Luke Fickell

• said_aouita

  

  Does Urban keep him on the staff? Does Luke look for another head coaching job?
  
  Personally, I hope he stays with tOSU. He's a great coach.
  
  
  
  Thoughts?
• krambman

  

  If he stays on the coaching staff that needs to be Urban's decision and Urban's decision alone. The school should not force Urban to keep Luke on his staff. Everything I've heard about Meyer keeping him suggests that they will make him the offensive line coach and assistant head coach, but that he will not be the defensive coordinator, which is probably for the best. Honestly, at this point, I think of want Meyer to bring in all new guys and I won't be the least bit upset if Fickell is gone with the way the defense played late in the year.
• queencitybuckeye

  Fickell is one of the best assistant coaches in the country and an outstanding recruiter. A bad season as a head coach that he wasn't ready for doesn't change that.
  
  That said, the head coach must have the freedom to choose his staff.
• queencitybuckeye

  krambman;988878 wrote:The school should not force Urban to keep Luke on his staff.

  Meyer can get almost any open job in the country, no one is going to force him to do anything in terms of actually running the team. He wouldn't take the job with any kind of restriction like that.
• Dr Winston O'Boogie

  

  I would understand if Fickell left OSU and never turned back. I don't think he will, but I wouldn't blame him. It's been on Gene Smith's and Gordon Gee's watch that a good man (Fickell) took on a tough assignment without any notice out of loyalty. Then those two idiots proceed to negotiate with Meyer at the same level of secrecy as a fart in church. They do all this in a public way while Fickell's trying to coach a team.
  
  Gee is a thorn in the side of Ohio State. So long as Wexner loves his little boy toy, he'll stay. However he has embarrassed the school and made a mockery of Fickell's coaching position in the process. A narcisistic ass if the ever was one.
• vball10set

  IMO, Fickell knew this was a one year stint right away. He was paid 750K, was able to audition on a national stage for potential employers, and gained invaluable experience as a head coach at one of the premier college football programs in the nation. If Meyer wants him, he'll stay--unless he gets a HC offer from a program he feels is worth taking.
• ou1980

  Dispatch article today mentioned Fickell at one point saying that he is only interested at staying at OSU as an assistant, and not interested in any head coaching postition....
• dtdtim

  Dr Winston O'Boogie;988894 wrote:I would understand if Fickell left OSU and never turned back. I don't think he will, but I wouldn't blame him. It's been on Gene Smith's and Gordon Gee's watch that a good man (Fickell) took on a tough assignment without any notice out of loyalty. Then those two idiots proceed to negotiate with Meyer at the same level of secrecy as a fart in church. They do all this in a public way while Fickell's trying to coach a team.
  
  Gee is a thorn in the side of Ohio State. So long as Wexner loves his little boy toy, he'll stay. However he has embarrassed the school and made a mockery of Fickell's coaching position in the process. A narcisistic ass if the ever was one.

  Leaking that Meyer and OSU were in negotiations was and is crucial for recruiting purposes.
  
  Gene Smith had little, if anything, to do with the Urban Meyer negotiations. At this point he is a lame duck AD and knows it.
• jordo212000

  

  vball10set;988945 wrote:IMO, Fickell knew this was a one year stint right away. He was paid 750K, was able to audition on a national stage for potential employers, and gained invaluable experience as a head coach at one of the premier college football programs in the nation. If Meyer wants him, he'll stay--unless he gets a HC offer from a program he feels is worth taking.

  Yeah, I mean he was put into a tough spot, but it is hard for me to feel too bad for him. He is set for life in both coaching and after coaching. He can go on the banquet circuit for the rest of his life giving speeches as "former Ohio State head coach" Fickell will be fine.
• Ironman92

  

  If Urban is as good as we believe he can win as expected with Fickell on staff....even if he didn't prefer Fickell.
  
  Fickell should definitely get to stay.
• dwccrew

  

  Personally, I'd like it if Fickell stayed on as an assistant coach. However, it is Urban Meyer's decision as to who he wants to hire and retain on staff. I trust he will make all the right decisions to bring OSU back to the dominant team they have been over the last decade.
• se-alum

  

  I don't think Fickell is at all interested in leaving Columbus, mainly due to family.
• Speedofsand

  

  ccrunner609;989072 wrote:If Urban wants to have a good team chemistry and seamless entry into this program.......Luke is key.

  bingo. Urban will use him.
• thedynasty1998

  

  Agree that he helps in the transition of staffs. I like Fickell but don't even want him as DC. I'd make him associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator.
• jordo212000

  

  thedynasty1998;989508 wrote:Agree that he helps in the transition of staffs. I like Fickell but don't even want him as DC. I'd make him associate head coach and co-defensive coordinator.

  associate head coach and special teams coach.
  
  I want new blood being involved with the defense.
• se-alum

  

  jordo212000;989958 wrote:associate head coach and special teams coach.
  
  I want new blood being involved with the defense.

