Get to Know MSU's Opponent's HC, Minnesota's PJ Fleck

Michigan State is well familiar with Minnesota head coach PJ Fleck.

Sep 24, 2022; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers head coach PJ Fleck waves to fans at Spartan Stadium before playing MSU. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images | Dale Young-Imagn Images

The Michigan State Spartans are looking for any way to turn things around this season, and that will be tough as they travel to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers on Saturday. 

MSU is 3-5 and has lost five straight games, as fans and alumni have given up on things turning around this season. The Spartans have not won a Big Ten game this year, and things are looking bleak for Jonathan Smith’s squad. 

The Spartans hope they can go on the road to a tough Minnesota environment and pull off an upset to stop the bleeding in the 2025 season. If they can win this game, the Spartans will move to 4-5 and would need just two wins to reach bowl eligibility. 

If MSU wants to win next Saturday, it will have to beat PJ Fleck’s Golden Gophers. Spartan fans are familiar with Fleck, as he has faced the Spartans several times at Minnesota and Western Michigan. 

Minnesota head coach PJ Fleck

Minnesota's head coach P.J. Fleck waves to fans after beating Michigan State on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. 220924 Msu Minn Fb 189a | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Fleck is 2-3 against the Spartans, losing two matchups against them with WMU and going 2-1 in his time with the Golden Gophers. He has done a good job keeping Minnesota as a consistent winner in the Big Ten. 

He has a 92-64 record as a head coach, becoming a hot name during his time with the Broncos and taking the Minnesota job at the height of his attractiveness as a head coach. 

Fleck got his start as a graduate assistant at Ohio State after playing wide receiver at Northern Illinois and with the San Francisco 49ers. He also has professional coaching experience with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the job he had before becoming the head coach at WMU. 

Fleck spent much of his time before he was a head coach scheming things up on the offensive side of the ball, but his Minnesota teams have always been sound on defense. 

For a Spartan football team that has largely struggled on both sides of the ball, a 5-3 Minnesota team poses a major threat. If MSU loses and falls to 3-6, Jonathan Smith might be in serious trouble. 

Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith speaks at the post game press conference after 31-20 loss to Michigan at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Saturday, October 25, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Fleck has been a good coach for the Golden Gophers, winning six bowl games in nine years at Minnesota. They appear to be on pace to reach another bowl game and will reach bowl eligibility by beating the Spartans.

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