All Things Fickell

[leo from jersey]

This doesn't surprise me. I just kept feeling something was off this year, too. I can't explain it, but something about this season felt weird.

That whole game Friday showed it after looking back. Again, LF let the team down. He didn't really build but continued the trend of using UC. I hope we can recover from the loss of recruits, the lack of playing time for the underclassmen etc.

[Rufus]

Yea I thought it weird that in the game when UC was flagged for a bunch of penalties, USF? but one of which they yanked an opposing players helmet off while out of bounds and it was more or less a non issue with Fickell when asked about it later. I began to be suspicious then.

[GoBearcats31]

I'm sure he had some remarks during his Wisconsin introductory press conference, but has Fickell said anything else/thanked UC and its fans yet?

There is no easy way to do this. Even if you're not trying to be like Brian Kelly, there is still work done behind the scenes, you are still hopping on a private plane to your future school and leaving town before the dust settles... but would be nice to see something from Fickell soon.

[Lobot]

I'm sure he had some remarks during his Wisconsin introductory press conference, but has Fickell said anything else/thanked UC and its fans yet?

There is no easy way to do this. Even if you're not trying to be like Brian Kelly, there is still work done behind the scenes, you are still hopping on a private plane to your future school and leaving town before the dust settles... but would be nice to see something from Fickell soon.

I haven't seen anything. His Twitter account hasn't posted anything since 11/24. Usually when a coach moves to a new school, they start fresh with a new account. I don't see a new account out there for him yet.

[Bearcat Chris]

He is not the great gentleman we all thought he was. He signed a seven-year contract last year for over $5 million a year, but used the Bearcats to better his pocket book by another 3 million.

He has to remember that USC and UCLA will be joining his division, and it’s not going to be the easy road he thinks. I don’t wish him bad things, but I have lost some faith in humanity with how Saint Luke screwed us all over here this year.

B.C.

[leo from jersey]

He is not the great gentleman we all thought he was. He signed a seven-year contract last year for over $5 million a year, but used the Bearcats to better his pocket book by another 3 million.

He has to remember that USC and UCLA will be joining his division, and it’s not going to be the easy road he thinks. I don’t wish him bad things, but I have lost some faith in humanity with how Saint Luke screwed us all over here this year.

B.C.

Few seem to have the courage to go against the flow. He was paid for everyday he coached, although the last few were not worth the money as well as the lost of recruits. I have lost respect for LF. I would leave out religion, but most articles deal with his strong faith. The players, the University and the fans put their football faith in Luke. Yes He provided one miracle, but!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!111

a side note. It looks like the big will be doing away with divisions very soon.

[Big_Daddy_Bearcat_07]

Ha the five stages of grief…I believe we’ve hit the anger stage. Dare I say, take away the ND game (despite that we were favored) and Luke failed to win a game he wasn’t supposed to win? Even lost a few he was expected to win? He was a solid coach, great for our university. He’s a good man by college football standards. I think time will tell if his coaching was the winning touch or if he was the right guy to coach the team at the right time.

[Lobot]

OK, so just some thoughts here.

Try and remember that Luke Fickell has grown up in the OSU program as a player and coach for years. He's used to to having that level of resources at his disposal for his entire career and then came to CIncinnati where we do not have that level of resources, donor activity, facilites etc. We're slowly getting there but the BIg XII money hasn't rolled in yet.

It's going to be a while before the new Indoor Practice facility is ready, The UCATS donor numbers are growing and I think they'll continue to to grow unless we mess up the hire for Fickell's replacement. We finally have an NIL collective after kinda wandering in the desert all season. All this factors in to his choice to move on. Wisconsin has these things already and will be rolling in dough with the new B1G TV deal.

Anyone insinuating that John Cunningham ran Fickell off is most likely wrong. That said, John doesn't have OSU money to throw around. For someone like Fickell, UC looks like a step down from where he began and it's probably frustrating at times.

If we had not made the CFP last year, Luke would have bolted for ND after last season.

[red_n_black_attack]

Had one foot out the door since last year . Upset that he missed ND because of the CFP. ($)


https://theathletic.com/3941906/2022...shared_article

This is Luke's first time as HC, and the comments/Athletic Article said he had one foot out the door since missing out on Noter Shame job because of CFP. IF true, that means he didn't develop some of the underclassmen because his goal was to win at all costs. Sorry, not sorry, but this is why baseball doesn't allow players or managers to bet on games. His goal to win today for a better job could possibly cost us a bit in the future, but we'll never know since the competition in Big 12 was already going to be much harder.

