Pair Of Patriots Newcomers Receive Glowing Review From College Coach
Mike Vrabel searched for culture-builders and found two who come from a “culture of connectivity,” according to Big Ten Coach of the Year PJ Fleck.
The Minnesota head coach noticed the moves the Patriots made this offseason and very much understood them. After all, Fleck recruited and coached Robert Spillane at Western Michigan and Jack Gibbens at Minnesota. They’re two of his favorites, Fleck said.
“I can see what he’s (Vrabel’s) doing by the two linebackers he brought in,” Fleck told NESN.com during a video interview. “It is tough, focused football minds. Who loves it? I mean, Robert Spillane eats, breathes, sleeps football. He would eat footballs if it was tasty. He would sleep on a football if it was comfortable. He would cuddle with the football if you tied them all together. That’s all he cares about. Same thing with Jack Gibbens.”
Spillane was one of Fleck’s first-ever recruits. Western Michigan offered the two-star high schooler some four months after Fleck took over at the helm of the Broncos. Spillane played 47 career games at Western Michigan (2014-2017), including a 2016 campaign in which the 13-1 Broncos ranked 15th in the country. Spillane finished fourth in total tackles (111) and fifth in interceptions (three) in the Mid-American Conference (MAC), his final under Fleck.
Fleck and the Golden Gophers recruited Gibbens after he spent four seasons at Abilene Christian University. Playing on his final year of eligibility, Gibbens started all 13 games at linebacker and led Minnesota in tackles and was named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.
Spillane and Gibbens each went undrafted before they landed their first NFL jobs with Vrabel’s Tennessee Titans.
“You got two guys who weren’t unicorns but have done an unbelievable job in the league when no one thought they would,” said Fleck, crediting their respective mindset and work ethic.
The 29-year-old Spillane was cut after his first training camp but developed into a starting linebacker. Named a captain for the Raiders in 2024, Spillane finished with 158 tackles in 17 starts. Gibbens, who comes to New England after three seasons in Tennessee, started 18 of his 24 games the last two seasons while being hindered by injuries.
“They have that football mentality,” Fleck said.
There could be another who joins the Fleck-Vrabel connection with offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery nearing the 2025 NFL Draft after four seasons in Minnesota. Fleck believes Ersery, who reportedly had a top 30 visit in Foxboro, Mass., would serve as another culture-builder.
And Fleck’s opinion is worth paying attention to given he typically sees eye-to-eye with the Patriots head coach.