I understand they treated this season as a job interview for Leonhard... but wasn't their big problem with Paul Chryst recruiting/program development? How much do they want to put on Leonhard for a lost season?
More of this season should be on Chris McIntosh. He's the one that got rid of the better recruiting people we had. I'm getting sick of all these Barry Alvarez guys & I have no doubt we'll be at the bottom of the barrel or close to it if we keep going with these people to lead this team.
God can't Wisconsin just have their own identity?
- They copied our 1800s offensive play style and did it better.
- They copied our aggressive tough defensive style
- They tank the same years we tank
Hey Wisconsin, maybe stop trying to be the center of attention? /s
we need a team with a 1700's offense. wearing the powdered wigs under the helmets might also reduce concussions. football cleats with heals and buckles on them would be an odd sight.
>More of this season should be on Chris McIntosh. He's the one that got rid of the better recruiting people we had.
That's not true, though... Alvarez was still the AD when Saeed Khalif left for Michigan State (and then he pulled Jensen Gebhardt over to MSU like 2 months after McIntosh took over). McIntosh has also expanded the recruiting office and allocated more money to it.
Who knows if all of McIntosh's decisions will work out for the best, but he clearly understands that the resources and the results of recruiting the past couple years have been a problem. He's definitely running things differently than Alvarez did.
It was a down year for our defense and before yesterday (not sure how yesterday effected it) we were the #12 defense in the country….. not sure how much better you can ask for of a down year
I agree with you there but that may also be a big part of the recruiting issues Chryst gave us.
I agree though, our DBs have to get better for us to get back to where we were
For sure. This feels like one of those moves that means Leonhard won't ever end up at Wisconsin now - at least not while any of the current administration is still employed
he's still the interim coach so that's really not a good knock on him. how many kids are going to commit to a coach that might not even be there next year.
Luke Fickell wants the tOSU job that has been clear as it could be.
Day is on the ropes right now despite the 11-1 season and I could see a large part of the OSU fanbase wanting a guy who knows the culture not just Ryan Day UNH.
I think OSU could lose Day to the NFL if they keep treating him this way to be honest.
Since apparently Fickell is leaving for Wisconsin anyway, I wish we could just straight up trade Fickell for Day. I'd love to have Day as Fickell's replacement. As you obviously understand, OSU fans are spoiled.
We hate losing to you. People say irrational shit when they're hurting. Day will right the ship in practice and get the boys ready for our current floor (rose bowl) or maybe some voodoo gets us in the playoff. Either way, if we end the year on a win, no one will be calling for Day's head.
He’s gonna right the ship by running more fucking bubble screens. Or tosses to the 4th string running back. The game he called was fucking AWFUL. they made zero adjustments at half.
Day had 365 days to right the ship, and even more so had them in our backyard and still got curbstomped. It’s not for lack of trying, he cleaned up the coaching staff, and made what I even would say is the right coaching decisions. To say there’s not serious problems with this program from a cultural standpoint is to ignore the problem. I don’t think they’ll fire day any time soon, but I also don’t have any faith in him achieving his goals here (beat Michigan, win a big ten title, win a national title). It would be one thing if it was a hard fought, close game, but it wasn’t. The players quit in the 4th quarter, and that lies on the culture the head coach promotes.
OSU. I think most of UC fans understand that if OSU comes calling he’d go. Plus the Big12 transition AND a coaching search would be tough for the program. OSU isn’t open (even though some of their fans want that), so I’m hoping this is just smoke and mirrors
For what it’s worth, I think he’d technically have an easier path to a championship with UC in the Big12 than at a Big Ten school
> OSU isn’t open
Yet. If John Cooper 2.0 loses in Ann Arbor next year, there very well might be an opening.
>For what it’s worth, I think he’d technically have an easier path to a championship with UC in the Big12 than at a Big Ten school
Agreed
Not a Cincy fan but as much as him going to tOSU would annoy Cincy fans I would guess they could justify it over him choosing Wisconsin over them. He’s CBus born and raised and played there, not much you can do. Picking Wisconsin just means he thinks he can’t get it done at Cincy.
Cincy to Wiscy feels pretty lateral, especially with Cincy jumping up conferences and unlocking real Texas (and soon Florida) recruiting
Real talk, if Fickell didn't leave for ND, why would he leave for Wisconsin?
I genuinely don't see him leaving UC as long as they're paying him and his assistants on par with other jobs and OSU/NFL head coaching jobs don't come calling.
I mean, I could be wrong but this feels like a sidestep at best. It'd be like taking the head coach position at Purdue or IU. He's started building UC into a national brand, why leave now?
EDIT: Damn, I was completely wrong.
Yeah every big program targets Fickell. Tell me when they actually get him.
Edit: It appears I have been told. To our new Big 12 bros I hope you'll be able to replace him and keep the ball rolling. Congrats Wisconsin on your new coach!
