Former Ohio State football player and head/assistant coach Luke Fickell has turned down the Michigan State job, and will remain at Cincinnati according to a report from Pete Thamel of the Yahoo! Sports.
The long-time Spartan head coach surprised everyone this past week by announcing his retirement just before the traditional National Signing Day. In the days that followed, Luke Fickell quickly became Michigan State’s top target. Because of the timing, things had to move quickly.
According to multiple reports, Michigan State athletic director Bill Beekman landed in Cincinnati to interview Fickell Saturday but the two parted without a deal in place. Clearly, Fickell was listening and keeping his options open, but after a couple of days, it appears as though he’ll be staying with the Bearcats for the foreseeable future.
Sources: Luke Fickell has decided to stay at Cincinnati. After interviewing for Michigan State on Sunday and talking it over with his family, he elected to stay put.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 10, 2020
Fickell has quickly turned Cincinnati back into a contender in the American Athletic Conference. After taking over the program and steering it to a 4-8 season in 2017, Fickell then led the team to an 11-2 record in 2018, and followed that up with another eleven win season in 2019 — nearly becoming the Group of Five representative in the New Years’ Six Bowls. He was named the AAC Coach of the Year in 2017.
While many thought Fickell would jump at a chance to take a perceived step up to a Power Five Big Ten school, those that know him best cautioned that this was not a done deal. They now appear to be right. In fact, the Columbus Dispatch did a story on his desire to remain in Cincinnati for the stability of his family.
Besides, it sure would have been strange for a diehard Buckeye to lead a Michigan State program on the other side of a rivalry with Michigan.
Now we’ll have to see where the Spartans turn for their next target after exhausting so much energy here.