P.J. Fleck is about to embark on a much-anticipated fourth year at Minnesota.

Through his first three seasons in the Twin Cities, Fleck has garnered a 23-15 record with each year's success serving as a stepping stone for the next.

In Fleck's first season at the helm, the Gophers were 5-7 overall and could only muster two Big Ten wins over Illinois and Nebraska at home.

In 2018, the Gophers turned it up a notch boasting a 7-6 record which included home wins over Indiana and Purdue as well as a road victory over Wisconsin for Paul Bunyan's Axe. Minnesota capped off their season with a 34-10 win over Georgia Tech in the Quick Lane Bowl.

Last season was a banner year for the Gophers football program, finishing 11-2 on the season which included key wins over No. 4 Penn State at home and No. 12 Auburn in the Outback Bowl.

Minnesota finished the season ranked 10th nationally in 2019.

Here is a look how Fleck compares to other current Big Ten head coaches in their first three years in the conference.

James Franklin, Penn State: 25-15 (2014-16): After three years at Vanderbilt and leading the Commodores to unprecedented back-to-back nine-win seasons, Franklin led the Nittany Lions to two consecutive 7-6 seasons and bowl appearances in Pinstripe and TaxSlayer bowls in his first two seasons. Penn State broke through in Franklin's third season in Happy Valley, going 11-3 overall, winning the Big Ten title over Wisconsin, and earning a trip to Rose Bowl where they were defeated by Southern Cal.

Jim Harbaugh, Michigan: 28-11 (2015-17): Success at Stanford and with the San Francisco 49ers lead Harbaugh to become the head man at his alma mater back in December of 2014. Harbaugh's first two seasons in Ann Arbor saw back-to-back 10-win seasons with a Citrus Bowl win and an Orange Bowl loss. Things tapered off a bit in his third year, as the Wolverines finished 8-5 in 2017, including a 26-19 loss to South Carolina in the Outback Bowl.

Paul Chryst, Wisconsin: 34-7 (2015-17): After three mediocre years leading Pittsburgh, Chryst replaced Gary Andersen in Madison in December of 2014. Chryst couldn't have asked for a better start in Wisconsin, leadings the Badgers to three consecutive double-digit win seasons - 10-3 in 2015, 11-3 in 2016, and 13-1 in 2017) - and bowl victories in the Holiday, Cotton, and Orange Bowls.

Kirk Ferentz, Iowa: 11-24 (1999-2001): The longest tenured head coach currently in the Big Ten, Ferentz came to Iowa City back in 1999, replacing the legendary Hayden Fry. The Hawkeyes struggled in Ferentz's first two years at the helm, going a combined 4-19. However, in his third season, Iowa regained respectability as a program going 7-5 and beating Texas Tech in the Alamo Bowl.

Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern: 19-18 (2006-08): The former two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year took over his alma mater back in 2006 after being an assistant coach for the Wildcats since 2001. Northwestern struggled in their first year under Fitzgerald, going 4-8 in 2006. They bounced back in 2007, going 6-6 overall then broke out in 2008 with a 9-4 record and an appearance in the Alamo Bowl.

Tom Allen, Indiana: 18-20 (2017-19): After serving as defensive coordinator in 2016, Allen took over the head coaching duties for the Hoosiers for the Foster Farms Bowl that season after Kevin Wilson abruptly resigned. His first two full years at Indiana consisted of consecutive 5-7 seasons. His solid recruiting classes started to pay off as Indiana posted a 8-5 record in 2019 that included a trip to the Gator Bowl.

Jeff Brohm, Purdue: 17-21 (2017-19): After guiding Western Kentucky to 30 total wins in three seasons, Brohm was brought on to resurrect a struggling Purdue program. Surprisingly, Brohm led the Boilermakers to a 7-6 season including a 38-35 win in the Foster Farms Bowl in his first year in 2017. In 2018, Purdue finished 6-7 on the season after getting throttled by Auburn 63-14 in the Music City Bowl. The Boilermakers regressed in Brohm's third year in 2019, going 4-8 overall.

Love Smith, Illinois: 9-27 (2016-18): Smith brought a ton of NFL head coaching experience with Chicago and Tampa Bay when he took over the Fighting Illini in 2016. His first three years were rocky in Champaign which included a 3-9 season in 2016, a 2-10 campaign in 2017, and a 4-8 season in 2018.

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