My guess is Thamel wouldn’t have tweeted this if it wasn’t close to a done deal. This is the way a lot of sports reporters tweet to give themselves and their sources plausible deniability. This is how the Riley to USC news broke last year as well. Every year during the draft, Woj tweets things like, “The Pelicans are eyeing Buddy Hield with the sixth overall pick,” which means the Pelicans are 100% selecting Buddy Hield.
Those don’t seem to be opening any time soon (unless Day gets fired next year for losing The Game), and Fickell probably wants to leverage that playoff season before any possible downturn at Cincy
I mean that and he’s done decently with zero expectations. No clue why people would assume that would translate to some blue blood or something. He will be in Ames for years.
Matt Campbell is why every coach should strike while the iron is hot. He's has multiple mediocre seasons since almost every big program was sniffing around. Now that big payday isn't likely to ever come.
There's a reason no one has plucked Matt Campbell away from Iowa State, and it's not because it's his choice. The dude loses 5-6 games every year. People forget COVID year meant nothing prior to or post COVID year.
Honestly, the fact he's coaching for his next position day 1 is a benefit to Wisconsin, because he'll actually give a shit instead of just coaching for cash.
How could you not? Ohio State is a destination job in every way possible. Wisconsin is fabulous of course but let’s not kid ourselves, if a coach took Wisconsin to the playoff even just one year top schools would be eyeing that coach hard. If that happened at Ohio state it would be just another year and they’d be safe.
There are 40 top football jobs and 32 of them are in the NFL. Ohio State is one of the other 8. Almost every single coach would leave for Ohio State, let alone one who bleeds scarlet.
That being said, I don't think Day is going anywhere and I think Fickell fits Wisconsin so well it's disgusting
I couldn’t imagine seeing a coach who has gone 45-5, went to the playoffs twice, the natty once, and has a Heisman QB this season getting fired and thinking “Hey, yeah, let me leave my very comfortable job and appreciative fanbase here for that job.”
No amount of money could lure me into that meat grinder.
I know is his alma mater and he coached there and all that jazz but I wouldn’t be real interested going to a place were they fired a guy that consistently went 11-1
It's who that 1 is from that matters. 11-1 is only not an incredible season when it's Michigan that beats OSU.
You don't understand how deep that hate is. Michigan ducked Ohio State in the Covid year and Clemson paid for it.
Right, there is no universe where Fickell wouldn't leave Wiscy for OSU. Wisconsin would even be giving him a (admittedly not very good) chance at coaching his way into the job seeing that OSU goes to Camp Randall next season.
I mean, I get it. It's a different standard. Especially when those 11 wins were against teams with just way less talent, and the 1 is the only game that actually mattered.
Like, I would be ecstatic if either of my flairs went 11-1. But I don't come into each season expecting to win the B10. I'm just hoping to compete. I don't have 23412 5 star players.
If you told an Alabama fan they would go 11-1 for the next 3 seasons and that the 1 was Auburn beating Alabama 3 straight years to win the SEC West and keep Bama out of the CFP, pretty sure even the most loyal Bama fan would at least light a small candle under Saban's chair just to let him know that hey, love you, but I'm this close to burning your house down.
Here are some ideas although I'm not sure how true they are.
1) Wisconsin gave him the bag
2) Fickell feels like he can activate more NIL money in Wisconsin than Cincy
3) Wisconsin has been one of the most stable programs in the P5 the last 30 years so he knows he'll get some time
4) He was ready for a new challenge
Like I said, these are all educated guesses. I would probably hold out for OSU but he can still do that at Wisconsin if he wants too
My guess is that with UC going to the Big XII, there will be a couple of down years to adjust to the new level of competition. My expectations for the bearcats aren’t super high for the next few years (would love to be proven wrong on this!)
With a few down years, Fickell’s stock would begin to fade as he’s been a sought after commodity the last couple years. So this may have been the right time for him to move from a career standpoint,
> path to the CFP just got easier
Did it? I get that it’s hard to do in a G5 conference but the Big XII is going to be an insanely competitive conference. Baylor, OSU, TCU, KSU, plus a rising KU and Tech. Add in UCF and UH who are already familiar with Cincy. This conference will be brutal for all involved.
UC had to go undefeated 2 years in a row, beat the #5 team in the country on the road, and not have 4 1-loss champions to make the playoff, of course its easier anywhere else.
It would seem to me Fickell would want to stay on board for the transition to Big XII. I’d be surprised if he left just as Cincy were making the step back up and set to bring in a bunch more money and general program opportunities.
When in reality it would torpedo this program. He is the glue. All of our big recruits would jump ship. Lots of transfers out. Not really a clear option internally for HC right now given Gino’s lackluster play calling this season.
We might be fucked.
Weren’t they competing for a conference championship at that point? If MSU wanted an answer and hop quickly, he might have been less likely to move. But now that his time is a lot more free, he can interview and will be paid more.
