P.J. Fleck had not even been NIU football’s recruiting coordinator for a month when it hit him.

Fleck was still trying to decide how he wanted to run his ship – what to keep, what to change – and still had to put together NIU’s recruiting weekend that was coming closer by the day.

This is where it hit him.

“Wow, this job is definitely a lot more than what I thought it was going to be,” Fleck said.

On Dec. 13, Jerry Kill was announced as successor to Joe Novak as head football coach. When Kill completed his coaching staff, only two former Novak staffers reamined: Fleck and defensive line coach Jeff Phelps.

Under Novak, Fleck was wide recievers coach. With Kill, Fleck will still coach wide receivers, but he has added the title of recruiting coordinator, putting him in charge of all of football’s recruiting.

“It’s been busy, busy, busy,” Fleck said. “I’m making sure everything is organized, giving a lot of people different responsibilities and being responsible for everyone getting their job done.”

With coaching changes, many recruits change commitments, but Fleck said that didn’t happen when Kill took over.

“It was a smooth transition for kids committed under the Novak regime because [Athletic Director Jim Phillips] didn’t go far from the nest,” Fleck said.

“Northern has its own reputation, and Jerry Kill fits that mold.”

While the new job has been hectic, those who know Fleck know his boundless energy is perfect for the job.

“It’s non-stop action, but I love action,” Fleck said. “I got 111 e-mails the other day.”

What Fleck got out of those 111 e-mails was the hope that he could find the one kid under the radar who turns into a difference-maker for the team, he said.

At age 27, Fleck isn’t too far removed from being recruited at NIU himself. With stops in the NFL and as a graduate assistant for Ohio State, Fleck has seen recruiting of all types. This, in his opinion, is his strongest suit.

“Being young, I understand what kids want and how they want to be recruited,” Fleck said. “I’d like to think I know what kids want.”

And what the kids want is playing time.

“The kids we recruit, we stress playing time,” Fleck said. “It’s not guaranteed, there’s always competition, but there are chances of playing sooner.”

Fleck will be the first to admit he doesn’t know if he’s good for the job, but he’ll find out soon enough.

National signing day, after all, is Feb. 6.

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