Fickell Reportedly not interested in Kent State

By chicagobuckeye -13 December 2012
22 Comments
- Football

Don't know if this has been posted but Tom Dienhart tweeted that his sources say Luke Fickell is not interested in Kent State head coaching job.

Per ESPN

steensn on 13 Dec 2012 - 11:43pm #

bwh on 13 Dec 2012 - 11:54pm #

thank you jesus.

UrbzRenewal on 14 Dec 2012 - 2:21am #

It would have been a huge pay cut.

lcrumley89 on 14 Dec 2012 - 9:01am #

Not only would it been a huge paycut, I think he realizes after last season that he still needs to learn a lot before becoming a HC.

“There are some people addicted to alcohol, some people are addicted to gambling,” Luginbill said. “Urban Meyer is addicted to football, and he’s addicted to winning.”

kmp10 on 14 Dec 2012 - 9:42am #

Not knocking Fickell, but I do not understand him. He says he wants to be a head coach, but flatly refuses to start building his career. I believe that he wants to stay right here, as an assistant, for the duration... which is fine. Just say so. Darell Hazell spends two years at Kent State, wins a MAC division title this past season and now has a B1G HC job (albeit Purdue). Hazell is building his career, and if he wins at Purdue it will not be a place he stays at for very long. Urban starts at BG and wins. He gets to move up a step and go to Utah, wins again, and the rest is history. Not all, but many HC's start at a "stepping stone" job(s): Tressel (YSU), Saban (Toledo), Brian Kelly (Grand Valley St, CMU, UC), Spurrier (Duke), Hoke (Ball St, SDSU), Harbaugh (USD), Dantonio (UC), Miles (Ok St), etc. There are certainly examples of coordinators becoming HC's at "destination" jobs; Pelini and Richt for eg. However, Pelini was a coordinator at Oklahoma AND LSU, and made several stops in the NFL as a position coach, and Richt was a coordinator at, I believe, East Carolina and Fla prior to getting the Georgia job. If Fickell truly wants to be the head coach at Ohio State someday then he'd better get busy and prove that he can win at a MAC or Mountain West school for eg. Just one man's opinion...

bassplayer7770 on 14 Dec 2012 - 9:48am #

I think Fick still has a lot to learn both as a DC who calls the plays and as a HC (under Meyer). I could see him entertaining other jobs in the next few years, but his options could be better if he proves himself to be an elite DC first. I think he'd be wise to stay at tOSU at least for now.

AndyVance on 14 Dec 2012 - 7:01pm #

Reasons to stay put for now, if your name is Luke Fickell:

Working for Urban Meyer is probably the best head coaching classroom in America,
You're making $761k per year as co-DC, meaning you're as well paid as the head coaches of Rutgers Colorodo, better paid than 5 Conference USA coaches, and better paid than every MAC, WAC and (almost every) SunBelt coach,
You've had one sobering, humbling, and hard-fought season at the helm of an FBS school and you found out you're not quite ready, and,
You've heard of The Peter Principle and understand that being the best DC on the planet may be as rewarding - fiscally and figuratively - as being a HC at a 2nd tier program (or worse, failing as a HC at a 2nd tier program).

BuckeyeVet on 14 Dec 2012 - 9:42pm #

@AndyVance - well put. Was going to say the same things until I found you had already said it for me..... and I came down with a sudden surge of laziness!

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx

AndyVance on 14 Dec 2012 - 9:48pm #

And given the progress the Defense made this season with the numerous personnel/injury issues, I give the coaching staff a boatload of credit. It seemed like (on both sides of the ball) every week we saw a major weakness and the next week it was addressed. Maybe not fixed always, but you could see an obvious progression. The offense carried the team the first six games, and the defense saved a sputtering offense more than once in the second sixpack.

