Rumors: Luke Fickell to Cincinnati, Ed Warriner to Western Kentucky

Submitted by Bambi on

http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2016/12/77928/report-…

http://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio-state-football/2016/12/77926/report-…

Elevenwarriors reports linked above. Rumors OSU is going to lose Co-DC Luke Fickell to Cincinnati, who's on our schedule next year, and Co-OC Ed Warriner to Western Kentucky. Will be interesting to see who they get as replacements.

MGoBoard

Scarlatina

December 9th, 2016 at 8:06 PM ^

Well, there's a realistic chance that Urban/Ohio State will have to replace all 5 top asst. coaches:

  • co-OC Ed Warriner - Favored to accept the WKU job
  • co-DC Luke Fickell - Negotiating contract with UC
  • Special Teams Coordinator Kerry Coombs - Likely to follow Fickell to be UC's DC
  • co-DC Greg Schiano - Interviewing at USF
  • co-OC Tim Beck - Interviewing at FAU

Even Urban may have trouble fill 5 coordinator spots in a single offseason.

Joined: 12/22/2011

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mgowill

December 9th, 2016 at 11:26 PM ^

I'll agree to disagree about over analyzing.  Just put yourself in these shoes and tell me you wouldn't be concerned for our opening game against Florida -

Tim Drevno leaves

Jedd Fisch leaves

Don Brown leaves

Greg Mattison leaves

Sure - Harbaugh would replace them, and still Harbaugh, but if all those dominos were to fall for Michigan then it would cause panic.  

This is all assuming a worst case scenario for OSU if what is posted above happens.

Joined: 08/31/2011

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bdog073

December 9th, 2016 at 6:33 PM ^

And he said his dad would take a head position of it came up. He's a great kid who is a pretty good ball player. I wouldn't be surprised to see him go be a head coach because I was told "head coach is a dream of his"

Joined: 02/27/2012

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bdog073

December 10th, 2016 at 9:54 AM ^

Smart hard-working kid. Besides the fact it effects his family he's not really a buckeye. He is more of a Kansas guy as that is where his dad was when he was growing up. Will probably end up playing at Michigan State though, they've made a few visits over the last 3 months.

Joined: 02/27/2012

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UMinTroyOh

December 9th, 2016 at 6:36 PM ^

Pleas god...no Luke Fickell to UC. They were on the right path with Brian Kelly and Butch Jones. Out score your opponents. Fickell will continue the slide started by Tuberville. 

They were a tire fire on offense as the scheme made no sense. They left a competent, senior QB in Gunnar Kiel on the bench to use a sophmore with a confusing mess of a scheme. It was painful to watch a team get worse as the year progressed.

Get PJ Fleck or equivalent as they have an upgraded stadium in Cincinnati. They aren't Power 5 but a decent jump for a rising coach. I remember the confusing mess that was Luke Fickell in the "Urban Meyer year in waiting" between Trestel and Meyer in Columbus

Brian

Joined: 11/01/2009

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MIMark

December 9th, 2016 at 6:43 PM ^

I'm torn on the Fickell report. His results as a DC are great. But he had a chance to be a HC and he blew it. OSU was stacked in 2011 and he led them to 6-7. And worse, they played their worst games in November. To me a sign of good coaching is a team that comes together at the right time. I hope he proved me wrong. If and when Big 12 expansion talks resume, I want Cincinnati to get the call. They won't if the football team is bad or boring.

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doggdetroit

December 9th, 2016 at 6:55 PM ^

OSU's defense was the weak link of the team in 2012 (33rd per S&P) and 2013 (44th) when he was the sole DC. In 2014 they brought in Ash and demoted Fickell to co-DC. The defense improved in 2014 (11th) and 2015 (7th). When Ash left for Rutgers they brought in Schiano as co-DC this year and they finished 3rd. The one common denominator is Fickell.

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Scarlatina

December 9th, 2016 at 8:01 PM ^

Everett Withers was the co-DC with Luke Fickell in 2012 and 2013. Fickell has always been the co-DC in charge of the front-7, and from 2012-2013 the problems on defense were centered around Withers' secondaries. The front-7 in 2013 & 2013 were pretty solid, but the secondary always gave up the big plays.

Fickell was mentored by Jim Tressel and Jim Heacock, which mean he runs a more conservative defense that focuses on not giving up the big plays with solid fundamentals. Withers on the other hand coached his DBs to always go for the big plays (forced fumbles, big hits, INTs), which was paired with the high risk of giving big plays up as well.

I blame the disharmony in defensive philosophies for Ohio State's struggles in 2012-2013, and not so much solely Luke Fickell. Ash and Schiano both run much more complementary secondaries than Withers ever did. 

Joined: 12/22/2011

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Scarlatina

December 9th, 2016 at 8:36 PM ^

I don't disagree that Luke Fickell underperformed in 2011, and it resulted in the worst season the Buckeyes have had since WWII.

However, keep in mind that Fickell was thrusted in the interim position with less than 4 months to prepare, and was paired with the offensive mastermind, Jim Bollman. On top of having to replace 7 starters on offense, and 8 starters on defense. So that team's ceiling being lead by a true freshman Braxton Miller was probably 8-9 wins.

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