PJ Fleck

[Polish Leppy 22]

It’s an interesting debate as to who’s had better results between Fleck and Rhule. Could see it either way. I just think Rhule has the better temperament for coaching at Notre Dame. Fleck’s style would burn out fast.

Ruhle, IMO, wants the NFL. He has interviewed several times.

 

[Rogue219]

Say what you want about him, but he can recruit and build a culture. The kids follow him. They buy in. He was getting guys with multiple Big Ten offers when he was at WMU. That program was in the toilet when he got there. He was never a coordinator. He took a MAC job nobody wanted and built a program. Sound familiar?

He's a Midwestern guy having come from the IL suburbs, attended NIU and has now coached up in the MAC and Big Ten. I don't know if he'd have an interest in ND or if they'd want his baggage, but I don't have many doubts he'd recruit well at ND even with academic restrictions.

They're 9-0 for the first time since 1904. That's saying a lot.

 

[Free Manera]

I was listening to the Shamrock Podcast, the one from The Athletic with Pete Sampson and Matt Fortuna.

Sampson said watching Alabama and LSU made it seem like they are playing a different game than ND. Fortuna said even watching Minnesota and Penn State was like watching a different game than ND. He mentioned Minnesota's playmakers in particular as light years away from ND.

 

[IrishLion]

Ruhle, IMO, wants the NFL. He has interviewed several times.

Idk. He's from New York and was offered the NYJ job, but decided to stay across the country in Texas to keep coaching college students during a major rebuilding job...

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Franklin is 1-8 on the road against ranked teams. But sure, let's dub Fleck a giant-slayer!

His resume looks pathetic compared to Kelly's coming out of Cinci. The odds that he'd do better here are extremely low. Call me when he at least manages to win his crappy division.

 

[ACamp1900]

Franklin is 1-8 on the road against ranked teams. But sure, let's dub Fleck a giant-slayer!

His resume looks pathetic compared to Kelly's coming out of Cinci. The odds that he'd do better here are extremely low. Call me when he at least manages to win his crappy division.

What I pictured you looking like while typing this:

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Has everyone forgotten the state of the program between 1994-2009?

 

[pumpdog20]

I was listening to the Shamrock Podcast, the one from The Athletic with Pete Sampson and Matt Fortuna.

Sampson said watching Alabama and LSU made it seem like they are playing a different game than ND. Fortuna said even watching Minnesota and Penn State was like watching a different game than ND. He mentioned Minnesota's playmakers in particular as light years away from ND.

Fortuna is a clown.

 

[ACamp1900]

I was listening to the Shamrock Podcast, the one from The Athletic with Pete Sampson and Matt Fortuna.

Sampson said watching Alabama and LSU made it seem like they are playing a different game than ND. Fortuna said even watching Minnesota and Penn State was like watching a different game than ND. He mentioned Minnesota's playmakers in particular as light years away from ND.

I do this often... I remember the OU/ LSU title game... that was my moment of, "ND isn't even close to this level anymore..."

Since then there has always been at least one unit or one 'thing' that gets in the way of the next step... right now it feels like a number of things.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

I do this often... I remember the OU/ LSU title game... that was my moment of, "ND isn't even close to this level anymore..."

Since then there has always been at least one unit or one 'thing' that gets in the way of the next step... right now it feels like a number of things.

You don't have to look to far into the past to see a championship level defense.

I don't see how you can play championship offense without either pressuring a defense vertically or a downhill running scheme with high success rates running the ball. Something has to change there.

 

[Free Manera]

Fortuna is a clown.

Maybe but I don't think he's wrong. Minnesota's running back and 2 best WRs would start at ND today. And their quarterback probably would too.

 

[Irish#1]

im not even sure its about having guys ranked as 5* by the services.

For instance next years class with Michael Mayer, Tosh Baker, Jordan Botelho, and Rylie Mills all 4*s by the services but considered in the top 10 in their positions.

Those should be 3 year starters/contributors and future NFLers.

I don't think its out of the realm for ND to recruit at the recent trend long term.

As most have noted its about winning, which were doing, and the players are coming as we say they will.

Agree. If you can do it once, there's no reason you can do it again if you have a product to sell. Looking at the last three years, BK has a product to sell. You just need to be able to sell those 5 star recruits that have shown a desire to maintain good grades. They know the NFL isn't for life. The others probably wouldn't qualify.

Fleck has a large buyout after this year. Isn't leaving until year after.

Isn't that when BK decides to hang it up?

 

[Irish#1]

What I pictured you looking like while typing this:

BK looks so much younger.

 

[NorthDakota]

What I pictured you looking like while typing this:

Man...the ND job is like the presidency. Ages you. Kelly was such a BAMF back then.

 

[BobbyMac]

Maybe but I don't think he's wrong. Minnesota's running back and 2 best WRs would start at ND today. And their quarterback probably would too.

