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P.J. Fleck Sends Assistant Coach Packing
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- P.J. Fleck Sends Assistant Coach Packing
Matt Krohn-Imagn Images Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Gophers should have been a better team than owning a 7-5 record this season . P.J. Fleck pushed them to bowl eligibility though, and they wrapped up the regular season by retaining The Axe .
Part of the reason that the team was not better is rooted in the defense. It didn't take watching much to see opposing offenses gash the Minnesota Gophers on the ground. That often took place up the middle, and everything starts in the trenches.
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On the heels of a truly special recruiting class , the head coach made a change that can impact the future iterations of the team.
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Gophers dismiss defensive line coach
Over the years P.J. Fleck has lost plenty of his assistants. That is something he has been proud of as it's evidence of their desirability for career growth. This season Danny Collins took over for Corey Hetherman after he went to Miami . No one was going to want Collins after watching the results, and Fleck didn't want Dennis Dottin-Carter after seeing them either.
Sources: Minnesota dismissed defensive line coach Dennis Dottin-Carter. He's was in his third season at Minnesota, the first two as a senior defensive analyst. He also coached defensive line at Yale, UConn and Maine. He worked at Delaware, including a stint as interim coach. pic.twitter.com/AnBqlaHTxE
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 5, 2025
After working as a defensive analyst, Dottin-Carter was promoted to defensive line coach this season. The Gophers 35 sacks this season rank 9th in college football , but the interior struggled to keep up.
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The Gophers gave up more than 122 rushing yards per game , and allowed 3.79 yards per carry. If there was a portion of the field that Minnesota simply couldn't defend, it was up the middle.
Fleck's team will need to take a step forward next season with Drake Lindsey under center for the second-straight season. It was plausible that the head coach would be desirable during the coaching carousel, but he's going to be back and must build from here.
Minnesota still has a bowl game to compete in, and they'll have a new voice leading the defensive line group. Fleck is a perfect 6-0 as a head coach of the Gophers in bowl games . If he wants that to continue this season, then defending between the hashes and having a competent interior is a must.
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