Next Head Coach at LSU?

[Walter]

Bruce Feldman also mentioned Mark Stoops as a potential candidate.

Most think Jimbo and Mel Tucker are at the top of the LSU list right now. 

[Tones]

7 hours ago, Walter said:

Most UC fans know that there are other jobs that Fick will leave for outside of ND and OSU...Trust me when I say it is a very short list though.

He isn't passing on Bama, Clemson, Oklahoma, and Georgia. Those are obvious. And I think James Franklin leaving Penn State would make a lot of UC fans nervous as well. 

I mentioned him passing on Ole Miss and Mississippi St in the above post, but his name was also at the top of the list for Tennessee, Arkansas, South Carolina, Vandy, and Auburn as well. 

That's half the SEC that inquired about his interest in their openings and nothing got far enough to make UC fans nervous. Michigan State was the closest he came to leaving and he ended up coming back for $3.4 mil a year and an increased salary pool for his assistants. 

What other jobs are out there that you think he would leave for considering the list that he has already turned down?

Would he leave for Michigan?

[Walter]

59 minutes ago, Tones said:

Would he leave for Michigan?

Not a chance. 

He has the Ohio State "Block O" tattooed on one of his calves and while his son Landon was at Moeller, he wouldn't wear Moeller gear to games or events because of their colors and logo. 

Fick is a perfect example of how deep that "rivalry" runs with some.

[TheDeuce]

8 hours ago, Walter said:

Most UC fans know that there are other jobs that Fick will leave for outside of ND and OSU...Trust me when I say it is a very short list though.

He isn't passing on Bama, Clemson, Oklahoma, and Georgia. Those are obvious. And I think James Franklin leaving Penn State would make a lot of UC fans nervous as well. 

I mentioned him passing on Ole Miss and Mississippi St in the above post, but his name was also at the top of the list for Tennessee, Arkansas, South Carolina, Vandy, and Auburn as well. 

That's half the SEC that inquired about his interest in their openings and nothing got far enough to make UC fans nervous. Michigan State was the closest he came to leaving and he ended up coming back for $3.4 mil a year and an increased salary pool for his assistants. 

What other jobs are out there that you think he would leave for considering the list that he has already turned down?

In my experiences, "most" UC fans think OSU and ND are the only two options. You likely interact with more UC fans than I do, so they may all have an expanded list.

In general, I think the public buys too much into "Coach X doesn't have any interest in the _____ job" because we don't hear about the coaches actually meeting with potential schools. To put it bluntly, I don't believe most coaches when they say they have "zero interest" in big time jobs. An agent can talk to a school for weeks before the coach would ever have to be in the conversation themselves. I just don't put much stock into it. 

As for all the "Luke Fickell isn't like that" from UC fans, again, I get it. We hear that all that time from dozens of coaches, right before they leave. Money talks and I promise the family will pack up and move if the right opportunity presented itself. 

Fickell may end up only leaving UC for OSU or ND. Maybe the timing is never right and he never leaves UC, it's possible. I just find it extremely naive for so many people to think there are only two possibilities for him to leave. 

[gchs_uk9]

12 hours ago, MBWC41 said:

I agree, UC will be a much better job when they join the Big 12.

They’ll still be in a conference on the decline. They’ll still be in a conference begging for respect. They’ll still be in a conference that any coach with higher aspirations would leave in a heartbeat. 

But they'll have an easier route to the playoff and access to more money!

[Voice of Reason]

I am a casual college football fan. I root for all the colleges in the region - UK, UL (yes, I root for both), UC, Miami OH.  However, I am a sports fanatic who listens to radio sports talk shows a couple hours a day and read about sports daily. So I don't have UC insight but I do have tons of experience and knowledge following sports.

With that background I will say this about Fickell and his wife and family. In all my years following sports, I have never seen any other coach in any sport where it is even close to the impact wife and family have on coaching job decisions. Fickell's name has been in the mix for a lot of jobs as Walter lists above. Literally every time one of these possible job openings happen, wife and family are listed as a big factor. It is part of the story. Fickell has shown he will not leave for a bigger paycheck and a "better opportunity". From all I have seen and read, if people want to list possible colleges Fickell would leave for, start by drawing a circle of a 2 hour drive from Columbus and look for colleges inside that circle.

[Walter]

52 minutes ago, TheDeuce said:

In my experiences, "most" UC fans think OSU and ND are the only two options. You likely interact with more UC fans than I do, so they may all have an expanded list.

