Report: Luke Fickell, Cincinnati agree to contract extension
Luke Fickell isn’t going anywhere. On Monday, Fickell himself told The Athletic that he agreed to an extension with the Cincinnati Bearcats.
“The Cincinnati Bearcats and football head coach Luke Fickell have agreed to a contract extension, Fickell told The Athletic,” revealed Justin Williams of The Athletic. The new deal runs through 2028 and will pay Fickell $5 million per year, according to sources.
“The extension is still pending approval by the university’s Board of Trustees, which is scheduled to meet on Feb. 22, when the deal is expected to be finalized.”
Last season, Fickell proved to himself — and the college football world — that he’s building something special in Cincinnati. However, many penciled him in for other more enticing jobs, thinking the coach was leaving the Bearcats. Evidently, that’s not the case, and Fickell is in it for the long haul with the program.
Luke Fickell accomplished the unthinkable with Cincinnati, leading a non-Power Five team to the College Football Playoff. Now, he’ll help lead Cincinnati in their foray into the Big 12. The future is limitless for the Bearcats, and the potential is off the charts for Fickell and the Bearcats if he can build on a memorable 2021.
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When Luke Fickell took over the Bearcats program in 2017, they were coming off of a 4-8 finish. They replicated that record in the coach’s inaugural season, but quickly turned things around. Since 2018, Cincinnati has finished with at least 11 wins in three of four seasons. The only year in which they didn’t was 2020, and that was because they played just 10 games.
Now, Cincinnati will be looking to improve upon a season where they found themselves in the College Football Playoff. While Fickell will have to replace multiple talented players, he’s bringing in a well-known coach to help ease the turnover.
Earlier this mont, the Bearcats announced the hiring of veteran college football assistant coach Kerry Coombs as the team’s new cornerbacks coach and special teams coordinator. Coombs joins the Bearcats after spending the past two seasons as Ohio State’s defensive coordinator.
“I’m thrilled to welcome Kerry Coombs and his family back to Cincinnati and to our program,” Cincinnati head coach Fickell said. “Kerry has had tremendous success everywhere he has been at the high school, college and professional levels because he’s an exceptional motivator and teacher of the game. Coaching with him, I’ve seen firsthand the positive impact Kerry can have on a program. He’s an excellent special teams coach and he will do a great job developing our cornerbacks. We have made ourselves better as a program and as a T.E.A.M.!”
Coombs, 60, rejoins Cincinnati’s program after being on the Bearcats’ staff from 2007-11 as the associate head coach, defensive backs coach and a special teams coach. He also spent more than two decades coaching high school football in the state.
Coombs spent seven seasons on the staff at Ohio State, including the 2020 and 2021 seasons as the Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator. Prior to going to Columbus, Coombs served as the Tennessee Titans’ secondary coach from 2018-19. He also spent the 2012-2017 seasons at Ohio State in various roles.