Tuesday was a rough day for the anti-P.J. Fleck crowd.

You know who you are.

It’s the people who thought his “Row The Boat” mantra was a gimmicky phrase that he was 100% about promoting his personal brand rather than build a program. Those people were under the impression that when Fleck accepted the job after leading Western Michigan to a New Year’s 6 Bowl, it was a stepping stone. It was believed by many that Fleck, with his larger than life personality, would jump ship the second he saw a bigger boat to row.

Fleck began the week ahead of Minnesota’s biggest November game of the 21st century by having his name linked to the Florida State vacancy. Every list of potential FSU candidates you could find had Fleck’s name on there.

Not more than 48 hours after that, Minnesota announced a new 7-year extension to stay at Minnesota.

Again, a rough development that had to be for the anti-Fleck crowd.

I’m not just saying that to call out the Jerry Kills of the world because there are plenty of them. I’m saying that because Fleck squashed those FSU rumors more definitively than any press conference could’ve, and it speaks to how dedicated he is to building Minnesota.

It’s ironic that the announcement came as it did. I was literally writing a column on why neither Fleck nor Franklin made sense for FSU. The news of Fleck’s extension confirmed what his doubters never would’ve predicted — he’s actually got it pretty good at Minnesota.

Think about it. We’re living in a world in which the eighth-highest paid coach in America is at … Purdue? Gone are the days when only FSU, Ohio State and Texas can pony up for their head coach (don’t forget that FSU has that $18 million buyout to Willie Taggart and it was in rough financial shape coming into 2019). Four of the 7 B1G West coaches made at least $4.8 million in 2019. We’ve got massive TV contracts to thank for that.

Fleck reportedly isn’t quite joining the $4.8 million club just yet, but that’s still approximately a 28% raise from his $3.6 million deal in 2019:

He probably owes a thank you to Jeff Brohm, who negotiated a deal that paid him $6.6 million (!) in 2019. And the FSU thing surely pushed Minnesota to want to lock Fleck in for the long haul, especially with the Early Signing Period coming down the home stretch.

That, undoubtedly, made it more attractive for Fleck. So far, he’s done everything he said he was going to do when he surprised people by taking the Minnesota job coming off his New Year’s 6 Bowl berth with Western Michigan. After a slow start, Fleck has Gophers right on track. Well, they’re on a faster track than I thought they’d be on.

Look at all he’s accomplished in just 2.5 years on the job:

  • Highest AP Top 25 ranking since 2004
  • First win vs. Wisconsin since 2003
  • First 8-0 start since 1941
  • First 5-0 start in B1G since 1961
  • Riding 10-game winning streak

It’s one thing to do that at a Group of 5 school like Western Michigan. It’s another to accomplish those feats at a Power 5 program in that quick of a timeframe. Fleck is in position to take his second program to a New Year’s 6 Bowl in 4 seasons … and did so at Western Michigan and Minnesota.

Uh, no wonder the Gophers locked him in as soon as the coaching carousel started spinning.

And even I who was admittedly critical of Fleck in the middle of last season, have to admit that I’m seeing his vision more than ever. It’s sustainable, too.

Fleck built his offense from the inside out with oversized, but talented offensive linemen. His running game is versatile. His passing game is efficient. His team is successful.

Easy enough, right?

The B1G West is up for grabs on an annual basis. Who’s to say Fleck won’t put an end to that now?

If Fleck wanted to entertain any sort of move to one of the bigger schools, he would’ve done what many coaches in his position do. That is, deny any interest to openings at press conferences while reports continue to link them to openings until the second weekend of December when the coaching carousel stops spinning. It’s almost like Fleck felt like standing on a table and yelling “WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO SHOW YOU THAT I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE?!”

I’d say a 7-year extension is a pretty loud statement. And look. There’s no guarantee that Fleck is in the Twin Cities until 2026, even though he repeatedly talks about how much he loves the school, the city and the situation he’s in. He said in his post-extension press conference that “Minnesota has everything.” If one of those “too good to pass up” offers comes around, there’s still plenty of time for the 38-year-old head coach to pursue that.

But everything about Fleck’s first 3 years at Minnesota suggests he’s not in any hurry.

It’s also going to take the perfect fit. That wasn’t FSU, where the power dynamics with the athletic department are atypical, and a fanbase looking to compete for championships yesterday might not take too kindly to Fleck’s personality. As he often says, he’s not for everyone. Fleck won’t be for every big-time program with an opening the next few years, either.

He recently went on a local radio station and was asked about the lure of leaving for a big-time job.

“Minnesota is a big-time job — period,” Fleck said during an interview with Sid Hartman and Dave Monda on The Sports Huddle with Sid and Dave. “I really believe that. Heather (Fleck) and I absolutely love it in Minnesota, our kids love it when they’re here and it’s a lot of fun. So we’ve got a lot of work to do and a lot of things to finish, but we love living here, for sure.”

Call me crazy, but I think Tuesday’s news confirms that Fleck wants to see his process through. He truly wants to change the national perception of Minnesota. Saturday’s showdown against Penn State is a major opportunity to continue to do just that.

But win or lose, Fleck and Minnesota already won the week.