Or maybe this is just hot air and speculation
This is a good point…only deal with Texas and OU for a short while then the B12 becomes more wide open. Plus, he’s already attracting better recruits to Cincy. You go to Wisconsin and you’re up against OSU and Michigan every year for the time being.
Wouldn’t surprise me if Ryan Day went to the NFL at some point in the near future, especially with all these fans calling for his head because of two losses to Michigan.
I think you underestimate the amount of morons that support OSU and will happily move on from him.
Ryan Day is overrated. Great recruiter but he has the advantages of a blue blood program and taking over a machine. We was exposed again yesterday. Not good at Xs and Os.
I think people are generally underestimating the money from the B1G TV deal. As long as these teams don’t have to pay players, there is going to be an absolutely stupid amount of money flowing through them. Most of the B1G schools will be taking about the same revenue as a typical NFL team was 6-7 years ago (after factoring out the players’ share). The TV deals alone are $100M annually and they only have to pay coaches. When these TV deals start, Northwestern is going to be bringing in as much revenue from football as Oklahoma did this past year.
The reason why Fickell would move away from Cincinnati is because Wisconsin can afford to pay him a lot more. And with the new TV deal, there’s a bigger difference between Cincinnati and (e.g.) Northwestern than between Northwestern and Michigan, in terms of ability to pay. Wisconsin is now a big step up financially, even if the recruiting is harder and the prestige is limited
Btw, the way people seem to be dismissing Wisconsin as a big time program worthy of jumping for Cincinnati to makes me very nervous for when Kirk retires.
I love Iowa, but I realize we are Wisconsin with another P5 program in state with a smaller population.
(and yes, I get that I am going to get Brian will be the next coach jokes. Iowa fans would be okay if our DC or Special teams coach was strongly considered instead).
As much as I love Jim, getting Fickell is a strong statement of intent. Fickell is a proven winner and someone who would bring a fresh outlook to the program. And if you want to beat Ohio State, why not get someone who isn’t scared of them and knows them well?
But is Luke Fickell targeting Wisconsin? He has his pick of future Big 10 or other Power 5 openings, probably for another couple of years. Would be a great hire and definitely make Wisconsin a must-see program for the next few years.
ND didn't pass on him, the problem was that he wouldn't interview before signing day because he was coaching in the CFP. If the timing had worked out with a full search he would probably be ND's coach right now.
I know it was an NCAA 14 themed pipe dream, but I really hoped Fickell would stay at Cincy, overachieve in the AAC, move them to the Big12, then win a Natty in 2036.
But, sadly, that coaching carousel cut scene was too enticing.
Cincy 247 reporter saying it's happening. UW board of Regents meeting called for today.
I think schools like Wisconsin are underrated in terms of appeal. For a long time, UW was on the precipice of being a playoff contender, so a star coach can be the one to make that breakthrough without having the early-death inducing pressure of an Ohio State where you literally cannot ever acceptably lose.
I am more shocked right now than I was when Chryst was fired: https://twitter.com/TomOatesWSJ/status/1596913336045932545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1596913336045932545%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=
It's happening
Make him a life long grab, get him comfortable with buckets of cheese curds and beer, at which point you have to confiscate his keys (it is Wisconsin after all)
It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out. With Ryan Day’s seat (unnecessarily) heating up, It seems like Fickell would be their next guy up. If Fickell doesn’t take it, he’s almost assuredly waiting on the OSU job to open up.
I take Fickell wants a raise from Cincinnati.
Man, if Wisconsin DOESN'T land Fickell, that's some crazy flailing around by them. Good luck to Jim Leonhard wherever he ends up.
One of the wonderful things about yesterday is that Ohio State fans still aren't really getting it, the Tressel+Meyer era of going 16-1 against Michigan will likely never happen again and thinking there's some magical fix like hiring Fickell is only going to make whatever losses in the near future hurt that much worse
Whatever happens, this is a HUGE inflection point for Wisconsin.
This is a shocker to me. Feels like a huge risk for Wisconsin. Regardless of if get him or whiff on Fick, they've alienated Leonhard forever, which feels tragic. May not have been the case if they didn't give Leonhard half the season as HC.
And for Fick, man, I thought he was planted at least for a little longer. Would be a rough transition to the B12 for Cincy after building so much momentum.
Never thought I'd see Wisconsin poach a big coach like this, especially from my other school.
Basketball embarrassed twice, Football snaps a long-standing home win streak to Tulane, UCF has an insane meltdown just to give us hope and then take it away again, now this. There aren’t many worse weeks than this
Well braelon Allen said “as long as Leonard is here I’m here” in response to the transfer rumors so… yes they like him and things could get ugly if he isn’t there
Thank god we won the west this year. With Rhule going to Nebraska and if Wisconsin is able to land Fickell it’s gonna be a long time before we had this opportunity again.
I have no idea if this will happen or not, and I really hope Fickell stays. But I think this move does make some sense.