In general, I think the public buys too much into "Coach X doesn't have any interest in the _____ job" because we don't hear about the coaches actually meeting with potential schools. To put it bluntly, I don't believe most coaches when they say they have "zero interest" in big time jobs. An agent can talk to a school for weeks before the coach would ever have to be in the conversation themselves. I just don't put much stock into it. 

As for all the "Luke Fickell isn't like that" from UC fans, again, I get it. We hear that all that time from dozens of coaches, right before they leave. Money talks and I promise the family will pack up and move if the right opportunity presented itself. 

Fickell may end up only leaving UC for OSU or ND. Maybe the timing is never right and he never leaves UC, it's possible. I just find it extremely naive for so many people to think there are only two possibilities for him to leave. 

Fair and valid points. 

Right time, right place is the key part of your response. 

My biggest issue is with the people/outsiders who think he is going to leave just because a different program can pay him more. Not once during his time at UC has he asked for more money. 

His demands and requests during contract negotiations have been things that benefit the program/players and continue to move it forward. (Larger salary pool for assistants, locker room upgrades, new/improved living conditions for players, permanent Indoor Practice Facility, private jet access to assist with recruiting needs for him and his staff)

The last one is a big one. He recently mentioned at a "Bearcats Air" event that the private jet access allowed him to meet with Myjai Sanders and his family in Florida right after the Peach Bowl and then get back to Louisville hours later to meet with Ridder and his family. 

The day he feels like there's no more room for growth at UC will be the day he decides it's time to move on. 

His family is happy in Cincinnati and he's getting ready to get a major recruiting boost and additional resources with the Big 12 move. 

 

 

 

[TheDeuce]

2 minutes ago, Walter said:

My biggest issue is with the people/outsiders who think he is going to leave just because a different program can pay him more. Not once during his time at UC has he asked for more money. 

His demands and requests during contract negotiations have been things that benefit the program/players and continue to move it forward. (Larger salary pool for assistants, locker room upgrades, new/improved living conditions for players, permanent Indoor Practice Facility, private jet access to assist with recruiting needs for him and his staff)

These things are easy for me to believe. Simply being paid more isn't going to be enough for some guys. 

[John Anthony]

1 hour ago, Walter said:

Fair and valid points. 

Right time, right place is the key part of your response. 

My biggest issue is with the people/outsiders who think he is going to leave just because a different program can pay him more. Not once during his time at UC has he asked for more money. 

His demands and requests during contract negotiations have been things that benefit the program/players and continue to move it forward. (Larger salary pool for assistants, locker room upgrades, new/improved living conditions for players, permanent Indoor Practice Facility, private jet access to assist with recruiting needs for him and his staff)

The last one is a big one. He recently mentioned at a "Bearcats Air" event that the private jet access allowed him to meet with Myjai Sanders and his family in Florida right after the Peach Bowl and then get back to Louisville hours later to meet with Ridder and his family. 

The day he feels like there's no more room for growth at UC will be the day he decides it's time to move on. 

His family is happy in Cincinnati and he's getting ready to get a major recruiting boost and additional resources with the Big 12 move. 

 

 

 

ND will make it interesting in the next year or so.  They are playing chess with Day, who likely won’t leave until after a title.

[Kenny Powers]

43 minutes ago, John Anthony said:

ND will make it interesting in the next year or so.  They are playing chess with Day, who likely won’t leave until after a title.

Where would Day go?

[REALSPORT]

14 hours ago, TheDeuce said:

The only logic in the timing is that LSU wants to get a jump on the movement in the off-season. 

They are still at risk of losing most of their committed recruits by announcing this now.  Two months is a long time to be in limbo.  Unless LSU has their sights set on someone currently unemployed, I don't see the benefit of doing this now.

[TheDeuce]

Just now, REALSPORT said:

They are still at risk of losing most of their committed recruits by announcing this now.  Two months is a long time to be in limbo.  Unless LSU has their sights set on someone currently unemployed, I don't see the benefit of doing this now.

I agree, I don't see the benefit either. 

[John Anthony]

4 hours ago, Kenny Powers said:

Where would Day go?

I see him as an NFL HC down the road.

[Walter]

2 hours ago, REALSPORT said:

They are still at risk of losing most of their committed recruits by announcing this now.  Two months is a long time to be in limbo.  Unless LSU has their sights set on someone currently unemployed, I don't see the benefit of doing this now.

4* WR de-committed today. Rumors Cincinnati product RB Corey Kiner could be looking to transfer. 

[Walter]

10 minutes ago, John Anthony said:

I see him as an NFL HC down the road.

How long does Day stick around trying for a national championship before moving on?