Head Coaching Career
On December 17, 2012, Western Michigan University announced the hiring of Fleck as the new head coach, making him the youngest head coach and the first ever head coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of college football born in the 1980s. Fleck signed a five-year contract worth $392,000 per season that includes an assistant coaches’ salary pool of $825,000. The previous head coach, Bill Cubit, earned $375,000 per year with an assistants salary pool of $723,000. With the increased budget, Fleck intends to hire a dedicated recruiting coordinator – a first for the WMU football program. Other candidates expressing interest in the job included Syracuse defensive coordinator (and later head coach) Scott Shafer, and Kent State offensive coordinator Brian Rock, both former WMU assistants. WMU had also been in contact with Indiana State head coach Trent Miles and North Dakota State head coach Craig Bohl, both of whom declined interest or withdrew from consideration
One of Fleck's first actions as head coach was to rescind scholarship offers to incoming players who had verbally committed to Western Michigan. The withdraws occured weeks before the national signing day, and left players unable to arrange other division I scholarships as slots were already filled at other schools.
“I know if it was me, I would be ticked,” Fleck said of the players who had scholarship offers pulled. “I also know if it was me, I would have showed up in the office of the head football coach, telling him I was dying to still be here.” Fleck started his position during a dead period when recruits are not allowed to have face-to-face contact with coaches.
Read more about this topic: P. J. Fleck
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