(01-30-2020 10:54 AM)dubcat14 Wrote: [ -> ] (01-30-2020 10:31 AM)cinbinsportsfan Wrote: [ -> ] (01-30-2020 08:45 AM)OKIcat Wrote: [ -> ] (01-30-2020 08:34 AM)nachoman91 Wrote: [ -> ]Is there any reason why UC shouldn't be reworking Fickell and his staffs contract now after two 11 win seasons. If UC wants to play with the big boys they need to maintain a top level coaching staff. And this isn't just the head coach. Guys like Marcus Freeman need to compensated well enough to keep them here as long as possible.
Rumored to be in the works. I wouldn't expect anything before national signing day as the staff is focused on closing out the best class in school history. To get those recruits committed we can rest assured the high school seniors and their parents are seeking assurances that Fickell plans to be here. To that end, he must have a convincing argument.
Yea it sounds like Fickell isn't planning to go anywhere anytime soon, he and his staff are just laser-focused on finishing up the 2020 class, like you said, and are on the road passing out offers to future prospects.
It sure feels like somewhere between National Signing Day and the spring practices is when we'll hear about a contract extension.
If you have an Athletic subscription he had a sitdown Q&A with Justin Williams and I personally found Fickell's comments/answers to be rather interesting. Very honest and I think he'll be honest with us for the next 2 or 5 years or how ever long we're fortunate enough to have him as coach.
Yep...one of the more open conversations I've seen with a coach in a long time. Williams has put out a ton of good stuff over the last few years.
(01-30-2020 08:34 AM)nachoman91 Wrote: [ -> ]Is there any reason why UC shouldn't be reworking Fickell and his staffs contract now after two 11 win seasons. If UC wants to play with the big boys they need to maintain a top level coaching staff. And this isn't just the head coach. Guys like Marcus Freeman need to compensated well enough to keep them here as long as possible.
As others have mentioned, it's in the works. But let's not forget UC doesn't have any extra money just sitting there.
Nearly half of the AD budget is still supported by tuition. We rank in the mid-50s in the NCAA in revenue, and the gap is only continuing to grow.
Luke Fickell is the 63rd highest paid head coach. UC's highest paid assistant (Denbrock) is the 183rd highest paid assistant. It's amazing we're getting consistent top 25 results.
What we're seeing with this coaching staff is an anomaly and will not hold up. Enjoy the ride because we may never see this again in our lifetime, especially if we don't find a P5 conference soon.
Those are the unfortunate realities. Successful G5 programs not only have to decide how to take care of their staffs financially, but they have to do it with an eye towards a financial balance sheet that often doesn’t make sense.
(01-30-2020 09:32 PM)JPBearcat3 Wrote: [ -> ] (01-30-2020 08:34 AM)nachoman91 Wrote: [ -> ]Is there any reason why UC shouldn't be reworking Fickell and his staffs contract now after two 11 win seasons. If UC wants to play with the big boys they need to maintain a top level coaching staff. And this isn't just the head coach. Guys like Marcus Freeman need to compensated well enough to keep them here as long as possible.
As others have mentioned, it's in the works. But let's not forget UC doesn't have any extra money just sitting there.
Nearly half of the AD budget is still supported by tuition. We rank in the mid-50s in the NCAA in revenue, and the gap is only continuing to grow.
Luke Fickell is the 63rd highest paid head coach. UC's highest paid assistant (Denbrock) is the 183rd highest paid assistant. It's amazing we're getting consistent top 25 results.
What we're seeing with this coaching staff is an anomaly and will not hold up. Enjoy the ride because we may never see this again in our lifetime, especially if we don't find a P5 conference soon.
Factually, your assessment is spot on. Bolded, while this is a conclusion we could draw from the facts presented, I don't think it's the only possible scenario. While we've come to know coaching changes as a way of life, that has most often been because of their success. As long as we're under the current P5/G5 scenario, a successful coach from the MAC, C-USA or the Sun Belt would come to Cincinnati for a substantial raise, an energizing game day experience and a fertile hotbed of recruiting that can earn that coach the opportunity to ascend to a
top tier P5 job as a career capstone. We may remain the most attractive option for that intermediate career step.
