Latest news with #PJ_Fleck
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
PJ Fleck, Minnesota Gophers Land No. 1 In-State Recruit (Again)
Those who follow college football have seen the yearly talent acquisition process completely overhauled in the last five years. Long gone are the days where bringing in new talent revolves almost solely on convincing top high school talents to take a scholarship at your university vs hundreds of other FBS programs There's no arguing that high school recruiting has taken a backseat to the portal in modern day college football. But that doesn't mean recruiting top high schoolers isn't crucial to building a sustainable program. Advertisement Satellite camps are still held on campuses throughout the country throughout the offseason and coaches still travel from coast-to-coast throughout the year, meeting with high schoolers they are interested in. At the end of the day — transfer portal or not — you can't make a good college athlete without playing high school first. Minnesota Gophers land No. 1 in-state recruit, Roman Voss Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images But on Monday, they got their biggest commitment of the class, in Top 150 4-star recruit out of Jackson, MN, Roman Voss (ATH), who verbally committed to the Minnesota Gophers at 5 PM CDT, as scheduled. The 6-4, 225 lb high school junior told Ryan Burns (247Sports) that he committed is staying home because of PJ Fleck and his coaching staff and the work they have put in to build a relationship with him going back to middle school. 'They were my first ever offer, and they've been recruiting me the longest,' Voss explained as to why he ultimately chose Minnesota over Alabama. 'And I just have a very, very good connection with tight ends coach Eric Koehler. I mean, that's my guy. I love him. He loves me. And I think we have a really, really good connection. I think we're going to do special things at Minnesota.' Roman Voss (via 247Sports) The ability to hit the transfer portal and be granted immediate eligibility with your new school has changed the game. Toss in the ability to make hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on the school's financial wherewithal and player's talent level, college football is now a second-tier professional football league. Advertisement And for now, it's a league made up of one-year handshake contracts that may or may not be legally binding. Not only has the new landscape affected teams through the transfer portal, but it has made keeping top commits even more difficult. What are the Gophers getting in Roman Voss When Burns asked Voss whether or not he will hold his commitment through the end of the year, when National Letters of Intent are signed, the hometown kid made it clear that he has zero intentions on changing his mind, saying, 'I'm now 100% committed'. Voss — who played QB in high school — also confirmed in interviews with top recruiting sites that he is committed to the Minnesota Gophers as a tight end. He told Burns that the Gophers have a nice offensive package they've presented to him that includes plenty of time lined up out wide, and even some time as a wildcat QB. Not only did he choose Minnesota over Alabama, but he also held offers from Auburn, Cal, Iowa, Iowa State, Illinois, Miami, Wisconsin, USC and Oklahoma (among others). For yet another recruiting class, PJ Fleck what many thought not that long ago was impossible. Advertisement As long as his commitment holds, Voss will join the last two top in-state high school recruits in Dinkytown. Koi Perich committed/signed in 2024 and 2023 top in-state recruit Jaxon Howard transferred back home following one homesick year at LSU. At this point in history, collegiate sports are run by the transfer portal and NIL money. Rarely can incoming freshman make an immediate impact at the college level. But Perich proved last year that staying home can help make that immediate impact dream come true too. Local or not, Fleck is reeling in the talent But whether these kids make the trip then, or another time during the summer, the point is to show off the Land of 10,000 Lakes when it can be appreciated most. After the Voss commit, the Minnesota Gophers' 2026 class now ranks 14th in the country. Advertisement New commits like Ryan Estrada (RB) and Trason Richardson (S) are from Texas. Josiah Anyansi (DL) is out of Cali. Others hail from Missouri and Ohio, which I promise have much different winters than Minnesota. These are recruits who committed this month, alone. 2026 Commit Pos Hometown Rating (247) Howie Johnson DL Forest Lake, MN 4-Star (90 OVR) Ryan Estrada RB El Paso, TX 3-Star (88 OVR) Gabe Weaver TE St. Louis, MO 3-Star (88 OVR) Jordan Lampkins S Bolingbrook, IL 3-Star (87 OVR) Lucas Tielsch OT Akron, OH 3-Star (86 OVR) Trason Richardson S Rosharon, TX 3-Star (85 OVR) Josiah Anyansi DL Murrieta, CA 3-Star (85 OVR) Jeremiah Benson DL West Bloomfield, MI 3-Star (84 OVR) Related Headlines
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Gophers Secure P.J. Fleck for the Long Run
