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MARCUS FREEMAN: The first-year Irish defensive coordinator is beloved by his current players, many of them taking to social media Monday night advocating for his hiring as Kelly’s replacement. The Cyclones were expected to be Big 12 contenders, instead losing four times in conference play to end up fourth in the final standings. Yet Campbell’s coaching carousel buzz may have been higher before struggling to a 7-5 posting thus far this season. With a bowl win this season, Campbell would win at least eight games for the fourth time in the last five years, the exception being the 7-6 season in 2019 that ended with a loss to Notre Dame in the Camping World Bowl.īefore Campbell, Iowa State last won eight games in a season in 2000, when it went 9-3, a win total never otherwise matched in Cyclones history until they went 9-3 during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, culminating in a 34-17 Fiesta Bowl victory against No. In the three years before his arrival, the Cyclones won a total of eight games. If one of the more reliable ways to gauge a coach’s effectiveness is how he compares to a program’s historical track record, then Campbell, 42, is one of the country’s best.
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MATT CAMPBELL: The sixth-year head coach at Iowa State has also spent his entire coaching career in the Midwest, only leaving Ohio to take over in Ames in 2016 after he won two MAC West Division championships in 20 at Toledo. But I wouldn't know if somebody didn't tell me." /FyPSyZZyBW If the Bearcats win on Saturday, though, would Fickell leave them on the eve of a Playoff appearance? That was once thought beyond comprehension, but then Kelly left the Irish with the Playoff still a possibility for them.Ĭincinnati Bearcats coach Luke Fickell on the Notre Dame HC vacancy: Furthermore, not that this matters on Saturdays or should greatly influence Swarbrick’s search, Fickell is Catholic, conceivably making Notre Dame a more appealing job to him despite the difficulties of the job that presumably played a part in Kelly’s departure. Notre Dame may not be his alma mater, but the latter is unlikely to need a head coach anytime soon. One of the hottest names in coaching circles for two years now, Fickell has turned down opportunities with an eye on staying in the Midwest. That may be the biggest hurdle to Fickell, 48, following in Kelly’s footsteps, as much literally as figuratively.
24 Houston in the AAC championship game (4 ET ABC). He has gone 47-14 in his five years, including a 21-1 stretch over the last two seasons, highlighted by beating Notre Dame in early October.Īs a result of that win, Fickell and Cincinnati stand on the precipice of the College Football Playoff, seemingly assured a bid if they can beat No. Fickell then returned to the Buckeyes, working his way up the coaching staff, until he took over the Bearcats in 2017. LUKE FICKELL: The fifth-year head coach at Cincinnati has spent his entire coaching career in Ohio, beginning as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Ohio State, in 1999 before moving to Akron for two years as defensive line coach. Nonetheless, the proverbial list on director of athletics Jack Swarbrick’s desk likely begins with three names before any others: Cincinnati head coach Luke Fickell, Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell and Irish defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman. So when suggesting candidates to replace Brian Kelly at Notre Dame after he left the Irish for LSU after 12 years in South Bend, neither certainty nor incredulity should be placed on any possibility. December’s early signing period accelerated the coaching carousel a few years ago, the development of the transfer portal has increased the urgency to move on from struggling regimes, and both the present and coming influxes in television contract money make no buyout, extension or salary offer unmanageable. If this coaching cycle has taught the college football world anything, it is that nothing can be considered too surprising anymore.