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Fickell already turned down UL, WVU, and Maryland... he isn't leaving unless a midwest blue blood opens up.

Luke had an agent when he took the UC job. He parted ways and didn't look for a replacement a year or so after that point. Of course he has an attorney, but he doesn't have someone brokering deals with search firms weeks/months in advance.

At some point, there will be a school that hires Luke Fickell away. They will do so with talks going through Luke and Amy Fickell...

My point is, there is someone to call who is not actively billing him until someone calls. How it works for 99.9% of civil representation. Retainers are normally limited to the first time you work with someone when you don’t have a history yet or for pending, threatened or ongoing litigation of the uncivil variety.

I do not believe that Luke has someone calling on other jobs. It would shock me if he did. But if Football U or it’s search firm or a mega booster is interested in gauging interest in a gig they will easily be able to reach out to convey info or take a temperature without talking directly to him during the season or during bowl prep. It’s how the double blind arrangement works anymore in coaching.

(10-29-2019 08:07 PM)BearcatBeta Wrote:  

(10-22-2019 12:08 PM)bearcatfan Wrote:  Agreed - unfortunately UC just can't compete with the P5 money, tv, and bowl access.

Maybe 15M fans will exit BPS and march up to Clifton to see real
football. Folks, it's much more fun to see winning football, a winning
Coach, and the college atmosphere.

The Bengals lost any measure of "Mean and Angry"

Let’s be honest, most of the people who are Bengal season ticket holders are OSU and UK fans, particularly since their attendance is down to 30K butts in the seat.

(10-29-2019 10:13 PM)TheUnruly1 Wrote:  

(10-29-2019 07:56 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Ya think he doesn’t have an attorney who everyone in the biz knows to call if needed I have a bridge to sell ya.

It's not about an attorney or a Retainer ... Maybe he does have somebody to that utilized for those moments but all of his interaction with UC was through him. Now contract negotiations most assuredly had an attorney present.

This isn't about speculation this is about who he has shown himself to be and at some point you have to believe a man actions and the person they have shown themself to be. Fickell has been methodical and calculating with his career thus far and I don't see that changing. He has yet to prove to be one who jump ships before his desired time frame and if he says ten years I believe he won't leave before 5 unless Ohio State comes open.

Goodness UC has only been good for about 15 years and been burned only 3 times... Goodness you would think this has been happening since the 80's. Jaded because UC hired a couple of glory chasers... Chill out calm down. If he leaves so what but he won't leave us for Tennessee or the next best P5 and I feel like you are insulting his intelligence to believe he would. The man has 6 kids and can't afford instability and that's a reality with these P5 jobs that can't manage to convince football players to come aboard. You think his wife is going to out up with moving 6 kids regularly?

Since 1965, other than Rick Minter every successful coach we've ever had has left as soon as they had success at UC:

Homer Rice - after a 5 win season in his second year at UC in 1968, he left to become AD at UNC
Tony Mason - after 3 moderately successful seasons at UC (4-7, 7-4, 6-5, and final season 8-3 in 1976), he left for Arizona after a good 4th year
Mike Gottfried - after two moderately successful seasons at UC in 81 & 82, he left for Kansas
Watson Brown - after a successful 1983 season at UC where he beat defending national champ Penn State, he left to be coach/AD at Rice.
Tim Murphy - His first two seasons at UC were 1 win each. Awful. His next two seasons were 3 wins and 4 wins. After his first winning season at UC in 1993 (8-3), he left for Harvard. Harvard.

Most likely it’ll eventually be the proverbial death and taxes scenario. Successful coach will be given an opportunity he can’t pass up. Generational money...incredible facilities and huge fan base...dream school...whatever. Fan base then freakS and states how awful of a coach he really is and will keep tabs on him hoping for him to fail. Woot.

It’s not just the non-power programs, either. Unless you are a Clemson or Alabama, etc., the shelf life for staying in one place anymore is just not that long for staffs that get it done at a high level.

