Minnesota fires offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh after another rough performance

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota offensive coordinator Greg Harbaugh Jr. was fired Sunday with two regular-season games remaining following another rough performance by the Gophers.

Coach P.J. Fleck announced his decision the day after the 42-14 loss at Penn State, when the Gophers converted three of 13 third downs and were scoreless for more than 38 minutes of game time until finally reaching the end zone. That was Minnesota's sixth straight game with less than 300 total yards.

“Greg has been an important part of our football program, and I want to thank him for the time, energy and commitment he gave to our players and university,” Fleck said. "These decisions are never easy, but I believe this is the right one for our football team. I have tremendous respect for Greg as a coach, husband and father and thank him for his many contributions to our program. I wish him and his family the best moving forward.”

Harbaugh was in his third stint on Minnesota's staff, in his fourth season as the play-caller. He was a quality control assistant in 2017 and again in 2019. After returning in 2022 as tight ends coach, Harbaugh was elevated to quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator in 2023. He became the sole offensive coordinator in 2025.

The Gophers (5-5, 3-4), who rank 129th out of 136 teams in the FBS in total yards, are averaging 17.6 points over seven Big Ten games. They host Northwestern on Saturday.

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