After offering Gino, Brown, Hitsch, and Tressel spots on his Wisconsin staff last week, Coach Fickell has started his second round of contacting the remaining UC staffers, but unlike when Dantonio was pressuring Narduzzi to go to Michigan State, Fick is showing more patience for the guys he wants.
Coombs will have plenty of options, but I think he’d like to stay in Cincinnati if possible. Walt Stewart will also have plenty of options, but I know he’d also like to remain at UC.
I called a staffer that worked under Butch Jones at UC today. He was effusive in his praise for Walt Stewart. I’ve heard Pat Fitzgerald at Northwestern is also hoping to add Stewart to his staff.
My call to the former UC staffer (to my surprise) said many coaching changes these days are done without the incoming head coach ever stepping foot on the new campus. We are seeing in this coaching search that the interviews are done on zoom, and I guess it’s not a stretch to think facilities can be highlighted remotely as well.
As I wrote in another thread, I’m really not concerned about UC’s ‘23 class. They’ll keep the kids that don’t have a more attractive offer, and the kids that really love UC. There could also be some additions the new coach might be able to bring. The more important additions will come from the transfer portal. Even though UC will probably lose most of their top recruits, the top rated kids don’t always work out, and the UC kids that love being a Bearcat, are the people that have built this program.
UC is entering the toughest football conference in its long history, and there were going to be some growing pains even if Fick had stayed. With this current scenario of a coaching change coupled with the early signing date, those growing pains will be even more pronounced so be prepared.
I’m convinced the lack of money in the NIL collective is an issue so if you contribute any money to the group CincyReigns, https://cincyreigns.org/ it is probably the best thing you can do to help the program. I made my contribution on Friday.
My additional advice for fans is to stay positive! It is counterproductive to go on social media and complain about your coach, and some UC are already doing just that.
I see some new members here, and I appreciate it since I signed up for a year after my subscription to Bearcat Journal ended, and I prefer smaller more civil discussion than dealing with emotional, out-of-control fans that I’ve seen elsewhere. And I hear from fans that feel the same way. Word of mouth is a powerful way to spread Bearcat Report’s mission. I’m here for another 11 months, even though I’m not a staffer, I’ll be posting mostly here as soon as the Coach search is over. Right now, I want to stay on Twitter and do what little bit I can to rally people for UC football.
Finally, please post as much as possible. It gives the site life, and I can assure you that no one is going to be rude- certainly not Sam, Jason or me. Message boards are only as good as the members who post.
Tim
Coombs will have plenty of options, but I think he’d like to stay in Cincinnati if possible. Walt Stewart will also have plenty of options, but I know he’d also like to remain at UC.
I called a staffer that worked under Butch Jones at UC today. He was effusive in his praise for Walt Stewart. I’ve heard Pat Fitzgerald at Northwestern is also hoping to add Stewart to his staff.
My call to the former UC staffer (to my surprise) said many coaching changes these days are done without the incoming head coach ever stepping foot on the new campus. We are seeing in this coaching search that the interviews are done on zoom, and I guess it’s not a stretch to think facilities can be highlighted remotely as well.
As I wrote in another thread, I’m really not concerned about UC’s ‘23 class. They’ll keep the kids that don’t have a more attractive offer, and the kids that really love UC. There could also be some additions the new coach might be able to bring. The more important additions will come from the transfer portal. Even though UC will probably lose most of their top recruits, the top rated kids don’t always work out, and the UC kids that love being a Bearcat, are the people that have built this program.
UC is entering the toughest football conference in its long history, and there were going to be some growing pains even if Fick had stayed. With this current scenario of a coaching change coupled with the early signing date, those growing pains will be even more pronounced so be prepared.
I’m convinced the lack of money in the NIL collective is an issue so if you contribute any money to the group CincyReigns, https://cincyreigns.org/ it is probably the best thing you can do to help the program. I made my contribution on Friday.
My additional advice for fans is to stay positive! It is counterproductive to go on social media and complain about your coach, and some UC are already doing just that.
I see some new members here, and I appreciate it since I signed up for a year after my subscription to Bearcat Journal ended, and I prefer smaller more civil discussion than dealing with emotional, out-of-control fans that I’ve seen elsewhere. And I hear from fans that feel the same way. Word of mouth is a powerful way to spread Bearcat Report’s mission. I’m here for another 11 months, even though I’m not a staffer, I’ll be posting mostly here as soon as the Coach search is over. Right now, I want to stay on Twitter and do what little bit I can to rally people for UC football.
Finally, please post as much as possible. It gives the site life, and I can assure you that no one is going to be rude- certainly not Sam, Jason or me. Message boards are only as good as the members who post.
Tim