It’s not worth flipping out over one way or t’other. Hope UC wins out and that he’s rightfully on every short list for every job opening this offseason and next. That’s a good thing.

(10-30-2019 09:25 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Most likely it’ll eventually be the proverbial death and taxes scenario. Successful coach will be given an opportunity he can’t pass up. Generational money...incredible facilities and huge fan base...dream school...whatever. Fan base then freakS and states how awful of a coach he really is and will keep tabs on him hoping for him to fail. Woot.

It’s not just the non-power programs, either. Unless you are a Clemson or Alabama, etc., the shelf life for staying in one place anymore is just not that long for staffs that get it done at a high level.

It’s not worth flipping out over one way or t’other. Hope UC wins out and that he’s rightfully on every short list for every job opening this offseason and next. That’s a good thing.

Florida had a head coach leave for the Washington Redskins.
Tennessee lost a coach to USC.
LSU lost a coach to the Miami Dolphins
Wisconsin lost a coach to Arkansas
Florida State lost a coach to Texas A&M
USC lost a coach to Seattle

Bottom line...if a coach is very successful there is almost always a bigger job. There are very few Frank Beamers or Mark Fews out there. We can dream of finding one, but in the meantime the only thing that matters is that our current coach is successful. I have no idea what jobs Fickell would leave for. I know he'll get offers. That's a good thing. UC football is back to winning.

(10-30-2019 09:25 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Most likely it’ll eventually be the proverbial death and taxes scenario. Successful coach will be given an opportunity he can’t pass up. Generational money...incredible facilities and huge fan base...dream school...whatever. Fan base then freakS and states how awful of a coach he really is and will keep tabs on him hoping for him to fail. Woot.

It’s not just the non-power programs, either. Unless you are a Clemson or Alabama, etc., the shelf life for staying in one place anymore is just not that long for staffs that get it done at a high level.

It’s not worth flipping out over one way or t’other. Hope UC wins out and that he’s rightfully on every short list for every job opening this offseason and next. That’s a good thing.

Did anyone do that for Kelly? I don't recall that on here at all...maybe Butch (who actually did turn out to be a bad coach), but not Kelly at all, and he seems to be a better comparison to Fickell at this point IMO.

Yes...people swore it was all dantonio’s recruiting, etc.

Then there was the obligatory thread every game ND lost for a year. Like I said, death and taxes.

(10-30-2019 09:38 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(10-30-2019 09:25 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Most likely it’ll eventually be the proverbial death and taxes scenario. Successful coach will be given an opportunity he can’t pass up. Generational money...incredible facilities and huge fan base...dream school...whatever. Fan base then freakS and states how awful of a coach he really is and will keep tabs on him hoping for him to fail. Woot.

It’s not just the non-power programs, either. Unless you are a Clemson or Alabama, etc., the shelf life for staying in one place anymore is just not that long for staffs that get it done at a high level.

It’s not worth flipping out over one way or t’other. Hope UC wins out and that he’s rightfully on every short list for every job opening this offseason and next. That’s a good thing.

Did anyone do that for Kelly? I don't recall that on here at all...maybe Butch (who actually did turn out to be a bad coach), but not Kelly at all, and he seems to be a better comparison to Fickell at this point IMO.

I agree. Most on here seemed to agree Kelly was a damn good coach. I think the people that credited Dantonio over Kelly were few and far between (though there are some).

That didn't stop people bitching about Kelly leaving or "how he left," but the consensus was Kelly was a great coach.

Butch was more conflicted. I know I was one who didn't think that highly of him. I thought he was a solid recruiter who capitalized on inheriting a great situation, but didn't do anything to elevate the program. I wasn't that upset to see him go and often pointed to the comparison that Kelly went 35-6 at UC while Butch went 23-14.

Of course the guy who replaced him was a total disaster.

(10-30-2019 09:42 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Yes...people swore it was all dantonio’s recruiting, etc.

Then there was the obligatory thread every game ND lost for a year. Like I said, death and taxes.

