It took PJ Fleck three years to turn Western Michigan from a laughingstock, even in the MAC, to a BCS team. This is a timeline that Minnesota fans need to remember as the his first season in charge of the Gophers gets underway on Thursday night against the Buffalo Bulls.
Further, Fleck turned things around at Western Michigan against such respectable foes as Akron, Northern
Illinois and Ball State. If Fleck would like to make his mark at Minnesota, it will be against Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nebraska. Minnesota could make massive strides, but in their conference, it may not make as much a mark because of who they are being measured against.
A part of the turnaround Fleck had
was because he was able to get players that he wanted for his system to come play for him. He didn't just magically learn how to coach over the course of his three years. The players he had at his disposal just got better because he was able to recruit effectively. Understand that his level of success this year will be limited by Jerry Kill and Tracy Claeys' ability to recruit. Perhaps Fleck can extract more from this team than Claeys could, but it's important to recognize that most of the roster came to play for Kill or Claeys and not for Fleck.
If there is a new system, and the team plays a different style on Thursday, that could be an exciting view of things to come. If they look a little flat, that's not necessarily a bad omen. PJ Fleck might be the coach that turns the Gophers' program around, but one game, and perhaps even one season won't be the best indicator of his future success.
