P.J. Fleck is about to start Year 10 at Minnesota, and he isn’t hiding how he feels about it.
At Wednesday’s local media day on campus, with fall camp just about a week away and a select group of Gophers headed to Big Ten Media Days, Fleck made it clear he still sees the job as a special one.
"I have the best job in the world," Fleck said.
Minnesota is coming off an 8-5 season and a 5-4 finish in Big Ten play, and Fleck’s overall run with the program now sits at 66-44. That includes a 39-40 mark in conference games and a spotless 7-0 record in bowl games, with the Gophers winning five straight.
This year’s roster looks different in some ways, but the program has also managed to hold onto a core that matters. In a college football landscape defined by NIL and the transfer portal, Fleck said Minnesota has kept much of its top talent together. The Gophers are the only Big Ten team to return their head coach, both coordinators and their quarterback.
There are 50 newcomers on the 2026 roster, including 31 high school players and 19 transfers. Offensively, the focus starts with Drake Lindsey, Greg Johnson and Ashton Beers up front, Darius Taylor at running back and Jalen Smith at wide receiver. On defense, Anthony Smith leads the line, with Jaxon Howard, Maverick Baranowski at linebacker and John Nestor in the secondary among the key names.
Fleck said the makeup of the roster matters just as much as the talent.
"I love the vibe of this football team. What works here is if money is part of the equation and it’s not the only equation." Fleck said.
The biggest buzz around the Gophers centers on Lindsey, who is back as the starting quarterback for the first time in several years. Some around the program are even talking about him as a potential first-round NFL Draft pick, possibly in the 2027 draft.
That kind of attention comes after Lindsey went 8-5 as a starter last season. He threw for 2,382 yards, 18 touchdowns and six interceptions. If that draft chatter ever turns real, it would almost certainly mean Minnesota outperformed expectations.
For now, Fleck says Lindsey isn’t chasing any of it.
"I’m not sure if we’ve ever had that type of buzz with the quarterback in a long time here. But it’s just that, buzz. Drake’s not focused on that, that’s what’s great about it," Fleck said.
Lindsey echoed that mindset, saying he’s keeping his attention on the people around him rather than the noise outside the program.
"I’m ultimately just focused on my guys. I think when you start putting your head in those areas, I don’t think you’re the person and player you want to be. I’m focused on my teammates, coaches, being the best leader I can for them and I think ultimately everything will handle itself," Lindsey said.
Minnesota opens the 2026 season at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, against Eastern Illinois at Huntington Bank Stadium.
In Other News...
Gophers Just Sent A Clear Message In The New Big Ten Era
The first year of NCAA Division I revenue sharing gave Minnesota a chance to show how seriously it intends to compete in the new Big Ten landscape, and athletics director Mark Coyle said the Gophers met the moment. The university shared $20.5 million with student-athletes for the 2025-26 school year, spreading the money across multiple sports and bolstering it with additional scholarships, a sign the department is trying to support both its revenue programs and the rest of the roster-building ecosystem.
Minnesota is also leaning on more than just direct athlete payments to keep pace. The department pointed to sponsorship and naming-rights agreements worth nearly $30 million over the life of the deals, while also noting a 93 percent graduation rate and a school-record 3.48 cumulative GPA for its athletes. Even with those bright spots, the broader financial picture remains a key part of the conversation, and Coyle did not offer a fresh update on the departments budget outlook. [Read more 🡒]
Is This Finally PJ Flecks Breakthrough Year At Minnesota
Minnesota heads into the 2026 season with a veteran core that gives this team a different feel than some of PJ Flecks previous groups. Running back Darius Taylor, defensive lineman Anthony Smith and quarterback Drake Lindsey are the kind of established pieces that can make a roster look ready-made for a bigger leap, and there is a growing sense among some analysts that the Gophers have enough talent to at least enter the College Football Playoff conversation.
For Fleck, now in his 10th season, the timing adds to the pressure. He has already moved past Glen Mason on Minnesotas all-time wins list and owns a spotless bowl record with the Gophers, but the next step is the one that has been harder to pin down. If this is the breakthrough year, it will likely come from a roster that finally looks experienced enough to push Minnesota toward the top of the Big Ten, even if the outside expectations have not fully caught up yet. [Read more 🡒]