That's just the little brother schadenfreude. I've had to deal with that all my life

(10-30-2019 09:25 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Most likely it’ll eventually be the proverbial death and taxes scenario. Successful coach will be given an opportunity he can’t pass up. Generational money...incredible facilities and huge fan base...dream school...whatever. Fan base then freakS and states how awful of a coach he really is and will keep tabs on him hoping for him to fail. Woot.

It’s not just the non-power programs, either. Unless you are a Clemson or Alabama, etc., the shelf life for staying in one place anymore is just not that long for staffs that get it done at a high level.

It’s not worth flipping out over one way or t’other. Hope UC wins out and that he’s rightfully on every short list for every job opening this offseason and next. That’s a good thing.

Bolded, I share this view. Win as much as we can in 2019. The Bearcats are on a trajectory to have one of their top four seasons ever if they finish strong.

I'm actually impressed with Fickell saying he wants to be in demand (paraphrasing him) and that it elevates our program. I prefer that to the conventional "coachspeak" we've heard from others: "I'm very happy here...I have no interest in being anywhere else...I can fulfill all my career goals here." As Col. Potter on MASH used to say, "Bullfeathers."

Fickell may well intend to stay longer than others; nothing is forever. But if it became public, that say USC was coming hard after him, and he assured top prospects privately that he'd be here, it only makes him and the UC program look stronger.

I hear ya, Bearcatman... and when Butch went to UT we had better game day coverage on this board than they did in the Knoxville media. LOL. We will all be up to speed on the going’s on of UCLA basketball this season I’m sure.

I gave Dantonio a boatload of happy sayonara on his way out the door but mostly because I sorta dreaded the style of football he gave us his first couple years. Don Treadwell’s offense was brutal to sit in the stands and watch and I got sick of hearing we are just the little guy and we can’t possibly recruit against even the bottom tier of the glorious B10. I was thrilled when MSU jumped on him as a result of the Rutgers win. Had that not happened he could have ended up being Minter v2.0.

Since Minter, our program has held on to a head coach for only 3 seasons save for The Unnamed, Unpardonable One. I can't fault any of the ones that left for a bigger funded, more storied program with a fatter paycheck. Most of us working stiffs have done the same in our own careers. We can quibble about the way in which someone left but I feel this board has overall wished every coach the best - including Mick Cronin. Of course there are always a few outliers LOL. I believe [and I have no insider information] that Fick is here at least one more season and I will attempt a backflip [from a seated, floor position to avoid injury of course] for every year he remains here past 2020. Like the others before him, when [not if] he leaves it will suck at first but a renewed excitement will return because our program continues to endure successfully despite the frequent coaching changes and we should continue to attract good, young up-n-comers. What other choice do we have? We'll suck it up, make the best of it, support our program, and continue the fight onward because that's WHAT WE DO AND WHO WE ARE AS PART OF BEARCAT NATION baby!

(10-30-2019 08:48 AM)Captain Bearcat Wrote:  

(10-29-2019 10:13 PM)TheUnruly1 Wrote:  

(10-29-2019 07:56 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Ya think he doesn’t have an attorney who everyone in the biz knows to call if needed I have a bridge to sell ya.

It's not about an attorney or a Retainer ... Maybe he does have somebody to that utilized for those moments but all of his interaction with UC was through him. Now contract negotiations most assuredly had an attorney present.

This isn't about speculation this is about who he has shown himself to be and at some point you have to believe a man actions and the person they have shown themself to be. Fickell has been methodical and calculating with his career thus far and I don't see that changing. He has yet to prove to be one who jump ships before his desired time frame and if he says ten years I believe he won't leave before 5 unless Ohio State comes open.

Goodness UC has only been good for about 15 years and been burned only 3 times... Goodness you would think this has been happening since the 80's. Jaded because UC hired a couple of glory chasers... Chill out calm down. If he leaves so what but he won't leave us for Tennessee or the next best P5 and I feel like you are insulting his intelligence to believe he would. The man has 6 kids and can't afford instability and that's a reality with these P5 jobs that can't manage to convince football players to come aboard. You think his wife is going to out up with moving 6 kids regularly?