Surprised our Cincy/NKY haven't chimed in on Tanner Morgan yet. He went to Ryle HS and was like a 10,000yd/100TD kid who committed to Fleck at WMU and then flipped when PJ got the job.

I agree on the WR's Rashod Bateman & Tyler Johnson. Both would start outside for my ND team and I'd move Claypool to the slot and let him run Eifert routes (They never lead him outside and only throw him Eifert jump balls or sideline outs anyways). Bateman was Top 5 on my hitlist for ND back '17. I cannot believe the SEC let him leave. He's a pure Fleck guy. Johnson was a Kill/Claeys guy. He was a KAR type QB that they brought in as WR. He took off his Soph year under Fleck.

Their RB, Rodney Smith is just one of those out of nowhere stories. A G5 only recruit that Kill nabbed right before NSD. He ran for 1800 yds before Fleck got there. The one thing that's odd... Smith ran for around 4000 yds his JR/Sr years playing 5A football a half hour south of downtown ATL. Every level of the college football industry missed on this kid being a P5 star.

Their next most important skill guy is someone who was firmly on ND's radar and had he not missed his sr. yr due to injury, might have been in ND's 2017 class. Chris Autman-Bell had a strong Jr year at nearby Kankakee (IL) Bishop McNamara and visited ND I think twice. He committed to WMU like Morgan and then flipped/followed Fleck to MN He's gonna be a star next year when he gets double the targets .

 

[IrishLion]

Surprised our Cincy/NKY haven't chimed in on Tanner Morgan yet. He went to Ryle HS and was like a 10,000yd/100TD kid who committed to Fleck at WMU and then flipped when PJ got the job.

Tanner Morgan vs Sean Clifford just goes to show that NKY > Cincy

(But seriously, I was NOT a big Morgan believer. He put up crazy numbers at Ryle, but NKY 6A football has been way down for a while now. And Ryle usually gets carried by whoever their stud RB is. I thought he might be okay at WMU, but the success he's having in the B1G is beyond what anyone aside from the Ryle crowd would have expected.)

 

[BobbyMac]

Tanner Morgan vs Sean Clifford just goes to show that NKY > Cincy

(But seriously, I was NOT a big Morgan believer. He put up crazy numbers at Ryle, but NKY 6A football has been way down for a while now. And Ryle usually gets carried by whoever their stud RB is. I thought he might be okay at WMU, but the success he's having in the B1G is beyond what anyone aside from the Ryle crowd would have expected.)

Well at least I was right about Clifford. Poor Avery Davis, if they'd listened to me, he may be the starting QB for the undefeated Baylor Bears right now or for Auburn... or Utah... or SMU... or...

 

[T Town Tommy]

Tanner Morgan vs Sean Clifford just goes to show that NKY > Cincy

(But seriously, I was NOT a big Morgan believer. He put up crazy numbers at Ryle, but NKY 6A football has been way down for a while now. And Ryle usually gets carried by whoever their stud RB is. I thought he might be okay at WMU, but the success he's having in the B1G is beyond what anyone aside from the Ryle crowd would have expected.)

Is Covington Catholic 6A? They usually have a pretty solid program. Or at least they did back in the day when I was growing up in Ky. Didn't have but four classes in football back then however.

 

[IrishLion]

Is Covington Catholic 6A? They usually have a pretty solid program. Or at least they did back in the day when I was growing up in Ky. Didn't have but four classes in football back then however.

They are 5A, and right now I'd probably say that 5A is stronger top-to-bottom than 6A.

CovCath might be the best team in the entire state right now, regardless of class. Trinity and St. X have taken a backseat to Louisville Male in 6A, and I'd take Cov Cath over Male this year.

6A in KY has been weird lately.

 

[FDNYIrish1]

They are 5A, and right now I'd probably say that 5A is stronger top-to-bottom than 6A.

CovCath might be the best team in the entire state right now, regardless of class. Trinity and St. X have taken a backseat to Louisville Male in 6A, and I'd take Cov Cath over Male this year.

6A in KY has been weird lately.

Sorry off topic but is this the same Covington right across the bridge from Cincy? Great little brewery I went to there a couple of months ago on a visit.

 

[IrishLion]

Sorry off topic but is this the same Covington right across the bridge from Cincy? Great little brewery I went to there a couple of months ago on a visit.

The same.

You probably visited Braxton, which is awesome. Nice rooftop section, too.

 

[Rogue219]

Franklin is 1-8 on the road against ranked teams. But sure, let's dub Fleck a giant-slayer!

His resume looks pathetic compared to Kelly's coming out of Cinci. The odds that he'd do better here are extremely low. Call me when he at least manages to win his crappy division.