No question the cost to compete continues to rise. But some here thought the world ended when the Big East imploded and we've just experienced double digit winning seasons, a divisional conference crown and victories over P5's UCLA, VT and BC along the way. G5 is not where any of us want to be--or stay. But the past couple of seasons have been the proverbial joy ride after the failings of the previous staff.
(01-31-2020 09:25 AM)OKIcat Wrote: [ -> ] (01-30-2020 09:32 PM)JPBearcat3 Wrote: [ -> ] (01-30-2020 08:34 AM)nachoman91 Wrote: [ -> ]Is there any reason why UC shouldn't be reworking Fickell and his staffs contract now after two 11 win seasons. If UC wants to play with the big boys they need to maintain a top level coaching staff. And this isn't just the head coach. Guys like Marcus Freeman need to compensated well enough to keep them here as long as possible.
As others have mentioned, it's in the works. But let's not forget UC doesn't have any extra money just sitting there.
Nearly half of the AD budget is still supported by tuition. We rank in the mid-50s in the NCAA in revenue, and the gap is only continuing to grow.
Luke Fickell is the 63rd highest paid head coach. UC's highest paid assistant (Denbrock) is the 183rd highest paid assistant. It's amazing we're getting consistent top 25 results.
What we're seeing with this coaching staff is an anomaly and will not hold up. Enjoy the ride because we may never see this again in our lifetime, especially if we don't find a P5 conference soon.
Factually, your assessment is spot on. Bolded, while this is a conclusion we could draw from the facts presented, I don't think it's the only possible scenario. While we've come to know coaching changes as a way of life, that has most often been because of their success. As long as we're under the current P5/G5 scenario, a successful coach from the MAC, C-USA or the Sun Belt would come to Cincinnati for a substantial raise, an energizing game day experience and a fertile hotbed of recruiting that can earn that coach the opportunity to ascend to a top tier P5 job as a career capstone. We may remain the most attractive option for that intermediate career step.
No question the cost to compete continues to rise. But some here thought the world ended when the Big East imploded and we've just experienced double digit winning seasons, a divisional conference crown and victories over P5's UCLA, VT and BC along the way. G5 is not where any of us want to be--or stay. But the past couple of seasons have been the proverbial joy ride after the failings of the previous staff.
Yep, that's why I think we'll always have a shot and we've kind of created a very good niche here regardless of when Fickell leaves. The last 4 coaches we had (I'm not counting the dead body now running for Senate in Alabama) ended up at Michigan State, Notre Dame, and Tennessee, those are markedly better jobs than nearly every other elevated coach from another non-P5 program.
(01-31-2020 09:25 AM)OKIcat Wrote: [ -> ] (01-30-2020 09:32 PM)JPBearcat3 Wrote: [ -> ]As others have mentioned, it's in the works. But let's not forget UC doesn't have any extra money just sitting there.
Nearly half of the AD budget is still supported by tuition. We rank in the mid-50s in the NCAA in revenue, and the gap is only continuing to grow.
Luke Fickell is the 63rd highest paid head coach. UC's highest paid assistant (Denbrock) is the 183rd highest paid assistant. It's amazing we're getting consistent top 25 results.
What we're seeing with this coaching staff is an anomaly and will not hold up. Enjoy the ride because we may never see this again in our lifetime, especially if we don't find a P5 conference soon.
Factually, your assessment is spot on. Bolded, while this is a conclusion we could draw from the facts presented, I don't think it's the only possible scenario. While we've come to know coaching changes as a way of life, that has most often been because of their success. As long as we're under the current P5/G5 scenario, a successful coach from the MAC, C-USA or the Sun Belt would come to Cincinnati for a substantial raise, an energizing game day experience and a fertile hotbed of recruiting that can earn that coach the opportunity to ascend to a top tier P5 job as a career capstone. We may remain the most attractive option for that intermediate career step.