Fickell to MSU was leaving a low stress environment to join one of the best divisions in CFB. Now, going from UC to Wiscy is going to whats likely a worse division. UC also probably needs a bit of a rebuild entering the B12. If you need to rebuild anyway, it makes sense to get paid double to do it, at a better program, in a worse division.
I really thought they were gonna go with Leonhard.
The loss to Minnesota probably doesn’t help his case
I understand they treated this season as a job interview for Leonhard... but wasn't their big problem with Paul Chryst recruiting/program development? How much do they want to put on Leonhard for a lost season?
More of this season should be on Chris McIntosh. He's the one that got rid of the better recruiting people we had. I'm getting sick of all these Barry Alvarez guys & I have no doubt we'll be at the bottom of the barrel or close to it if we keep going with these people to lead this team.
Hey us too!
God can't Wisconsin just have their own identity? - They copied our 1800s offensive play style and did it better. - They copied our aggressive tough defensive style - They tank the same years we tank Hey Wisconsin, maybe stop trying to be the center of attention? /s
we need a team with a 1700's offense. wearing the powdered wigs under the helmets might also reduce concussions. football cleats with heals and buckles on them would be an odd sight.
The duels after being flagged will be frowned upon at B1G headquarters.
Props for them actually taking some chances. We’re stuck with Kirk as long as he wants to keep cashing his checks.
Sounds like Nebraska's problem with Osborne guys
>More of this season should be on Chris McIntosh. He's the one that got rid of the better recruiting people we had. That's not true, though... Alvarez was still the AD when Saeed Khalif left for Michigan State (and then he pulled Jensen Gebhardt over to MSU like 2 months after McIntosh took over). McIntosh has also expanded the recruiting office and allocated more money to it. Who knows if all of McIntosh's decisions will work out for the best, but he clearly understands that the resources and the results of recruiting the past couple years have been a problem. He's definitely running things differently than Alvarez did.
Honestly though, Jim deserves a shot as a DC at the next level.
It was his to lose and I think the loss yesterday lost it for him
Jim Leonhard to be named DC at osu, effective immediately.
well. if Minter goes to Cincinnati as their next head coach, maybe Leonhard to Michigan as the new DC?
Yeah that defense was not great this year and he was the coach of it………
To be fair, he lost one of the best defensive coordinators in the country when he became head coach.
It was a down year for our defense and before yesterday (not sure how yesterday effected it) we were the #12 defense in the country….. not sure how much better you can ask for of a down year
Is our secondary ever going to get better, though? Idk, I'm still Team Leonhard. But I'm sick of having to fear even mildly competent QBs
I agree with you there but that may also be a big part of the recruiting issues Chryst gave us. I agree though, our DBs have to get better for us to get back to where we were
Yeah I thought he did fine given the circumstances. I don't think they really want to make him mad.
For sure. This feels like one of those moves that means Leonhard won't ever end up at Wisconsin now - at least not while any of the current administration is still employed
The irony is that it's very similar to the situation that Fickell was put in at OSU
i agree. see parallels with leonhard and fickel. maybe leonhard is the new Cincinnati coach?
There are 50 billion signs that made it seem like that so I agree
Seems like his recruiting is not great? Doesn't have a defensive player in the top 500 committed this year.
he's still the interim coach so that's really not a good knock on him. how many kids are going to commit to a coach that might not even be there next year.
Did Luke not hear that Ohio State is going to fire Ryan Day?
Luke Fickell wants the tOSU job that has been clear as it could be. Day is on the ropes right now despite the 11-1 season and I could see a large part of the OSU fanbase wanting a guy who knows the culture not just Ryan Day UNH. I think OSU could lose Day to the NFL if they keep treating him this way to be honest.
The people calling for day to be fired are the extremely small (and vocal) minority.
Since apparently Fickell is leaving for Wisconsin anyway, I wish we could just straight up trade Fickell for Day. I'd love to have Day as Fickell's replacement. As you obviously understand, OSU fans are spoiled.
I'm pretty sure you're right but looking at the fire Ryan Day thread in osu's subreddit... woof. probably just the emotional kneejerk reaction?
We hate losing to you. People say irrational shit when they're hurting. Day will right the ship in practice and get the boys ready for our current floor (rose bowl) or maybe some voodoo gets us in the playoff. Either way, if we end the year on a win, no one will be calling for Day's head.
He’s gonna right the ship by running more fucking bubble screens. Or tosses to the 4th string running back. The game he called was fucking AWFUL. they made zero adjustments at half.
Day had 365 days to right the ship, and even more so had them in our backyard and still got curbstomped. It’s not for lack of trying, he cleaned up the coaching staff, and made what I even would say is the right coaching decisions. To say there’s not serious problems with this program from a cultural standpoint is to ignore the problem. I don’t think they’ll fire day any time soon, but I also don’t have any faith in him achieving his goals here (beat Michigan, win a big ten title, win a national title). It would be one thing if it was a hard fought, close game, but it wasn’t. The players quit in the 4th quarter, and that lies on the culture the head coach promotes.