Since 1965, other than Rick Minter every successful coach we've ever had has left as soon as they had success at UC:

Homer Rice - after a 5 win season in his second year at UC in 1968, he left to become AD at UNC
Tony Mason - after 3 moderately successful seasons at UC (4-7, 7-4, 6-5, and final season 8-3 in 1976), he left for Arizona after a good 4th year
Mike Gottfried - after two moderately successful seasons at UC in 81 & 82, he left for Kansas
Watson Brown - after a successful 1983 season at UC where he beat defending national champ Penn State, he left to be coach/AD at Rice.
Tim Murphy - His first two seasons at UC were 1 win each. Awful. His next two seasons were 3 wins and 4 wins. After his first winning season at UC in 1993 (8-3), he left for Harvard. Harvard.

Yeah, except for the fact that the campus and facilities were horrendous when each of those coaches were here. Now it's all pretty world class. Big difference.

(10-30-2019 09:48 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(10-30-2019 09:38 AM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(10-30-2019 09:25 AM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  Most likely it’ll eventually be the proverbial death and taxes scenario. Successful coach will be given an opportunity he can’t pass up. Generational money...incredible facilities and huge fan base...dream school...whatever. Fan base then freakS and states how awful of a coach he really is and will keep tabs on him hoping for him to fail. Woot.

It’s not just the non-power programs, either. Unless you are a Clemson or Alabama, etc., the shelf life for staying in one place anymore is just not that long for staffs that get it done at a high level.

It’s not worth flipping out over one way or t’other. Hope UC wins out and that he’s rightfully on every short list for every job opening this offseason and next. That’s a good thing.

Did anyone do that for Kelly? I don't recall that on here at all...maybe Butch (who actually did turn out to be a bad coach), but not Kelly at all, and he seems to be a better comparison to Fickell at this point IMO.

I agree. Most on here seemed to agree Kelly was a damn good coach. I think the people that credited Dantonio over Kelly were few and far between (though there are some).

That didn't stop people bitching about Kelly leaving or "how he left," but the consensus was Kelly was a great coach.

Butch was more conflicted. I know I was one who didn't think that highly of him. I thought he was a solid recruiter who capitalized on inheriting a great situation, but didn't do anything to elevate the program. I wasn't that upset to see him go and often pointed to the comparison that Kelly went 35-6 at UC while Butch went 23-14.

Of course the guy who replaced him was a total disaster.

I agree about Butch Jones. Decent coach who does things the right way, but will never win a P5 conference.

At the time, I thought he would have been better off taking the Purdue job. Purdue would have been thrilled with making a bowl 2/3 of the time with a coach that is ethical and represents the school well. And an occasional 8-win season to get ranked #25 to end the year. Tennessee will ask why he wasn't cheating to turn those 8-win seasons into 10-win seasons.

And it turned out I was right - he went 5-7, 7-6, 9-4, 9-4, 4-6 at Tennessee and got fired. But Purdue just made their coach the 10th highest paid coach in the country for going 7-6, 6-7 in his first two years.

He’s still cashing 4-5 million dollar checks from UT through 2021 I think. He took the right gig.

(10-30-2019 01:54 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  He’s still cashing 4-5 million dollar checks from UT through 2021 I think. He took the right gig.

Maybe we've have this dream job thing wrong all along. One that pays 4-5 mill/year for 3 years after getting canned sounds like a lot of people's dream job. Hence, Tennessee was Butch Jones' dream job.

(10-30-2019 01:54 PM)rath v2.0 Wrote:  He’s still cashing 4-5 million dollar checks from UT through 2021 I think. He took the right gig.

Playing devil's advocate, he would still be cashing $4-5M dollar checks every year from Purdue since 2012 and going forward(probably more, Purdue is paying Brohm $6M). Jones will be making $2M coaching South Florida in another year or two.

You ever been to West Lafayette? Lol