No question the cost to compete continues to rise. But some here thought the world ended when the Big East imploded and we've just experienced double digit winning seasons, a divisional conference crown and victories over P5's UCLA, VT and BC along the way. G5 is not where any of us want to be--or stay. But the past couple of seasons have been the proverbial joy ride after the failings of the previous staff.
I agree that UC is positioned to be the best smelling turd in the G5 toilet for the near future.
Our biggest problem IMO is that we've been insulated from the growing chasm in college football because we have an anomaly as a head coach: an extremely well-connected and proud Ohio guy who outworks everyone and doesn't care about climbing the coaching ladder like every other coach in the sport.
If/When Fickell leaves, I don't think you can look at our past coaching hires as examples of what will happen because the overall landscape when MD, BK, and BJ were here was so vastly different than it is now. We are confined to receiving almost a tenth of the revenue of some of the other conferences.
Which means we have to hit on the right up-and-comer every time in order to sniff 10 wins. And then do it at all over again in 3 years when he bolts. Watch what happens with UCF and Memphis over the next 3-4 years to get an example of what UC's future would look like without Fickell.
Side note: as I read over my response here I realized how pessimistic it sounds, and that's truly not my overall feeling right now. I've had a blast as a UC fan, and I'll keep adding season tickets and attending away games whether Fickell is here or not. I'm just cautious of what life looks like after he's gone because we've continually struck out on what I'm hoping has been priority #1: getting to a P5 conference.
We need to commit to a 5 year spending plan to be the top choice. If realignment never comes or we are never chosen then reduce the spending and consider it a bad investment. If it happens then it was wise.
In business we invested in R&D and some projects failed.
(01-31-2020 11:34 AM)doss2 Wrote: [ -> ]We need to commit to a 5 year spending plan to be the top choice. If realignment never comes or we are never chosen then reduce the spending and consider it a bad investment. If it happens then it was wise.
In business we invested in R&D and some projects failed.
I agree. And I kind of feel that's what we've been doing to punch above our weight class in recent years. At the "Coffee with Cunningham" event last Friday he quoted a statistic that UC has had 14 NCAA appearances and 15 bowl games since the year 2000 and only four other schools, all P5, have done that (I'm going from memory here so correct those numbers if I'm wrong).
The only solution in January 2020 seems to simply get to a P5. Given our current worldview, that's what we believe will happen. Alternately, the college football landscape could experience enormous upheaval in other ways in the next 5-10 years. One example would be the top 70-90 football/basketball programs separating from the NCAA and forming an alliance of schools to compete at the highest level. That's enough programs to schedule within the alliance only and the remaining G5 would drop back to FCS or give up football. And in this scenario, the new Big East schools will be out of this mix too.
Any scenario such as this absolutely requires UC to remain elite in G5. I'm a big believer we get to the promised land--but we may do so on a pathway that doesn't exist, or seem possible with our 2020 blinders on right now.
(01-31-2020 01:20 PM)OKIcat Wrote: [ -> ] (01-31-2020 11:34 AM)doss2 Wrote: [ -> ]We need to commit to a 5 year spending plan to be the top choice. If realignment never comes or we are never chosen then reduce the spending and consider it a bad investment. If it happens then it was wise.
In business we invested in R&D and some projects failed.
I agree. And I kind of feel that's what we've been doing to punch above our weight class in recent years. At the "Coffee with Cunningham" event last Friday he quoted a statistic that UC has had 14 NCAA appearances and 15 bowl games since the year 2000 and only four other schools, all P5, have done that (I'm going from memory here so correct those numbers if I'm wrong).
The only solution in January 2020 seems to simply get to a P5. Given our current worldview, that's what we believe will happen. Alternately, the college football landscape could experience enormous upheaval in other ways in the next 5-10 years. One example would be the top 70-90 football/basketball programs separating from the NCAA and forming an alliance of schools to compete at the highest level. That's enough programs to schedule within the alliance only and the remaining G5 would drop back to FCS or give up football. And in this scenario, the new Big East schools will be out of this mix too.
