3 reasons for and against 2024 being Fleck’s best year at Minnesota

The road for Head Coach P.J Fleck at Minnesota has seen some big ups and downs since his hiring in 2017. The stars seem to be aligning for them in 2024, so could this season top 2019 and be his best season in Maroon and Gold? 

3 reasons this could be Fleck’s best season at Minnesota

• The offense is prepped to be his best since 2019, and possibly better

The Gophers 2019 offense is one that will be remembered for a long time and is one of the main bright spots of Fleck’s tenure in maroon and gold. Led by Tanner Morgan and its strong passing attack with Rashod Bateman, Tyler Johnson, and Chris Autman-Bell. The thing that made them special was their balanced attack with the three-headed monster backfield of Mohamed Ibrahim, Rodney Smith, and Shannon Brooks running behind an offensive line that was one of the best in the country and 2024 has the potential and talent to be just as productive. They will be led by Max Brosmer, who could be one of the most productive passers at Minnesota in over a decade if what he had shown at New Hampshire can translate to the BIG10. Behind him will be Darius Taylor, who has All-American potential, and plenty of depth behind him with; Sieh Bangura, Jordan Nubin, Marcus Major, and Jaren Mangham. As for the pass catchers, Daniel Jackson has the talent to be one of the best in the BIG10 and is followed up by guys like Elijah Spencer, Le’Meke Brockington, Tyler Williams, and numerous other guys who could step up into being huge contributors. The talent on this offense easily has the talent to replicate or outdo the historic numbers that the 2019 squad put up and should be the most balanced attack they have had since then. 

• Defensive line

The D-Line is the group that I am most confident will be extremely productive for Fleck’s Gophers in 2024. Jah Joyner and Danny Striggow are poised for huge seasons in 2024, after both breaking out a season ago. The difference for this group in the upcoming season is that it is not one or two guys that can be difference-makers. The group that Coach DeLattiboudere has put together has tons of talented depth. Fleck has raved about Anthony Smith’s abilities at the Defensive End position. He appeared in every game last season as a Redshirt Freshman and should be a key rotational piece. Along with Smith, LSU transfer and Minnesota native Jaxon Howard will join the group. His talent may be too much to keep him off the field, as he should also be a key rotational piece. Howard was a highly touted recruit out of high school, being the top-ranked recruit out of Minnesota. The interior is well set-up also, with everyone having multiple years of playing time under their belts. 

• Special Teams

One recurring fault that Coach Fleck has had during his tenure at Minnesota has been on special teams. On numerous occasions, there have been instances of very dumb mistakes on punts, returns, or kickoffs, but there seems to be much more stability coming into 2024. The Gophers return reigning BIG10 Kicker of the Year in Dragan Kesich, which will help greatly with finishing drives with points. Along with Kesich, the Gophers return Mark Crawford at punter, who got much more stable last season and should be able to consistently flip field position for them. The return game has had plenty of struggles in the past, and I really hope that the lesson has been learned and that fair catches will be made much more consistently. This off-season, Fleck replaced Rob Wenger with longtime coach Bob Ligashesky, who will provide the teams with someone who has been around the game for more than 40 years and has run plenty of successful special teams units. Iowa has shown the importance of good special teams, especially in the Big Ten, and it seems as though Fleck has set them up to make it a strength for the Gophers in 2024. 

3 reasons this may not be Fleck’s best season at Minnesota

• Strength of Schedule

The Big Ten will be expanded in 2024, with the additions of USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington, which means an influx of very talented teams joining the already strong conference. No more Big Ten West football means the Gophers will get new opponents in Lincoln Riley-led USC and a gritty UCLA team. On top of this, they will see North Carolina again in the non-conference, defending National Champ Michigan, and every other Rivalry Trophy game in 2024. There are never easy weeks in college football, but it seems as though this season there will be something on the line for them every week and fired-up teams looking to keep trophies or put their stamp on the new Big Ten. 

• Defensive losses

Fleck has done a great job of getting his players into the NFL, but the single downside of this is having the chore of replacing them the following season. The defense will have a new look in 2024, with a new D-Coordinator and no number 27 at safety. Along with Nubin, really solid rotation guys like CB Tre’Von Jones and DE Chris Collins will need to have their spots filled. Nubin’s replacement at safety is still yet to be decided, as it could be Coleman Bryson, Darius Green, or even Koi Perich filling that void, as well as transfers Ethan Robinson and Jaxon Howard to fill other spots. Every team in the NCAA has to deal with these problems, but it’s critical to do so in order to have a career-best season for a head coach.

• Quarterback play and play-calling

There is plenty of fan confidence that Max Brosmer can step in and be a successful Big Ten Quarterback, but that will remain unknown until he actually sees and catches up to the speed of the conference. A team can only go as far as its most important position allows it to. With that being said, Fleck must allow his new Quarterback to get into a rhythm game in and game out, something we have not seen since 2019. The play-calling of the last few seasons hinted that there was not a lot of trust in the QB on the field, as they became extremely reliant on the run game and saw loaded boxes consistently. Fleck must allow for mistakes to be made, get his talented receiver group involved in every game, and not run guys for 30+ carries a game. If the trust between Brosmer and Fleck can be made and the passing game can come through anywhere near the 2019 season, then the sky’s the limit for them next season.