INDIANAPOLIS – Merging optimism and nostalgia, P.J. Fleck took to the stage at Lucas Oil Stadium on Tuesday morning and counted his blessings.
"I promise you this,'' the Gophers football coach said during his news conference at Big Ten media days. "I haven't taken one day for granted being a head football coach, especially in this league.''
Fleck, 41, is entering his sixth season as Minnesota's coach after four at Western Michigan, and his message Tuesday about the 2022 Gophers was upbeat. The team is coming off a 9-4 showing in 2021 in which it tied for second in the Big Ten West and beat West Virginia in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl.
"When your best players are your hardest workers, you have something really special,'' he said. "We have a lot of guys who chose to come back for that sixth year. … It's a fun team, a committed team, probably more than I've ever had in my six years at the University of Minnesota.''
Joining Fleck in Indianapolis were quarterback Tanner Morgan, center John Michael Schmitz, linebacker Mariano Sori-Marin and safety Tyler Nubin. Those players had their media sessions later Tuesday.
Morgan got married in early July, and Fleck noted that Schmitz also is engaged to be married. "It must be contagious,'' the coach said. " … It's been fun to watch their lives develop, on and off the field.''
Also falling under that category is running back Mohamed Ibrahim, a sixth-year senior who's working his way back from a torn Achilles' tendon suffered in last year's season opener against Ohio State.
"Here's a guy who could have gone to the National Football League,'' Fleck said. "He was primed for a huge season. He decided to come back not only for himself, but for his teammates. That kind of spread throughout our entire team — John Michael Schmitz coming back, Tanner coming back, Crab [Chris Autman-Bell] coming back. They made choices based on what Mo was going to do. … He did it to kind of put a different ending to what happened.''
Fleck had other highlights from his news conference.
- On USC and UCLA joining the Big Ten in 2024: "The first thing that came to my mind was, 'L.A.? Are you kidding me? It's perfect.' The Big Ten is now represented from the West Coast to the East Coast. You look at the major media markets now, and that's incredibly positive. … We have a ton of alumni out on the West Coast. Now that Big Ten footprint is stationed there for our alumni.''
- On the return of offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Kirk Ciarrocca: "He makes me a better head football coach. One thing I can do really well is hire people that are way smarter than me. … I hope we make him a better coordinator. We're really excited to have him.''
- On what he defines as offensive balance: "Doing what it takes to win football games — that's how we define balance. The easy thing to say is run for 200 and pass for 200. But what Kirk Ciarrocca will tell you, 'If we have to throw for 350, we need to be able to throw for 350. If have to run for 350 to win, then we have to find a way to run for 350.''
- On his team's focus: "They don't have any time for silliness. They go right in, get their work done and get better.