  The defense has been lights out for years, now a down year w/ a ton of young talent and you want wholesale changes. The grass isn't always greener on the other side.
• jordo212000

  

  se-alum;989995 wrote:The defense has been lights out for years, now a down year w/ a ton of young talent and you want wholesale changes. The grass isn't always greener on the other side.

  Heacock had more to do with that than Fickell did.
• krambman

  

  jordo212000;990124 wrote:Heacock had more to do with that than Fickell did.

  Agreed. The defense was good under Dantonio and Snyder, but it became great (statistically) under Heacock and there was no real measurable improvement when Fickell was made co-coordinator. Really what it did was allowed Heacock to move into the box because Fickell could be down on the field.
• Big Gain

  Dr Winston O'Boogie;988894 wrote:I would understand if Fickell left OSU and never turned back. I don't think he will, but I wouldn't blame him. It's been on Gene Smith's and Gordon Gee's watch that a good man (Fickell) took on a tough assignment without any notice out of loyalty. Then those two idiots proceed to negotiate with Meyer at the same level of secrecy as a fart in church. They do all this in a public way while Fickell's trying to coach a team.
  
  Gee is a thorn in the side of Ohio State. So long as Wexner loves his little boy toy, he'll stay. However he has embarrassed the school and made a mockery of Fickell's coaching position in the process. A narcisistic ass if the ever was one.

  It's never the top guys, the ones doing the negotiating, who leak the leaks. What do they have to gain? The small guys looking for notoriety do the leaking.
• Big Gain

  Speedofsand;989432 wrote:bingo. Urban will use him.

  Fickell might want the Akron job.
• krambman

  

  Dr Winston O'Boogie;988894 wrote:I would understand if Fickell left OSU and never turned back. I don't think he will, but I wouldn't blame him. It's been on Gene Smith's and Gordon Gee's watch that a good man (Fickell) took on a tough assignment without any notice out of loyalty. Then those two idiots proceed to negotiate with Meyer at the same level of secrecy as a fart in church. They do all this in a public way while Fickell's trying to coach a team.
  
  Gee is a thorn in the side of Ohio State. So long as Wexner loves his little boy toy, he'll stay. However he has embarrassed the school and made a mockery of Fickell's coaching position in the process. A narcisistic ass if the ever was one.

  You do realize that Smith and Gee have had very little involvement in this process to get Meyer. It was Wexner and the other big time trustees that did most of the leg work on this. In fact, it's been reported that one of the sticking points on this deal getting done is that Meyer wants Smith out as AD. So it wasn't the "two idiots" that did this, but the trustees. Besides, Fickell knew that it was unlikely he'd get more than a year as the HC anyway, especially with Meyer out there. It's not like they went around behind Fickell's back. I'm sure he was well apprised of the fact that the university was choosing to go in a different direction for the future weeks ago.
• OneBuckeye

  

  Big Gain;990344 wrote:Fickell might want the Akron job.

  Doubtfull. Akron ~ 300-400k a year. OSU assistant ~ 500k-900k a year and he doesn't have to move his family etc. I think Fickell can still put himself in a good position for OSU coach of the future by staying at OSU. I don't think he needs to go somewhere and build a shitty program. Look at Muschamp(sp) and others who have got head coaching gigs after being assistants at big time programs and never have any HC experience. He could probably land a gig at a BCS confrence HC if he wanted to in a couple years.
• GoChiefs

  

  Don't know if they were just speculated or if it has already been stated...but on Mike & Mike In The Morning they said Fickell would stay on staff as the assistant.
• OneBuckeye

  

  GoChiefs;990976 wrote:Don't know if they were just speculated or if it has already been stated...but on Mike & Mike In The Morning they said Fickell would stay on staff as the assistant.

  Speculation still.
• dtdtim

  OneBuckeye;990966 wrote:Doubtfull. Akron ~ 300-400k a year. OSU assistant ~ 500k-900k a year and he doesn't have to move his family etc. I think Fickell can still put himself in a good position for OSU coach of the future by staying at OSU. I don't think he needs to go somewhere and build a ****ty program. Look at Muschamp(sp) and others who have got head coaching gigs after being assistants at big time programs and never have any HC experience. He could probably land a gig at a BCS confrence HC if he wanted to in a couple years.

  If Meyer wants him on staff, he should stay. IMO, it's in his best interests at this moment.
  
  If he stays on staff for a few years and Ohio State is successful, he could land a much better job away from Ohio State if he doesn't want to be 'coach-in-waiting'. If he leaves right now and is successful, he'll have to maintain a high level of success at whatever program he coaches for a number of years in order to remain considered for the OSU job. If he leaves right now and fails, again, after this season at Ohio State, he probably won't have a chance of coaching anything at any relevant school ever again. Considering he coached Ohio State, a team that still had Big Ten title-worthy (albeit mentally downtrodden and distracted) talent despite losses in personnel, to a 6-6 record in a VERY subpar year in the B1G and in the fashion it appeared to happen, I don't think his track record warrants taking the chance.
  
  The risks of leaving far outweigh the results right now, I think.