Tommy Tuberville Resigns as Cincinnati Head Coach: Latest Details and Reaction

Cincinnati Bearcats head coach Tommy Tuberville resigned Sunday, the team announced.

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"After much thought and reflection, I have decided to step down and resign from my position here at the University of Cincinnati," Tuberville said. "I want to thank the board of trustees, the administration, the fans and the University for these last four years. I also want to thank our coaches, staff and anyone associated within our athletic department. Most of all, I will miss these players but know these young men will turn out to be outstanding leaders in the world and for me that is what it’s all about. I am not done coaching and I look forward to my next challenge. Go Bearcats!"

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Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports and Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated first reported Tuberville's decision.

Tuberville, 62, took over as Cincinnati's head coach in 2013 and led the team to a 29-22 record and bowl appearances in his first three seasons. After going 9-4 in each of his first two campaigns, though, the Bearcats finished a disappointing 7-6 last year and went 4-8 this year, rendering them ineligible for a berth in a bowl game.

The Bearcats also finished just 1-7 in American Athletic Conference play this year and lost five straight games to close the campaign.

As Thamel noted, Cincinnati's down year may have ramifications beyond this season:

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The program's momentum stalled at a critical time for the university, as Cincinnati has ambitions to jump into a Power 5 conference. The Bearcats were considered to be among the frontrunners if the Big 12 expanded this season, but the league decided to stay at 10 teams, leaving Cincinnati as one of the top available programs outside of the power conferences.

The Cincinnati job is considered among the most attractive in the Group of Five because of its location, recruiting base and support from a university interested in making a jump.

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Cincinnati was Tuberville's fourth head coaching gig at the college level, as he also spent time at Mississippi (1995-98), Auburn (1999-2008) and Texas Tech (2010-12). He led his teams to 15 bowl appearances and won the Paul "Bear" Bryant and Walter Camp Coach of the Year Awards in 2004 when he led Auburn to a No. 2 ranking in the final Associated Press poll.

Dan Wolken of USA Today speculated Western Kentucky coach Jeff Brohm, Western Michigan coach P.J. Fleck, Troy coach Neal Brown, Appalachian State coach Scott Satterfield and Ohio State cornerbacks/special teams coach Kerry Coombs—a former Cincinnati assistant—may all be in the running to replace Tuberville.

Thamel added Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell and co-offensive coordinator Ed Warinner to the list of candidates.

Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports also noted the "accelerated timing" of Tuberville's resignation allows Cincinnati to enter the "sweepstakes" for Brohm.

Certainly, the Bearcats will look to make a splashy hire given the program's Power Five aspirations.

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