[Bearcat93]

I think Fickell’s style is B10 all the way (I know, go figure) and he was looking for the opportunity to get there, but more than style and his own history there-it’s really a two conference in control of CFB and he wanted a spot in that arrangement. I can’t blame him for that, but the season did seem unfocused and just odd at times. I personally feel like he was distracted or at least had started to emotionally/personally start to detach a bit. Negotiating in secret with another team just after re-upping with your current team while you’re in season is just BS.
I don’t care how “normal” it is, rise above. Be a leader, not a follower. I fully expect Fickell to hop to OSU after Day loses 1-2 more games to Michigan. I’m still not sure B12, ACC & PAC will have the same meaning/clout in a few years when expansion picks back up. OR, Wash, Ok St, UNC, Clemson, FL…..I see movement for many/most of these to B10 & SEC in the next 3-5 years.

[red_n_black_attack]

I think Fickell’s style is B10 all the way (I know, go figure) and he was looking for the opportunity to get there, but more than style and his own history there-it’s really a two conference in control of CFB and he wanted a spot in that arrangement. I can’t blame him for that, but the season did seem unfocused and just odd at times. I personally feel like he was distracted or at least had started to emotionally/personally start to detach a bit. Negotiating in secret with another team just after re-upping with your current team while you’re in season is just BS.
I don’t care how “normal” it is, rise above. Be a leader, not a follower. I fully expect Fickell to hop to OSU after Day loses 1-2 more games to Michigan. I’m still not sure B12, ACC & PAC will have the same meaning/clout in a few years when expansion picks back up. OR, Wash, Ok St, UNC, Clemson, FL…..I see movement for many/most of these to B10 & SEC in the next 3-5 years.

With the Rose Bowl agreeing to move from traditional 5PM ET Jan 1st time slot, CFP expansion to 12 teams in 2024 is a start to break the stranglehold owned by SEC and Big10. In their efforts to wrangle in programs with the most viewership, they neglected to consider (or dismissed) that new programs would rise to national prominence. If/when teams from Pac10 or Big 12 start winning Natty's, people will begin flocking toward those programs, much like Clemson. Some may be fans attracted to winners, though many will be casual or non-FB fans who recoginize their school and begin tuning in. The latter happened with Clemson.

The Big 12 needs to consistently get two teams into CFP field and win, with occasional Championships, starting with TCU this year.

[Lobot]

Little slow on the the trigger there but he did finally thank the admin. You can make of it it what you will that he does not thanks the fans in this.

https://twitter.com/CoachFick/status...86124272701440

[leo from jersey]

Little slow on the the trigger there but he did finally thank the admin. You can make of it it what you will that he does not thanks the fans in this.

https://twitter.com/CoachFick/status...86124272701440

Bye let's go Coach Sattt

[London 'Cat]

Little slow on the the trigger there but he did finally thank the admin. You can make of it it what you will that he does not thanks the fans in this.

https://twitter.com/CoachFick/status...86124272701440

He thanked the City of Cincinnati, which includes the fans. FWIW.

[bearcatbret]

The way that I look at it is that UC gave Fickell an opportunity to prove himself so that he could move on to better pastures just like all before him. There is a little bit difference though. He came in while UC was in the group of 6 and was heading to the power 5 which he bailed on. Before him, Tubberville just wanted to get closer to his wife's family and retire. Before that was Butch Jones who came in after the meltdown of the Big East and the AAC was not as desirable as the SEC which he failed miserably. Kelly came in when the Big East (power 6) was thriving and he was able to win but during the end of it, teams were bailing to the other power conferences, and he saw the writing on the wall that the Big East was collapsing - yes he left for his dream job but it was the way that he left. Mark Dantonio came in during UC's initial year of the Big East and was only looking for better things and he was a Big 10 guy. Then there was Rick Menter who would still be here if he was not fired but UC probably would not have been as successful. Prior to Menter, every coach was in as an independent where UC was everyone's homecoming game and they wanted to escape as fast as possible. So, Luke could have stayed and gone into a Power 5 conference to try to prove himself again or he could go for the Power 2 and survive with the big money. I am hoping that the Big 12 will be successful and that our new coach will be successful and that he will stay and prove that in the decades to come that UC is a place to stay and not to step on. Rant ended.