen Hicks, Riley Sunram. You got a chance to see them get some reps today. Steven Curtis, guys like that have, you know, really elevated their game. We’re going to get Rashawn back this week, too, so that’s going to really help us, too, so, you know, some bumps and bruises here and there, but for the most part, guys did a really good job taking care of their body and staying healthy, but I thought it went back and forth.
On Koi Perich handling his expanded role
He just told me, why didn’t he play so much? He just pulled me aside and goes, why didn’t I play very much? So, I mean, that’s how he’s handling it. I mean, if he had it his way, he would never come off this field, and that’s why I said at Big Time Media Day, it takes a really special person to do it, and it’s not just, okay, we’re just going to hand it to him one time. If you want to do it both ways, it’s got to be a fully committed player. Well, there’s nobody more committed than that kid, nobody more competitive than that kid and dedicated than that kid, so that’s how competitive he is. I thought he got plenty of reps and saw what we needed to see and do a lot, and plus this is, you know, six days of doing it over and over and over and over, and, you know, we’re not going to show everything. It’s a wide-open crowd, so everybody’s over there. Why didn’t he get more reps? You know, I mean, if he could play all 11 positions by himself, one guy, he would do it, and that’s just kind of, he thinks he can play them all, but I love that about him. You know, kick return, punt return. We didn’t put him back there today. He’s like, why didn’t I kick return, punt return? I said, don’t worry about it. We’ll talk about it later. You know, I mean, just that’s what I love about him. He just, he plays. I said, what’s the best thing about him? He plays. He wants to play. Doesn’t want to stop playing. Play. Keep playing. That’s what’s so fun about this team.
On Emmanuel Karmo’s versatility
He’s very multiple. He’s versatile. You can be really creative with him, but again, it’s still his true freshman year. You can’t overload him either. We haven’t talked about that right now. He’s on four special teams. We’re like, does he need to be on all four special teams? Where are we going to, after this first week, players usually tell us what they can handle, and then what we start doing is really listening to the tape for week two, and then you start directing your energy towards that. Then week three, you clean all that up, and then you get into game week. I mean, that’s really what you do. I mean, we really have about 10 days of real football with us before we actually start transitioning into a different period, but I think Coach Kane’s doing a great job with him. You know, Mariano’s doing a great job, but Coach Kane kind of takes him even after practice, a little before practice. You know, he’s kind of coaching him one-on-one here and there, really just making sure he gets every opportunity to get on the field, but he’s completely dedicated to the process and the journey, and it’s been fun to watch his growth. We’re seeing what he can do. We’re throwing a lot at him, a lot of different positions.
What did you see from your kickers today?
Great competition. You know, the guys are working really hard. Coach Ligashesky doing a great job with those guys. I mean, it’s very competitive every single day. Sometimes they have off days. They rotate days. Some days they kick on the same day. I thought they had some really good competition here. Plus, it was great. I mean, you know, the football people above us are really helping us with a little bit of wind, change throughout the practice. It was about 15 miles an hour, some gusts, some no gusts. I mean, it was a typical Huntington Bank day, so it was good for them to get over here and kick in that.
On Christian Driver
Christian’s a really good kid. He works really hard, and again, that whole wide-out room is multipliers. You know, I mean, he comes from, obviously, a big-time football family, but what I love about Christian is he wants to create his own path. You know, he respects his dad, respects his dad’s career, and you know his name, and everybody does, right? But he’s his own person, and he wants to create his own path in football and his own legacy. I mean, he just got married, you know, and I think that’s really cool, so really proud of him and happy for him, and, you know, that whole room is pretty close.
What has he seen from the new faces on the team?
Well, I mean, everybody wants reps, so you get some reps, and they got some reps. They’re getting reps a lot. They’re getting a lot of reps, but I think that, you know, they’re learning on the fly. The best part about getting people better is the actual doing it, and I think that’s what, you know, we’re able to do in this camp more than any other camp is they’re getting way more reps. We got some guys up front that have played a lot of football for us. There’s some things we got to find out about some guys, but we’re playing a lot of football with our twos and threes, and that’s nothing bad about, hey, they’re twos and threes. They’re just the next ones, and we got to develop that. When you have a developmental program, you got to develop your talent. Well, you don’t develop your talent unless you’re playing your talent, and that’s what we’re doing.
What went into him signing the new extension?
Just really honored to be at the University of Minnesota. Really honored that Rebecca Cunningham and our board and Mark Coyle like what we do. You know, I mean, you don’t give yourself an extension. I’m really grateful and humble that people that are in charge of what we do and if they want to do that or not said, we like what you’re doing on and off the field. We like what your staff is doing. We like what your players do, and we want to see that more, and we want to see that longer. I don’t ever take that for granted. This is a wonderful place to be. It’s a wonderful place to live. I can’t wait for our students to be here very soon in a few weeks. I mean, that’s going to be awesome once we get our new freshmen and all the students back, but it’s a blessing every single day. Being head coach at Minnesota is a blessing, and being in the Big Ten is a blessing. That’s not a burden. That is a blessing, and I’m very honored to do it and really grateful that the people like the job we’re doing, and as we continue to raise our standards and expectation here, it’s nice to know people believe in you, so.