Any scenario such as this absolutely requires UC to remain elite in G5. I'm a big believer we get to the promised land--but we may do so on a pathway that doesn't exist, or seem possible with our 2020 blinders on right now.
I don't see this coming in the next 5-10 years but I wonder if down the road the mega schools like Bama, OSU, etc finally determine it doesn't make sense to keep feeding the bottom feeders in their conferences. A football league of 24-32 of the big schools would seem to be more beneficial than stroking $50 million welfare checks to Vandy and Purdue.
(01-31-2020 01:08 PM)UCbball21 Wrote: [ -> ]3 Star WR Marquez Bell out of FL sets his announcement date for Feb 5th, 10 am. I think Cincy is looking pretty good here.
https://247sports.com/player/marquez-bell-46055312/
I was thinking he was for-sure USF bound after they hired Clemson OC.
This would be another hell of a grab right after WR Scott's commitment. No more Meechi's please though.
According to Brendel on Twitter, Jadon Thompson (4* WR out of Naperville, IL) visited this past weekend and we've picked up 3 CBs for him this morning. Gino still doing work in the Chicagoland area. We thought we were going to get one quality WR on signing day...we may just get two instead.
https://247sports.com/Player/Jadon-Thompson-46048615/
(02-04-2020 12:16 PM)natibeast21 Wrote: [ -> ] (02-04-2020 10:58 AM)BearcatMan Wrote: [ -> ]According to Brendel on Twitter, Jadon Thompson (4* WR out of Naperville, IL) visited this past weekend and we've picked up 3 CBs for him this morning. Gino still doing work in the Chicagoland area. We thought we were going to get one quality WR on signing day...we may just get two instead.
https://247sports.com/Player/Jadon-Thompson-46048615/
Unreal <<<Enough said
Chad crystal balled Marquez bell also. The Illini writer for 247 cb Thompson to uc too.
In the span of 24 hours his crystal balls have swung (..heh)
yesterday 100% Illinois 0% UC
this morning 60% Illinois 40% UC
this afternoon 14% Illinois 86% UC
would be a massive win for UC (and a fairly big blow if he ends up staying with Illinois). Would be the 10th all time rated recruit for UC in a class that already has 2 others in the top 10 historically.
https://247sports.com/PlayerInstitution/...edictions/
(02-04-2020 12:42 PM)dubcat14 Wrote: [ -> ]In the span of 24 hours his crystal balls have swung (..heh)
yesterday 100% Illinois 0% UC
this morning 60% Illinois 40% UC
this afternoon 14% Illinois 86% UC
would be a massive win for UC (and a fairly big blow if he ends up staying with Illinois). Would be the 10th all time rated recruit for UC in a class that already has 2 others in the top 10 historically.
https://247sports.com/PlayerInstitution/...edictions/
Adding him would put us up to #47...if Bell jumps in, that would then move us to #45, and if we can get Anglen in the fold to finish things off we'd bump up to #42...this is seriously a program altering class.
I'd also add, one of the people who switched is the Illinois 247 site's head honcho...so I'm thinking this has some serious legs. I'm loving the Chicago pipeline we've been building with Gino. This would be a huge pull, as he has been committed since last April and has spoken on record multiple times saying that he is "all Illinois". Didn't sign in the early window, and our recruiting bulldogs went after him.
2020:
Renfro, Williams, and potentially Thompson
2019:
Hawthorne, Ruffin, and Mendiola (all redshirted, with Hawthorne and Mendiola getting game time in 3 and 1 game respectively).
2018:
Bryant, Pierce, Jayshon Jackson, and Jeremy Cooper (all have started games for us already as Sophomores/RS Frosh)
I’m just a country bumpkin, but when I see Bill Greene, Chad and the publisher of the Illinois 247 site all switch to UC all at once, I’m guessing a signing for Clifton Heights is imminent.
We just went from WR being a big problem area in this class and the program to potentially having 3 of our top 6 recruits in this class be a WR in this intersession time...good lord can this staff do some serious targeted recruiting. All of this while our entire defensive staff has already moved on to 2021 with a huge group of high quality kids in for junior day last weekend.