P.J. Fleck
P.J. Fleck went 100–68 as a head coach, 2013–2026, at Western Michigan and Minnesota. Share
- Record
- 100–68 career
- Seasons
- 14
- Schools
- 2
- Final AP top 10
- 1 season
- Born
- Nov 29, 1980
- Best season
- 2019 11–2, No. 10
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Western Michigan | 1–11 | T–5th (West) | |||
| 2014 | Western Michigan | 8–5 | 3rd (West) | Famous Idaho Potato Bowl L | ||
| 2015 | Western Michigan | 8–5 | T–1st (West) | Bahamas Bowl W | ||
| 2016 | Western Michigan | 13–1 | 1st (West) | Cotton Bowl L | 15 | |
| 2017 | Minnesota | 5–7 | 6th (West) | |||
| 2018 | Minnesota | 7–6 | T–5th (West) | Quick Lane Bowl W | ||
| 2019 | Minnesota | 11–2 | T–1st (West) | Outback Bowl W | 10 | |
| 2020 | Minnesota | 3–4 | 4th (West) | |||
| 2021 | Minnesota | 9–4 | T–2nd | Guaranteed Rate Bowl W | ||
| 2022 | Minnesota | 9–4 | T–2nd | Pinstripe Bowl W | ||
| 2023 | Minnesota | 6–7 | T–4th | Quick Lane Bowl W | ||
| 2024 | Minnesota | 8–5 | T–7th | Duke’s Mayo Bowl W | ||
| 2025 | Minnesota | 8–5 | T–7th | Rate Bowl W | ||
| 2026 | Minnesota | 4–2 |
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
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Every player from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 31 | 8–23 | 26% |
| Against top-10 teams | 13 | 2–11 | 15% |
| Against rivals | 46 | 23–23 | 50% |
| Conference games | 114 | 62–52 | 54% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 10 | 8–2 | 80% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 58 | 35–23 | 60% |
| At home | 85 | 56–29 | 66% |
| On the road | 71 | 35–36 | 49% |
| At neutral sites | 12 | 9–3 | 75% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 99 | 74–25 | 75% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 69 | 26–43 | 38% |
His own 168 games on file, 2013–2026, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kirk Ferentz 2013–2025 | 1–9 | Iowa | 10 | |
| Pat Fitzgerald 2013–2022 | 4–3 | Northwestern | 7 | |
| Jeff Brohm 2017–2022 | 4–2 | Purdue | 6 | |
| Paul Chryst 2016–2021 | 2–4 | Wisconsin | 6 | |
| Lovie Smith 2016–2020 | 4–1 | Illinois | 5 | |
| Chris Creighton 2014–2023 | 4–0 | Eastern Michigan | 4 | |
| Chuck Martin 2014–2021 | 4–0 | Miami (OH) | 4 | |
| Pete Lembo 2013–2025 | 3–1 | Ball State, Buffalo | 4 | |
| Scott Frost 2018–2021 | 3–1 | Nebraska | 4 | |
| Mike Locksley 2019–2024 | 3–1 | Maryland | 4 |
P.J. Fleck’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Wisconsinseries | 10 | 5–5 |
| Purdueseries | 10 | 5–5 |
| Iowaseries | 10 | 1–9 |
| Illinoisseries | 9 | 5–4 |
| Northwesternseries | 9 | 4–5 |
| Nebraskaseries | 8 | 7–1 |
| Marylandseries | 6 | 3–3 |
| Michigan Stateseries | 6 | 3–3 |
How he was hired
- Hired by Minnesota for the 2017 season from Western Michigan, where he was head coach.
Power-conference head-coaching hires since 2010, with each coach’s previous job and ties to the school as collected by hand from Wikipedia: Hiring facts: M. Schuckers, cfb_coach_analytics.
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Ohio State | Graduate assistant | |
| 2007–08 | Northern Illinois | Wide receivers coach | |
| 2009 | Northern Illinois | Wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator | |
| 2010–11 | Rutgers | Wide receivers coach | |
| 2012 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL | Wide receivers coach | |
| 2013–16 | Western Michigan | Head coach | |
| 2017–present | Minnesota | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Jim TresselOhio State
- Joe NovakNorthern Illinois
- Jerry KillNorthern Illinois
- Greg SchianoRutgers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Assistants who became head coaches
- Charles HuffMarshall, Southern Miss, Memphis
- David DugganCologne Centurions
- Kenni BurnsKent State
- Ed WarinnerAvila
- Maurice LinguistBuffalo
- Norries WilsonColumbia
- Clay PattersonNortheastern Oklahoma A&M
- Joe HarasymiakMassachusetts, Maine
- Mike Sanford Jr.Western Kentucky, Colorado
- Paul HaynesKent State
- Eric KoehlerWartburg
- Daniel Da PratoSouth Florida
- and 2 more
Worked under (4)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Tressel | Ohio State | 2006 | Graduate assistant | |
| Joe Novak | Northern Illinois | 2007 | Wide receivers coach | |
| Jerry Kill | Northern Illinois | 2008–09 | 2008: wide receivers coach; 2009: wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator | |
| Greg Schiano | Rutgers | 2010–11 | Wide receivers coach | |
| Greg Schiano | Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL | 2012 | Wide receivers coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (14)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Huff | Western Michigan, 2013: running backs coach | Marshall, Southern Miss, Memphis | |
| David Duggan | Western Michigan, 2016: linebackers coach | Cologne Centurions | |
| Kenni Burns | Western Michigan, 2016: running backs coach; Minnesota, 2017–18: running backs coach; 2019–22: assistant head coach and running backs coach | Kent State | |
| Ed Warinner | Minnesota, 2017: offensive line coach and running game coordinator | Avila | |
| Maurice Linguist | Minnesota, 2017: defensive backs coach | Buffalo | |
| Norries Wilson | Minnesota, 2017–26: doPD | Columbia | |