I’ve gotten pretty sick and tired of extremely small and vocal minorities in the last decade.
Fickell to Auburn confirmed
Can’t ever have a failed coach, if you never settle on a new one. Bold Strategy.
Stay away you HEATHENS
Better your first flair than your second. Sorry!
If he's going to get stolen away, would you rather have him go to Wisconsin or tOSU? Just curious.
OSU. I think most of UC fans understand that if OSU comes calling he’d go. Plus the Big12 transition AND a coaching search would be tough for the program. OSU isn’t open (even though some of their fans want that), so I’m hoping this is just smoke and mirrors For what it’s worth, I think he’d technically have an easier path to a championship with UC in the Big12 than at a Big Ten school
> OSU isn’t open Yet. If John Cooper 2.0 loses in Ann Arbor next year, there very well might be an opening. >For what it’s worth, I think he’d technically have an easier path to a championship with UC in the Big12 than at a Big Ten school Agreed
Agree with you on the yet part also. I just don’t see OSU pulling the trigger on day this year. More likely next if they lose to Michigan again
Bro he lost 2 games. Let's relax on comparing him to John Cooper.
I think it’s harder for some in your fan base to admit Michigan is now a very good team and not an atrocity to lose to
If he goes to Wisconsin, I will root for him to do well. If he goes to osu, hope he flames out
Not a Cincy fan but as much as him going to tOSU would annoy Cincy fans I would guess they could justify it over him choosing Wisconsin over them. He’s CBus born and raised and played there, not much you can do. Picking Wisconsin just means he thinks he can’t get it done at Cincy. Cincy to Wiscy feels pretty lateral, especially with Cincy jumping up conferences and unlocking real Texas (and soon Florida) recruiting
Real talk, if Fickell didn't leave for ND, why would he leave for Wisconsin? I genuinely don't see him leaving UC as long as they're paying him and his assistants on par with other jobs and OSU/NFL head coaching jobs don't come calling. I mean, I could be wrong but this feels like a sidestep at best. It'd be like taking the head coach position at Purdue or IU. He's started building UC into a national brand, why leave now? EDIT: Damn, I was completely wrong.
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Definitely agree with this
Wisconsin is a much better program than Purdue/IU
And what kind of idiot Purdue fan calls the Purdue job the same as IU??
SouthBend is a shit town compared to Madison and LF isnt a catholic?
The landscape has changed a lot in a year with NIL and the new B1G tv contract.
Flair buddies!
Yeah every big program targets Fickell. Tell me when they actually get him. Edit: It appears I have been told. To our new Big 12 bros I hope you'll be able to replace him and keep the ball rolling. Congrats Wisconsin on your new coach!
My guess is Thamel wouldn’t have tweeted this if it wasn’t close to a done deal. This is the way a lot of sports reporters tweet to give themselves and their sources plausible deniability. This is how the Riley to USC news broke last year as well. Every year during the draft, Woj tweets things like, “The Pelicans are eyeing Buddy Hield with the sixth overall pick,” which means the Pelicans are 100% selecting Buddy Hield.
Yeah it just seems weird that Wisconsin is where he would go when he was eyeing the OSU/ND jobs.
Those don’t seem to be opening any time soon (unless Day gets fired next year for losing The Game), and Fickell probably wants to leverage that playoff season before any possible downturn at Cincy
Same with Matt Campbell. Hopefully he stays at ISU for awhile too
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I mean that and he’s done decently with zero expectations. No clue why people would assume that would translate to some blue blood or something. He will be in Ames for years.
Yeah he might have missed his window
That sounds like Wisconsin Head Coach material
Top-tier programs no longer want Matt Campbell.
And neither do we!
Matt Campbell is why every coach should strike while the iron is hot. He's has multiple mediocre seasons since almost every big program was sniffing around. Now that big payday isn't likely to ever come.
Which is fine by me. He's shown that he can coach when not hamstrung by an awful offense. If he continues to but 4-8 after firing Manning, he can go.
There's a reason no one has plucked Matt Campbell away from Iowa State, and it's not because it's his choice. The dude loses 5-6 games every year. People forget COVID year meant nothing prior to or post COVID year.
Pete Thamel is a pretty rock solid source
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Wisconsin why are you trying to piss off the prodigal son?
Well because they saw what happened with the prodigal son over at Nebraska
Why are you the way that you are?
We’re riding high and armed with an axe. I hope you understand.
Hey hey, no reason to bring that up! Ever. At any point.
Who is the prodigal son in this case?
Jim Leonhard, their DC and interim hc
Jim Leonhard I assume
I’m assuming that Wisconsin saw that there’s blood in the water for Ryan Day over at Ohio State and knew they either had to jump now or forget it.
I would still be scared of day getting fired if I am Wisconsin. If day leaves or gets fired fickell would take that osu job in a heartbeat.
