P.J. Fleck has specific plan for Minnesota linemen Curtis Dunalp, Daniel Faalele

P.J. Fleck has a very specific plan he wants to stick to in regards to two of his most important newcomers on the offensive line, Curtis Dunlap and Daniel Faalele.

On Tuesday, Fleck to KFAN 100.3 that his plan for the two former IMG Academy standouts is to play them in three more games this season and retain their redshirts, utilizing the new rule. Both Dunlap and Faalele played in the opener but haven’t seen the field since.

Fleck did not offer any suggestion as to when the two massive linemen would play, or if they’d play in the same games or make separate appearances.

Plan is for #Gophers true freshmen offensive linemen Curtis Dunlap and Daniel Faalele to play in three more games and keep redshirts on them with new four-game rule, head coach PJ Fleck told @KFAN1003. The mammoth IMG Academy products played in opener, sat out next four games.

— Andy Greder (@andygreder) October 2, 2018

Fleck continues to build for the future at Minnesota, and his latest statement is further proof that he has a long-term plan in mind. The two linemen can play in four games without losing their redshirt status.

Dunlap and Faalele were regarded as two of the top linemen in the 2018 recruiting class. Dunlap was a four-star prospect out of high school. Faalele is a 6-foot-8, 400-pound lineman with limited American football experience.

Minnesota is 3-1 on the year without playing the two linemen much during the season, though it lost its B1G opener to Maryland.

It would have been easy to insert the two newcomers into the lineup early, but Fleck wants to use this season to develop that talent. As highly-touted as they were arriving at Minnesota, it won’t be surprising if Dunalp and Faalele are both starters in 2019.