| Clay Patterson | Minnesota, 2018–21: tight ends coach | Northeastern Oklahoma A&M | |
| Joe Harasymiak | Minnesota, 2019: safeties coach; 2020–21: co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach | Massachusetts, Maine | |
| Mike Sanford Jr. | Minnesota, 2020–21: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | Western Kentucky, Colorado | |
| Paul Haynes | Minnesota, 2020–21: cornerbacks coach; 2022: co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach | Kent State | |
| Eric Koehler | Minnesota, 2023: offensive assistant; 2024–26: tight ends coach | Wartburg | |
| Daniel Da Prato | Minnesota, 2026: special teams coach | South Florida | |
| Mike Shula | Minnesota, 2026: senior offensive assistant | Alabama | |
| Steve Stanard | Minnesota, 2026: rush ends | Nebraska Wesleyan |
Other assistants under him (20)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Ed Pinkham | Western Michigan, 2013–16: defensive coordinator | |
| Kirk Ciarrocca | Western Michigan, 2013–16: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach; Minnesota, 2017–19, 2022: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Luke Getsy | Western Michigan, 2013: wide receivers coach | |
| Tim McGarigle | Western Michigan, 2013: linebackers coach; 2014–15: linebackers coach and running game coordinator | |
| Matt Simon | Western Michigan, 2014–16: wide receivers coach; Minnesota, 2017–18: wide receivers coach; 2018: interim offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach; 2019: passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach; 2020–25: co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach | |
| Steve Shimko | Western Michigan, 2014: recruiting operations | |
| Greg Harbaugh | Western Michigan, 2015–16: graduate assistant; Minnesota, 2017, 2019: quality control coach; 2022: tight ends coach; 2023–24: co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach; 2025–26: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| Joe Rossi | Minnesota, 2017: quality control coach; 2018: defensive line coach; 2018: interim defensive coordinator and linebackers coach; 2019–23: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| Robb Smith | Minnesota, 2017–18: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| Jahmile Addae | Minnesota, 2018: defensive backs coach | |
| Marcus West | Minnesota, 2018: defensive line pass rush specialist | |
| Chad Wilt | Minnesota, 2020–21: defensive line coach | |
| Brick Haley | Minnesota, 2022: defensive line coach | |
| Nick Monroe | Minnesota, 2023–26: co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach | |
| Corey Hetherman | Minnesota, 2024: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| Danny Collins | Minnesota, 2025–26: defensive coordinator | |
| Kevin Kane | Minnesota, 2025: outside linebackers coach and nickels | |
| Matt Limegrover | Minnesota, 2025–26: assistant offensive line | |
| Bryan Nardo | Minnesota, 2026: outside linebackers coach and n | |
| Isaac Fruechte | Minnesota, 2026: wide receivers coach |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Pay
| Year | School | Job | Contract pay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Minnesota | head coachbonuses up to $900,000; buyout $9,583,333 | $3,500,000 USA Today | |
| 2016 | Western Michigan | head coachbonuses up to $336,000; $128,500 in bonuses paid | $820,360 USA Today | |
| 2015 | Western Michigan | head coachbonuses up to $336,000; $78,750 in bonuses paid | $802,500 USA Today | |
| 2014 | Western Michigan | head coachbonuses up to $236,000 | $392,500 USA Today |
USA Today’s coaches salary database (2014–17, from public-records requests to the schools; Rachel Ehlers’ copy): the season’s contract pay, school pay plus outside money, before bonuses.
Pay of public employees in their public job only: head coaches, and assistants in the seasons our records name them a coordinator, at public universities.
How he coached
Fleck’s teams went for it on 18% of fourth downs and on 33% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 44% of plays and took 28.4 seconds a play, 2013–2026.
| Season | School | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 12 g | Western Michigan | 22 of 118 19% | 29% | 54% | 19.6 | −0.09 | |
| 2014 12 g | Western Michigan | 11 of 74 15% | 29% | 44% | 28.4 | +0.12 | |
| 2015 12 g | Western Michigan | 21 of 78 27% | 39% | 47% | 27.9 | +0.18 | |
| 2016 14 g | Western Michigan | 17 of 82 21% | 38% | 39% | 27.6 | +0.24 | |
| 2017 12 g | Minnesota | 13 of 99 13% | 25% | 34% | 28.6 | −0.08 | |
| 2018 13 g | Minnesota | 20 of 94 21% | 35% | 43% | 27.9 | +0.02 | |
| 2019 13 g | Minnesota | 20 of 74 27% | 59% | 40% | 29.8 | +0.17 | |
| 2020 7 g | Minnesota | 13 of 45 29% | 42% | 41% | 29.6 | +0.12 | |
| 2021 13 g | Minnesota | 16 of 89 18% | 34% | 32% | 31.5 | +0.06 | |
| 2022 13 g | Minnesota | 11 of 77 14% | 30% | 35% | 30.8 | +0.09 | |
| 2023 13 g | Minnesota | 16 of 107 15% | 31% | 41% | 29.4 | −0.05 | |
| 2024 13 g | Minnesota | 14 of 92 15% | 27% | 54% | 29.3 | +0.03 | |
| 2025 12 g | Minnesota | 12 of 90 13% | 28% | 55% | 28.5 | 0.00 | |
| 2026 6 g | Minnesota | 8 of 46 17% | 32% | 56% | 30.3 | −0.02 | |
| All 165 g | 214 of 1165 18% | 33% | 44% | 28.4 | +0.06 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.