VasanthAnanth on 14 Dec 2012 - 7:37pm #

Maybe Fickell will become the next Bud Foster (VT defensive coordinator).

razrback16 on 14 Dec 2012 - 10:02am #

Yeah I think Fick needs more time as a coordinator. He looked lost for a portion of the year last year. If he can prove himself a good coordinator, then the next step will be as a HC.

osu07asu10 on 14 Dec 2012 - 10:19am #

Everyone takes different paths to the top (meaning head coaching gig). I think two years ago, if Kent State had called Fickell's name (or Akron instead of Rob Ianello for that matter) he would have left.

I think his year as HC at tOSU was an awesome opportunity to really evaluate where he was at. I think Luke can be a great coach. He is passionate, a great recruiter, a former player, and someone I believe truly has a football mind. He played for Cooper, coached under Tressel, and now has a chance to really learn from Coach Meyer, who I believe has taken Luke under his wing to try and get him to the next level.

Give him one to two more years as DC and I think he will be able to land a fairly big opportunity.

"They don't know what they don't know." - Coach Mick

Maceyko on 14 Dec 2012 - 10:21am #

Tenure under Tressel and now Meyer? If I'm making enough money (which he is) then I'd go nowhere for another year or two and just absorb all that I can from Urban. Then I'd be looking for the right fit to build my program and prove myself. Besides if you are truly happy where you are and have financial security then why leave? It's a good time to be a part of the program.

Ahh Saturday on 14 Dec 2012 - 10:22am #

There are things about being HC that don't have a lot to do with Xs and Os that I don't think LF is interested in. It's also possible that he's just not good at those things. In either case he seems A LOT more comfortable as DC.

FROMTHE18 on 14 Dec 2012 - 10:26am #

I think Fickell is/should always be a DC. Sure I have issues with how the defense performed at times this year, but they did come on during the latter stretch of the season and I think the HC stint was a learning experience for him. I see him more as a Heacock rather than a future HC. Some assitants are meant to always be assitants and there is nothing wrong with that.

Edit: basically echoing AHH SATURDAY ^

jerryt-richfield on 14 Dec 2012 - 11:32am #

I honestly don't believe he's ready to be a HC at any BCS catagory school. Everyone has a ceiling to their capabilities and I think trying to be a great DC is Luke's.

He's supposted to be a great recruiter but who would you rather see come to your house Luke or Mike Vrabel?

Woody had Bo, but Bo had a burning desire to be a HC hence of to Miami of Ohio then to UM.

Does anyone see the same type of fire burning in Luke? I'm sorry but I don't.

jerryt-go bucks

southbymidwest on 14 Dec 2012 - 12:37pm #

Ehh, maybe this is that place that works for him right now. He has his BFF working and recruiting with him, he and Meyer are on the same page now after some initial bumpiness (we hope), he loves his players, loves OSU, and has a chance to be part of another national championship team. Not only that, but he can soak up the Meyer way after learning the Cooper and Tressel ways. He can then figure out what parts of them work for him, and go on to a HC position. Both Meyer and Tressel have great coaching trees, he has the opportunity to be a branch from both, a graft, as you will.

buckeye76BHop on 14 Dec 2012 - 1:24pm #

He has A LOT more to prove before stepping into a HC role IMO of course (hence not allowing teams like Indiana to score 42 points and 21 in the 4th quarter...might be a good example).

"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
"I love football. I think it is most wonderful game in world and I despise to lose."
Woody Hayes 1913 - 1987

bergy22 on 14 Dec 2012 - 3:33pm #

Urban is gonna help Fickel make a LOT of money someday. Learning from the best, getting top notch recruits, and hopefully competing for NC on an annual basis. Gonna go get him a big time job. Smart move by Fickel.

Tengauge on 14 Dec 2012 - 3:45pm #

I think Luke may need more time to get last year's season out of his system. He is dedicated to the program, recruits well, and he is learning a lot from Urban-Jedi Master-Meyer. He will learn and learn he shall. Eventually somebody will come knocking like they do for most of our assistant coaches and make a deal to lure him away.

otrain2416 on 14 Dec 2012 - 6:01pm #

He makes ~750K at OSU Hazell made ~300K at Kent so it would have been a huge pay cut and his 3 best players would have only been there for a year. My concern was not him getting hired but him taking Vrabel with him.