P.J. Fleck doubles down on getting Duke’s Mayo Bowl bath
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - The University of Minnesota football team closes out the 2024 season next Friday against Virginia Tech at the Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte.
That means the Gophers have a chance to give head coach P.J. Fleck a bath of mayonnaise if they beat the Hokies. The winning coach of the game gets a Gatorade-sized jug of mayo dumped over their head. Fleck has already said he’ll willingly participate in the tradition of Minnesota wins the game. He doubled down on that while speaking with reporters after bowl practice on Saturday.
"That’s what’s so great about college football. Everybody wants to see that for coaches, period. I think it’s one of the quirky, really cool traditions with the mayo dumping on the coach’s head," Fleck said. "That’s what makes college football really special. I’m still down to making it double if it happens."
Max Brosmer wants to see it happen too. But he would prefer it if Fleck had hair.
"I’m not sure how fond of mayonnaise Coach Fleck is, so we’ll see what that looks like if we come out with the win. I kind of wish he had hair, because I think it would get stuck in his hair a little more," Brosmer joked. "It might be easier to clean off if he’s cleanly shaven, so I’m excited to see that."
The Gophers finished the regular season 7-5, and are looking to go 6-0 in bowl games under Fleck.
Who’s in, who’s out?
Why it matters: College teams in bowl games, but not in the College Football Playoff, tend to have players with intentions of entering the NFL Draft opt out of postseason games to prevent injuries. For the Gophers, don’t expect to see Aireontae Ersery, Cody Lindenberg, Justin Walley, Jah Joyner and Daniel Jackson.
Brosmer and Quinn Carroll both said publicly they will play, and it will be their final game as Gophers. Brosmer came to Minnesota after throwing for more than 8,700 yards and 70 touchdowns in four seasons at New Hampshire. He threw for more than 2,600 yards and 17 touchdowns with the Gophers. Carroll played three seasons on the offensive line at Minnesota after transferring home from Notre Dame.
Fleck likes 2024 transfer class
What happened? After every season, teams lose players to the NCAA transfer portal. Fleck and the Gophers had some departures after this past season, but were able to return a majority of their key pieces from this year’s 7-5 team.
Fleck said at his Signing Day news conference he’d be looking to add 10-15 transfers for the 2025 season. He’s already at 15, and the class ranks No. 13 nationally and third in the Big Ten. The Gophers have added three running backs, three wide receivers, a quarterback, a tight end and three linemen.
"My job is to replace everybody with a better version of you that’s a younger version of you. It’s your job to keep your job, that’s how competition works," Fleck said.