Q&A: Luke Fickell to Wisconsin, the Cincinnati perspective
With the Wisconsin Badgers making a splash on Sunday with the hiring of Luke Fickell, there is plenty of uncertainty about how the next few months will play out for Wisconsin football.
With the news still relatively fresh, there are a lot of moving pieces both in terms of team personnel and on the recruiting trail.
Hoping to learn more about what the Badgers are getting in their new coach, All Badgers reached out to All Bearcats beat writer Russ Heltman to get the Cincinnati perspective of everything that has transpired, and what Luke Fickell brings as a head coach.
Here is our conversation with Russ in a question-and-answer format.
What was your immediate reaction to the news of Fickell leaving for Wisconsin?
I'm a little surprised but far from shocked. Multiple big schools heavily pursued Fickell over the last few seasons, but the timing was clearly right in 2022.
Prior chances would've required leaving a budding CFP contender before last year, and the 2021 calls for new jobs came while he was preparing to face Alabama in the playoff. Now, he's sent the lifeblood of his former program to the NFL or graduation and can build something new in Madison.
Luke Fickell speaking with his Cincinnati team during preseason camp in 2022.
Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
What is the general sentiment for Cincinnati fans about Fickell’s departure?
Sadness, followed by anger and respect. It's hard to throw stones at a guy that weathered the storm of job rumors admirably over the last few years and finished what he started in elevating the program to new heights.
Some within the fanbase are drawing a direct comparison to Brian Kelly leaving UC for Notre Dame over 10 years ago, but those are lazy.
Kelly bailed on a program heading into its biggest game ever. Fickell fulfilled his promises and left in as respectable a way as you can given how condensed recruiting and transfer timelines are in today's college football.
No one should be upset about him missing a mid-tier bowl appearance for UC.
What do you think Luke Fickell’s strengths are as a head coach?
Culture, staff retainment, and local recruiting.
Fickell did an unbelievable job building UC the right way through development and the all-for-one "T.E.A.M" mentality. That should carry right over to Wisconsin which has a similar recruiting strategy as UC. Cincinnati was powered by local recruits staying home and the "300-mile radius" Fickell focused on.
He also creates great continuity through his staff. That was the most underrated part of the CFP run in 2021. Fickell held onto most of his top assistants for three-plus years which is hard to do on a premier team.
Luke Fickell running out onto the field with the Cincinnati Bearcats and quarterback Ben Bryant.
Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
In terms of X’s and O’s, what should Wisconsin expect from Fickell schematically on both sides of the ball based on what he did at Cincinnati?
Defensively, he should bring over the beloved 3-3-5 hybrid scheme from Cincinnati. It relies on a dominant nose tackle and great linebacker play to help extra men in coverage.
He had to tweak it a bit with more zone looks following the exit of man-coverage standouts Sauce Gardner and Coby Bryant, but the versatility was still very effective. UC's defense barely dropped off in 2022.
Offensively, he is a chameleon that affords his offensive staff a lot of leeway with systems. Whoever they decide on at QB will determine how the offense looks. He fits systems to QBs and is not rigid. Cincinnati was largely a spread-out offense under Ben Bryant this year after mixing in a lot more QB-run schemes with Desmond Ridder.
There are reports that Brady Collins is expected to follow Fickell to Wisconsin. What should Wisconsin fans know about Collins?
Collins gets results in the weight room.
He helped transform all nine Bearcats draft picks last season—namely turning Gardner from a gangly prospect to a full-sized defensive weapon at 6-foot-3. Collins's most famous invention is SQUATFEST, which is an early-morning preseason competitive lift session meant to set a tone for the upcoming campaign. It's been a staple for the Bearcats over the last few seasons.
I'll be interested to see if he carries that over pending his hiring confirmation.
Related links:
- Coaching profile: Head coach Luke Fickell
- Ten potential recruiting targets for Luke Fickell at Wisconsin in the 2023 cycle
- Former UW commit Christopher Terek flips to Notre Dame
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