P.J. Fleck, Minnesota Agree to 7-Year Contract Extension Through 2028

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

Minnesota Golden Gophers head football coach P.J. Fleck is staying put.

Minnesota announced Wednesday it has agreed to a seven-year contract extension with the coach that runs through the 2028 campaign.

Fleck released a statement:

“This is home. Our family loves it here and we are excited to continue this journey at the University of Minnesota. From day one, we talked about cultural sustainability and how important it is to building a successful football program and life program. Today is another step in that process, and this new contract is a commitment to our elite staff and the entire state of Minnesota. Heather and I are so thankful to our staff, Mark Coyle, President Joan Gabel and the Board of Regents for trusting us to lead this program. Our goal is to recruit and coach at an elite level and to have our young people achieve academic, athletic, social and spiritual excellence. It’s a tremendous honor to lead this program, and we will continue to work to build a culture that connects the entire state.”

The school’s announcement pointed to the coach’s accomplishments since he took over the program in 2017.

He is sixth in school history with 32 wins and third with a .603 winning percentage among coaches with at least 45 games. He won the Big Ten Coach of the Year Award in 2019 when he led the Golden Gophers to 11 wins, their most since 1904.

Fleck was at Western Michigan for four seasons before starting his Minnesota tenure and finished with a 30-22 record and three bowl game appearances. The Broncos went 13-1 during the 2016 campaign and reached the Cotton Bowl.

Minnesota is 32-21 under his guidance and reached the Quick Lane Bowl in 2018 and the Outback Bowl in 2019. It capped the 11-win 2019 season with a victory over Auburn in the bowl game.

The Golden Gophers are once again in position to be a factor in the late portion of the season at 6-2.

They are 4-1 in conference play and control their destiny in the Big Ten West standings. If they win out, they will have a high-profile showdown against Ohio State, Michigan State or Michigan in the Big Ten title game and could shake up the College Football Playoff race.