Gopher football fans can rest easy for now as the rumors of head coach P.J. Fleck being a candidate for the Tennessee coaching vacancy have been stopped dead in their tracks with news that the Volunteers are going with Josh Heupel as their next head coach.
Fleck was reportedly one of three candidates Tennessee was interested in.
The Star Tribune’s Chip Scoggins reported Monday that Fleck was “not interested” in leaving Minnesota for Tennessee, though Fleck also been rumored as a coaching candidate in the NFL.
Both NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and FOX NFL Sunday’s Jay Glazer reported in late December and early January, respectively, that Fleck was drawing interest from the pros. The only remaining available head coaching job in the NFL is with the Houston Texans, and Fleck has not been linked to them.
Fleck is under contract with the Gophers through 2026. His base salary in 2021 is $4.65 million and will reach $4.9 million by 2026.
The Gophers are 26-19 under Fleck and 15-19 in the Big Ten.
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