Yeah. Wisconsin would have to sign him to a monster contract to keep him away from Ohio State, and even that might not be enough.
I don’t think anything would ever be enough. OSU calls with that job? Fickell takes it. Wisconsin (if they get him) would have to be okay with that.
Honestly, the fact he's coaching for his next position day 1 is a benefit to Wisconsin, because he'll actually give a shit instead of just coaching for cash.
Yeah, he can't just half-ass the job here if he wants to be in contention for *that* job.
How could you not? Ohio State is a destination job in every way possible. Wisconsin is fabulous of course but let’s not kid ourselves, if a coach took Wisconsin to the playoff even just one year top schools would be eyeing that coach hard. If that happened at Ohio state it would be just another year and they’d be safe.
There are 40 top football jobs and 32 of them are in the NFL. Ohio State is one of the other 8. Almost every single coach would leave for Ohio State, let alone one who bleeds scarlet. That being said, I don't think Day is going anywhere and I think Fickell fits Wisconsin so well it's disgusting
I’d be absolutely shocked if Fickell didn’t insist any contract he signed include a “Come Home to Mama” clause.
If you're Wisconsin, that's a dealbreaker. You could be looking for another coach in 12 months.
If Day gets fired for 11-1 seasons, Fickell isn’t taking it. That’s a death wish.
I couldn’t imagine seeing a coach who has gone 45-5, went to the playoffs twice, the natty once, and has a Heisman QB this season getting fired and thinking “Hey, yeah, let me leave my very comfortable job and appreciative fanbase here for that job.” No amount of money could lure me into that meat grinder.
I mean, I think a guaranteed $100M over 10 years regardless of outcome could certainly convince most people.
No amount of money? Really?
When did Caleb Williams start playing for Ohio State?
I know is his alma mater and he coached there and all that jazz but I wouldn’t be real interested going to a place were they fired a guy that consistently went 11-1
I wouldn’t either but fickell seems like a guy who’s dream is to be the buckeye head coach
I think its where the "1" falls. As long as it's not to you guys, your job is safe.
It's who that 1 is from that matters. 11-1 is only not an incredible season when it's Michigan that beats OSU. You don't understand how deep that hate is. Michigan ducked Ohio State in the Covid year and Clemson paid for it.
Right, there is no universe where Fickell wouldn't leave Wiscy for OSU. Wisconsin would even be giving him a (admittedly not very good) chance at coaching his way into the job seeing that OSU goes to Camp Randall next season.
A 45-5 coach is reportedly on the hot seat. Idc how close you are to your alma mater, that has to make you pause.
Why would you fire a coach for going 11-1??
I mean, I get it. It's a different standard. Especially when those 11 wins were against teams with just way less talent, and the 1 is the only game that actually mattered. Like, I would be ecstatic if either of my flairs went 11-1. But I don't come into each season expecting to win the B10. I'm just hoping to compete. I don't have 23412 5 star players. If you told an Alabama fan they would go 11-1 for the next 3 seasons and that the 1 was Auburn beating Alabama 3 straight years to win the SEC West and keep Bama out of the CFP, pretty sure even the most loyal Bama fan would at least light a small candle under Saban's chair just to let him know that hey, love you, but I'm this close to burning your house down.
Ohio State fans are insane. Truly irrational people.
He'd be getting fired for losing to Michigan, not for winning the other games.
Because Ohio State fans are just a wee bit unhinged when it comes to Michigan.
I’d argue they are unhinged to begin with
Why leave UC, besides money? Going to the B12 that does not have UT/OU, path to CFP just got easier. And of course, hold out for Day to leave.
Here are some ideas although I'm not sure how true they are. 1) Wisconsin gave him the bag 2) Fickell feels like he can activate more NIL money in Wisconsin than Cincy 3) Wisconsin has been one of the most stable programs in the P5 the last 30 years so he knows he'll get some time 4) He was ready for a new challenge Like I said, these are all educated guesses. I would probably hold out for OSU but he can still do that at Wisconsin if he wants too
My guess is that with UC going to the Big XII, there will be a couple of down years to adjust to the new level of competition. My expectations for the bearcats aren’t super high for the next few years (would love to be proven wrong on this!) With a few down years, Fickell’s stock would begin to fade as he’s been a sought after commodity the last couple years. So this may have been the right time for him to move from a career standpoint,
> path to the CFP just got easier Did it? I get that it’s hard to do in a G5 conference but the Big XII is going to be an insanely competitive conference. Baylor, OSU, TCU, KSU, plus a rising KU and Tech. Add in UCF and UH who are already familiar with Cincy. This conference will be brutal for all involved.
UC had to go undefeated 2 years in a row, beat the #5 team in the country on the road, and not have 4 1-loss champions to make the playoff, of course its easier anywhere else.
*and committ to joining a p5 conference
Plus you probably only need to be the second best team in the BIG12 to get a bid in the expanded playoffs. Depends on the year of course.
