Remember when many of us wanted this coach?

[MilwaukeeBoilerFan]

https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2018/08/06/university-minnesota-gophers-football-fall-camp-progress/

Myself included. PJ Fleck was the hot commodity. Will be keeping an eye on how much of a learning curve both PJ Fleck and Minnesota have to go before getting on solid ground. Their QB selection has been a dumpster fire with transfers heading out left and right. They will start a Freshman. I'm sure he is preparing for years 3 & 4 because year 1 was a step back at 5-7. What will this yr look like?

Keep rowing PJ right back to the MAC.

 

[Purdue85]

I'm not being a smart @ss by saying this, but no, not really. I never was really high on PJ. Not because I didn't like him, and not because I was high on Brohm.

I've seen so many "hot commodity" coaches flame out. I'm not into "hot commodities". So much more goes into the decision, only those interviewing him could have a reasonable idea.

I'm extraordinarily pleased with what Purdue has done over the past few years. I think the Purdue administration has loosened up and given much more freedom and flexibility to the leadership in the athletic department. That's evidenced by the many projects and hires we've seen. (Not just Purdue FB, but other programs like Purdue baseball.)

 

[ChoiceBeef]

I'm not being a smart @ss by saying this, but no, not really. I never was really high on PJ. Not because I didn't like him, and not because I was high on Brohm.

I've seen so many "hot commodity" coaches flame out. I'm not into "hot commodities". So much more goes into the decision, only those interviewing him could have a reasonable idea.

Didn’t realize we had a Nostradamus on this board

 

[Cleanface]

Snake oil salesman.

I would have taken him in .002 seconds tho.

Much happier we got CJB.

 

[tenwest]

I remember my wish at the time was Les Miles. We should all tip our cap to the AD for doing his homework and be thankful we got CJB. I think we might have gotten a little lucky as well.

 

[Purdue85]

Didn’t realize we had a Nostradamus on this board

And omnipotent.

You may now kiss my ring.

 

[Cleanface]

Pretty sure I was championing a Les Miles/Bo Pelini co-HC combo at some point.

Dark days my friends, daaaaark days.

 

[Purdue85]

Pretty sure I was championing a Les Miles/Bo Pelini co-HC combo at some point.

Dark days my friends, daaaaark days.

I'm betting you would've hired Fred Akers

 

[New Pal Boiler]

https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2018/08/06/university-minnesota-gophers-football-fall-camp-progress/

Myself included. PJ Fleck was the hot commodity. Will be keeping an eye on how much of a learning curve both PJ Fleck and Minnesota have to go before getting on solid ground. Their QB selection has been a dumpster fire with transfers heading out left and right. They will start a Freshman. I'm sure he is preparing for years 3 & 4 because year 1 was a step back at 5-7. What will this yr look like?

Keep rowing PJ right back to the MAC.

I actually wanted Brohm, a year before we finally canned The Haze, and there’s a post on this board somewhere that proves it. Fleck’s offense is boring. Not ever gonna work here.

 

[IndySouthsider]

I actually wanted Brohm, a year before we finally canned The Haze, and there’s a post on this board somewhere that proves it. Fleck’s offense is boring. Not ever gonna work here.

I wanted Kyle Ralph

 

[Purdue85]

I wanted Kyle Ralph

Nahh... you just thought they were hiring Ralph Malph. (you yunguns can look it up.)

 

[Bullwhip Griffith]

Pretty sure I was championing a Les Miles/Bo Pelini co-HC combo at some point.

Dark days my friends, daaaaark days.

I was a Troy Calhoun fan.

Really thought we’d get Skip Holtz

 

[RDUBoiler]

Fleck always seemed more like a brand than a coach. That said, a couple of lucky bounces and Minnesota makes a bowl and he looks like a good hire.

Still incredibly happy that we got Brohm.

 

[New Pal Boiler]

I wanted Kyle Ralph

Haha. In All seriousness, he would have been a better OC than Weird Beard.

 

[cidsports]

Fleck always seemed more like a brand than a coach. That said, a couple of lucky bounces and Minnesota makes a bowl and he looks like a good hire.

Still incredibly happy that we got Brohm.

In 2018, with a couple freshmen QBs?

 

[izakman]

... Their QB selection has been a dumpster fire with transfers heading out left and right. They will start a Freshman. I'm sure he is preparing for years 3 & 4 because year 1 was a step back at 5-7. What will this yr look like? ...

With a freshman; 3 wins might be hopeful. The former 4Star leaving to be a linebacker is kind of curious.

 

[RDUBoiler]

In 2018, with a couple freshmen QBs?

Yeah, I think years two and three will be more revealing, as each coach gets more recruits in place. I like our odds to be the stronger program based on QB play alone.

 

[Indy_Rider]

I'll admit, I initially got caught up in the Fleck craziness. But also as things wore on and rumblings of Brohm started to surface, I checked him and switched over to wanting Brohm as I felt he brought substance. Also Fleck's act was already starting wear me out, but early on thought we could use some of that energy.

Now I wouldn't have been happy having oars and his slogan plastered on everything. I am actually surprised Minnesota allowed it to be honest as you are losing control of your marketing and identity and it has become more about the coach than the school.

 

[MilwaukeeBoilerFan]

Minny might need a bilge pump added to their helmets by end of season.

