Instead of digs, Athlon’s anonymous coach praises Gophers’ P.J. Fleck

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The anonymity Athlon Sports grants to a Big Ten assistant coach in its annual preview magazine often leads to at least one jab at the Gophers head coach.

Not this year.

“It’s funny because P.J. Fleck’s thing is ‘Row the Boat,’ which is so fitting for them because in college football, whether the decision is right or wrong, as long as everybody is in it together, you’re usually gonna do something good. That’s what they are.”

OK, well, that’s maybe not the most ringing endorsement ever, but it acknowledges things are working in Minnesota. The anonymous assistant effectively tips his hat to the Gophers’ run of results — consecutive 8-5 records in 2024 and ’25, with 5-4 marks in the Big Ten both seasons. They have finished in the top half of the conference despite payments to players registering in the bottom half.

“They’re so consistent. I would anticipate them staying at the level they’ve been at, probably not competing for the conference. I wouldn’t call them a dark horse. They won’t be in the bottom half (of the Big Ten).”

Athlon’s paragraph worth of (more) candor often comes with speculation on Fleck taking another job — like UCLA in 2024, for example. Or last year when the assistant said, “it’s no secret Fleck wants to be at a high-end, title-contending program.”

Not this year.

That doesn’t mean the magazine’s sources have gone soft. One Big Ten assistant didn’t expect Wisconsin to stick with head Luke Fickell after a 4-8 season, which included a 2-7 mark in conference play.

“Truthfully, I was surprised that both Wisconsin and Maryland decided to run it back with their head coaches. I wasn’t really impressed with either one of those teams. It almost felt like they didn’t really know who the next (coach) was going to be, so they decided that they’d rather have a year to prepare for a move like that.”

The anonymous assistant praised the Gophers on one topic in particular.

“They evaluate really well. They’re just like Illinois. Their GM (Gerrit Chernoff) is awesome. They have a really, really good personnel staff (with director Marcus Hendrickson). They know exactly what their wheelhouse is and they strike really well in it.”

The Gophers’ 2026 recruiting class slotted 28th in the nation, per the 247Sports composite ranking — a program high under Fleck. Minnesota’s 2027 class is currently ranked 13th in the nation, but that lofty spot also has a lot to do with the U jumping out to an early lead with 27 total commitments.

The breakdown from the Athlon source didn’t mention Gophers’ redshirt sophomore starting quarterback Drake Lindsey, who is back after posting a 126.8 rating (93rd in nation) during his first season as a starter. The mag’s sources did question the U’s rival QBs.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have a program-record 16 players out of the transfer portal. Two years ago, they added Jeremy Hecklinski from Wake Forest. He has attempted only two collegiate passes, both last year in a 37-0 win at Wisconsin.

“I heard that at Wake Forest, Jeremy Hecklinski struggled a bit there. Struggled to put on weight, struggled to buy into the intensity of college football a bit. I’m interested to see how he progresses at Iowa.”

The Wisconsin Badgers are turning to a transfer quarterback for a fourth straight season with Old Dominion QB Colton Joseph the next man up.

“They scored 81 points in nine conference games. I don’t care who your quarterback is. That speaks to a lot of bigger issues than just the quarterback position. There are teams in the conference who could not throw a single pass and score more than nine points per game. It also speaks to, defensively, your ability to make turnovers, and special teams, your ability to make kicks. I thought it was a whole package thing.”

The Gophers will host Iowa on Oct. 24 and travel to Wisconsin on Black Friday, Nov. 27. The U’s season opener is against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 3 and an intriguing nonconference game against Mississippi State comes to Huntington Bank Stadium on Sept. 12.

The Bulldogs improved from 2-10 (0-8 in Southeastern Conference) in 2024 to 5-8 (1-7) in head coach Joe Lebby’s second season in 2025. The defense was brutal two years ago, but improved under coordinator Zach Arnett last fall. And their quarterback may be special.

“(Kamario Taylor) is a phenom. He’s athletically gifted. He can do a lot of things for them this year, not only with his arm, but also with his feet. He can keep plays alive, which turn into big plays.” 

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