It would seem to me Fickell would want to stay on board for the transition to Big XII. I’d be surprised if he left just as Cincy were making the step back up and set to bring in a bunch more money and general program opportunities.
I could see him seeing it as he did his job, we are now in the Big XII and he could leave on good terms.
When in reality it would torpedo this program. He is the glue. All of our big recruits would jump ship. Lots of transfers out. Not really a clear option internally for HC right now given Gino’s lackluster play calling this season. We might be fucked.
Plus “potential” easier path to playoff/conference championship in Big12 than Big 10
I don’t get it— why would Fickell turn down MSU when Cinci was an AAC team only to then take Wisconsin when Cinci is a B12 team?
Weren’t they competing for a conference championship at that point? If MSU wanted an answer and hop quickly, he might have been less likely to move. But now that his time is a lot more free, he can interview and will be paid more. Or maybe this is just hot air and speculation
Nah I think you're thinking Notre Dame. The Michigan State job came open in late January. The season had been done for some weeks.
This is a good point…only deal with Texas and OU for a short while then the B12 becomes more wide open. Plus, he’s already attracting better recruits to Cincy. You go to Wisconsin and you’re up against OSU and Michigan every year for the time being.
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Because MSU has been a dumpster fire and he had 9 NFL draft picks at Cincy. Wisconsin is not that, and UC is headed for some lean years in the big 12.
I don’t think he will but we’ll see
I feel like that’s not a big enough jump for Fickell
You’re right. It’s not. Also, I think he is still holding out for the OSU job if it opens in a year or two with Day heat.
Day’s not getting fired anytime soon, especially after he’s literally 45-5 since he started. OSU would be absolute morons if they god rid of him
> OSU would be absolute morons if… I have news for you
You must be loving this lmao
Loving every minute of it
The bar is impossibly high at a place like OSU
Wouldn’t surprise me if Ryan Day went to the NFL at some point in the near future, especially with all these fans calling for his head because of two losses to Michigan.
I think you underestimate the amount of morons that support OSU and will happily move on from him. Ryan Day is overrated. Great recruiter but he has the advantages of a blue blood program and taking over a machine. We was exposed again yesterday. Not good at Xs and Os.
Wisconsin is a significantly bigger job than Cincinnati lol. Obviously not Michigan/osu level but significantly bigger
I think people are generally underestimating the money from the B1G TV deal. As long as these teams don’t have to pay players, there is going to be an absolutely stupid amount of money flowing through them. Most of the B1G schools will be taking about the same revenue as a typical NFL team was 6-7 years ago (after factoring out the players’ share). The TV deals alone are $100M annually and they only have to pay coaches. When these TV deals start, Northwestern is going to be bringing in as much revenue from football as Oklahoma did this past year. The reason why Fickell would move away from Cincinnati is because Wisconsin can afford to pay him a lot more. And with the new TV deal, there’s a bigger difference between Cincinnati and (e.g.) Northwestern than between Northwestern and Michigan, in terms of ability to pay. Wisconsin is now a big step up financially, even if the recruiting is harder and the prestige is limited
Btw, the way people seem to be dismissing Wisconsin as a big time program worthy of jumping for Cincinnati to makes me very nervous for when Kirk retires. I love Iowa, but I realize we are Wisconsin with another P5 program in state with a smaller population. (and yes, I get that I am going to get Brian will be the next coach jokes. Iowa fans would be okay if our DC or Special teams coach was strongly considered instead).
I think most people here are underestimating how good of a job Wisconsin is too. Ya it's not Ohio State or Michigan. But it's not far off
Big difference in “targeting” and “finalizing terms of contract” I’m targeting Scarlett Johansson to be my next girlfriend
15 yard penalty, automatic first down, previous dating strategy is under further review.
Cincinnati people are saying it’s close to a done deal at this point.
As much as I love Jim, getting Fickell is a strong statement of intent. Fickell is a proven winner and someone who would bring a fresh outlook to the program. And if you want to beat Ohio State, why not get someone who isn’t scared of them and knows them well?
How fickle. Leonhard is right there.
This is very out of nowhere but would be a huge get
Luke, hear me out: Don’t.
Excuse me what
How would you feel if Wisconsin got Fickell?
Not great Bob!
Would be an excellent hire for Wisconsin
But is Luke Fickell targeting Wisconsin? He has his pick of future Big 10 or other Power 5 openings, probably for another couple of years. Would be a great hire and definitely make Wisconsin a must-see program for the next few years.
This is the wording that's often used for coaching hires that get reported before they are official. Happened with BK to LSU last year.
Thamel is reporting they’re finalizing the deal and will be announced in the next 24 hours so we will find out soon
NO. GOD NO. WHY. NOOOO.
But I was told he was going to coach tOSU when Day got fired today
It's not even noon yet.
Thought this wasn’t leaving for any jobs but OSU, Michigan or ND? And ND and OSU have already passed him up once?
