Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck will get a one-year contract extension with increased retention bonuses, pending approval at the next Board of Regents meeting July 9.
The Fleck contract news came public Thursday, the same day university documents showed that the Gophers athletic department projects a $8.75 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2026.
The Gophers anticipated a $3.5 million deficit for fiscal 2025 and wound up nearly balanced. Athletic director Mark Coyle has prided himself on balancing the budget each year, but university athletic departments across the country have been anticipating shortfalls, with schools now on the hook to pay athletes $20.5 million in annual revenue sharing from the recent House v. NCAA settlement.
Fleck’s six-year deal would keep him under contract through 2030. He is entering his ninth year as Gophers coach and coming off a 8-5 season, which included a victory over Virginia Tech in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
“P.J. has consistently recruited and coached teams that Minnesotans can be proud of on and off the field,” Coyle said in a statement. “The program has produced record GPAs and 10 Academic All-Americans under Fleck, and his teams have won a consistent level not seen in more than 75 years.”
In the first year of that deal, Fleck made $6 million in salary this past season, plus a $700,000 retention bonus.
Under the new deal, Fleck’s salary would remain $6 million, but he would receive a $1 million retention bonus after Year 1 and $1.6 million after Year 6.
