In an era of turnover, P.J. Fleck stands out as a model of stability
On Sunday afternoon, the Penn State Nittany Lions administration decided to part ways with long-time head coach James Franklin after parts of 12 seasons. It was a decision that came just three weeks after Penn State was ranked the No. 2 team in the country and less than a season after having the Nittany Lions one drive, perhaps even one play away from competing for a national championship.
Nonetheless, the decision has been made, and the Nittany Lions will now look to start anew.
It’s a decision that once again shows the cutthroat nature of college football and how stability in the sport is rarer than ever.
Amid college football’s near constant turnover, P.J. Fleck and Minnesota have provided a model of stability.
With the firing of Franklin, Fleck has now moved up another rung on the Big Ten stability ladder. The Gophers’ leader is now the second-longest tenured head coach in the Big Ten, and the 16th-longest tenured head coach in college football. The only Big Ten coach with his program longer is Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, who has been in Iowa City since 1999.
Other Power Four coaches with longer tenure than Fleck include Utah’s Kyle Whittingham, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney, NC State’s Dave Doeren, Kentucky’s Mark Stoops, Pittsburgh’s Pat Narduzzi, Georgia’s Kirby Smart, and Iowa State’s Matt Campbell.
It’s an impressive accomplishment for Fleck, who, when he took over the Minnesota football program in 2017, was inheriting a program with a rich history but one that struggled to find sustained success and stability.
From 2006 through 2016, Minnesota employed four full-time head coaches and five total if you count the five-game stint that Jeff Horton led the program as its interim head coach in 2010.
Under Fleck, the Gophers have achieved at least six wins in six of his previous eight seasons, and seven non-COVID seasons. His .602 winning percentage is the highest winning percentage of any Minnesota head coach since 1950 and the fourth best for a coach who has five or more seasons with the program behind Henry Williams (.786), Clarence Spears (.738), and Bernie Bierman (.716).
The Gophers have made bowl games in four straight seasons, and six-straight full seasons, not counting the 2020 COVID season. If the Gophers can win two of their last six games of the 2025 season, they’ll tie a program record of five straight bowl games, last accomplished between 2013 and 2017.
There’s little doubt that P.J. Fleck is one of the better coaches in college football, and one who can squeeze every last ounce of potential out of his program and the resources provided. While Minnesota is not a college football powerhouse under Fleck, the program is one of the best models of consistency in today’s game.
Fleck’s key to success
For Fleck, wins matter, but once you spend five minutes with Fleck or even just watch one interview, it’s clear what truly drives him is the process. He doesn’t see himself as just a college football coach whose sole responsibility is to win games. He sees himself a molder of young men, helping them grow into the best versions of themselves academically, socially, and spiritually.
In many ways, he’s a throwback to the earlier days of college football, when coaches valued athletic and personal development much more than the dollars that come with it.
“This is a transformational program,” Fleck said in August about his program, the term “transformational program” being a frequent phrase of his whenever asked about his program.
“In every area that we could possibly be, academically, athletically, socially, and spiritually. We value the person, right, from the tip of their head to the end of their toes, and everything included, and we value that entire person,” he continued.
Fleck and his staff are also selective about who they bring into the program. The prospects that Fleck and his program recruit have to be the right fit, and the Minnesota program isn’t the right fit for everyone.
That approach on the recruiting trail is a major reason why the Gophers have been able to build a stable and successful culture under Fleck. The expectations for each player are clear from the moment they commit to the program, and those expectations, especially from an academic and athletic standpoint, won’t change at any time during that player’s time with the program.
“We’re gonna find the right families who value what we value,” Fleck said in August when asked about maintaining culture in the modern NIL era. “Doesn’t mean money’s not important. Money’s really important. But if it’s the number one thing you value, it’ll be what you do everything for, and sooner or later, that’s gonna leave you empty.”
“We want to be able to fulfill these players,” he added.
“I think that’s what makes our program special for people that fit it: even in this NIL world and this pay-for-play world, we might not have the highest budget everybody has, but we can retain players because they value the experience, the life experience they’re going to have.”
For Minnesota as a program, that culture has translated into sustained success not seen in decades.
This season, the Gophers are off to a 4–2 start, including a perfect 4–0 record at Huntington Bank Stadium. This past weekend, they rallied from a double-digit deficit for the second time in three weeks, erasing an early 10–0 hole against Purdue to win 27–20.
Now, Fleck and his team will turn their attention to the Nebraska Cornhuskers (5–1, 2–1) for a short-week matchup Friday night.
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