I don't think anyone is calling him a giant slayer, but he has his current program at 9-0 for the first time in 115 years. Penn State was a six point favorite in that game. I can't tell if you're really pro Kelly or if you're one of the WMU boosters whose wife got shagged by Fleck, but you're clearly not interested which is my Captain Obvious post of the day.

I wouldn't say his resume is pathetic relatively speaking. He took over a dog meat MAC program without having been a coordinator and had them unbeaten in the regular season by Year Four. What he's done, to this point at Minnesota, seems to be following his WMU trend of building up a program.

He's 38 years old and can recruit his ass off. Seems to have solid coordinators around him. He's played who has been on his schedule so far and won nine of nine. Some bigger tests to come, but there is clearly something to this guy that kids seem to buy into.

I don't think he's staying at Minnesota for the long term.

 

[Rogue219]

Has everyone forgotten the state of the program between 1994-2009?

No. Kelly has the program on very solid footing, the best it has been in a while.

For me, Kelly looks tapped out. He's had this job for ten years and its' been an eventful ride for him on and off the field. I wonder if he needs to either change scenery, take a break or retire.

This job has broken many a good man before him, and he's doing it in the age of the Internet and Social Media. I give him full marks for maintaining to this point.

 

[Wingman Ray]

I don't think anyone is calling him a giant slayer, but he has his current program at 9-0 for the first time in 115 years. Penn State was a six point favorite in that game. I can't tell if you're really pro Kelly or if you're one of the WMU boosters whose wife got shagged by Fleck, but you're clearly not interested which is my Captain Obvious post of the day.

I wouldn't say his resume is pathetic relatively speaking. He took over a dog meat MAC program without having been a coordinator and had them unbeaten in the regular season by Year Four. What he's done, to this point at Minnesota, seems to be following his WMU trend of building up a program.

He's 38 years old and can recruit his ass off. Seems to have solid coordinators around him. He's played who has been on his schedule so far and won nine of nine. Some bigger tests to come, but there is clearly something to this guy that kids seem to buy into.

I don't think he's staying at Minnesota for the long term.

Not doubting anything you are putting down. Just winning at ND is a lot different from winning at a place like Minn where they havent won anything since 1960.

 

[SouthernIndianaNDFan]

Not doubting anything you are putting down. Just winning at ND is a lot different from winning at a place like Minn where they havent won anything since 1960.

ND hasn't won anything since the 80s, or early 90s depending on your perspective so not much difference there.

 

[zelezo vlk]

The same.

You probably visited Braxton, which is awesome. Nice rooftop section, too.

My friend said that Braxton Labs location was very good

 

[Rogue219]

Not doubting anything you are putting down. Just winning at ND is a lot different from winning at a place like Minn where they havent won anything since 1960.

Lou Holtz employer prior to Notre Dame: Minnesota.

Yes, Notre Dame is different, which I fully comprehend since I'm almost 42 years old and have not spent a single day during those years living under a rock. Ray, I completely get it, but we're talking about a 38 year old Midwestern guy who won at a MAC school where he had no business winning and is now 9-0 at Minnesota putting them in a position they have not been in since Teddy Fucking Roosevelt was President.

Perhaps, just perhaps, someone puts a feeler out from ND. Doesn't have to be Jack Swarbrick. Maybe a nice young deacon or something. I don't know. Go through a back channel to a back channel and see what Fleck thinks of ND. Couldn't hurt.

This may sound nuts, but I fully expect ND has zero interest in Fleck because he got divorced from his first marriage.

 

[BobbyMac]

Lou Holtz employer prior to Notre Dame: Minnesota.

Yes, Notre Dame is different, which I fully comprehend since I'm almost 42 years old and have not spent a single day during those years living under a rock. Ray, I completely get it, but we're talking about a 38 year old Midwestern guy who won at a MAC school where he had no business winning and is now 9-0 at Minnesota putting them in a position they have not been in since Teddy Fucking Roosevelt was President.

Perhaps, just perhaps, someone puts a feeler out from ND. Doesn't have to be Jack Swarbrick. Maybe a nice young deacon or something. I don't know. Go through a back channel to a back channel and see what Fleck thinks of ND. Couldn't hurt.

This may sound nuts, but I fully expect ND has zero interest in Fleck because he got divorced from his first marriage.

Rumors have been ND is high on his list. One of the top posters here said Fleck is all about ND via Fleck's BFF.

I can just repeat the words of two very uber connected alums that Fleck's a no go.

 

[EvilleIrish]

Rumors have been ND is high on his list. One of the top posters here said Fleck is all about ND via Fleck's BFF.

I can just repeat the words of two very uber connected alums that Fleck's a no go.

Any go’s you care to share?

 

[SouthernIndianaNDFan]

Any go’s you care to share?

I'm assuming some middle aged businessman type that has no chance of relating to 21st century teenagers, and an equally bad chance to win a Natty at ND. Right down their alley.