Jim Tressel Resigns as Head Football Coach: What Ohio State Should Do Next

This morning Ohio State has confirmed that Jim Tressel, head football coach for the past 10 seasons in Columbus, has resigned from his position.

Although the turmoil regarding the Ohio State athletic department will not go away immediately, this was a necessary first step in letting the Buckeye Nation move on. Credit university president Gordon Gee and athletic director Gene Smith for standing behind their football coach when the whole world appeared against Tressel. However, no man is bigger than the university or its reputation, and Tressel exits in a similar manner as another legendary Ohio State coach, that being Woody Hayes.

Despite the current trouble, Ohio State fans should cherish the ten years that "The Vest" walked the sidelines, because this past decade has been one of the most dominant in Big Ten history. Furthermore, Tressel leaves a stocked stable of high quality recruits who should carry on the winning tradition for whomever steps in as the next head football coach.

But now Ohio State is faced with an even tougher and more important decision than letting Tressel go. Who should take this elite football program over, and when?

For now, co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell will be the interim head coach for the entire 2011 football season. Fickell was slated to coach the Buckeyes during Tressel's five-game suspension, so this extension of the interim term should not come as a surprise.

Fickell has coached with the Buckeyes for nine seasons, and has held the title of co-defensive coordinator since 2005. In that time, Fickell has led the linebackers as well, one of the most consistent and sucessful units in the program. Although he may bring a less conservative offensive philosophy to the Buckeyes, do not expect immediate change in how the they play defense.

Although Fickell is not a big name, his 12-game extended job interview makes him the front runner for the full-time position, assuming that the 2011 season goes well. One key for a new head coach is retention of recruits, and Fickell should be able to keep Tressel's recruits, assuming the Ohio State staff remains mostly intact.

In addition, much like the new head coach at Michigan, Brady Hoke, Fickell is a long-time Buckeye rather than an outsider, which will appeal to Buckeyes fans. Fickell played for the Buckeyes from 1992 to 1995 and could find instant success as a young coach if given the opportunity. Fickell will immediately draw comparisons to another mid-1990's Big Ten player now coaching his alma mater at a young age, Pat Fitzgerald of Northwestern. Although ascending to the head coach position under these circumstances is not ideal, Fickell should rely on the counsel of Fitzgerald and other young coaches to make this transition as smooth as possible with hopes to remove "interim" from his job title.

Of course Buckeye Nation will clamor for a big splash hiring to replace Tressel, and there is no doubt that Smith and Gee will at least see who is available after next season. Of the many names that will be thrown around in this coaching search, Urban Meyer will certainly garner the most speculation. Meyer is an Ohio guy and will have had a chance to reconnect with his family after taking two years off from the stress of coaching. However, Meyer is not likely looking to go back to the high-tension lifestyle of a major college football program like Ohio State, and so he will likely pass on the job in 2012.

This leaves other head coaching names like Mike Bellotti (former Oregon head coach), Jon Gruden (former NFL head coach), Glen Mason (previously at University of Minnesota), Chris Petersen (current Boise State head coach), Gary Patterson (TCU), Bo Pelini (Nebraska), Mark Dantonio (Michigan State), and Bob Stoops (Oklahoma) on the table for a potential hire. Although it may be hard to lure away a head coach from another high-profile program, Pelini, Dantonio, and Stoops all have local ties and may want to make a jump back closer to home.

Meanwhile, Belotti and Gruden are likely too comfortable being away from coaching to return. Mason was passed over when Tressel was hired and will probably not be a positive public relations bump. Petersen and Patterson have absolutely no reason to leave unless a higher-prestige and higher-pressure program is what they seek. Stoops already has dominance of a major college conference. Which leaves the remaining candidates as Pelini and Dantonio alongside Fickell.

Dantonio was on the 2002 coaching staff with Fickell when the Buckeyes won a national championship. Since that season, Dantonio has moved himself up in the coaching ranks by spending a few years in Cincinnati and now four years in East Lansing. Dantonio would bring more head coaching experience than Fickell, but he may not feel comfortable taking the job away from a former co-worker.

Thus, the speculation turns to Bo Pelini. If Ohio State feels that the program needs a clear break from the Tressel era, Pelini will bring a different style of coaching fire to Columbus. Pelini also has Ohio ties and is not necessarily married to his job at Nebraska. Moreover, hiring Pelini away from Nebraska would create another intense new rivalry for the Cornhuskers as they enter the Big Ten. Pelini is the most interesting candidate for the Ohio State head football coach position, even more than Urban Meyer.

However, Ohio State has traditionally done better when it does the unexpected and hires a lesser known football coach. Therefore, assuming the highly talented Buckeyes can navigate to 10 wins this season, Luke Fickell will be, and should be, the next head football coach at Ohio State.