Minnesota is reportedly going after Western Michigan head coach P.J. Fleck, according to multiple reports. Former Gophers head coach Tracy Claeys was fired from Minnesota after his support of a player boycott over a series of player suspensions.
P.J. Fleck and Les Miles are Minnesota’s top head coach targets, according to reports
Tracy Claeys was fired on Monday evening.
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Fleck met with Minnesota officials on Thursday evening.
The University of Minnesota was closing in on a deal to bring Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck to the Gophers on Thursday night, with an eye toward a Friday announcement, but the contract had yet to be finalized, according to people familiar with the situation.
SI’s Pete Thamel adds that the hire is “expected” to happen.
There are reports that indicate Fleck has been Minnesota’s guy since Claeys’ firing.
However, there was later a conflicting report to the Star Tribune that a deal with Fleck and Minnesota was in place.
Fleck, who just completed his fourth season as WMU’s head coach, guided the Broncos from a 1-11 campaign in his 2013 debut to back-to-back 8-5 marks in 2014 and 2015. WMU made the Cotton Bowl this season and lost to Wisconsin 24-16, finishing with a 13-1 record.
The Star Tribune adds that if the deal with Fleck does not go through, Minnesota is prepared to go with former LSU head coach Les Miles as a backup plan. Miles was fired from LSU last September after a loss to Auburn that brought the Tigers to 2-2 by Week 4.
Former LSU coach Les Miles flew to Minnesota on Wednesday and had meetings with university officials that stretched into Thursday.
By Thursday night, signs pointed toward the Gophers hiring Fleck, but Miles loomed as a legitimate fallback option.
Miles went 114-34 as LSU’s head coach, and won the school’s third national title in 2007.
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