The Minnesota Gophers football team has seen one of the best recruiting cycles in recent memory. Not only has head coach P.J. Fleck kept in-state talent home, but he has done a great job bring talent to Dinkytown. Minnesota has an important season ahead of them in that the schedule sets up favorably. They could be a dark horse not only in the Big Ten, but may play their way into national relevance as well. Advertisement P.J. Fleck has been a solidifying force for the program since taking over, and now he's destined to last a bit longer. Related Headlines P.J. Fleck gets an extension with Minnesota Gophers Although P.J. Fleck wasn't heading towards contract uncertainty, athletic director Mark Coyle tacked on another year of security for his head football coach. The new extension keeps Fleck with the Minnesota Gophers at least through the 2030 season. 'Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck will get a one-year contract extension with increased retention bonuses, pending approval at the next Board of Regents meeting July 11…Under the new deal, Fleck's salary would remain $6 million, but he would receive a $1 million retention bonus after Year 1 and $1.6 million after Year 6. All told, Fleck's new deal would pay him an additional $2.3 million in retention bonuses. The university said Fleck's deal, including the retention bonuses, would rank tied for 11th in total salary out of 18 Big Ten football head coaches.' Joe Christensen – Star Tribune Fleck took over the Minnesota program in 2017 after spending four years as the head coach of Western Michigan. In eight years with the Gophers he owns a 97-58 (.598) record. He has taken the Gophers to six bowl games and has wins in all of them. Advertisement The Minnesota Gophers football program has struggled to remain relevant in previous decades, but Fleck has been a stabilizing force for the university. It's something that athletic director Mark Coyle also noted when talking about the impending extension. 'P.J. has consistently recruited and coached teams that Minnesotans can be proud of on and off the field. The program has produced record GPAs and 10 Academic All-Americans under Fleck, and his teams have won a consistent level not seen in more than 75 years. He has added significant value to the University, its student athletes and all of Minnesota. It is critical that we keep him.' Mark Coyle – Star Tribune This current run has consistently resulted in multiple NFL draft picks. Fleck has proven an ability to develop top-tier talent and good men. That was on display during the recent Minnesota Gophers pro day. Related: Max Brosmer Already Turning Heads Inside MN Vikings Organization The university is certainly bought into the 'Row the Boat' mantra, and is looking forward to having their leader around for the long haul. Advertisement Related Headlines
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Alabama loses 4-star ATH race to surprise Big Ten challenger
The post Alabama loses 4-star ATH race to surprise Big Ten challenger appeared first on ClutchPoints. Alabama football lost out on landing a marquee four-star offensive weapon to the Big Ten Monday. Ohio State, Michigan, or Penn State would be the victors here in any other college football recruiting period. But instead a surprise Big Ten challenger beat out 'Bama. Advertisement Big 6-foot-4, 225-pound talent Roman Voss chose Minnesota over Alabama. Hayes Fawcett of On3 confirmed the Crimson Tide lost out on landing the offensive star. He becomes a brand-new recruiting loss for Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer and his coaching staff. But he rises as a major recruiting win for Golden Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck for this reason: Voss is the No. 1 prospect in the state of Minnesota per On3. He stars for Jackson County Central Senior High School. He's also the state's top talent per 247Sports. Fleck lands a pivotal recruiting win here for his Golden Gophers team. The combination of assistant coaches Eric Koehler and Greg Harbaugh Jr. completes the recruitment of Voss. Alabama vs. Big Ten fielding wild recruiting results Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images DeBoer and his Tide football team have witnessed a mixture of wins and losses recruiting wise. But they have collected the former against some Big Ten competition. Advertisement Voss to Minnesota rises as a brand new loss. Especially considering how rare it is for the Golden Gophers to beat Alabama for a four-star talent. Although Alabama delivered luck against another Big Ten opponent. DeBoer and Alabama managed to flip four-star Illinois commit Javari Barnett Monday. The move adds a needed running back of the future in Tuscaloosa. Barnett previously chose the Fighting Illini back in April. But 'Bama raided another Big Ten school's 2026 recruiting class on Monday as well. Alabama grabbed former Rutgers safety commit Rihyael Kelley. That's not all. Michigan lost its grip on four-star defensive lineman JJ Finch to the Crimson Tide. That move arrived Sunday. Advertisement 'Bama has began to climb into the top 30 in the national recruiting rankings. They now sit at 28th with 10 verbal commitments. Half chose the Tide during the month of June. Related: Michael Vick talks BET docuseries, if he ever wanted to attend Norfolk State Related: Nebraska lands 3-star 'Terminator' over Michigan State, Syracuse
