Report: Cincinnati targeting Ohio State DC Luke Fickell as head coach
The Cincinnati Bearcats are looking at a nearby option to fill their head coaching vacancy.
The coaching carousel is in full motion as several of the top jobs are beginning to fill up. We’ve seen Texas, LSU, Oregon and Purdue hire coaches recently among notable Power Five programs, but one of the bigger Group of Five schools still has an opening.
The Cincinnati Bearcats are moving on from the Tommy Tuberville era after he resigned after going 4-8 this year. He had success in his first two years with back-to-back nine-win seasons before regressing to seven and four wins the last two years to finish with an overall record of 29–22 and 18–14 in AAC.
Cincinnati may not have to look very far to find his replacement as Fox Sports Bruce Feldman reports co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell is at the center of their coaching search.
#Cincinnati’s head coaching search is focusing in on #OhioState Co-DC Luke Fickell, source tells @FoxSports.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 9, 2016
Fickell, 43, has been on the Ohio State coaching staff since 2002 and has coached special teams, linebackers, serves as co-defensive coordinator with Christ Ash and Greg Schiano and was the team’s interim head coach after Jim Tressel’s resignation for the 2011 season. Fickell led the Buckeyes to a 6-7 record and an appearance in the Gator Bowl.
Urban Meyer kept him on the staff when he took over as the Ohio State head coach and after learning from one of the best head coaches of all-time looks poised to get his first real head coaching opportunity.
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Fickell played at Ohio State, returned to Ohio State as a graduate assistant in 1999 after his NFL career ended and coached the defensive line at Akron from 2000-2001. He played high school football in Columbus and outside of a short tenure as an undrafted free agent with the New Orleans Saints, Fickell knows the lay of the land of Ohio football.
He could be a tremendous recruiter considering his ties to the state and could get the Bearcats back on a winning track after a losing season this year under Tuberville should he get the job.