And that is very difficult to find in our profession.''įleck and Coyle began preliminary contract talks this summer, and negotiations picked up in the past few weeks. … We get to make a life here, not just make a living. "My wife loves living here, our kids love being here, and it's a really special place. "I absolutely love the state of Minnesota,'' he said. Inside the contract: Salary, buyout and staff moneyįleck, an Illinois native, stressed his affinity for the Twin Cities area as a reason to commit. "… From an institutional perspective, having that high buyout obviously provides the protection.'' is being genuine when he talks about wanting to be here,'' athletic director Mark Coyle said.
His previous buyout for this year was $4.5 million, and it was to drop to $3 million the next two years. 31, 2022, he would owe the university $10 million, and it would still be $7 million the next season, followed by $5 million in 2024 and decreasing from there.
Should Fleck leave for another coaching job before Dec. The university got protection from Fleck, 40, leaving early for another job in the form of increased buyouts. "As things start to come about, especially when you know you want to be somewhere, you make that happen and eliminate the external noise because that can be a distraction for your players,'' Fleck said. When USC fired Clay Helton early this season, Fleck was mentioned in media speculation as a potential candidate. In past years, his name was mentioned in openings at Florida State and Tennessee. “It was important for me to send a message to our fan base, to send our message to our recruits, to our current student-athletes, that we are committed to football, we're committed to winning at a high level, and we're committed to doing the right things.” Athletic director Mark Coyleįleck's pay would match the 2021 pay of Nebraska's Scott Frost, Iowa's Kirk Ferentz and Purdue's Jeff Brohm, all of whom make $5 million.Īlong with hoping to build a long-lasting program, Fleck wanted to end any talk about him leaving for other jobs.