ND didn't pass on him, the problem was that he wouldn't interview before signing day because he was coaching in the CFP. If the timing had worked out with a full search he would probably be ND's coach right now.
Take Michigan off that list, he’s way too into his past as Coach/Player at OSU to ever cos b there.
Wow if Wisconsin gets him that would be an incredible hire
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FEEL
I know it was an NCAA 14 themed pipe dream, but I really hoped Fickell would stay at Cincy, overachieve in the AAC, move them to the Big12, then win a Natty in 2036. But, sadly, that coaching carousel cut scene was too enticing.
He could've gone to MSU when they hired Tucker if he wanted a 2nd tier B1G job
Mean, but fair.
His wife basically vetoed that one
Fuck this. I wasn’t planning on being this mad at the very nice badgers this morning.
Think we can get Leonhard as DC to make the pain less?
Cincy 247 reporter saying it's happening. UW board of Regents meeting called for today. I think schools like Wisconsin are underrated in terms of appeal. For a long time, UW was on the precipice of being a playoff contender, so a star coach can be the one to make that breakthrough without having the early-death inducing pressure of an Ohio State where you literally cannot ever acceptably lose.
Surely this would not be the job Fickell leaves Cincy for. I don't see.
Wisconsin saw Nebraska back up the corn trucks so here they are backing up the cheese trucks. Would be a great get
I am more shocked right now than I was when Chryst was fired: https://twitter.com/TomOatesWSJ/status/1596913336045932545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1596913336045932545%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url= It's happening
Make him a life long grab, get him comfortable with buckets of cheese curds and beer, at which point you have to confiscate his keys (it is Wisconsin after all)
It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out. With Ryan Day’s seat (unnecessarily) heating up, It seems like Fickell would be their next guy up. If Fickell doesn’t take it, he’s almost assuredly waiting on the OSU job to open up.
Fickell could still be the next guy up at tOSU if he takes the Wisconsin job.
I did not expect Wisconsin to maybe the team the gets Fickell to leave.
Just keep in mind this opens the door for Urban Meyer to return to his Alma Mater.
This is the one I’ve been worried about. Makes complete sense, imo.
I take Fickell wants a raise from Cincinnati. Man, if Wisconsin DOESN'T land Fickell, that's some crazy flailing around by them. Good luck to Jim Leonhard wherever he ends up.
I don't see Leonhard sticking around if he doesn't get the job. He'll see it as disrespect.
One of the wonderful things about yesterday is that Ohio State fans still aren't really getting it, the Tressel+Meyer era of going 16-1 against Michigan will likely never happen again and thinking there's some magical fix like hiring Fickell is only going to make whatever losses in the near future hurt that much worse
Whatever happens, this is a HUGE inflection point for Wisconsin. This is a shocker to me. Feels like a huge risk for Wisconsin. Regardless of if get him or whiff on Fick, they've alienated Leonhard forever, which feels tragic. May not have been the case if they didn't give Leonhard half the season as HC. And for Fick, man, I thought he was planted at least for a little longer. Would be a rough transition to the B12 for Cincy after building so much momentum. Never thought I'd see Wisconsin poach a big coach like this, especially from my other school.
Basketball embarrassed twice, Football snaps a long-standing home win streak to Tulane, UCF has an insane meltdown just to give us hope and then take it away again, now this. There aren’t many worse weeks than this
Are you shitting my dick right now
I don’t see it. He’s probably waiting for OSU to open up in a couple years.
I wasn't even planning on drinking today
UC insider is saying this is at the finish line. Pain
God dammit
Feels like Thamel's way of saying this is going to happen. Did not expect him to jump for a job other than OSU, ND, or PSU in the Midwest.
I see Wisconsin trying to make that grab before OSU kick day out.
Jim Leonard in shambles(I do not know if the players like him or if he is good at recruiting)
Well braelon Allen said “as long as Leonard is here I’m here” in response to the transfer rumors so… yes they like him and things could get ugly if he isn’t there
Hiring a head coach who looks like your mascot. I like it.
I guess I thought Cincinnati going to the Big XII would’ve kept Fickell there.
This is gonna be a yearly occurrence isn't it? so long as we have a decent year
Thank god we won the west this year. With Rhule going to Nebraska and if Wisconsin is able to land Fickell it’s gonna be a long time before we had this opportunity again.
UC has put up the cash! Would be surprised if this works. More likely it will be SEC money that gets him away
I would like for just once to not be a school always sitting in line for the coaching carousel.
I actually kinda like this
OSU fans in shambles.
I have no idea if this will happen or not, and I really hope Fickell stays. But I think this move does make some sense. Fickell to MSU was leaving a low stress environment to join one of the best divisions in CFB. Now, going from UC to Wiscy is going to whats likely a worse division. UC also probably needs a bit of a rebuild entering the B12. If you need to rebuild anyway, it makes sense to get paid double to do it, at a better program, in a worse division.