Minnesota fires OC Harbaugh after Penn State loss
9 sourcesUpdated Nov 15, 20261 min read
Minnesota fired offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. on Sunday, a day after the Gophers lost 42-14 at Penn State, where they managed just 60 yards of offense in the first half. The decision followed a prolonged offensive slump: Minnesota had been held below 300 total yards in six consecutive games and ranked near the bottom of the Big Ten in scoring and yardage. Harbaugh had worked in several roles with the program since 2017, took over play-calling in 2023 and became sole offensive coordinator in 2025. Coach P.J. Fleck thanked Harbaugh and said the decision was made in the team’s best interest. The 5-5 Gophers had two regular-season games remaining, starting with a home game against Northwestern, as they pursued bowl eligibility.
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They need a replacement who can actually get the running game going or the losses will keep piling up.
Fleck waited too long to make this move if the goal is still reaching a bowl game with two weeks left.
The offense was completely shut down in that first half, so firing the coordinator makes sense after months of bad production.
