Is Gopher Football Head Coach PJ Fleck Set to Leave Minnesota?
The Golden Gophers 2021 football season is only two games old but there are rumors that head coach PJ Fleck might be leaving Minnesota.
Will the University of Minnesota soon have to look for a new admiral to help the Golden Gophers football team row its boat? Maybe... if you believe the rumors being bandied about by several national college football sites.
Here's what has stirred up all the controversy-- if you can even call it that-- right now: It seems that the University of Southern California (USC) fired Clay Helton, their head football coach earlier this week. And whose name has jumped to the top of the list of potential replacements to lead the Trojans football program?
You guessed it, Minnesota's own P.J. Fleck.
Several national college football websites have Fleck's name listed as one of the top candidates to potentially move west and trade in his Minnesota maroon and gold for USC's cardinal red and gold. According to BringMeTheNews, college site BetOnline has Fleck at the top of the list of possible replacements at USC:
Fleck's current odds at +650 are above other top college coaches such as Iowa State's Matt Campbell (+750), Oregon's Mario Cristobal (+900) and Cincinnati's Luke Fickell (+750).
Fleck has popped up as an attractive candidate because in the four years he's helmed the Golden Gophers, he's posted a 27-20 record, a marked improvement in a program that had been previously underperforming.
But didn't Fleck recently sign a contract extension to stay at the U of M? Well, yes he did, after the 2019 season. Technically, he's contractually obligated to Minnesota through 2024, but as BringMeTheNews pointed out, it's not set in stone. And a program with a lot of money behind it (like USC) could likely afford to buy out his contract with the Gophers.
Fleck is already the highest-paid employee at the U of M, making a cool $4.75 million a year to lead the football program here in Minnesota. But he'd likely be in line to make more than that at USC. So far, though, there's been no official word from either Fleck or the Gophers.
Speaking of that $4.75 million dollar salary, you'd pretty much HAVE to make that much money to afford to buy THIS house-- it's the most expensive home in Minnesota, after all. Keep scrolling to check out the amazing pictures!
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