 

[nat100]

I was a Troy Calhoun fan.

Really thought we’d get Skip Holtz

I was a calhoun fan as well.

 

[StickPurdue]

I'll admit, I initially got caught up in the Fleck craziness. But also as things wore on and rumblings of Brohm started to surface, I checked him and switched over to wanting Brohm as I felt he brought substance. Also Fleck's act was already starting wear me out, but early on thought we could use some of that energy.

Now I wouldn't have been happy having oars and his slogan plastered on everything. I am actually surprised Minnesota allowed it to be honest as you are losing control of your marketing and identity and it has become more about the coach than the school.

This is exactly how it went for me. I wanted Fleck as he was making his incredible run at WMU. I also wanted Miles. I thought Miles would be able to fix recruiting and would be a good stepping stone to restoring the program.

The more I read about Fleck, it was obvious that dude was a little crazy and I wasn't sure how he would handle the transition with what Purdue has talentwise. Fleck essentially picked his WMU recruit class clean as he moved and did a good job recruiting that first year (but they were also in a much better place than Purdue was at that time).

When Brohm's name surfaced, I did research and it was obvious he was the guy. Pro expecrience, fun as heck to watch enteract with his players, and he was a guru on the offense (pro style offense). It didn't hurt that he had ties to Midwest recruiting and his dad is a coach for a powerhouse school out of Kentucky. The fit was very obvious and I was thrilled with the hire. I never imagined the turnaround would be near as quick in that first year (and in part that is due to his incredible staff, they have far exceeded anything I could have imagined as well). The new AD and the new staff have done absolutely everything to make football a priority.

Fleck has continued to recruit well, but if the wins don't follow, he will be run out. Minnesota was in a good place talentwise when he came in. But so far, he doesn't seem to be prepared for coaching against the coaching gauntlet in the Big. Time will tell, but that seat will get hit if he doesn't get to a bowl in the next 2 years. Meanwhile, Brohm is looking like he will have a statue outside RA within the next 5 years. BTFU.

 

[FirstDownB]

For a brief time in 2016 I thought Fleck might be an OK choice for the almost certain recruiting bump he would bring. And we were so far down in the pit that OK looked pretty darn good. But I never saw him as a strong X's and O's coach. I believe his long term success will be highly dependent on his assistants.

Brohm's football mind was always thought to be superior but I didn't expect this much improvement in recruiting. Turns out these young men are smarter than I give them credit for!

 

[ahhculdee]

I am not going to act like I never wanted Fleck because I did. Fleck and Brohm were both the complete opposite of Hazell both with energy and elevated their programs to another level. To the person talking about hot commodity hires, that is a stupid statement. Jeff Brohm was just as much a hot commodity as P.J. Fleck. However I am glad to say we got Jeff Brohm because his style of play fits Purdue 100x better than Fleck. If you remember Minnesota was still a good team outside of the QB position. I expect Fleck to be around awhile, but not as suceasful as Brohm, who I also predicted would come to Purdue about a year before it happened.

 

[NVboiler]

At that time, anyone looked good as long as it was a change. It was good that we just didn't settle for anyone but actually got a great coach (and assistants) who can accurately judge his players and know how to effectively use and get the most out of them. And now to top that, the excellent recruiting.

After being out of the country for 23 years and returning 6 years ago,, I can now once again enjoy and proudly watch Purdue football. Before that, the last Purdue game I attended was the Rose Bowl win over USC. We're once again headed in the right direction!!!!

 

[StickPurdue]

I am not going to act like I never wanted Fleck because I did. Fleck and Brohm were both the complete opposite of Hazell both with energy and elevated their programs to another level. To the person talking about hot commodity hires, that is a stupid statement. Jeff Brohm was just as much a hot commodity as P.J. Fleck. However I am glad to say we got Jeff Brohm because his style of play fits Purdue 100x better than Fleck. If you remember Minnesota was still a good team outside of the QB position. I expect Fleck to be around awhile, but not as suceasful as Brohm, who I also predicted would come to Purdue about a year before it happened.

Brohm to Purdue was regarded as the best hire by any program at the time. Everybody seemed to think it was a home run hire. So ya.. CJB was a hot commodity.

 

[RealVaBoiler]

I remember my wish at the time was Les Miles. We should all tip our cap to the AD for doing his homework and be thankful we got CJB. I think we might have gotten a little lucky as well.

FWIW, my hope for the past five years was Scott Frost. However, am pleased with Brohm and Holt. And certainly Frost is thrilled to be at Nebraska.
All is well that ends well

 

[njm8845]

FWIW, my hope for the past five years was Scott Frost. However, am pleased with Brohm and Holt. And certainly Frost is thrilled to be at Nebraska.
All is well that ends well

I could never get excited about Fleck. He just seemed like all pomp no substance.

I wanted Schiano. I never really knew much about Brohm. He's a perfect fit.

 

[kellyrtboilers]

I just graduated from a MAC school. I worked for their football program as a student coaching assistant as well. Some of our coaches have been with PJ before. All of them couldn't stand his RTB crap. Heard he is not an X's and O's guy at all and is more of a hype man. Pass.

 

[IndySouthsider]

Haha. In All seriousness, he would have been a better OC than Weird Beard.

He is an offensive genius.